State and local governments across the country which together employ nearly 20 million workers are bracing for layoffs as they deal with the economic ramifications of the coronavirus. The big picture: Stay-at-home orders have forced businesses to close and cut jobs, tanking state revenue from sales, personal income taxes and fees. Meanwhile, states have paid steep costs for emergency relief and for increases in social safety net programs like unemployment insurance on top of their usual services like police, mass transit and water. The nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) estimates that states could rack up more than $765 billion in budget deficits over the next three years. 88% of local leaders say they're preparing for painful reductions in revenue this year because of the pandemic, according to a National League of Cities survey. Nearly a third of them anticipate furloughing employees, while a quarter expects layoffs. Why it matters: Nearly two-thirds of state spending goes to education, health care and transportation, per the CBPP. Localities and states shed 3% of their workforce as a result of the 2008 financial crisis, according to census data. Half of them were teachers. Those public sector jobs returned slowly and still haven't rebounded to the levels they were before the recession. "[W]e should expect, among other effects, to see fewer teachers in classrooms, higher tuition at public colleges and universities, stingier coverage for Medicaid enrollees and forgone infrastructure improvements," wrote former Obama administration economic adviser Matthew Fiedler in a New York Times op-ed. The state of play: Dayton, Ohio, has already furloughed nearly 25% of its workforce, and the city is planning to cut more. Cincinnati also furloughed 1,700 workers, a little more than a quarter of its 6000 employees. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city will furlough its employees for 26 days in the next fiscal year starting this October the equivalent of a 10% pay cut. Hawaii Gov. David Ige said he will take a pay cut, and he's proposed a 20% cut for some state employees, including teachers. Go deeper: States face economic death spiral from coronavirus The 665-word letter had gone, as expected, unanswered. So Sen. Charles Grassley fired off an email to the White House Counsel's Office, pressing for an explanation as to why President Donald Trump abruptly dismissed an inspector general who had played a key role in the Ukraine scandal that led to Trump's impeachment. Pat Cipollone called Grassley, R-Iowa, directly, promising he would get a response to the senator quickly on the controversial firing of Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community watchdog who had alerted lawmakers to a whistleblower's complaint about Trump pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival. The two would speak again last week, with the White House lawyer promising an answer to Grassley by Tuesday that would detail the reasons for firing Atkinson and another inspector general who had recently been ousted by Trump. "It could be one additional letter, or it could be 10 additional letters," Grassley noted as he described his past attempts to glean information from various administrations. "But it is frustrating." Grassley is facing the stiffest challenge of his nearly four-decade Senate career to his self-appointed role as a champion of inspectors general: a president from his own party who has made clear that he has no use for internal government watchdogs and no hesitation to get rid of those he considers disloyal. Grassley says he resents Democrats questioning his dedication to protecting these government officials. But so far amid Trump's rapid-fire dismissals of the watchdogs, he has refrained from taking aggressive action beyond sending carefully worded letters that don't appear to have had much, if any, impact on Trump's attitude or actions toward inspectors general. The 86-year-old Grassley is coming under criticism that on protecting government watchdogs in the Trump era, he's all bark and no bite. In a virtual roundtable in Wisconsin last week, former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, argued that Republicans had abandoned their long-standing defense of inspectors general and singled out Grassley. "They were strongly, strongly, strongly supportive of these independent inspector generals, starting with Chairman Grassley and others. Where are they? Why aren't they speaking up about this? It really bothers me - bothers me a lot," Biden said. Grassley's response is that he is precisely the same man Biden knew when both men served in the Senate. "Unfortunately, a lot of Democrats question my record on this issue, and you've been seeing here in the last couple of weeks," Grassley said in an interview with The Washington Post last week. "They do that when it's politically convenient, and I quite honestly resent that." Grassley continued: "They ought to have the same attitude toward oversight, whether you have a Republican or Democrat president." Still, the scrutiny is undoubtedly increasing on Grassley, as Trump takes unprecedented steps to remove watchdogs who have played significant roles in administration controversies or on the suggestion of his closest advisers. The president recently indicated he would terminate Steve Linick, the State Department's inspector general who had started to investigate alleged misconduct on the part of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, one of his most influential Cabinet officials. Pompeo had advised Trump to dismiss Linick. In addition to Linick and Atkinson, Trump has moved to replace Christi Grimm, the principal deputy inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services who has run the office since January, by nominating a permanent inspector general for HHS. Grimm's office released a report on acute shortages of testing and personal protective gear amid the coronavirus pandemic, and she is scheduled to testify before the House on Tuesday. Trump also removed Glenn Fine, who had been the acting inspector general for the Pentagon and was to chair a federal panel overseeing the Trump administration's management of the massive $2 trillion coronavirus rescue package passed by Congress in March. And Mitch Behm was removed on May 15 as acting Transportation Department inspector general, though he will remain with the office. A 1978 law created the modern-day inspector general, and Grassley was elected to the Senate two years later. The dozens of inspectors general across the administration conduct oversight of federal agencies, and although they are technically political appointees, their independence has long been prized. Grassley, two other Republican senators - Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine - and a few Democratic senators sought details about the reason for the Atkinson dismissal, noting that a 2008 law requires a president to give lawmakers a written explanation for removing any inspectors general. On his own, Grassley earlier last week sent Trump a similar letter on Linick, noting that lost confidence alone was not a sufficient explanation. The action, Grassley said, mirrors the approach he and a bipartisan group of senators took in 2009 when President Barack Obama summarily dismissed Gerald Walpin, the inspector general of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which operates the AmeriCorps program, without giving Congress an adequate explanation. Even after the Obama White House provided a response, Grassley and then-Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., continued their investigation into the firing, releasing a report on the matter later that year. It's premature to know whether Grassley or other senators will similarly investigate after the Trump White House responds to its inspectors general firings. "Very few folks paid attention to it like they're paying attention to this," Grassley said of the Walpin controversy. But Walpin was the only inspector general that was fired in such a fashion under the Obama administration. The speed and scale of Trump's dismissals are much broader, and according to critics and some Republicans, much more concerning. "I look at less at individual circumstances, and the fact that we've had four," Romney said. "I feel that that has the potential of sending a chilling message." Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who has drafted his own legislation to protect inspectors general, dismissed the letters, arguing that "they're of absolutely no utility" because Trump ignores them. "I think the broader problem here is that the Republican Congress, the Republican Senate just believes it's an appendage of the White House," Murphy said. "They act as if they work for the president. So they're allowed to occasionally raise internal objections, but they're never going to do anything to actually change the president's behavior." Indeed, this president's aggressive antipathy toward oversight underscored how much the powers of congressional investigations and oversight have diminished. Trump's White House has ignored subpoenas, done an end run around congressional funding and relied heavily on acting appointees who escape Senate scrutiny. Trump underscored his grievances against the inspectors general last week, arguing that he has been "treated very unfairly" by them. The class of Senate Republicans who have shown outward concern about the dismissals of the inspectors general is small. The issue didn't surface when Trump made an impromptu visit to Capitol Hill earlier last week to have lunch with GOP senators, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said the firings were well within Trump's authority. The few who have spoken out include Collins and Romney, who said last week that he had some conversations with administration officials about Linick's dismissal. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, have also gently prodded Trump in a letter to send a message "to the executive branch to work with IGs, not against them." "Senator Grassley has been so amazing for so many decades, it's kind of unfair for everyone to always turn to him," said Danielle Brian, the executive director for the Project on Government Oversight. "This is very politically difficult for a person to challenge their own party's administration, and he shouldn't be expected to do it by himself." Any Grassley challenge to Trump would cast a spotlight on fellow Republican Iowa senator, Joni Ernst, who is up for re-election this November in an increasingly difficult political environment for the GOP with its Senate majority at stake. Grassley was early in his Senate career when then-President Ronald Reagan terminated all the existing inspectors general in 1981, although some were eventually reinstated. During his career, Grassley has not only defended inspectors general, but he has also worked to oust watchdogs he felt fell short of the job. For instance, in 2003, Grassley and then-Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., raised public concerns about Janet Rehnquist, the daughter of the former chief justice who had been serving as the inspector general for HHS, ultimately leading to her resignation. In 2009, Grassley launched an investigation into the sudden retirement of Fred Weiderhold, who had been the inspector general for Amtrak but left and signed a nondisclosure agreement. During the Trump presidency, Grassley has proven he can rankle the administration on its priorities if need be. As chairman of the influential Finance Committee that oversees trade policy, Grassley threatened to hold up ratification of Trump's trade deal with Mexico and Canada until he lifted steel and aluminum tariffs that had sparked retaliatory levies from the two countries that had hurt farmers in Iowa. In 2017, Grassley wrote a letter to Trump upbraiding an opinion from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel asserting that only committee chairmen could make legitimate oversight requests. At the time, both chambers were controlled by the GOP, meaning all committee heads were Republicans. The White House eventually distanced itself from that OLC memo. "It really isn't Grassley versus Obama, or Grassley versus Trump, or Grassley versus Bush or even going back to Reagan. It's Article I of the Constitution versus Article II of the Constitution," Grassley said. "It's easy to pass laws and appropriate money, but to get it carried out the way you intended to carry out is what oversight's all about." Democrats say Grassley should be willing to go as far as holding up nominees or calling for hearings into the inspector general firings, because he's proven he's willing to do so for other matters. As he awaits a response from the White House on why Trump ousted Linick and Atkinson, Grassley has started drafting bipartisan legislation that would bar political appointees from serving as acting inspectors general in an attempt to protect their independence. Linick has been temporarily replaced by Stephen Akard, an ally of Vice President Mike Pence who was confirmed as the head of the Office of Foreign Missions at the State Department last fall. Grassley has declined to name the Democrat he has been working with, but aides said it is Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. That panel would probably have jurisdiction over any hearings on the firings, but that appears unlikely; its chairman, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., - like most other GOP senators - has not opposed the dismissals. "Regardless of which party controls the White House or Congress, Senator Grassley has always been a tenacious advocate for effective, nonpartisan oversight," Collins said. "In particular, he believes, as I do, that inspectors general are key to accountability in federal programs and root out waste, fraud and abuse." - - - The Washington Post's Matt Viser contributed to this report. 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 By Express News Service JAIPUR: The shocking suicide of a Police SHO in Churu district of Rajasthan has sparked a row with the Opposition BJP demanding a CBI inquiry into the case. Vishnudatta Vishnoi, the SHO of Rajgarh police station committed suicide by hanging from a fan in his government quarters on Saturday sending shock waves in the Police Department. On being told about the tragedy, Churu SP Tejaswini Gautam, along with top officials reached the spot; soon the SP called an FSL team to the spot and brought the body down. The cops are also said to have received a suicide note from the spot, but officials have refused to comment on anything till now. Vishnoi is said to have been under stress for some time. He was investigating a case of murder on Friday and reached his quarters after finishing work at the police station. But on Saturday morning his quarters remained closed for a long time. A large number of people gathered when they became aware of the suicide and many shouted slogans and sat on a dharna against a local Congress leader. It has been reported that he was investigating the murder of one Rajendra Garhwal who was killed in a gang war in the Sadulpur area of Churu district by unidentified miscreants. Vishnoi was engaged in the probe till Friday night. Rajasthan's Director General of Police, Bhupendra Singh, has handed over the investigation of the suicide case to senior officers of CID Crime Branch. He said that Vishnoi was one of the most promising and one of the best officers and his untimely demise has hurt the entire police fraternity. "The suicide incident of a dutiful police officer is tragic for the police family. Some people are trying to spread misleading things about this sad incident," he added. However, former Union Minister and MP from Jaipur Rural, Colonel Rajyavardhan Rathore, while describing the suicide of Vishnu Dutt Vishnoi, said that such incidents put a question mark on the policies of the Congress government in the state. He has demanded a CBI inquiry into this. "His Whatsapp Chat clearly shows that he committed suicide due to political pressure and the reasons why an honest and brave police officer was forced to commit suicide have to be revealed." Vishnudatta was a strict officer and the police department says that his methodology had social innovations. He was very popular as well and had thousands of followers on social media. Vishnudatta had an honest image in the police department. He also had done a makeover of 13 police stations. He hailed from Raisinghnagar in Hanumangarh district and was recruited in the year 1997 as a Sub-Inspector in the Police Department. His uncle Subhash Vishnoi has also been an Additional SP. At least 475 people returned to Mizoram by a special train from Telangana on Sunday, an official said. The returnees arrived at the Bairabi railway station, from where they boarded 32 buses for their respective districts after being screened, he said. They were received by Kolasib district deputy commissioner H. Lalthlangliana, Kolasib superintendent of police Vanlalfaka Ralte and other officials at the railway station. Of the 475 people, who returned from Telangana on Sunday, 216 belonged to Aizawl district, Lunglei district (30), Serchhip district (29), Kolasib district (40), Champhai district (41), Siaha district (35), Mamit district (22), Lawngtlai district (23), Saitual district (12), Khawzawl district (25) and two were from Hnahthial district. All the 40 returnees in Kolasib district were sent to quarantine facilities on Sunday, the official said. Other returnees would also be sent to designated quarantine centres once they arrived in their respective districts, he added. An official of task group on migrant workers and stranded travellers said that more than 2,500 people have returned from different states during lockdown till Sunday. He said that more than 1,600 people from Karnataka, Odhisa and Kerala are expected to arrive within this week. According to the officials, more than 13,000 stranded in various states, have reported to the Mizoram government to return, till Friday. The government and churches have set up more than 430 quarantine facilities to accommodate more than 13,800 people across the state. Mizoram as of now is Covid-19 free state since its lone patient was discharged after he recovered from the virus on May 9. Health department officials said that at least two suspected Covid-19 patients were admitted in Zoram Medical College (ZMC) on Sunday. Their samples were collected and results were awaited, they said. Meanwhile, police said that a total of Rs 12.8 lakh has been collected as fine from at least 5,901 people for violating ordinance to contain the spread of COVID-19 since May 4. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) French oil trader Pierre Andurand was catapulted into the spotlight this year after correctly betting that the deadly novel coronavirus would spark a sub-zero oil market collapse. Andurand, the 43-year-old founder of London-based Andurand Capital who runs two multi-million-dollar funds, bet in February that the deadly Covid-19 outbreak could represent a rare "black swan" event that would send prices into reverse. Two months later, in another remarkable call, the hedge-fund trader tweeted on the morning of April 20 that oil could turn negative in a perfect storm of evaporating demand, chronic oversupply and scarce storage. 'Negative prices are possible' "There is no limit to the downside to prices when inventories and pipelines are full. Negative prices are possible," tweeted Andurand, who is based in Malta. "I am not saying it will happen. If it does it would be very short lived. But just be careful out there." Andurand, who was born in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence and studied applied mathematics before attending the French business school HEC Paris, had just predicted the oil market's biggest-ever shock. Just a few hours afterwards, New York light sweet crude nosedived into negative territory for the first time in history, plagued by demand-destroying coronavirus, a vast supply glut and a Saudi-Russian price war. West Texas Intermediate crude hit a historic low of minus $40.32 per barrel on April 20 as sellers were forced to pay to offload the May contract amid scarce storage capacity. That compared with around $60 a barrel at the start of this year. London's Brent North Sea oil dived to a record-low $15.98 on April 22 but did not turn negative. Andurand's funds have sky-rocketed in value on the back of his remarkable prediction, winning a three-digit percentage since the start of the year. 'Comeback kid' Yet it has not all been plain sailing. His funds have lost money in recent years in choppy trade -- and had also initially faltered at the start of this year. The Financial Times described him this month as a "comeback kid" who "performs best when markets are at their most volatile". The business newspaper also noted his luxury London townhouse in plush Knightsbridge and his flash Bugatti supercar. Andurand had previously correctly forecast that oil prices would strike a record peak of $147 per barrel in 2008. He also correctly predicted they would crash during the notorious global financial crisis. Speaking to AFP, Andurand indicated the forensic detail of his market analysis. 'Analysing in detail' "When I feel that there has been a significant change in demand and supply, I analyse it in detail and try to assess its overall impact on oil prices," the Frenchman explained in an interview. The trader said he had realised "at an early stage" that the Covid-19 pandemic would be "hard to stop" for governments across the world. Andurand added that he then realised there was a "strong probability of containment measures" that would likely slam the brakes on global oil demand -- and spark a chain reaction that would tank the market. Fast-forward one month, however, and oil prices have recovered somewhat to trade at around $35 per barrel, on the back of an easing supply glut and output cutbacks from OPEC and fellow crude producers. The market has also been soothed by the relaxing of lockdowns that have crippled oil-intensive sectors like transport and manufacturing. Andurand now forecasts prices to continue to recover, judging that production cuts have been "sufficient" to soak up excess supplies. Some analysts warn however that oil remains vulnerable to a second wave of coronavirus that could further damage the global economy and energy demand. Lucknow, May 24 : The Indian Boozers Association (IBA), based in Bulandshahr, has demanded status of '40 crore tipplers in the country at par with that of farmers and the MSME (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) sector.' Their argument is that if tipplers are contributing huge revenue to the government coffers, there should be welfare measures and government schemes for them. The IBA came into existence in 2015 when 50 eminent persons in Bulandshahr and nearby districts came together to fight for the rights of liquor consumers and to create awareness among the masses to remove the 'stigma' attached to drinking. IBA founder president Hari Angira, said, "During the ongoing pandemic, the government machinery came to a standstill and when every source of revenue dried up in the lockdown, it was the tipplers who came to the rescue of the government by buying liquor. If we demand dignity and welfare schemes for liquor consumers and their families, what is wrong in that? After all, we -- like doctors and nurses and policemen -- are also contributing to the fight against coronavirus. We should also be officially termed as 'Corona Warriors'." District president of IBA, Laxmi Narain, said, "Liquor consumers are subjected to all sorts of harassment. Of late, governments of various states have increased excise duty on liquor and still consumers are willingly paying for it. It is we who are contributing to the government coffers at the moment. We want MSME status, concessional loans and relief package. When there are so many welfare schemes for a farmer, why not one for liquor lovers. We demand insurance schemes for consumers' families." Hari Angira said, "On the face of it, the entire concept might sound hilarious but a grave reality lies hidden behind it. We have a logical demand here. Either the government should completely ban production, stocking and sale of liquor or give some benefits to consumers." The IBA now plans to spread its wings to all districts in the state in order to muster greater support for its demands. Editors note: The Journal-Courier has been working with a group of business and community leaders to shine a light on the importance of the sometimes behind-the-scenes work taking place to improve the present and build for the future of our hometown. Jacksonville Regional Economic Development Corp. is collaborating with its community partners, Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce and Jacksonville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as the Jacksonville/Morgan County Office of Emergency Management and Morgan County Health Department, to prepare for the eventual reopening of our local businesses that were deemed non-essential during the states stay-at-home orders. Our working group intends for the outline below to serve as a guide for businesses to use in devising their own plan to safely reopen when allowed. We recommend that every business complete a document to use for planning and implementation during the back-to-work transition to establish a safe environment for employees and customers. Some items will not pertain to all businesses, while others will require more detail. We offer this outline simply as a resource to help businesses develop a reopening plan of action. Preparation for Business Reopening Guide . Facilities preparation Sanitation prior to opening Process in place if staff member tests positive for COVID-19 Return-to-work process for employee who tested positive for COVID-19 Sick-leave policy for family member/roommate who tested positive for COVID-19 Layout of facilities for customers and employees Minimum 6-foot spacing Remove waiting areas and any areas where staff or customers gather Traffic patterns Payment methods Additional protection for staff who have contact with customers during payment process Cleaning/disinfecting process (daily and ongoing) Any specific locations customers touch Training and documentation for staff maintaining cleaning/disinfecting schedule Personal protective equipment masks, gloves, sanitizer, disinfectant Availability Storage 30-day supply . Employee preparation Expectations and health protocol Decide if employee temperature will be taken at home before coming to work or if the employer will record when arriving at work Documentation of employee-screening questionnaire: available at bit.ly/employeeCOVIDchecklist Review symptoms that prevent employees from working Wear mask if 6-foot distancing is not possible and when customers are present Work schedule structure Vulnerable population employee policy Childcare issues policy Common area restrictions and rules kitchen, copier, etc. Written cleaning/disinfecting policy Display Department of Labor workplace poster: available at bit.ly/DOLEmploymentRights . Customer safety Masks required Business decides if business or customer supplies the mask 6-foot distancing Modify traffic pattern as possible Hand sanitizer must be available Payment method Display Centers for Disease Control workplace posters: available at bit.ly/CDCPoster Business monitors adherence to mask rule . Vendor deliveries/contractors Schedule as possible Maintain single entry point . Our working group understands that non-essential businesses are critical to the economic vitality of our region. Until all businesses are allowed to open, we urge area business owners and managers to devise a reopening plan that carefully promotes the safety of its employees and customers. Visit the Morgan County Health Departments website at www.morganhd.com for further COVID-19-related guidance, including up-to-date recommendations, news and statistics. . Kristin Jamison is president of Jacksonville Regional Economic Development Corp. A zoo dubbed the worst in Britain is threatening to put down its animals because it is running out of money to feed the exotic breeds amid the coronavirus lockdown. Tracy and Dean Tweedy, who own Borth Wild Animal Kingdom in West Wales, fear they only have enough money to feed more than 300 animals for a week. The married couple say their money is running out to care for their stock and are planning 'as a last resort' to euthanise 'the animals that we care for'. Married couple Tracy, 49, and Dean Tweedy (pictured) say their money is running out to care for their stock and are planning 'as a last resort, euthanising the animals that we care for' The zoo is running out of money to care for its 300 animals and the married couple said they are planning 'as a last resort' to euthanise 'the animals that we care for' Council chiefs 'lost confidence' in the ability of the zoo to operate safely following the deaths of two lynx and other animals. In January this year, the zoo was ordered to close because it did not have trained gunmen in case of an animal escape. But it was allowed to reopen in February before having to close again in March due to the coronavirus outbreak. Ms Tweedy, 49, said many staff are on furlough and the zoo's business relief grant of 25,000 has nearly run out. She said: 'We were already only scraping by financially after the long, quiet winter season. 'We need help now more than ever. Despite everything, we are as determined as ever to not give up.' Council chiefs have 'lost confidence' in the ability of the zoo to operate safely following the deaths of two lynx. Pictured, the lynx in the zoo before it escaped and was shot Ms Tweedy, 49, said many staff are on furlough due to the coronavirus pandemic and the zoo's business relief grant of 25,000 has nearly run out It costs 3,000 a week to run the zoo and if the animals cannot be fed or re-homed, a cull of the animals has been considered She said it costs 3,000 a week to run the zoo and a cull of the animals has been considered if they cannot be fed. After the money runs out, the couple will have to start looking at re-homing but are considering euthanasia as a last resort. Problems for the zoo began in late 2017 when Lilleth the Eurasian lynx escaped and was shot dead by a marksman after being found at a nearby caravan site. A second lynx, Nilly, also died in what was described as a 'handling error'. A report revealed one in five of the zoo's animals died in just one year. It was discovered that monkeys, crocodiles and a leopard also died from its animal stock during 2018. Owner Tracy and Dean bought the zoo for 625,000 in 2016 to start a dream new life with their family, but it has since turned into a nightmare. Tracy and Dean bought the zoo for 625,000 in 2016 to start a dream new life with their family, but it has turned into a nightmare A report revealed one in five of the zoo's animals died in just one year. It was discovered that monkeys, crocodiles and a leopard also died during 2018. Pictured, the police at the zoo when the Lynx escaped Tracey said: 'It would be tragic if mid Wales lost its only zoo. We work with so many local organisations on animal education and wildlife conservation that we see ourselves as a vital asset for the community.' Tracy said many of the animals would be very hard to re-home due to licence requirements needed to look after the exotic animals. 'We also run as a sanctuary for animals that have been rescued from the exotic pet trade. For many of these animals, we are a last resort. 'They came here because destruction was their only alternative. 'They would be very difficult to re-home as the licence requirements to look after these animals and provide the proper care, can be very involved and expensive,' she said. The couple say Westminster has announced a fund to help zoos in England but there is no similar support in Wales. The Welsh government said it had already provided all licensed zoos with details of existing support schemes. Ms Tweedy said many of the animals would be extremely difficult to re-home due to licence requirements to look after the exotic animals The couple say the Westminster government has announced a fund to help zoos in England but there is no similar support in Wales 'If any zoo operators have concerns about their ability to meet the needs of their animals, they should contact their local authority's animal health team for advice without delay as they are on hand to offer support,' a spokeswoman said. It said its 500m economic resilience fund provided more generous support than one specifically for zoos would have. A spokesman for Ceredigion County Council earlier said: 'The local authority has lost confidence in the ability of the zoo to operate responsibly and safely.' Zoos were forced to close at the end of March due to the coronavirus lockdown and many have warned their futures are in danger from the impact of the pandemic. Andrew RT Davies, Shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the Welsh Parliament, said: 'This is a dire situation that the zoo finds itself in, but I'm afraid that zoos right across Wales are in the same precarious situation and desperately need support due to the profound impact of Covid-19. 'It's outrageous that whilst the UK Government has taken action and given 14 million to support zoos in England the Welsh Government has still not followed suit. 'It is high time that the Welsh Labour Government listened to the plight of our zoos and introduce the much-needed fund.' Syracuse, N.Y. Overall 115 people have died from the coronavirus in Onondaga County, including three people who died in local hospitals in the past day, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said during his Saturday news conference. That includes one person who was 102, McMahon said. Another three people died in nursing homes, the state reported to the county. That brings the number of nursing home deaths in the county to 47, according to state data. Of the 79 people in hospitals because of the coronavirus, 51 are people who have recovered enough to be discharged but cannot return to their nursing homes because they are still testing positive, McMahon said. That means just 28 people are in the hospital for treatment, including 17 in critical condition, he said. Thats compared to 40 that needed hospitalization on Friday. McMahon said he spoke with Gov. Andrew Cuomo today about the nursing home residents who are stuck in limbo. The state on Mothers Day issued an order banning hospitals from discharging people with the coronavirus back to nursing homes. The idea was meant to stop the virus from spreading among other nursing homes. But its also left people in the hospital who dont need to be there. Were working on a solution for that with the state, McMahon said, adding he thought there would be a new policy for these people within the next few days. Overall, the county has had 1,836 confirmed cases, up 48 in the past day, McMahon said. About half 53% of the people whove tested positive in the past three days had no symptoms, he said. We need to really, really remember that when were out doing our daily activities, he said. Even though people are feeling healthy, they may have had exposure and they may be contagious. The county has conducted more than 30,000 tests during the past two months. In early weeks, the rate of people testing positive was a little more than 8%. Today, its at 6.3% over that same time period, McMahon said. In the past three days, the positive rate of about 1,500 tests per day was 3.1%, he said. Currently the county has confirmed 736 active cases and 990 people have recovered from Covid-19. Heres a breakdown of active cases by location. C means confirmed and R means recovered: Camillus 58C, 38R Cicero 62C, 35R Clay 147C, 103R DeWitt 66C, 53R Elbridge 3C, 2R Fabius 2C, 2R Geddes 94C, 30R LaFayette 5C, 3R Lysander 34C, 27R Manlius 67C, 55R Marcellus 7C, 5R Onondaga 129C, 35R Onondaga Nation 0 Otisco 5C, 5R Pompey 25C, 22R Salina 83C, 56R Skaneateles 15C, 15R Spafford 2C, 2R Syracuse 1007C, 491R Tully 2C, 2R Van Buren 23C, 9R McMahon said he will resume his briefings on Tuesday. The county will provide updated data on Sunday. The county health department is taking Monday off, he said, so no update is expected on Memorial Day. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources Destiny USA gearing up to reopen Can store owners require you to wear a face mask to enter? No in-person summer school in NY; too early for decision on fall, Cuomo says Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Got a story idea or news tip youd like to share? Please contact me through email, Twitter, Facebook or at 315-470-2274. Maj. Steven Brewer sat by the graves on Saturday like a teacher reading a childrens story. The students were arranged in straight lines as if still seated at the school desks they occupied over a century ago on the same grounds, now a cemetery of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School at the Army War College. Read more CARLISLE Maj. Steven Brewer sat by the graves like a teacher reading a childrens story. The students were arranged in straight lines as if still seated at the school desks they occupied more than a century ago on the same grounds. The site on Saturday was the cemetery of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School on the campus of the Army War College, where a group of Native Americans have come every Memorial Day weekend since 1973 for a vigil of sorts. They come to honor the students who died while attending school there and to decorate their graves. The practice was started by the American Indian Society of Washington, D.C. and continued in recent years by the Circle Legacy Center of Lancaster. Because of the coronavirus and a lock down on the military base, this year was different. Attendees were limited to those who had a military ID. A group that in past years normally numbered about 50 was reduced to eight this year because of restrictions intended to help stop the spread of the deadly virus. It was up to Brewer, a non-Native American, Karen Collins, an Eastern Shawnee elder who helped originate the memorial practice, and Shawndae Sharps family to carry on the tradition. Before the pandemic, Brewers family had intended to participate in the larger ceremony. His wife, Chelle McIntyre-Brewer, is of Arkansas Cherokee descent. Their children, Lorelei, 14, and Killian, 7, had started growing sage last June to dry and bundle for the event. But they could not be present to see their work used to decorate the 189 graves, 170 of them for Native American students. Lorelei was born with a serious heart condition. To diminish possible exposure to COVID-19, the family, with the exception of Steven Brewer, who works in the Army health clinic at the Carlisle barracks, has quarantined inside their Duncannon home since March 3. McIntyre-Brewer says the lesson for their children is something they emphasize in the family: Its not always about you. Focus on someone else. Its a lesson in humility. Brewer wanted to continue a tradition that Lorelei had started a year earlier of reading to the graves. The book that was chosen was We are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Cherokee author Traci Sorell. The book teaches resilience and gratitude for the experiences of ancestors. Last year, Lorelei sat in her wheelchair and read three stories and even took the time to hold the book out and show the pictures around, Brewer recalled. I wanted to make sure we did this. I know it was really important to her and it touched me seeing it. The cemetery has become a lasting symbol of the assimilation effort initiated by the United States government at Carlisle and later at other boarding schools. Opened in 1879, it was the nations first federal off-reservation boarding school, created to solve the Indian problem" by cleansing children of their savage nature. Thousands of Indian children were shorn of their names, languages, religions, and family ties. About 8,000 students attended the Carlisle school during its 39-year history. Since 2017, 11 students have been disinterred and returned to their native lands. There will be no homecomings this year. Like many things, the pandemic has caused a postponement until next year. Even with those repatriated, it doesnt mean we forget, said McIntyre-Brewer. There is still a memory of what happened and a memory that still needs to be reconciled with. We are still understanding a significant amount of loss. Staff writer Jeff Gammage contributed to this article. MIDLAND, MI The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, has arrived in Midland County to aid relief efforts in the wake of historic flooding caused by the failure of the Edenville Dam and breach of the Sanford Dam. During a press conference held within the Midland Law Enforcement Center on Saturday, May 23, FEMA Regional Administrator James K. Joseph was joined by three Michigan politicians: U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing; U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township; and U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland. Before the conference, Peters, Stabenow, Moolenaar, Joseph, and FEMA officials went on an aerial survey of the damage caused by the flooding and dam failure earlier this week. They also drove through Sanford to see the wreckage. All repeatedly spoke of the devastation that resulted from the flooding. Joseph arrived in Michigan from Chicago on Friday. He said FEMA will have a two people on the ground on a daily basis, with a handful more in the county for the next several days for assessments. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, most of FEMAs damage assessment will be conducted virtually, Joseph said. The conference was held two days after President Donald J. Trump approved Gov. Gretchen Whitmers emergency declaration request, making FEMA resources available to the state and local governments. Joseph and his team met with Whitmer in Lansing on Friday. We really talked about what the impacts have been so far, but also being able to see it firsthand today, he said. We were up in the air, looking at aerial coverage of where the dams were impacted, where the water impacted the community and the homes, and also having the opportunity to drive through some of those areas. While yes, it is absolutely devastating we are encouraged, and I was encouraged by the fact that you really see the community coming together. Youre seeing neighbor helping neighbor. Youre seeing how this entire area, the cities and the county together are working hand-in-hand. When a damage assessment jointly occurs with FEMA, the state, and local communities, typically there is a team going neighborhood-to-neighborhood and door-to-door, Joseph said. But in this situation, in the COVID-constrained environment that were in, we will be doing things a little bit differently, he continued. We are not going to stop short of any assessment or any support. However, we will not be going door-to-door. We are going to respect, number one, the cleanup efforts that the impacted families are going through. Were going to respect their personal space and we also want to ensure that were protecting the health of our FEMA, state, and local government employees as well. So we will be performing a vast majority of the assessment virtually. Michigan State Police have been conducting aerial photography and local communities have been doing assessments by driving through affected areas. FEMA will use that data to render aid, Joseph said. Moolenaar expressed his appreciation of FEMAs response. Theres a lot of devastation, people really struggling right now, Moolenaar said, but people also pitching in, helping, neighbor helping neighbor in resilience and strength. Moolenaar spoke of a spirit of optimism he wanted to convey. Were gonna come back from this, but we cant do it alone, he said. Thats why we have some great help here, a bipartisan, bicameral effort. He went on thank Trump and Whitmer for securing FEMAs assistance. I know were in the early steps, but were encouraged by the progress thats being made, he said. The fact that there were no lives lost is really a miracle. It also speaks to preparation and leadership people showed and spirit of people who cooperated with evacuations. Stabenow referred to the disaster as another punch in the gut to everybody in mid-Michigan after having to battle a virus. Having been born in Gladwin and raised in Clare, and with family still in the area, the incident has affected Stabenow on a personal level, she said. This is devastating for people, she said. We did get a chance to see aerial view. Its devastating, overwhelming. On driving through Sanford, she saw residents handing out lunches and cooking meals for their beleaguered neighbors. Thats who we are in Michigan, she said, adding the state is fortunate to have Peters as the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that oversees FEMA. Peters said it was an incredible experience in seeing the devastation families are facing. Going through Sanford was definitely something that I will always remember, he said. When you understand just the dramatic impact on peoples lives who have been completely upended, and you just think about being completely upended like that at a time when were experiencing a pandemic. Its just unimaginable. Both Peters and Stabenow stated the Edenville Dams failure and Sanford Dams breach could have been avoided. This is something that could have been prevented, Peters said. We have dams that were clearly weakened. Folks knew that they would give in a very severe storm. Were now entering a period of human history where were going to see with climate change severe storms more regularly. Were going to see the magnitude of those storms increase as well and we need to be prepared. So as the rebuilding process goes forward, we have to make sure were rebuilding for resiliency, not just replacing what we had before. Stabenow concurred, saying Edenville Dam-owners Boyce Hydro had stonewalled federal regulators for years prior to this weeks flooding. This privately owned dam could have been addressed before if the owner had stepped up to do it when he was being told that there were problems for years, she said. As I walked through Sanford, it just confirmed to me we cant let this happen again, Peters said. Preventable occurrences like these out here are simply unacceptable. Related: Economic impact, future of failed dams repair weigh heavy on residents around Wixom Lake Our whole life is gone, says woman whose Sanford home was washed away in Midland floods Failed dam owner fought with state over Wixom Lake levels before flood Feds warned years ago Edenville Dam couldnt handle a historic flood Federal regulators order Sanford Dams owner to investigate after flood It doesnt look good, but Sanford Dam is actually still standing with some of berm washed away Flooding in Michigan: Everything we know about Midland County dam break Video shows Michigan dam break as it happened: Catastrophic is the only thing I can call it Fisherman mourns loss of Wixom Lake in wake of dam break and flood Mo. congregation sues county for imposing limits on churches, but not secular venues Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A congregation in Missouri has filed a lawsuit against county officials over restrictions on in-person worship services that they believe violates their First Amendment rights. Church of the Word of Fenton filed suit against St. Louis County over a local order that limits in-person worship services to 25% capacity while secular businesses are allowed 100% capacity. Church of the Word Pastor Matthew Sheffer told news station Fox 2 Now that he believed the county order unfairly hindered his congregation. When you do media you cant have face-to-face interactions. This is important. Were hindered. Were evangelists. We cant even invite people to church, Sheffer said. The church is being represented by attorneys David Gregory and Henry Elster, who expect a court to take up the lawsuit no later than next week. I would say, while we understand there are emergency circumstances, and elected leaders need to make decisions, there are certain lines in the sand they cant cross in some of the rights protected by the First Amendment are essential, Elster told Fox 2. In a statement posted on their Facebook page Wednesday, Church of the Word asked for prayers from their supporters as they underwent the litigation. We are actively engaging with the civil realm to make sure that the establishment of religious liberty and freedom of speech isnt lost in these days [of] government expansion and fear, they said. In response to the spread of the coronavirus, the vast majority of churches across the United States opted to close their doors and move their services online. As many states are reopening, some houses of worship have taken issue with local and state orders that place greater limits on them than secular entities such as malls and grocery stores. For example, earlier this month two churches, a pastor, and a conservative Christian group sued North Carolina over its restrictions on indoor in-person worship services as it lifted lockdown orders on other industries and businesses. Last Saturday, Judge James C. Dever III ruled in favor of the Christian groups, granting them a temporary order that prevented the state from enforcing the rule. The record, at this admittedly early stage of the case, reveals that the Governor appears to trust citizens to perform non-religious activities indoors (such as shopping or working or selling merchandise) but does not trust them to do the same when they worship together indoors, Dever said. 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. An ambulance being driven through Center City. Read more A man was arrested Saturday afternoon after he barricaded himself inside an emergency department room at Temple University Hospitals Episcopal Campus, turned on oxygen tanks, and then set fire to the bedsheets, police said. After a maintenance employee broke through a window into the room, the man, who had entered the emergency room for detoxification treatment, climbed out and fought with security officers, police said. Police arrived and arrested the man. The fire was extinguished and declared an arson by the fire marshal. No injuries were reported. The emergency room was evacuated and was to remain closed until further notice. Mumbai, May 24 : Maharashtra saw its Covid-19 tally crossing the 50K mark with the highest single-day infections of 3,041 patients catapulting the number of cases to 50,231, besides 58 deaths, health officials said here on Sunday. This comes to roughly one death every 25 minutes, and a staggering average 127 new cases recorded every hour in the state. The state has been recording over 50 fatalities and over 2,000 new patients for the past one week now, with the previous highest figure standing at 2,940 cases on May 22. With 58 fatalities -- down by 18 from highest 76 notched on May 19 -- the state death toll has touched 1,635. The Health Department said with the new cases, 33,988 were 'active cases'. Of the total 58 fatalities, 39 were recorded in Mumbai alone, taking the city deaths up from 949 to 988 now, while the number of Covid-19 positive patients here shot up by 1,725 cases to touch 30,542. Mumbai's congested Dharavi slum continued to be a major hotspot with 27 new cases on Sunday, taking the total number of infectees to 1,541 and 59 deaths till date. In a new initiative, the civic authorities are experimenting with group 'laughter therapy' for the people of Dharavi in a bid to ease stress and anxiety levels in the crowded slum district, now largely in containment. Besides Mumbai's 39 deaths, there were six each in Pune and Solapur, four in Aurangabad, two in Thane (Thane City and Mira-Bhayander) and one in Latur. They comprised 34 men and 24 women, and nearly 67 per cent of them suffered from other serious ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, heart problems and asthma. On the positive side, 1,196 fully cured patients returned home on Sunday, taking the number of those discharged to 14,600. Addressing the state on Sunday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has warned of cases spiking in the next few days besides hinting at an extension of the lockdown 4.0 and flight restrictions. Meanwhile, top leaders including Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Thackeray, Congress state President Balasaheb Thorat, Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Nawab Malik and others greeted the Muslim community on Eid on Monday and urged them to celebrate the festival at home amid coronavirus safeguards. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (Thane Division, comprises Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts) continued to cause grave concerns with 1,110 Covid-19 deaths and positive cases shooting to 38,585. Though trailing a distant second after Mumbai, Pune Division (Pune, Solapur, Satara) fatalities touched 309, besides 6,562 patients. The next major area of concern is Nashik Division (Nashik, Ahmednagar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar) with 103 deaths and 1,570 positive cases, followed by Aurangabad Division (Aurangabad, Jalna, Hingoli, Parbhani) with 47 fatalities and 1,446 cases, and finally Akola Division (Akola, Amravati, Yavatmal, Buldhana, Washim) with 34 deaths and 733 cases. There's Latur Division (Latur, Osmanabad, Beed, Nanded) with 8 deaths and 226 cases, Kolhapur Division (Kolhapur, Sangli, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri) with 5 deaths and 504 patients, and finally Nagpur Division (Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli) with 8 deaths and 556 cases. Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home-quarantine increased from 485,623 to 499,387 -- a jump of 13,764 -- and those in institutional quarantine went up from 33,545 to 35,107, a spurt of 1,562. The state's containment zones came down from 2,345 to 2,283 on Sunday and 16,913 health teams have carried out a survey of a population of around 66.6 lakhs in the state. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Dominic Cummings leaves Downing Street shortly after listening to Boris Johnson defend his "integrity" - ISABEL INFANTES /AFP Shortly after 6pm on Sunday night, Dominic Cummings left Downing Street with the beginnings of a smile on his face. Along with the nation, the 48-year-old advisor had just listened to his boss, Boris Johnson, defend him as a man of integrity who had merely followed the instincts of every father. A few hours earlier, Mr Cummings had emerged from his own front door besieged by media who demanded to know why he had apparently breached lockdown rules not once, but three times. It marked the start of an extraordinary day in which he faced calls to resign from Tory MPs and was accused of dragging the Government into a Domnishambles. At one point the police turned up outside his north London home and knocked on the door in an apparent attempt to speak with him. In fact, Mr Cummings was by that time four miles away in Downing Street, masterminding his own political survival. Overnight, newspapers had accused Mr Cummings of repeatedly breaching lockdown rules, and issuing a misleading and contradictory account of his movements. Witnesses claimed Mr Cummings had been spotted twice travelling 270 miles from London to his parents' farm in County Durham with his sick wife and young son, as well as later taking a day trip to look at bluebells. The news prompted calls on Sunday for Mr Cummings resignation from Labour MPs, Nicola Sturgeon and many of Mr Cummings political foes from the Brexit campaign, who perhaps scented blood. Of deeper concern for Downing Street, however, was the level of anger among Tory MPs, many of whom complained that they - and the nation - appeared to have been misled. Some MPs shared messages from their constituents on the Tory WhatsApp group, including one from a woman who asked if she could now return to babysitting her grandchildren, as Cummings' parents had done. One Whitehall source branded the saga a complete Domnishambles. "If it was any other adviser or even minister they would have gone by now, but Cummings seems to operate on another planet, said one MP. Story continues MPs are contacting the whips and saying he has to go. I'm sure the chief whip will have fed that back to No 10. "No one can understand why he hasn't gone. He doesn't like the Conservative Party and he doesn't seem to like MPs very much, so why is he even in Government?" Others were prepared to go public. Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister, was the first Tory MP to come out and to call for Mr Cummings to go. Mr Cummings' career had always 'created an awful lot of collateral damage', including the Brexit campaign, Mr Baker told Sky News, adding: He is not always right and he certainly isn't indispensable. While Mr Baker's animosity towards Mr Cummings dates back to their Vote Leave battles, others who have no history with him were soon to follow, including former whip Craig Whitaker. By lunchtime, nine Tory MPs had tweeted calls for him to go, but there was silence from Cabinet ministers following further revelations about Cummings' movements. Police at Dominic Cummings' front door - GETTY IMAGES On March 30, Downing Street confirmed Mr Cummings was suffering from coronavirus symptoms and was self-isolating at home. The following day, Durham police were "made aware of reports that an individual had travelled from London to Durham and was present at an address in the city". The force said officers "made contact with the owners of that address who confirmed that the individual in question was present and was self-isolating in part of the house". Mr Cummings wife Mary Wakefield later wrote in the Spectator magazine on April 25 of the family's battle with coronavirus during that time, but made no mention of the trip to Durham. In a chaotic and unpredictable environment, theres nothing more comforting than having total control over your own tiny world, she wrote. After news of the trip emerged on Friday, Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, claimed during the Downing Street briefing the next day that Mr Cummings had 'stayed put' for two weeks once he arrived at his parents' property. But this narrative appeared to unravel when a witness told the Sunday Mirror and Observer that he had sighted Mr Cummings at a town 30 miles away from his parents' home. Robert Lees, a retired chemistry teacher, said he saw the aide and his family walking in Barnard Castle, Teesdale, on April 12. "I went home and told my wife, we thought he must be in London," he said. "I searched up the number plate later that day and my computer search history shows that. Another neighbour alleged to have seen Mr Cummings back in Durham on April 19, five days after he was first pictured back in Number 10, apparently admiring the lovely bluebells in woodland near his parents farm. A protester demonstrates outside the home of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Special Advisor, Dominic Cummings, in London, Britain, 24 May 2020 - SHUTTERSTOCK On Sunday morning, Mr Cummings left his house with his wife and son shortly after 11am, and was greeted on his doorstep by a pack of journalists. One asked: Are you the Special One, Mr Cummings? He paused only to tell a photographer to mind her fingers in his car door, before travelling to Downing Street. Shortly after his departure, the campaign group Led By Donkeys parked a van-mounted 11m2 screen outside his house, and played video messages from coronavirus patients, cut with the Prime Ministers lockdown statement. One neighbour alleged they had seen Mr Cummings returning with his family from Durham in the middle of the night on April 14. I woke up in the middle of the night between 3am-4am, the neighbour told the Telegraph. I heard Dominic and his family getting out of a car. It could only have been them as I recognised his voice and accent, which I have heard regularly over the past year. I heard him getting out of a car with a small child conversing to get things out of the car like families do when returning from a trip. I immediately thought, that's strange. Why would he be travelling in the middle of the night? He must be wanting to return home without people knowing he has been away. At around 3pm on Sunday, two police officers arrived at the house, and knocked on the door. Scotland Yard said in a statement that officers had received a complaint about a large group of people outside the address, but refused to disclose who had made it. Mr Shapps had been chosen to bat for Mr Cummings during a round of morning television interviews. A Led by donkeys truck displaying a video of Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, drives by Dominic Cummings' house in London, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London, Britain, May 24, 2020 - REUTERS Under repeated questioning, Mr Shapps declaimed the Government had "never told people where they have to specifically locate themselves, appearing to contradict government guidance issued on March 22 ordering the public to stay in their "primary residence". The claims that Mr Cummings had returned to Durham after April 12 were untrue, he said. Asked directly if Mr Cummings would resign, Mr Shapps said: 'No.' But by lunchtime, support from the Cabinet had "largely drained away". Many had been asked to tweet out messages of support on Saturday, before further revelations emerged later that evening. One Cabinet source said: "There is definitely unhappiness about being asked to tweet support on Saturday when presumably No 10 knew there was more to come out. "There is a feeling among some Cabinet ministers that they have been lied to. "Dominic didn't have a huge amount of support within Cabinet to begin with - he has turned people over, he has sacked people's advisers, so it feels as though it's just the Prime Minister and maybe Michael Gove who are still backing him. "There is genuine anger in the Cabinet about the damage being done to the lockdown message by all of this. Just how much water is the PM willing to take on board to save Dom?" Some senior ministers, however, were conspicuously absent from the Twitter tributes, including Priti Patel, the Home Secretary. Whitehall sources claimed Ms Patel was unhappy with Cummings' behaviour, and concerned that it would make the job of police impossible because people might use it as an excuse to ignore the rules. Other cabinet ministers who have fallen foul of Cummings in the past are understood to have phoned each other expressing hope that he would finally be forced to quit. Despite the deepening row, Mr Cummings future was secured after discussions with the Prime Minister - at least for now. At a hastily rearranged press conference, Mr Johnson said he could "not mark down" Mr Cummings for the way he acted. "I have had extensive face-to-face conversations with Dominic Cummings and I have concluded that in travelling to find the right kind of childcare, at the moment when both he and his wife were about to be incapacitated by coronavirus - and when he had no alternative - I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent. On April 20, the West Texas Intermediate crude benchmark did not just fall below zero, it plummeted to negative $37.63 a barrel. This stunning price crash was the result of a months-long series of unfortunate events, starting with a global decrease in oil demand spurred by the spread of COVID-19. When the leading OPEC+ countries of Saudi Arabia and Russia initiated talks to decide on a strategy to contend with the global slump in oil demand, the talks quickly developed into disagreement and then an all-out oil price war. That price war led to a massive oil glut to the tune of approximately about 10 million barrels of oversupply on the global oil market per day. While oil markets have bounced back from negative territory, oil prices remain low, and the issues that caused the crash - a global pandemic, a massive oil glut, and a severe shortage in oil storage capacity - persist. This has led to some unusual oil bartering, as reported by Reuters this week in an article that issued a warning: Sellers beware: Price collapse triggers bartering over oil and gas deals. The collapse in oil prices to 21-year lows has led potential buyers of oil and gas fields to try and renegotiate deals at higher prices, with the first examples emerging of sellers having their hand forced. According to Reuters, when most oil companies are slashing budgets, dividends, and headcounts to preserve cash, sellers are facing a difficult choice between sweetening the deal or risking losing it altogether. The report cites the example of Premier Oil, a UK-based independent oil company that is in a tough spot (you could even say theyre over a barrel) concerning a pending deal over assets in the North Sea. Premier is now seeking a cheaper price than the $625 million they had already agreed to pay BP for the assets. And theyre not alone. According to Reuters, Energean is doing the same with a $700 million purchase from Edison. Oil and gas equity analyst Al Stanton of the Royal Bank of Canada told reporters that these instances are part of a trend in which the oil industry is revisiting its before coronavirus (BC) bids, and we envisage announcements from other firms as they re-price or repackage previously announced deals. While some companies are seeking discounts on deals they had already sealed, others are walking away from them altogether. This month, French supermajor Total abandoned its purchase of Occidental Petroleums assets in Ghana, which hit a glitch over part of the French firms wider deal with U.S. Occidental. The company released a statement concerning this decision which cited the extraordinary market environment and the lack of visibility that the group faces. Related: The Worlds Most Controversial Oil Frontier Falls Out Of Favor With Big Banks Many deals that remain on the table are in danger of falling through in the near future, but there have also been a number of successful renegotiations. Privately held Hilcorp Energy and private-equity firm HitecVision have successfully renegotiated deals with energy majors BP and Total, respectively, during the current oil price meltdown, reports Reuters, before quoting an industry banker that says, sellers, especially the majors, have certainly been very constructive. While its not all bad news for oil deals, the outlook remains pretty bleak for the near future. Even as markets begin to bounce back, its a long, volatile road ahead as we head into what will likely be a years-long recession. As many oil companies have already declared bankruptcy or shut-in large numbers of wells, were looking at a long road to recovery. That being said, there are a lot of industry hopefuls that say that the decreased number of oil companies and active wells hold promise for high oil prices when demand returns. By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: As the coronavirus spread throughout the world, it left a trail of destruction and residents in Colombia were forced to quite literally wave red flags in a desperate cry for help. South America is the new epicentre of the coronavirus, however parts of Central America like Mexico are also ravaged by the virus, and of course the United States still has the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world. Just outside of Colombias capital of Bogota, red cloths are seen flying from windows in Soacha and the idea behind the flags have spread to other parts of the country. A man in a situation of vulnerability hangs a red cloth in his house. Source: AFP/Getty Images Colombia enacted a mandatory lockdown in March, forcing people out of their jobs and not being able to support themselves or their families, decimating the countrys already fragile economy. Mayor of Soacha, Juan Carlos Saldarriaga, had the idea to use the red flags to identify those in the community who need help. It is important to highlight that the idea initially is for neighbours to support each other by providing food or donations to those who need it most in the sector, the mayor said according to Alcaldia de Soacha on Facebook. If you see a red rag on your neighbours door, it means a call for solidarity. The symbol for help began to spread to Bogota, and then all across the country, according to Al Jazeera, and people are using red items from clothing to rags to fly as their flag. The red flags are the SOS of poverty amid the coronavirus pandemic. Source: Getty Images Colombia has more than 11,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and more than 460 related deaths. However, some people are still waiting to receive food, and Mayor Saldarriaga said back in April there were entire neighbourhoods in Soacha where every home bore a red flag. Flags of other colours are also flying, indicating other issues a household is facing amid the pandemic. Colombia Director for Action Against Hunger, John Orlando told Al Jazeera in April blue flags symbolise a need for medical help, while black signifies someone is suffering from some form of violence. The needs are going to continue and most certainly increase in the coming weeks and months, Mr Orlando said. Story continues More than 500km from Bogota in Florencia, Mayor Luis Antonio Ruiz said more than 15,000 families had received grocery bags when speaking with the Washington Post earlier in May. In Florencia, people are also flying the red rags, however Mayor Ruiz admitted the local government cannot help everyone, without help from higher up, nor could it be expected for people to remain in their homes while they go hungry. However, the government has once again extended the quarantine until May 3. Perhaps we will have one of the longest periods of mandatory preventive isolation in the world, but we have been doing it responsibly, gradually, President Ivan Duque said according to the Bogota Post. People in Colombia are hanging red flags out their window as they struggle to get help. Source: Getty Images Come June, Colombia is set to enter a new phase of restrictions, which would mean different measures across the country with local authorities doing what is best depending on the situation. Colombia shares borders with Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil and on May 15, Colombia upped their anti-virus measures at the Brazil border. Colombian President Duque deployed the military to its border with Brazil after a surge of COVID-19 cases. The coronavirus has spread to indigenous communities in the Amazon and about 8,000 indigenous people live near the Colombian border town of Leticia, where cases have shot up in recent weeks. A woman and two girls wearing face masks as a preventive measure against the spread of the novel coronavirus. Source: Getty Theres not enough protective equipment for agents who enter indigenous territories or meet with native people in cities in Brazil. Necessities like kerosene and gasoline are in short supply. Food deliveries only began last week a month after indigenous people were instructed to remain in their villages and remain vastly insufficient. The Associated Press spoke to four agents who work with indigenous peoples in the farthest reaches of Brazils Amazon, and they were unanimous in their conclusion: The national Indian foundation, known as FUNAI, is hardly doing anything to coordinate a response to a crisis that could decimate ethnic groups. At least 88 indigenous people have already died of COVID-19 in the Amazon, according to a tally by the Brazilian indigenous organisation APIB that includes health ministry figures and information from local leaders. The count is likely higher, because hospitals often dont use patients indigenous names when admitting them. South America is the new coronavirus epicentre. Source: Getty Images Brazil now has the second highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, behind the United States and surpassing previously hard hit countries like Spain, Italy and the initial epicentre Chinas Hubei province, Wuhan. Experts have long feared the virus numbers in South America are probably much higher than what is being reported due to the lack of testing. Just like previous epicentres, hospitals in the region are overwhelmed and experts are warning the death toll could be considerably higher, as it is feared people are dying in their homes. A morbid solution to aid hospitals struggling with a surge in COVID-19 deaths was proposed by a Bogota-based advertising firm. ABC Displays created a cardboard hospital bed which could then be repurposed as a coffin when a patient dies. "We developed it because of the situation caused by COVID-19 in the world because we realised that there was a lack of hospital beds," the company's manager, Rodolfo Gomez told EFE. With Associated Press. 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 gelignite bomb demolished a Yugoslav trade and travel centre in Victoria Street, Footscray, yesterday. Five shops next to the travel centre were extensively damaged. The wreckage outside the Footscray travel agency after the bombing. First published in The Age on May 26, 1975 The blast tore down power lines and smashed the windows of about 20 houses. Victoria Street was littered with broken glass and bricks. Police said the bomb had been planted on the doorstep of the Adriatik Trade and Travel Centre and exploded soon after 4 a.m. The front of the travel centre was blown out and office furniture, smashed to splinters, was thrown out on to the street. All that remained was a wash basin dangling on the back wall. There was a hole about 12 inches deep where the base of the front door had been. Mr James Korsah-Brown, an aspiring parliamentary candidate for the Mfantseman Constituency branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)has said difficulties in accessing loans by Small Scale business in the Country was real. He has therefore applauded President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the GHC 600m Small Scale Enterprises (SSE) fund to help grow small scale companies and businesses across the Country. Mr Korsah Brown has in this regard, appealed to managers of the fund to make flexible conditions for accessing it to enable players in the SSE sector to expand their businesses and employ more people. The Parliamentary Aspirant who made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Saltpond expressed concern about how young people engaged in fishing, farming and trading were tagged by society as uneducated. According to Mr Korsah-Brown this wrong perception had killed the interest of many young people in that sector who found it difficult to get access to capital to start their own businesses, leaving many of them frustrated. Mr Korsah-Brown urged the youth in that sector to embrace the fund, which he said had the lowest commercial loan interest in the system to set up businesses to make them self-reliant. He also pledged his personal support to small enterprises to stimulate growth with his banking and international trade background. He appreciated governments efforts in bringing affected businesses and companies back to life. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video This young girl in rural India previously had dropped out of school due to cataracts. Today, she is back in school and thriving. Just think about the tens of thousands of lives that Allergan has touched by supporting Combat Blindness International for the past 13 years, said Suresh Chandra, Indian American founder of CBI. (photo provided) Salman's restaurant was already booked for iftars following this year's Ramadan before the mitigation measures for COVID-19 started. Charity for those in need According to Salman, they raised over $40,000, which was enough to provide almost 6,000 meals to the needy. Each meal included a main dish, soup, bread, and desserts. He said that he and the local community wanted other families to feel the same way they did in the holy month. His act of charity was not exclusive to people of the Islamic faith either: The initiative was extensive and inclusive of everyone in the community who needed help. If meals would not be able to be delivered personally by Salman and the restaurant staff, they instead give people tickets to come pick up meals. Salman treated everyone who worked at the cafe like family, and so he did everything to keep them employed throughout the lockdown in Texas. He even let the employees take home food for their own families. Since the cafe was closed from the beginning of Ramadan, and with everything at reduced capacity as Texas was gradually reopening, they would not be able to serve their usual five hundred customers in the holy month. Salman started the endeavor when his best friend suggested that while the coronavirus prevented the cafe from holding large iftars, he might as well cook meals to families in need. Check these out: Muslim communities in the United States donate food this Ramadan Salman was able to publicize his restaurant's initiative for providing free meals with the help of the local community, mosques, and the nonprofit organization Islamic Circle of North America. Director of ICNA USA's refugee program Hala Halabi helped Salman give tickets to people in vulnerable groups for free meals. The organization's food banks and other services in the country does annual drives distributing food during Ramadan. However, Halabi said that because of the COVID-19 crisis they already used most of their resources helping communities before the holy month even started. She added that she and her colleagues volunteered to find patrons for their Ramadan drive. Islamic communities all across the country have started initiatives to donate food this Ramadan like Salman. It is also a movement to help employees remain on the job while going on charity drives. Several Muslim-owned businesses and groups collaborated to feed the homeless during the holy month. In Connecticut for example, restaurant owners delivered meals and masks to hospitals, according to news reports. In Dallas, the communities bought meals from local restaurants to serve to the less fortunate to also support the plummeting economy. Halabi said that the need was "way bigger" than on usual days. She said that on their regular drives each year, refugees were dependent on them during Ramadan. Members of the ICNA helped the refugees and immigrant communities, most of whom were Afghan, Iraqi, Rohingya, and Syrian. The family of a British soldier who was killed at Dunkirk have finally received a poignant letter he wrote to his mother just days before his death nearly 80 years ago. Private Harry Cole, 30, penned a letter to his mother Rosa on May 26, 1940, predicting with hopeless optimism that German troops would soon be 'on the run' and 'back in Germany in double quick time.' He also reported the death of a friend and added poignantly: 'Well mother, please don't worry about me, I shall get through it OK.' The family of a British soldier who was killed at Dunkirk have finally received a poignant letter he wrote to his mother just days before his death nearly 80 years ago Private Harry Cole, 30, penned the letter to his mother Rosa on May 26, 1940, just three days before he was shot dead in Belgium during Dunkirk But he was shot dead by a sniper just three days later in Belgium while serving with the British Expeditionary Force in the 1st Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment. His letter was lost as British troops were evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk in the face of the lightning Blitzkrieg advance by German forces early in World War Two. It has now finally been delivered to his old family home in Hasketon, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, almost 80 years later after being kept in an attic by a German Army officer and stored in a council archive for eight decades. Private Cole's younger brothers Clemmie, 87, who still lives in the family's old council house in the village and Derek, 89, who lives nearby, were shocked to finally read his last written words. The letter was among 50 written on the front line by soldiers from the 1st Battalion, which were sent to a local headquarters for checking by censors to ensure they contained no military secrets. They were found in an abandoned truck by a German Army officer who kept them in his attic until 1968 when he was having a clear out. He took them to the British embassy in Bonn and they were forwarded to the Suffolk Regiment Association in Bury St Edmunds, where staff set about trying to trace the recipients in 1969. Private Cole's younger brothers Clemmie, 87, (pictured) who still lives in the family's old council house in Hasketon, near Suffolk, and Derek, 89, who lives nearby were shocked to finally read his last written words The letter Private Cole (right) penned to his mother (left) was lost as British troops were evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk in the face of the lightning Blitzkrieg advance by German forces early in World War Two Nine were successfully forwarded to the families who were supposed to receive them, but the other 41 remained languishing in archives which were taken over by Suffolk County Council. The surviving letters, including the one written in pencil by Pte Cole, were uncovered again this year by council researchers planning to exhibit them as part of a local history project. Incredibly the council's assistant archivist Heidi Hughes who lives in Hasketon, saw that Pte Cole's letter was addressed to a house in her home village. She realised she knew fellow villager Clemmie Cole and made inquiries to find out if he was related to Harry. He confirmed that the soldier was his older brother who had been killed in the war. Retired prison service carpenter Clemmie, who lives with his wife Joy, recalled how he came home from the village school as a boy in 1940 to find his mother weeping over a telegram, confirming that his big brother was missing in action. He said: 'It was such a shock to receive Harry's letter after so long. I was quite moved to read his words, knowing that he was killed just a couple of days after he wrote them. In his letter, Private Cole, 30, predicted with hopeless optimism that German troops would soon be 'on the run' and 'back in Germany in double quick time'. Pictured, a pile of letters featuring in the online exhibition The surviving letters including the one written in pencil by Pte Cole were uncovered again this year by council researchers planning to exhibit them as part of a local history project. Pictured, the envelope with a censor's stamp containing the letter 'My mother had seven sons and no girls. Harry was the oldest and he was her favourite. She thought the world of him and she always looked forward to his letters. 'He had gone into service in a big house after he left school, but ended up joining the Army. He was posted to India before the war and was in uniform for seven years. 'I can remember him coming back on leave and bringing his rifle with him. I picked it up when he put it on his bed and thought how heavy it was. 'My mother used to say that he hated the Army. He was apparently a very quiet chap and it was not the life for him, but he was unable to leave. 'When he was away fighting, my mother said she suddenly saw his face appear at her bedroom window one night. She told my father to look, but it had gone. 'She always thought that it was his spirit visiting the house on the day he was killed. 'Another soldier who was with Harry when he was shot later told my parents what had happened to him.' Mr Cole said he had another brother Wilfred who served in the Suffolk Regiment and spent three and a half years as a prisoner of war of the Japanese after the fall of Singapore. Pictured, the war memorial in Hasketon, Suffolk, which has the name of Private Harry Cole, 30, who was killed during the British Army's retreat to Dunkirk in 1940 'Love to all, Harry': The letter was kept in an attic by a German Army officer and stored in a council archive for eight decades and will now be included in an online exhibition With Love From Dunkirk on Suffolk Archives A third brother Alfred served in the Royal Navy on Russian convoys before being posted to Australia in 1945 where he deserted. He gave himself a new identity, only writing to his family a decade later to say that he was alive and married with two sons. A fourth brother Stan also served in the Royal Navy and went to live in London after the war, but never contacted his family again. Rosa Cole died aged 69 in 1958 while her husband Harry (crt), a former railway signalman who fought in World War One, died in 1989 aged 98. Extracts from Pte Cole's letter is in an online exhibition, called With Love From Dunkirk, put on by Suffolk Archives and Suffolk Artlink. Hannah Salisbury, a community and learning officer for Suffolk Archives, said: 'When we looked at these 41 letters, we thought we might be able to find some great nieces or nephews of the soldiers who wrote them. It was incredible to find a brother.' Pte Cole's letter will appear alongside six others sent by troops and lost at the same time, in the project funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund. Councillor Paul West, Suffolk County Council's portfolio holder for heritage, said: 'This is an astonishing story and really demonstrates the importance and personal nature of our archives. 'These letters are so very poignant; one can only imagine the hardship and anguish these soldiers and their families must have endured. It is heart-warming to think that we may now be able to help some of their families to fill in the gaps and see letters that up to now they didn't know existed.' Rosa Cole (pictured) died aged 69 in 1958 while her husband Harry (crt), a former railway signalman who fought in World War One, died in 1989 aged 98 This is the text of the Private Cole's letter: 'My Dear Mother, At last I can manage to write you a few lines after all the hustle and bustle of this life. I was very pleased to get your letter and to hear you are all OK, got it yesterday, and you sent it on the 12 so you can tell it has taken some time to get here, the reason is we are not in one place long at a time, I have just received papers which I was glad to get as we don't get much news nowadays, funny isn't it being at war and don't know what's happening. 'Well mother, please don't worry about me, I shall get through it OK. 'So Stan thinks of joining up does he, I shouldn't trouble if were him, I should wait until I got called up, anyway tell him it's join anything but the infantry. 'What did you think of the Jerries getting through to France (?) I have an idea that they will soon be on the run and when that happens, nothing will stop them getting back to Germany in double quick time. Hitler's number is booked alright, and the day they catch him they ought to roast him alive. 'I am sorry to say that Bob Bishop has been killed. 'Well mother, dad and boys, I guess I must close once again, hoping you all keep well, roll on when this do is over so we can get back to rest, peace and quietness once again. 'Don't worry if you have to wait a long while for a letter or card sometimes mother, as we can't always write for days at a time, also there is delay getting it away, so until next time, Cheerio, Love to all, Harry xxxxxx.' A German state governor's proposal to end blanket coronavirus restrictions in his region, which would be a first for the country after a comparatively successful response to the pandemic, drew mounting criticism Sunday from other officials. Bodo Ramelow, the governor of the eastern state of Thuringia, said Saturday that he hopes to lift the remaining statewide lockdown rules on June 6 and replace them with a concept of recommendations and fighting COVID-19 locally if infection figures rise. It's not clear yet exactly how that would work, but Ramelow's idea centers on taking action in individual cities or counties if they report 35 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a week. That's a lower threshold than the 50 that is currently the national standard. In Germany, state governments are responsible for imposing and lifting lockdown restrictions. All 16 states currently have coronavirus rules, including physical distancing requirements and an obligation to wear masks in public transport and shops, and Thuringia's new approach would raise pressure on other states to ease their lockdowns further. Germany started easing lockdown restrictions on April 20. So far, new coronavirus infections have continued to decline overall though outbreaks at several slaughterhouses have caused concern recently, as have infections after a Baptist service in Frankfurt and at a restaurant in the country's northwest. While Ramelow's proposal draw some praise, there was criticism from the mayor of one of the state's biggest cities, Jena, which pioneered requiring people to wear face masks in some situations. Thomas Nitzsche compared the proposed change in a Facebook post to entering a mine field. The chief of staff of neighboring Bavaria's governor bluntly rejected Ramelow's idea, saying his government was appalled. Thuringia's plans are a highly dangerous experiment for everyone in this country, Florian Herrmann told the Bild newspaper. Lifting all protective measures comes too soon and isn't appropriate in the current situation, because the virus hasn't yet been defeated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dear Annie: I have been married to my wonderful wife for 25 years. When we were dating, all my friends were jealous because she was so movie-star beautiful. What they didn't know was how incredible her figure was. We didn't go swimming much, and she always dressed conservatively. I kidded her that I was the only one that knew what a grand figure she had. We had been married for a couple of years when a friend of hers told her about a nude beach not far away in Miami. To my surprise, she wanted to go, and she loved it, especially the attention she received. She had been so shy and conservative in her dressing that I don't think she realized just how attractive she was in all ways. That was about 25 years ago. Soon after the nude beach, we moved to a home with a pool and she insisted we surround the pool with a six-foot fence. She stayed nude at our pool regardless of who visited except if it were our parents or if anyone brought their children. Then this carried over to indoors. She just stopped wearing clothes unless she was going out. Our social friends sort of got used to it, as did the mailman, FedEx guy and even our favorite pizza delivery folks. She would just throw open the front door and welcome them. Never have I thought she has been unfaithful; she just enjoys the freedom of nudity. We went to a few nudist clubs around Florida before we started having our children. Annie, she is now in her mid-40s and while I still think she is lovely, and I love her more than ever, her figure has not aged well. She hasn't changed her lifestyle much (she dresses when our kids have friends over), and I want to suggest that not everyone enjoys seeing her naked at her age. I just don't have the nerve to tell her. Any suggestions? -- Seen It All Dear Seen It All: Your wife was never doing this for anyone's enjoyment but her own. And if you didn't take issue with the nudity when she was 20, then I think it's shallow of you to take issue with it now. Still, I think your wife needs to be more conscientious and careful. Answering the door in the buff could constitute indecent exposure; at the very least, it could make someone uncomfortable, violating their boundaries. Encourage her instead to get back into visiting nudist clubs and retreats, where she can be with consenting adults who share the same interest. Dear Annie: Recently, you printed a letter that suggested people start "Round Robin" letter-writing circles while we're all cooped up at home. I agree that letter writing can be a wonderful hobby. When my wife was in fifth grade, the class did a "pen pal" program where everybody wrote a letter to a person in a foreign country. She and her pen pal in Australia wrote back and forth, with each letter taking about a month to arrive, for the whole year. After that, my wife would send a Christmas card and a birthday card every year to her former pen pal. Sometimes they would share life updates. Three years ago, we planned a trip to Australia and she told her pen pal about it. She said to come visit them. We stayed with them for a week, including a trip to the Outback. Then we took a train to Melbourne, where her daughter lived and stayed with them for several days. Then we went back to Sydney and flew home -- one of our best vacations ever! -- Phil Dear Phil: What an amazing thing. Strangers really are just friends waiting to happen. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM If youre looking for relief, heres some good news. Restrooms will be open across 31 state parks, forests and historic sites in New Jersey this Memorial Day weekend, although hours remain limited to continue curbing the spread of the coronavirus. According to state officials, new cleaning protocols are in place at all restrooms, and visitors are asked to wear a face mask upon entering them. State parks will continue to limit parking capacity to 50% this weekend, as well as enforce social distancing protocols. Picnic areas, playgrounds, pavilions and food concessions remain closed. State officials reopened restrooms on May 16 following police reports that visitors were leaving urine-filled bottles and feces behind after Gov. Phil Murphy reopened state and county parks earlier this month. The following is a list of state parks with restrooms (and their locations) that are open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: The restrooms at Island Beach State Park, which are located at Swimming Area 1, are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Those at Liberty State Park, located in the administration building in Lot 4 and Gatehouse at Zapp Drive in Lot 8, plus portable toilets in Lots 4 and 8, are all open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Parks without restroom facilities as of Friday, May 22, include the Belleplain State Forest, Double Trouble State Park, Parvin State Park and Princeton Battlefield State Park. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. The Delhi government has decided to hire 200 taxis from cab aggregators Ola and Uber to strengthen its ambulance service which is under pressure due to the coronavirus pandemic, news agency PTI reported. The hired taxis - 110 from Ola and 91 from Uber - will be used for carrying non-critical and non-Covid-19 patients to and from hospitals, PTI quoted from a Delhi government order. The taxis to be used as ambulance vehicles will be placed under the CATS director who is responsible for managing the Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) ambulances. The national capital, meanwhile, added 23 more deaths due to Covid-19 on Saturday, taking the toll to 231, even as 591 fresh cases increased the tally to 12,910, according to official data. The fresh fatalities put the mortality rate of the disease in Delhi at about 1.8 per cent, up from the one per cent on May 11. The figure remains lower than the national average of three per cent. Of the total Covid-19 deaths so far in Delhi, 158 have been recorded in the last 12 days. A three-member death audit committee recently began clearing the reporting backlog of deaths that were not added to the cumulative tally. An order by Delhi chief secretary Vijay Dev on May 10 directed all designated Covid-19 hospitals to report the deaths by 5pm each day to ensure timely reporting. This was done after discrepancies in the cumulative data and deaths recorded at the hospitals were pointed out. The average number of daily cases has increased steadily in May, with the city recording over 500 cases each in the last five days. Even as Delhi is recording a high number of cases, the doubling rate - an indicator of the pace of spread of the infection - has gone up to about 15 days. Of the 6,412 infections active currently, 1,886 people with severe symptoms have been admitted to designated Covid-19 hospitals. Of them, 184 are in intensive care units, with 27 people on ventilators. Elon Musk is an engineer and entrepreneur, a super-wealthy founder of several top tech companies. Musk is known for his technological savvy and his far-reaching vision, which has propelled him to the top of the industry and placed him in a class all his own. Musk has been in the headlines a lot lately, mainly due to the birth of his infant son with the artist Grimes, but recently, he opened up to Joe Rogan on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience about another issue entirely. What is Elon Musk best known for? Elon Musk | Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images RELATED: Elon Musk and Grimes Have Reportedly Been On and Off Their Whole Relationship Elon Musk was born in South Africa in 1971. Raised in a complex, multicultural family, Musk was an intelligent child, eagerly devouring any book that he could get his hands on. Before he even reached adolescence, Musk was developing and selling patents for his very own computer coding programs. As a young man, Musk decided to move to the United States and pursue his dreams of tech innovation, and in the early nineties, he began studying at the University of Pennsylvania. During the early years of his career, Musk worked on projects like Zip2, a web software company. By far the most successful of his early ventures was PayPal, an email payment company that Musk helped to develop. A few of Musks other wildly lucrative projects include the SpaceX program, a space exploration company that focuses on advancing the current state of rocket technology, and Tesla, Inc. motor corporation, which focuses on developing and distributing affordable, environmentally-friendly cars. Elon Musk told Joe Rogan that he is selling all his houses Elon Musk is one of the worlds wealthiest men, and although he devotes a lot of his time and energy to advancing causes that help save the planet, he still lives a very lavish lifestyle. Reportedly, Musks net worth is around $38 billion, and he is known to spend money not just on new and exciting tech opportunities, but on various houses as well. However, it looks as though Musk is rethinking some of his billionaire habits, as he revealed in a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. Speaking to Joe Rogan, Musk admitted that he is in the process of selling his many homes because he no longer wants any material possessions. Although Musk stated that it makes him slightly sad to part ways with his houses, he said that he believes that possessions are an attack vector and that people tend to target him due to his lavish, billionaire lifestyle. He said that he will keep things that have sentimental value to him, and probably a few Teslas but that he is working on seriously paring down the number of material objects that he owns, and that he doesnt want to be defined by the things that he has. Elon Musk is carrying out his plan RELATED: Elon Musk May Have Serious Problems With Grimes Mother Elon Musk is certainly making a bold statement by stating that he wants to sell the majority of his worldly possessions. While it seems as though he wants to redefine the way that the media portrays him, it might not work. After all, if he goes from living in a mansion that he owns compared to a mansion that he is merely renting, there might not be much difference in the minds of those who are dead-set against Musk and his lifestyle. Still, he is taking the chance. Within the past several weeks, Musk has been systematically listing his homes for sale, including five of his properties in California. Previously, he listed a home that he owns that was previously the residence of Hollywood legend Gene Wilder. Whether Musks plan will work remains to be seen, but for now, the tech investor is certainly carrying through with his promise to Joe Rogan. Though she was part of a handful of movies in the early 90s, Somy Ali remains etched in our collective memories for being Salman Khans beloved whom he had almost married, had Aishwarya Rai not entered his life. It has been decades since we have heard about her or from her. Bollywood is not for everyone. Some realise it sooner and tread different paths to make different achievements in life, while others keep trying till the industry throws them off. In this giant rigmarole of realisations and refusals, we have seen many of our beloved celebs fading out into oblivion, leaving us wondering, where are they, how are they...? This Missing Report series digs deep into the untold stories of such missing stars, and today we are covering Somy Ali. Somy Ali Somy Ali was born in Karachi to an Iraqi mother and a Pakistani father. She received initial education at Convent of Jesus and Mary, in Karachi, and then migrated to the US at the age of 12, with her mother and brother. Though a fan of Bollywood, Somy wouldnt have aspired to be a part of it if not inspired by a teenage crush in the industry. Like many other girls of her age in the subcontinent, 15-year-old Somy had lost her heart to Salman Khan after watching Maine Pyar Kiya. Led by matters of the heart, she convinced her mother and flew to India to work in the movies, but her true intention was to get in touch with Salman Khan. Her charm was magnetic and it smoothened her way into the industry. She started off with modelling assignments, and Bollywood offers followed eventually. Dharmendra wanted to launch her alongside his younger son, Bobby Deol. But Somy skipped it as the script demanded her to don a two-piece swimsuit. She was all prepared to debut in 1992 with Buland, but the film remained shelved for life. Finally, in 1994, Anth: A Dream for a Better Tomorrow became her first film to hit the theaters. She was cast opposite Sunil Shetty in the action film, and Paresh Rawal, Alok Nath, and Deepak Shirke made the supporting star cast. Anth debuted well at the box-office, but its success was accredited to the thrilling action sequences, while the debutante actress went unnoticed. Story continues Somy Ali in "Aao Pyar Karen" Somy worked in about 10 movies, including Teesra Kaun?, Yaar Gaddar, Andolan, Mafia, and Aao Pyaar Karen through the 90s, but was never considered a bankable actress. Her acting was just as weak as the reason behind pursuing it: marrying Salman Khan. But her landing in Mumbai was not a total flop either. She did met Salman, endeared herself with him, and eventually, replaced his then-girlfriend, Sangeeta Bijlani. The two were one of the most gossiped-about couples in the industry, till Salman Khan hit the sets of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, and caught a glimpse of Aishwarya Rai. Heartbroken Somy resigned from her Bollywood commitments not that a lot was happening there, anyway and flew back to the US. These were difficult times for Somy. In her mid-20s, she was a school dropout who had only studied till 9th grade. But determined to pull her life together, she returned to school and shared the classroom with kids much younger than her. She then attended Nova Southeastern University to get an undergrad degree in Psychology and earned a master's degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Miami. After developing an interest in journalism and experimenting with documentary films, in 2003, she graduated from the New York Film Academy with a degree in film making, direction, screenwriting, and editing. Most of her projects addressed social evils like domestic violence, abuse, or suicide. Somy Ali She was deeply affected by the massive trauma and abuse women of South Asian origin had to put up with in the US when a Bangladeshi neighbour knocked on her door for help, after being raped by her father-in-law and being beaten by the husband through 10 years of marriage. Somy realised that numerous South Asian women brought in the US were living a torturous life and was desperate to help them. In an interview with TV Asia USA, Somy revealed that she had suffered sexual abuse as a child in Pakistan, as a teenager in the US, and that she was recuperating from a draining romance with a Bollywood star, and it motivated her more towards helping women trapped in abusive relationships in that country. The former Bollywood actress is now the founder and president of a US-based non-profit organisation for women and children called No More Tears. Established to empower victims of domestic abuse and human trafficking, Somy Alis organisation prides itself on having rescued over 30,000 women, children, men, and members of the LGBTQ community, with all the proceeds going toward funding and enabling them to find financial independence. The actress has turned her broken self into a social crusader and certainly deserves to be applauded for all that shes giving back to the society. A baby was delivered at Agra Fort station aboard a Shramik Special train on Sunday (May 24, 2020). As soon as the train reached Agra Fort the Controller of Commerce was informed that a woman on the train was experiencing labour pains and that she was going to deliver. The woman, Rinku Devi, was attended by Doctor Vima and her team. She was administered medicines and given primary treatment after which the woman gave birth. The mother and the child are said to be in a healthy condition. The Department of Commerce provided food items for the remainder of their journey. The woman is a resident of Alipur village and was travelling to Nalanda in Bihar. The train was on its way to Siwan from Surat. By imposing a hugely controversial and sweeping national security law for Hong Kong, China has just struck a deathblow to the citys autonomy and liberties. Clearly, the new law will kill future democratic movements. In the past, the Beijing authority framed nearly all large-scale demonstrations, such as from the Umbrella Movement, as acts of subversions of Chinas authority. Even though 2 million Hongkongers took to streets to call for a withdrawal of the extradition bill, such public controversy over highly controversial policies had already been regarded by Beijing as attacks to its sovereignty and security. Beyond any doubt, the law which would ban treason, secession, sedition and subversion sends a chilling message to future mass movements or critical voices of Beijings policies. Unlike other common law jurisdictions, the ill-defined term national security is often subject to arbitrary, discriminatory and politically motivated interpretation and enforcement in China. As a way to silence criticisms, the charge of inciting subversion is repeatedly used against dissenters. For instance, after drafting a manifesto calling political reforms, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to an 11-year imprisonment on charges of incitement of subversion of state power. Reporters like Tan Zuoren have also been charged for incitement having been arrested while investigating the deaths of thousands of children whose schools collapsed during a 2008 earthquake in Sichuan. Human rights lawyers like Wang Quanzhang face intimidation and imprisonment, while Gui Minhai, who sold critical books about China in Hong Kong, was sentenced earlier this year to 10 years in jail for illegally providing intelligence overseas. Grassroots groups, religious organisations and civil rights activists have all been swept up in massive crackdowns in recent years. By imposing the similar security law, this authoritarian regime is now aiming its new weapon at the citys robust civil society and liberties. The most terrifying thing is the plan to establish a new national security branch in Hong Kong, which supersedes the Hong Kong government. In the past, Chinas offices in Hong Kong often operated in secrecy, but actively intervened in Hong Kong affairs, from mobilising pro-Beijing voters in elections to threatening to sue local media for unfavourable coverage. Hence very real fears that the proposed new body will turn out to be a secret police branch pulling strings behind the scenes. Our city leader, Carrie Lam, even refused to explain how to ensure sufficient checks and balances on the body to hold it accountable for any abuse of power. When the spectre of the secret police hangs over the citys freedoms, this is the end for Hong Kong as we know it. It also carries implications for human rights activists. For a long time after the Tiananmen Square massacre, Hong Kong has been serving as a safe haven for human rights organisations working in mainland China. With relatively independent judiciary and proper human rights protections, Hong Kong provides a valuable breathing space to all these Chinese activists. However, once the law is imposed, it will bury this last beacon of human rights from the mainland. The proposed law will have ripple effects on expats and investors working and living in the city due to the loosely defined idea of foreign forces. Under Chinas aggressive Wolf Warrior diplomacy, foreigners living in China have already become the convenient scapegoats for Beijings diplomatic purposes. As many China observers point out, there has been a growing use of hostage diplomacy by Beijing in recent years. Two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were detained more than 15 months as retaliation for Canadas arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Foreign reporters were also denied renewals of work visas for covering political dissents. Scuffles break out between Hong Kong legislators over security freedoms Autonomy and civil liberties are promised by Beijing in its joint declaration, a legally binding international treaty at the United Nations, but China is rewriting the rule by scrapping its promise with force and fear. Thousands of Hongkongers have already taken to the streets this weekend, and faced tear gas from police. To safeguard the citys freedoms and autonomy, I call upon the world to urge China to halt this controversial legislation. Since the law will have massive implications for international communities and the existing trade treaties with Hong Kong, I urge the world to include human rights terms in trade treaties with the city. This is the beginning of the end for all Hongkongers. We fight for any slight hope of our democracy under Chinas authoritarian claws not because we are strong, but because we have no other choice. We hope the world can stand with Hong Kong once again. Joshua Wong is the secretary general, and Amon Yiu is a member, of Demosisto Patients infected with either severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) or SARS-CoV-2 produce antibodies that bind to the other coronavirus, but the cross-reactive antibodies are not cross protective, at least in cell-culture experiments, researchers report May 17 in the journal Cell Reports. It remains unclear whether such antibodies offer cross protection in the human body or potentiate disease. The findings suggest that more research is needed to identify parts of the virus that are critical for inducing a cross-protective immune response. "Since coronavirus outbreaks are likely to continue to pose global health risks in the future, the possibility of developing a cross-protective vaccine against multiple coronaviruses has been considered," says co-senior study author Chris Mok of the University of Hong Kong. "Our findings, albeit limited at present, would suggest that broadly cross-neutralizing antibodies to coronaviruses might not be commonly produced by the human immune repertoire. Moving forward, monoclonal antibody discovery and characterization will be crucial to the development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in the short-term, as well as a cross-protective coronavirus vaccine in the long term." From late 2002 to 2003, more than 8,000 people worldwide became sick with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), resulting in more than 700 deaths. The virus responsible for this outbreak, known as SARS-CoV, shares approximately 80% of its genomic nucleotide sequence identity with that of SARS-CoV-2, which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The two coronaviruses also enter and infect cells the same way. During this process, the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike (S) protein, which is located on the surface of the coronavirus, binds to a human cell receptor called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, triggering viral fusion with the host cell. Past studies have shown that protective antibodies against SARS-CoV bind to the RBD. But relatively little is known about the antibody response induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection. It is also unclear how infection with SARS-CoV influences the antibody response against SARS-CoV-2, and vice versa. Gaining insight into these questions could guide the development of an effective vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 and shed light on whether such a vaccine would also cross-protect against similar viruses. "There are related viruses still circulating in bats, and it is unclear whether any of these may also threaten human health in future," says co-senior study author Malik Peiris of the University of Hong Kong. "As such, whether infection by one of these viruses cross-protects against another is an important question." To address this gap in knowledge, the researchers analyzed blood samples collected from 15 SARS-CoV-2-infected patients in Hong Kong between 2 and 22 days after the onset of symptoms. Compared to blood samples from healthy controls, the five samples collected from patients 11 days after symptom onset or later had antibodies capable of binding to the RBD and other parts of the S protein on both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. The researchers also analyzed blood samples collected from seven patients 3 to 6 months after infection with SARS-CoV. Compared to blood samples from healthy controls, those collected from patients had antibodies capable of binding to the RBD and other parts of the S protein on SARS-CoV-2. Taken together, these findings show that infection with one coronavirus induces the production of antibodies that can bind to both RBD and non-RBD regions of the S protein on the other coronavirus. Using cell-culture experiments, the researchers next tested whether infection with SARS-CoV-2 induces SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing antibodies, which protect host cells by preventing the virus from interacting with them. All 11 blood samples collected 12 days or later after the onset of symptoms had neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. But only one blood sample had cross-neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV, and this response was very weak. Similarly, five blood samples from patients infected with SARS-CoV had neutralizing antibodies against this virus, but none could cross-neutralize SARS-CoV-2. Additional experiments in mice supported the findings from patients. For now, the clinical implications remain unclear. One possibility is that cross-reactive, non-neutralizing antibodies offer cross protection against viruses in the body, even though they don't protect cultured cells. This phenomenon has been observed for other types of viruses. On the other hand, non-neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 could enhance viral entry into cells and viral replication through a process called antibody-dependent enhancement of infection, which has been previously reported for SARS-CoV. "Whether antibody-dependent enhancement plays a role in SARS-CoV-2 infection needs to be carefully examined in the future," says co-senior study author Ian Wilson of the Scripps Research Institute. "Addressing this question will be critical for developing a safe and effective universal coronavirus vaccine." This work was supported by the Pasteur International Network Association, the US National Institutes of Health, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Guangzhou Medical University, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. Kim Hyon-chong, second deputy director of the presidential National Security Office (NSO), salutes the national flag ahead of a lecture at the National Assembly, May 22. Yonhap By Do Je-hae The escalating U.S.-China tension is emerging as a key diplomatic challenge for Korea. During a recent lecture, Kim Hyon-chong, second deputy director of the presidential National Security Office (NSO), reportedly broached the concerns faced by Korea in the post-COVID-19 period due to Korea's geopolitical situation, including the U.S.-China conflict. The lecture, which was organized by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) for its lawmakers-elect on May 22, was not disclosed to the public. But according to participants from the DPK, the deputy NSO chief talked about concerns rising from the U.S.-China competition. It was considered rare for a Cheong Wa Dae official to mention the U.S-China conflict and its implications for Korean diplomacy, given Cheong Wa Dae officials and President Moon Jae-in have avoided publicly mentioning the issue. President Moon has placed utmost priority on realizing a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping this year, first for economic reasons and second, for moving along inter-Korean projects. During a recent phone call on May 13, Xi reaffirmed his commitment to visiting Korea this year, according to the presidential office. Cheong Wa Dae has also underscored that the two leaders have been maintaining close contact since the outbreak of the pandemic, and the bilateral cooperation has resulted in some visible outcomes such as simplified entry procedures for Koreans visiting China on business. Despite these important developments in bilateral relations and even the possibility of a visit by Xi to Korea for the first time in six years, speculations are rising that the Moon administration is not sufficiently prepared to deal with the rising U.S.-China competition, particularly for more influence on Northeast Asia. There was not any mention of the geopolitical situation in Moon's recent national address to mark the third anniversary of his inauguration, and the President instead repeated his stance that he will do what he can to push ahead with inter-Korean projects this year. It is noticeable that the conflict between the U.S. and China has been intensifying over the past week, as Beijing signaled a tightening of control over Hong Kong with a proposal to impose new national security legislation. The move has prompted criticisms from U.S. officials and lawmakers. "The United States condemns the People's Republic of China (PRC) National People's Congress proposal to unilaterally and arbitrarily impose national security legislation on Hong Kong," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement, May 22. Beijing has lashed out at Washington for interfering in its internal affairs. The U.S.-China row over Hong Kong came as the Donald Trump administration delivered its Strategic Approach to China report to Congress. The report highlights that China harms U.S. interests and undermines the "sovereignty and dignity of countries and individuals around the world." "The People's Republic of China's (PRC) rapid economic development and increased engagement with the world did not lead to convergence with the citizen-centric, free and open order as the United States had hoped," the report said. "The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has chosen instead to exploit the free and open rules based order and attempt to reshape the international system in its favor." Korea's dilemma In particular, the report highlights Korea as one of the victim of its undue political influence. "Beijing uses a combination of threat and inducement to pressure governments, elites, corporations, think tanks, and others often in an opaque manner to toe the CCP line and censor free expression. Beijing has restricted trade and tourism with Australia, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Norway, the Philippines, and others, and has detained Canadian citizens, in an effort to interfere in these countries' internal political and judicial processes." The report is also critical of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Speculations are rising that Korea will face increasing pressure to choose between the U.S. and China as both countries see Korea as an important partner for expanding their influence in the region and are expected to seek Korea's participation in their respective regional strategies for economic and political interests. President Moon has shown support for Trump's Indo-Pacific strategy and also China's Belt and Road Initiative. The U.S. is Korea's most important ally, but for the Moon administration, fostering better relations with China, a key trading partner, is an urgent issue. Given the rising pressure from China, the importance of Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral cooperation has also been increasingly highlighted. But this has not been easy, with Korea and Japan still being unable to resolve differences over trade, history and security issues. The U.S.-Korea alliance remains strong, but the prolonged negotiations for determining the costs for maintaining U.S. troops in Korea has raised concerns about a weakening of the alliance. On Jenny Marr's 34th birthday, she and her husband decided it was time to start trying for a baby. Both only children, Jenny Marr, 35, and her husband, Chris Marr, 35, live in Dallas. They would have been happy with just one child - a compact family of four, including their dog Zeke. On Oct. 6, she took a pregnancy test: It was positive. The couple, yearning to hear the sound of a steady heartbeat, began counting down until they would finally see their baby on a sonogram screen. Little did they know, though, that they had not one, not two, not three, but four heartbeats to hear and four sonogram images to study. Jenny Marr was carrying a quartet of medical marvels: identical monochorionic quadruplets, of which there are only 72 cases recorded in medical literature, according to her obstetrician, Lauren Murray. Naturally, the first ultrasound was far from what the Marrs had anticipated. At just over 10 weeks pregnant, Marr went in for her first OB appointment. Her husband sat next to her as Murray spread gel over Marr's still small baby bump. "Dr. Murray began doing the sonogram, and all of a sudden she got this funny look on her face and turned the screen away from us," said Jenny Marr. "I immediately started thinking something was wrong with the heartbeat. I told her it was okay and that she could tell me if there was a problem." "Oh no, there's definitely a heartbeat," Murray responded. "Actually, there are three babies in there." Murray turned the screen toward the couple. At that moment, Chris Marr's face went ghost white and he passed out, said Jenny Marr. After about six minutes of shock and silence, the tears started streaming for both parents-to-be. "It sounds horrible to say, but I don't know if it was necessarily tears of joy. We were completely overwhelmed and frankly, terrified," said Chris Marr. "The fact that we didn't have any medical intervention, and no history of multiples in either of our families, made the news a total shock," said Jenny Marr. Still, they had another surprise in store. One week later, after the Marrs had somewhat digested the new reality that they were having three babies instead of one, they went to see a high-risk-pregnancy specialist, Brian Rinehart, who practices maternal fetal medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. "Yet again, the sonographer got this weird look on her face," said Jenny Marr. "We asked her what was taking so long, and she told us that she wasn't supposed to say since she's not a doctor. But she ended up blurting it out anyway, something along the lines of: Ya'll, there are 100 percent four babies in there." "That's when three became four," said Chris Marr. "I told Jenny we shouldn't go to our next appointment because they'll just keep multiplying," he said, laughing. The couple had somewhere in the range of a 1 in 11 million to 1 in 15 million chance of conceiving these babies, Rinehart said. "Twins, triplets, and even quads have gone way up with assisted reproductive technologies. But naturally conceived identical monochorionic quadruplets is something we just don't really see," Rinehart said. Identical monochorionic quadruplets occur when a fertilized egg splits in two, and both cells split again. Unlike fraternal twins, which come from separate eggs and implant independently, identical multiples are lumped together, sharing one placenta. "Put simply, nonidentical quads travel down separate lanes on a highway to get to the same parking lot, while monochorionic quads travel in the same lane, in the same car, and land in the same spot," Rinehart explained. Any pregnancy is risky, he said, but in this case, the risks are multiplied by four. "Pregnancy, even with one baby, is hard on the body. Four is just ridiculous," Rinehart said. "The body is simply not made to do that." For the mother, carrying multiple babies comes with the increased risk of high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and other health issues. For the babies who share a placenta, there is an increased risk of uneven distribution of blood flow, resulting in one or more babies not receiving adequate oxygen and nutrients. "It's kind of like survival of the fittest," said Murray. "The babies need to share the placenta evenly in order for all of them to survive." Chris Marr was riddled with fear and worry for the majority of his wife's pregnancy, he said. "When you Google 'monochorionic spontaneous quadruplets,' there's not very much data, and the data that's there doesn't point to many good outcomes," said Chris Marr, who works in the real estate investment industry. His wife, however, remained optimistic the entire time. "I just decided from the beginning that I was going to stay positive and roll with the punches," said Jenny Marr, who was manager at a dental practice before she had the babies. And she did. "Her attitude and emotional bandwidth to deal with the situation was exceptional," Murray said. "It's overwhelming enough to have one baby." Fortunately for her, the pregnancy was smooth, and the babies grew equally, until the final curveball came: the coronavirus pandemic. On March 15, at 28 weeks into her pregnancy, Jenny Marr went into early labor, just when covid-19 protocols were being put into place and hospitals across the country were preparing for the worst. That was the first time she really let herself worry. But the C-section was successful, and within three minutes - Harrison, Hardy, Henry and Hudson - came into the world. "It's exhilarating every time I deliver a baby," Murray said. "But to deliver identical quads was just incredible." All four boys came out strong and healthy, and even the tiniest baby - weighing 1 pound, 15 ounces - didn't require oxygen support. All four stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit for several weeks to be monitored, until the last Marr boy arrived home last week. The Marr parents said they're relishing every moment with their boys, watching as they grow and change every day. "They all have such different personalities already," said Chris Marr. "It's incredible to watch." The identical boys wear different-color ankle bracelets to help distinguish them. Even so, "we confuse them from time to time," said Chris Marr. On a recent afternoon, the couple sat in their living room, looking over their squirming babies. "I still can't believe we created these tiny humans," said Jenny Marr. "All in one shot." Good morning Nigeria and welcome to Eid el-Fitr 2020, Eid Mubarak to you, your friends and your family from Naija News Team. Eid el-Fitr also called the Festival of Breaking the Fast, is a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. Eid is the first and only day in the month of Shawwal during which Muslims are not permitted to fast. Since today is Eid al-Fitr, many expect good Eid Mubarak wishes from their friends, family members, and loved ones, hence, a need to compile one. Below are some Eid Mubarak messages you can send to friends, family members, and loved ones. 1. Before we ask for happiness and prosperity, we should ask for mercy. May Allah shower his mercy on us. Eid Mubarak! 2. With the sight of the new moon, Ramadhan Kareem is finally over. May Allah (SWA) grant us the Tawfeeq to apply the gems of wisdom from Ramadhan into our daily lives. Happy Eid al Fitr Mubarak. 3. You are the reason why my life is so colourful each day. Let me make this Eid such a colourful one for you! Eid Mubarak my love! 4. May Allah open the doors of happiness and prosperity for you. Eid Mubarak to you and your family. Enjoy a blessed time during this Eid. 5. I wish you and your family a very joyful Eid. May Allah accept all your prayers and forgive all your faults. Eid Mubarak! 6. Eid Mubarak! May Allah fulfil your all dreams and hopes. 7. May this Eid brings you joys unlimited, may all your wishes come true on this holy day and may you and your family be blessed by the grace of Allah. Eid Mubarak! 8. Let this special occasion of Eid adorn your life with the colours of heaven. I wish a wonderful Eid day for you and your family. 9. May this Eid be the beginning of another successful year in your life. Eid Mubarak to you and your lovely family! 10. Enjoy like a child and be thankful to Allah for he has bestowed all the Muslims with such a beautiful day. Eid Mubarak to you! 11. May this beautiful occasion of eid gives you all the reasons to make your life even more beautiful. Wishing you a happy Eid day! Eid Mubarak! 12. Let this Eid be the occasion of sharing the love and caring for the people who need to be loved and cared. Eid Mubarak to all! 13. Take a break from living in stress and this is Eid so lets celebrate! You are welcome to join us. Life is so endlessly delicious. Happy Eid Day! 14. Start living now and stop worrying about tomorrow. Life is too short to spend in tension. Just enjoy every moment of every day. Thinking of you on this Eid Day. 15. Eid Mubarak! Seize the moment and be happy. Because very little is needed to make a happy life, its all within yourself and your way of thinking. 16. The most beautiful thing for me is to see you smiling. You are so close to my heart that no one can even beat you. Enjoy this Eid to the fullest. Eid Mubarak! 17. The month of Ramadhan has left us my friend, and the joyous occasion of Eid is present before us once more. May we all enjoy the festivities of Eid. 18. Eid Mubarak to all my lovely friends. May God bless us all and make us all devout and honourable Muslims. 19. You can bring a smile on face even when I am feeling sad. A friend like is a treasure to keep forever. May Allah shower his blessings on you. Eid Mubarak dear! 20. There is no blessing in the world greater than a true friend. I thank God every day for giving me a friend like you. Eid Mubarak to you and your family! 21. Eid is the perfect occasion for us to rejoice in happiness together and tighten the bond of our family. Eid Mubarak to all of you! 22. Eid Mubarak! May this Holy day guide us all towards the way of light and remove the darkness of our hearts. Have a happy Eid day! 23. Wave goodbye to another amazing year and be ready to welcome the crescent moon, beautiful new dresses and of course all the delicious food. Eid Mubarak to my loving family! I love you all! 24. As the holy day is approaching, I feel like I cant wait for more to be reunited with you guys. Love you from the deep of my heart. Eid Mubarak to you all! 25. Dear mom and dad, I feel so lucky to have parents like you to spend the day with. You have been the reason why every Eid day seems like a day I spend in heaven. Eid Mubarak to you! 26. Dear wife, Eid Mubarak to you! May Allah grant everything you have prayed for and rewards you with his blessings. You are in my thoughts and prayers! 27. My wife, I wish you a joyous, prosperous and blissful Eid day! Thank you for taking care of me during Ramadan as well. May Allah bless you! 28. From the depth of my heart, I wish my adorable husband a very happy Eid Mubarak. May Allah bless our marriage and our family. 29. Eid Mubarak to the light of my heart. May we all always stay true to the straight path and may Allah unite us together in Jannah. 30. Thank you for adding so many colours in my life. You make me feel alive and special all the time. May Allah protect you and guides you towards success and happiness. Eid Mubarak dear. 31. Your love makes my every day so special. And when it comes to Eid, my pleasure doubles as I have you to spend the day with and share the joys together. 32. I feel happy because I am getting one more Eid to love you, to care for you and to pray for you. You mean everything to me. Eid Mubarak! 33. God knows how grateful I am for having you as my lover. I want to live a thousand years more only to love you. Eid Mubarak, my love! 34. I pray to God that he gives you more happiness and reward you with a bright future. You deserve the absolute best in life. May this Eid be unforgettable for you! 35. All I want in life is you to stay with me forever. With you, every occasion and every festival in my life is beautiful. Eid Mubarak. 36. I want to make every day of your life an Eid day. I have fallen so deeply in love with you that I can no longer think of anything but you! With lots of love my dear, wishing you a happy Eid UL FITR! 37. My life has become a romantic movie since I met you. Lets release the movie on the Eid this year! Eid Mubarak dear! 38. Your love cares and honesty makes you the best brother in the world. Every time I look at you, I cant help feeling grateful to Allah! Eid Mubarak! 39. As long as I have a brother like you, no sorrow in the world can touch my heart. You are the nicest brother in the world. Eid Mubarak dear brother! God bless you. 40. Eid Mubarak to the brother closest to my heart. May the Almighty bless you immensely in all that you do. 41. It is in my happiest moments that I find myself thinking about you brother. On the joyous occasion of Eid, I wish you and your family endless joy. 42. May Allah decorate your life with success and brighten your ways with the lights of heaven. You are always on my prayers. Eid Mubarak, brother! 43. May the grace of Allah fall upon you like raindrops and may all your problems be vanished like a puff of smoke. Always keep faith in Allah. Eid Mubarak. 44. May Allah bring peace and smoothness in your life. May Allah accept all your prayers and reward you with the best always. Happy Eid UL FITR to the best brother in the world. 45. Wishing a very happy Eid Mubarak with lots of love and respect from the deepest corner of my heart. I feel lucky to have a sister like you. Eid Mubarak! 46. A sister like you is a blessing only for the fortunate ones. I want to thank Allah for being so kind to me by giving me a sister like you. Eid Mubarak! 47. Dear Sister, Eid is so joyous only because I get to spend this day with you! Eid Mubarak! May we be able to spend hundreds of Eids together! 48. My lovely sister, wishing you a happy and safe Eid Day! May the bond of our sisterhood remains strong forever! You are in my thoughts and prayers! 49. You are a blissful soul that God gave me as a sister. Thanks for making my life wonderful. Wishing you a very happy Eid Mubarak sister! 50. Eid Mubarak to the most beautiful angel without whom my childhood would have been so boring and lifeless. Wishing you a joyous Eid UL FITR. 51. You always took care of me like mom and protected me like dad. Your unconditional love and motherly care made me feel secure all the time. May this Eid bring happiness and good health for you! 52. I wish you a day full of fun, cheers, and smiles. Dont forget to thank Allah for everything because he loves you. Happy Eid Mubarak! 53. Dont waste your time thinking about tomorrows. Because Allah has a plan for you and he always has the best plan for everyone. Eid Mubarak! 54. May your life be filled with success and your house with happiness. Eid Mubarak to you and your family. Enjoy the day to the fullest! 55. Take a break from all the stresses and give some time to your family. May this bring you all the things you need in life. Eid Mubarak! 56. May this Eid prove to be very special for you and your family. May the Almighty bless you in every area of your personal and work life. 57. May the love of Almighty Allah be with you forever. May he grant you a long life. Eid Mubarak to the wisest and most amazing boss in the world! 58. May success and glory be your best friends in life. May you continue to amaze the world with your ideas and philosophies. Eid Mubarak! 59. As the holiest of all months is about to end, I want you to know that Im praying for you that you are blessed with good health and happy days. Eid Mubarak! 61. On this blessed occasion, I pray that the Almighty blesses your life with peace and prosperity. Eid Mubarak Boss! 62. Thank you for being not only a boss but also a guardian and a mentor for us. May your life be filled with happiness unlimited! Eid Mubarak! 63. May Allah reward you for all your good deeds and shower your life with success, knowledge, and prosperity. Wishing you a very happy Eid! 64. Sending you warm wishes and happiness on the occasion of Eid. Remember me in your prayers. 65. In every smile and laughter; In every silent prayer answered; In every opportunity that knocks your door May Allah bless you! 66. This is the day when we should pay gratitude to the divine light for all the wonderful things around us. Eid Mubarak! Let this occasion fill your life with the brightest of colours. Eid Mubarak. 67. Heres wishing you and your family a very Happy Eid. 68. Remember your Lord morning and evening, deep in your heart with humility and with fear; and also in a low voice; do not be of those who are heedless. The Holy Quran 7:205 69. May you receive all the joys of life on the occasion of Eid. Eid Mubarak! 70. May you be blessed with kindness, patience and love. Eid Mubarak. 80. Eid is the time for sharing what we have with others. Have a wonderful Eid. 81. Eid is a time to amend, forgive and reflect. May Allah grant you wisdom and kindness. 82. May Allah guide you on the right path and help you whenever you ask for his advice. Eid Mubarak. 83. May you be guided by your faith in Allah and shine in his divine blessings! 84. The first and the foremost thing that we should ask from Allah is mercy to make it a purposeful Eid for all of us. Eid Mubarak 85. May the goodness and joys of Eid are multiplied millions of times to bring eternal happiness in your life. Eid Mubarak to you. 86. May the goodness of Eid ul Fitr is always there to inspire you to live each day of your life with positive hopes.. Eid Mubarak to my friends. 87. To my dear friend, I wish that Allah is always there to guide you towards a better life, a more prosperous future. Eid Mubarak to you. 88. Even the best of the Eid celebrations are incomplete without my family.. Wishing a blessed and Happy Eid to all. 89. In every shared smile and laughter; In every silent prayer answered; in every opportunity that comes your way may Allah bless you immensely! Eid Mubarak! 90. Eid is a day of sharing what we have and caring for others. May you have a wonderful Eid this year! 91. Eid is the time of year when you should amend your mistakes and forgive others mistakes. 92. May Allah on this day grants you wisdom and kindness! 93. May the God Almighty show you on the right path and help you in every step of your life. Eid Mubarak! 94. May this Eid brings you joys unlimited, may all your wishes come true on this holy day, may Allah approve your kind deeds, forgive your disobedience and sins, and ease the suffering of all individuals around the globe. Eid Mubarak blessed by the grace of Allah. Eid Mubarak! 95. Let this Eid be the occasion of sharing the love and caring for the people who need to be loved and cared. Eid Mubarak to all! 96. Accept the blessings of Allah with all your heart and forget the sorrows that burden your soul. Enjoy the moments you share with your family. Happy Eid Day! 97. You can bring a smile on face even when I am feeling sad. A friend like is a treasure to keep forever. May Allah shower his blessings on you. Eid Mubarak dear! 98. Eid is a day to cheer and to laugh with all your heart. Its a day to be grateful to Allah for all of his heavenly blessings on us. Wishing you a happy Eid. 99. Before we ask for happiness and prosperity, we should ask for mercy. May Allah shower his mercy on us. Eid Mubarak! 100. May this Eid bring joy and love to your heart and create all the opportunities of success for you! Eid Mubarak. Please note that the messages contained in this article were not originally compiled by this author but were edited where necessary. Share this post with your Friends on Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat has started donating Rs 50,000 from his salary to be deducted every month for the next one year to the PM-CARES fund created to battle coronavirus. Defence sources were quoted as saying by news agency ANI that in March, the CDS had written to the authorities concerned that for the next one year, Rs 50,000 be deducted from his salary and deposited in the PM-CARES fund. After the letter was written, the first deduction of Rs 50,000 was done from the April salary and deposited in the fund. The CDS had also donated one-day salary for the PM-CARES fund along with all other defence services personnel who had donated in March soon after the fund was started. The Defence Ministry employees have been given an option of donating one-day salary every month for the next one year on a voluntary basis, ANI reported. National Disaster Management Authority member and former Coast Guard Chief Rajendra Singh has also donated 30 per cent of his salary to the fund. About 10 days ago, the fund decided to allocate Rs 3,100 crore for fight against Covid-19, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. Out of the Rs 3,100 crore, nearly Rs 2,000 crore will be earmarked for the purchase of ventilators and Rs 1,000 crore for care of migrant labourers, it said. Another Rs 100 crore will be given to support coronavirus vaccine development, the statement said. The trust formed on March 27 is headed by the prime minister. The other ex-officio members of the trust are the defence minister, the home minister and the finance minister. There have been plenty of developments regarding the state's COVID-19 cases since Friday, with the total reducing from 1058 on Friday, to 1056 come today. On Saturday, there were two new cases, however, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced today that these two were actually being managed in New South Wales and were struck off the Queensland total. On Sunday, there was one new case, with the patient identified as bring in Cairns - a known hotspot of community transmission with Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Health officials say the Cairns patient contracted the virus locally, but the exact source of infection was not known. There were no new cases today, however Ms Palaszczuk says a further three Queensland cases reported in April and May have been struck off the state total because they have since been "classified as invalid after further investigation". The three cases removed from the total consist of two Gold Coast COVID-19 patients and one Brisbane patient. THE HSEs chief clinical officer said there will be no immediate change to the 2 metre social distancing rule which had helped Ireland not only bend that curve but reduce the infection rate to 0.5. Though increasing pressure has been levelled at the HSE to consider reducing social distancing to 1 metres to help kickstart the economy, Colm Henry said the State would continue to be guided by best international practice - which recommends 2 metres and the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) guidance. Mr Henry recognised the impact on HSE services and businesses throughout the State but he confirmed the measure would stay in place for the foreseeable future due to the concerns regarding droplet spread of infection through the air. Mr Henry told a Covid-19 press briefing this morning: Its important for us all to remember whats happened since March 27. It was only through the measures brought in on March 27, that were quite stringent but included social distancing of 2 metres, that we were able to not just bend that curve but reduce it back to where it is to 0.5 (infection rate.) There is variability on how this is expressed internationally. Many countries, including the U.S and UK, have included the distances of 2 metres, bearing in mind its a droplet spread illness. But there are implications for our own services and clearly for services and businesses outside the HSE but its based on the projected length a droplet can spread. Initially we thought this was for coughing and sneezing but as we gained a greater understanding (of Covid-19) we are more aware how it can spread in those who are pre symptomatic or asymptomatic. The HSE are governed by the decisions of NPHET and how they advise based on the best international advice. And we are informed from other countries and how they emerge from the pandemic, how theyre refining that distance or otherwise. But at the moment, its 2 metres based on the best available evidence we have. Director general of the HSE, Paul Reid told the Covid-19 briefing the NPHET guidance of 2 metres was how we are planning in terms of framework for services to work through. It does have significant implications for us in terms of emergency departments, patients waiting rooms etc, he added. So, two metres, certainly reduces the volume that we could have attendingBut we have to work off what the current guidance is. One metre would certainly give us extra capacity in terms of managing outpatient departments and ED (emergency departments), or generally managing our services but we will be guided by what the current guidance is from the Government through NPHET. 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. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 24, 2020 16:42 606 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd9e3dc5 1 News Yogyakarta,coronavirus,COVID-19,tourism,travel,tourist-attraction,tourist-destination,Borobudur-Temple Free The Yogyakarta administration will apply new normal health protocols starting in July, including in the tourism industry. Kadarmanta Baskara Aji, the administration secretary, told tempo.co on Friday that one of the regulations would limit the number of visitors to tourist destinations to 100 people. Along with tourist destinations, hotels, shopping malls and traditional markets will also have to comply with the protocols. Hotels, for instance, must provide hand sanitizer and handwashing stations. The number of guests per room will also be limited. For shopping malls and markets, organizers will have to be prepared for large crowds and make sure that visitors wear face masks. Regarding why the protocols were to be applied in July, Aji said one of the factors was that social assistance funds would end in June. Afterward, the public would be expected to resume their activities and businesses while adhering to health protocols. Read also: Yogyakarta woman creates 'transparent mask' to help the deaf communicate in time of coronavirus Yogyakarta tourism agency head Singgih Rahardjo said that for businesses to resume their operations, they would be expected to be fully prepared and would have to follow the development of COVID-19 cases in the city. Also, tourism would only resume if there was a decline in the number of cases in Yogyakarta and a recommendation from the COVID-19 task force in the city. On Wednesday, it was reported that 20 hotels and restaurants in Yogyakarta were planning to resume operations in early June despite the pandemic. Deddy Pranowo Eryono, head of the Yogyakarta branch of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), said that the properties were required to prepare the necessary facilities to implement the COVID-19 health protocols. Popular tourist destinations such as the Borobudur and Prambanan temples in Central Java will also be opened to tourists in June after being closed for the past three months. The temples organizer said that their reopening would comply with COVID-19 protocols, such as requiring visitors to wear face masks and practice physical distancing. To reduce interactions between visitors and staff, the management would use cashless ticketing services. (wng) Lucknow: Quami Ekta Dal (QED) MLA Mukhtar Ansari on Tuesday said a merger between his party and the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh for the 2017 Assembly election was "difficult" but did not rule out "forging an alliance" with the latter. "The QED-SP merger is difficult now, but we can forge an alliance. However, the final decision in this regard will be taken by SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and QED president Afzal Ansari," he told reporters here after meeting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and senior SP leader Shivpal Yadav. Mukhtar said the meeting, which lasted for over 45 minutes, was to apprise the two of the problems of his constituency. "There were no talks of any merger," he said, adding that the QED wants to defeat the "communal forces" and the party's poll strategy "will be decided accordingly". Meanwhile, QED president Afzal Ansari told PTI that he had not received any proposal or indication from the SP for the revival of the merger. "If they invite us, we will think about it," he said. It may be recalled that on June 21, a merger between the two parties was announced at the SP headquarters in the presence of Shivpal. However, three days later, it was called off by the SP parliamentary board. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat has decided to contribute Rs 6 lakh to the PM CARES fund for COVID-19 over a period of one year with a monthly contribution of Rs 50,000, officials said on Sunday. Gen Rawat has already started making the contribution from April and will continue it till March next year, they said. "The monthly contribution is 20 per cent of his total salary. In total, he will donate Rs 6 lakh to the PM-CARES fund," a military official said. Gen Rawat, India's first Chief of Defence Staff, had donated one day's salary to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES) in March as part of a collective decision by the Defence Ministry and three services. In March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced setting up of the PM CARES fund to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Political leaders, corporates, defence personnel, employees of Railways and PSUs, and Bollywood personalities were among a cross-section of organisations and people making their contribution to the fund. Earlier this month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a proposal providing for voluntary monthly contribution of one day's salary for next 11 months to the PM CARES fund for COVID-19 by nearly 1.5 million-strong armed forces and all other employees of the Defence Ministry. The total estimated contribution would be around Rs 5,500 crore if a majority of the armed forces personnel and the employees of the ministry including from the defence public sector undertakings decide to go for it. According to an official note, the contribution to the PM CARES fund will start from May and will continue till March 2021. The defence minister as well as all senior officials of the ministry and three services are making their contributing to the fund. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Struggling National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has availed free transport for the movement of goods and commodities meant to assist in the fight against Covid-19 to every entity demanding the services. The State-run company's public relations manager, Nyasha Maravanyika confirmed the development to NewZimbabwe.com and said the decision to provide free transport is part of the parastatal's corporate responsibility in the fight against the global pandemic. "NRZ 's decision to provide free transport in the movement of goods to communities affected by Covid-19 is motivated by our desire and drive to play a critical role in the fight against the pandemic," he said. We hope this gesture will alleviate the suffering of people from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic." As part of the initiative, the company Friday transported 30 tonnes of rice donated under the presidential food aid scheme to Bulilima West constituency in Matabeleland South. "This follows a request from the Member of Parliament for the constituency Dingumuzi Phuthi to assist in the movement of the rice which will be distributed to people affected by the effects of Covid-19 pandemic in the constituency," said Maravanyika. However, the ruling Zanu PF government has been accused of distributing donated food aid along partisan lines denying those perceived to be members of the opposition access to the donations. NRZ has so far spent more than ZWL$2 million in the procurement of materials needed to slow the spread of the viral pandemic within the organization's operations and various communities in Dete, Rutenga, Westgate, Chiredzi and Masvingo where it operates in. Already reeling under the ongoing lockdown, many jute mills in Bengal have suffered structural and material losses during cyclone Amphan that hit Kolkata and surrounding districts on May 20. Among the worst-hit mills are a few the states oldest ones located in South 24 Parganas and Howrah districts, Raghavendra Gupta, chairman Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA), told HT on Sunday. Set up in 1884, IJMA is the apex business chamber for Indias jute industry. Bengal is the highest producer of jute in the country. The fresh crisis comes at a time when mills in Bengal were under pressure from other states to produce bags on an emergency basis for transportation of Boro rice and relief materials being supplied to people during lockdown. Although there is no report of any damage to machinery, structures of the mills and stored raw jute suffered damage. We are yet to calculate the extent of loss but supplies of jute products will be definitely hit. All the 60 operational jute mills in the state had started production (with limited manpower) during the lockdown, said Gupta. Incidentally, last week IJMA said that during the lockdown the industry suffered a nationwide loss of Rs 1250 crore. The jute Industry is grappling for survival after being in lockdown for over one and a half months now. Already 1.5 lakh metric tonnes of production of jute goods has been lost estimated to be valued at Rs.1,250 crore. With the cash flows drying up, jute mill companies are finding it extremely difficult to make ends meet, IJMA said in a statement on May 19. On April 3, the Centre urged the Bengal government to direct jute mills to resume operation in view of shortage in supply of packaging materials. In a letter, the Centre said, 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. On April 5, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to open jute bag manufacturing units in Bengal and ensure transportation of jute bags through special goods trains to his state. Rao told Modi that there was a severe scarcity of bags and Telangana needed 20 crore jute bags to procure paddy. The Bengal government, however, issued permission to the jute mills to resume operation with limited manpower. Initially, permission was given to deploy only 15 per cent people which was later increased to 50 per cent in phases. Gupta told HT last week that the future of over three lakhs jute mill workers and 40 lakhs jute farmers hang in balance and if the situation persists it may result in permanent sickness and closure of mills. Jute industrys loss has been plastic industrys gain. Continuous dilutions under the provisions of the Jute Packaging Act has taken place over the lockdown period. Already about 3 lakh bales of orders for jute bags have been diverted to PP/ HDPE industry. If the lockdown situation continues any longer, further dilutions cannot be ruled out, IJMA said in a recent statement. The damage done by Amphan is going to hit relief work. This is a new crisis, said a senior state food and supplies department official who did not want to be named. The departments minister Jyotipriyo Mullick could not be contacted despite repeated attempts because of failure in mobile network. According to IJMA, the carryover of raw jute at the end of the jute crop year 2019-20 is expected to be over 22 lakh bales. With reports of normal sowing this year, across all jute growing areas, the prices of jute fibre has fallen below the Minimum Support Price of Rs. 4,225 per quintal for TDN3 grade, said IJMA in a statement. After the first case of Covid-19 was detected in Pakistan on February 26, the countrys Catholic Church has been on the alert for the worst-case scenario. By Robin Gomes Since the first coronavirus case, the number of infections in Pakistan has been growing. The countrys four provinces began to take action to contain the spread of the virus until a general lockdown was in place. Pakistan now has a total of more than 50,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with over 1,000 deaths. Since the lockdown, the poor and vulnerable people have been particularly hit with the loss of jobs and means of livelihood. Daily-wage earners have found it particularly hard to provide food for their families, apart from basic sanitation and health needs. Caritas in action amid a worsening situation Caritas Pakistan, a member of Caritas Internationalis - the global confederation of 165 national Catholic relief and development agencies - is the social and development arm of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops' Conference. According to Amjad Gulzar, the executive director of Caritas Pakistan, the overall situation in the country has been worsening since the first case was discovered. Listen to Amjad Gulzar He told Vatican News that, while the government was taking measures to ensure public health, Caritas was drawing up its own plan of action, sharing updates and situation reports with Caritas Internationalis members. On March 19, Caritas Pakistan called a meeting of all its diocesan offices and established certain guidelines to ensure the safety of its staff, volunteers and community groups who assist people during the pandemic. For this, they need safety and hygiene kits. With the situation growing worse, the government declared a nationwide lockdown. The governments of all four provinces followed suit. Protecting against Covid-19 Gulzar pointed out that the pandemic is an unprecedented emergency that the entire world has been grappling with. Pakistan is no exception. Social distancing appears to be the most effective measure against this deadly, invisible enemy. Hence restrictions on movement and gathering of people and lockdowns are the emergency path of governments to contain the spread of the virus. Caritas Pakistan thus began to gather information from the World Health Organization (WHO), the UNs Childrens Fund UNICEF, government public health institutions and others to protect the people and make them aware of the danger of the virus. They then developed information and education materials which they began distributing to the people through their field officers, the social media and other means. Lockdown - joblessness, food needs Gulzar pointed out that the immediate effect of the lockdown was the immense suffering of the people because of the loss of jobs and livelihood. Daily daily-wage earners have been worst hit. Putting food on the table daily was the immediate need. Caritas swung into action, providing those affected with relief food packages. A single food package includes 10 kg of flour, 3 litres of cooking oil, 5 kg of rice, 3 kg of lentils and essentials such as chilli powder, salt, tea leaves and sugar. According to Gulzar, the amount is sufficient to feed a family of 4 to 5 persons for over a month. This way, Caritas has been able to help more than 5,000 families. Coordination among Church entities According to Caritas Pakistans executive director, they are working in close collaboration with all the 7 dioceses of the country, through their respective parishes, organizations and institutions. Gulzar also pointed out that the government has announced many relief and development plans but little has been done to implement them. But the Catholic Church of Pakistan through Caritas is reaching out to the vulnerable people. Many religious congregations are also engaged in charity and relief work. Caritas has been coordinating with them for more effective and concerted action of the Catholic Church. Post-Covid-19 plan against unemployment The lockdown of over 2 months, Gulzar observed, has brought the economy of the country to a standstill. Its effects will linger long after the economic and commercial activities have resumed. One of these effects, he said, will be a very high level of unemployment, which will affect entire families and communities. Caritas recently held a coordination meeting with all the diocesan Caritas heads for a plan of action against unemployment in the post-Covid-19 period. In this regard, specific programmes will be launched to assist particularly the poor and the most vulnerable in 48 districts in the coming 4 years. Youth will be provided with specific opportunities, skills and vocational training so that they can be employed or self-sufficient. Gulzar pointed out that the government offers many schemes and programmes for the economic upliftment of the poor. Caritas will help people to access and benefit from these initiatives. Caritas will be coordinating with diocesan offices and district authorities to implement certain projects for the social and economic development of people who are hit by the lockdown. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming rose by 23 on Sunday, along with two more probable cases. Eleven of the new cases were confirmed in Washakie County, site of an outbreak at a Worland assisted-living center. Three new cases were reported in both Natrona and Albany counties. Two each were reported in Fremont and Johnson counties and one each in Big Horn and Hot Springs counties. Two new probable cases were reported in Fremont County. Nineteen new confirmed coronavirus recoveries were also announced. No probable recoveries were reported. Probable cases are defined by officials as close contacts of lab-confirmed cases with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. A patient is considered fully recovered when there is resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and there is improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, shortness of breath) for 72 hours AND at least 7 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. There are now 838 cases 638 confirmed and 200 probable and 578 recoveries 429 confirmed and 149 probable as well as 12 deaths. About two-thirds of confirmed patients have fully recovered, a number that grows to about 69 percent when factoring in probable figures. Officials caution that the reported numbers are low, even with the addition of probable cases. On April 2, the Wyoming Department of Health began restricting testing to six priority categories; potential patients who dont fall in one of those categories had to be tested by private laboratories. However, the department announced April 23 that it would be able to resume testing patients outside of those six categories, although priority patients samples remain at the front of the line. Patients have tested positive for coronavirus in 22 of Wyomings 23 counties. Only Weston County is without confirmed cases. Wyoming has the second lowest recorded number of coronavirus deaths of any state, and its death rate is fourth-lowest to Alaska, Hawaii and Montana, according to the New York Times. The states infection rate is sixth-lowest among states, also according to the Times, which includes probable counts where they exist. Less than 13 percent of Wyomings cases required a hospital stay. In 17 percent of the cases, health officials dont know if the patient was hospitalized. The virus has disproportionately affected people of color throughout the United States, a trend that is also reflected in Wyomings data. About 48 percent of confirmed cases in Wyoming are white, 32 percent are American Indian, 12 percent are Hispanic, 0.8 percent are Asian, and 1.3 percent are black. The racial identities of 8.3 percent of confirmed cases in Wyoming are not known, and 3 percent of confirmed cases identified as other races. According to 2019 census estimates, Wyomings population is 83.8 percent white (not Hispanic/Latino), 10.1 percent Hispanic/Latino, 2.7 percent American Indian/Alaska Native, 1.3 percent black, 1.1 percent Asian and 2.2 percent two or more races. In 50 percent of the cases, the patient came in contact with a known case. In another 11 percent of the cases, the patient had traveled either domestically or internationally. Community spread has been attributed to 19 percent of the cases. In 10 percent of Wyomings cases, health officials dont how the person was exposed to the virus, and 13 percent of cases are pending investigation. Cases in Wyoming by county (probable in parentheses) Albany: 17 Big Horn: 3 (1) Campbell: 17 (13) Carbon: 9 (7) Converse: 14 (10) Crook: 5 Fremont: 218 (30) Goshen: 4 (1) Hot Springs: 8 (2) Johnson: 14 (4) Laramie: 121 (61) Lincoln: 11 (4) Natrona: 57 (14) Niobrara: 1 (1) Park: 2 Platte: 1 Sheridan: 12 (4) Sublette: 1 (2) Sweetwater: 17 (8) Teton: 69 (31) Uinta: 9 (3) Washakie: 28 (4)Weston Deaths in Wyoming by county Carbon: 1 Fremont: 6 Johnson: 1 Laramie: 2 Teton: 1 Washakie: 1 Rate of spread This graph shows the rate at which confirmed and probable cases in Wyoming have been announced, as well as the number of patients who have fully recovered. Keep in mind, however, that state and medical officials say the true number of COVID-19 cases is surely higher than the official numbers due to testing limitations. Testing statistics The Wyoming Department of Health has published the following data: As of Sunday, there have been 20,189 tests performed for COVID-19 in Wyoming. Wyoming Public Health Laboratory: 10,175 Commercial labs: 10,913 CDC: 1 National cases There have been more than 1.6 million cases nationally, with about 97,000 deaths, according to the New York Times running count. Know the symptoms COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, is a respiratory illness. Its symptoms include cough, fever and shortness of breath. Symptoms appear within two weeks. If you have contact with a person who has COVID-19, you should self-isolate for 14 days. Follow the Wyoming Health Departments tips Stay home when sick and avoid contact with other people unless you need medical attention. Follow advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on what to do if you think you may be sick. Follow current public health orders. Follow commonsense steps such as washing your hands often and well, covering your coughs and sneezes, and cleaning and disinfecting. Nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other healthcare facilities should closely follow guidelines for infection control and prevention. Older people and those with health conditions that mean they have a higher chance of getting seriously ill should avoid close-contact situations. The government today released its plans for keeping pupils safe from coronavirus including using floor dividers to keep children apart and implementing a queuing system for the school run. From June 1, primary school children in reception, year 1 and year 6 classes are due to return and Boris Johnson tonight insisted that would happen as planned. But the release of the new guidance for teachers and heads today comes after teaching unions and the Government have been at loggerheads for weeks over the safety of opening schools - and could yet cause more disagreements. The National Education Union (NEU) is leading opposition to a June 1 return, and some 50 councils are also set to defy the Government's instructions. The main steps outlined in the guidance for teachers are: Make sure any surfaces touched by children are cleaned several times a day; Try to keep small consistent groups of children together throughout the day; Implement some kind of queuing system for carers when picking up children; Dividers could help keep groups of children in different parts of the room; Remove all soft toys or any toys that are hard to clean; Make sure children and staff with symptoms of Covid-19 do not come in; Ensure social distancing of groups of children and staff as much as possible; Make sure hands are washed regularly throughout the day and children are observed doing so; Ensure children under two years of age have the already required 3.5m space in all directions, reducing to 2.5m for two-year-olds and 2.3m for three to five-year-olds; Have a good supply of disposable tissues to implement 'catch it, bin it, kill it'; Arrange for children to be collected at the door if possible; Limit visitors and keep windows open for ventilation; All planned activities should be risk assessed in light of coronavirus; Teach hand washing and using tissues through games, songs and repetition; Institutions should have a policy in place for responding to a case of coronavirus; Students form a long line to have their temperatures checked before entering class at Jeonmin High School in Daejeon, South Korea last week These are the main steps set out in the guidance for teachers: Preparing the premises The government guidance published today stipulates that the first thing institutions should do is ensure the premises is ready to receive children safely. The building should be checked if it has been out of use for a long time, and if it has been closed then schools should consider legionnaires checks. Any activities should be reassessed in light of the coronavirus pandemic and once children have returned 'all frequently touched surfaces, equipment, door handles, and toilets, used during the day, will need to be cleaned thoroughly several times a day.' Educators will have to consider how best to use the space of their premises 'and how they can be best used to keep small, consistent groups of children together throughout the day, and to keep the groups apart from each other.' The guidance adds: 'Depending on the size and the layout of individual settings, consider how floor space, rooms and outdoor space can be organised to ensure physical distancing between staff and between groups of children, considering the early years foundation stage age-based space requirements.' Under preexisting age-based space requirements, children under two years need 3.5 metres squared per child, two-year-olds need 2.5 metres squared per child, and children aged three to five years need 2.3 metres squared per child. It could be useful to utilise area dividers to keep children in different parts of the room or use floor markings to help staff keep track of different groups. Area dividers may help to keep groups of children in different parts of the room, and floor markings could be helpful in assisting staff with keeping groups apart. The use of communal spaces in settings should be managed to limit the amount of mixing between groups as much as possible. The guidance adds: 'Public health advice is to remove all soft toys, and any toys that are hard to clean, such as those with intricate parts. Where practicable, remove soft furnishings, for example pillows, bean bags and rugs.' This photo, taken in the town of Tourcoing on the border with Belgium, shows boys and girls forced to stay away from each other inside areas marked out with chalk. Implement measures to reduce risk for staff and children Schools and other premises where children are going to be learning or looked after should look at how to reduce possible transmission of coronavirus, the guidance says. The new measures admit that children in early years are unlikely to keep two metres apart but there are a range of protective measures, these are: Ensure parents are advised to keep children with any symptoms at home; ensure staff who are symptomatic do not attend work; frequent hand cleaning and good respiratory hygiene practices; regular cleaning of settings; minimising contact and mixing. The guidance says staff should be encouraged to keep group sizes to a maximum of eight children and 'to ensure that there are no more than 16 children in a group in early years settings.' It is understood that children and staff in early years provision are unlikely to be two metres apart but that children and staff should mix in a 'small consistent group' and that 'small group stays away from other groups.' The new measures should ensure that: Physical distancing between groups of children and staff as far as possible; that individual groups use the same area of a setting throughout the day as much as possible; that the sharing of toys and resources is reduced; that any toys or resources that are shared can be easily cleaned between different groups' use The guidance also states that children should take part in handwashing throughout the day and they should be supervised. There should also be a number of disposable tissues to 'implement 'catch it, bin it, kill it'. Enhanced clearing is a core mantra within the government measures and says that all surfaces touched by children, such as doors or doors, are cleaned more regularly than usual. There should also be a clear policy on bringing toys or items from home and this should only be done if 'absolutely essential'. The government today released its plans for keeping school children safe from coronavirus including a queuing system for the school run A rainbow sign in support of the NHS in the window of Beckers Green Primary School in Braintree during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown Staff will have to implement some kind of queuing system when picking up children, to limit contact with carers. The guidance suggests that 'for example by limiting drop off and pick up to one parent or carer per family and staggering timings.' It adds: 'Consider how you can use technology to communicate with parents and carers digitally, for example when providing handover information at the end of the day.' Schools should also keep windows open as much as possible and limit the amount of visitors. The guidance states that the vast majority of children and staff will not need PPE and that staff do not have to take the temperatures of children every day. It adds: 'Ensure that your setting is operationally prepared to implement these measures, and that they are clearly communicated to all staff members. Ensure that supplies of essential products are in place, as well as contingency plans to respond to any shortages in supplies.' Reviewing staff for availability at work There should be an audit that takes place on what staff are available to start work on June. The guidance says that: 'Anyone who is displaying coronavirus symptoms, or has displayed symptoms in the previous 7 days, or lives with someone who has displayed symptoms in the previous 14 days, should not attend work unless they have tested negative for coronavirus.' A staff member who is clinically vulnerable is also advised not to attend school. Agree a protocol for responding to a suspected case of coronavirus and ensure setting is prepared A school's sickness policy should be amended to reflect what to do if you have a case of suspected coronavirus. The guidance states: 'Anyone who begins to display coronavirus symptoms while in the setting should be sent home immediately and follow government guidelines on what to do if you or someone in your household develops symptoms. 'If a child is waiting to be collected, they should be separated from their group and isolated with one member of staff if this is possible. A facemask should be worn if a distance of two metres cannot be maintained from a child who is symptomatic and awaiting collection and if contact is necessary, then gloves, an apron and a facemask should be worn. 'If a risk assessment determines there is a risk of splashing to the eyes, for example from coughing or spitting, then eye protection should also be worn.' Pre-school children are seen in a classroom in The Hague, the Netherlands amid Covid-19 on May 11 Communicate with teachers, carers and parents The guidance asks schools and childcare services to communicate their plans for reopening with staff, parents and carers - to ensure they are aware of and understand all new measures to reduce the transmission of coronavirus. It also states schools should build in time for staff to review processes and procedures and to ask questions and raise concerns in advance. 'Ensure that all staff understand that those who have coronavirus symptoms, or who have someone in their household who does, should not attend the setting in any circumstances,' the guidance states. 'Ensure staff understand that if they develop coronavirus symptoms, they are entitled to a test, and are encouraged to organise one in this scenario following government guidance on getting tested.' Schools have also been asked to consider the instruction and training staff will need on infection control, for example putting on, taking off and disposing of PPE. Staff must make sure parents and carers understand that if a child has coronavirus symptoms, or if there is someone in their household who does, they should not attend the setting. Identify the number of children returning to classrooms The guidance also asks school officials to identify which children are likely to return to classrooms on June 1, working with parents, carers and local authorities. 'Where children are unable to sustain safe social distancing and hygiene measures, and live in a household with someone who is extremely clinically vulnerable and has chosen to shield, those children will not be expected to attend an early years setting,' it states. 'Consider how you can support parents and carers to understand the risks.' Children should attend only one school or childcare setting if possible, it added, to minimise contact between groups of children and staff. Childminding services were told to consider how they can work with parents and carers to agree how best to manage any necessary journeys, for example pick-ups and drop-offs at schools to reduce the need for a provider to travel with groups. Education and childcare settings which have higher demand than capacity under social distancing may be required to introduce a temporary cap on numbers of children attending. Planning school groups to reduce contact between children and staff Under government guidance, schools are asked to use audits of staff availability and likely demand for places for children to plan groups, ensuring staff to child ratios set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework are adhered to. 'Keeping group sizes to a maximum of eight children is preferable so groups are as small as possible, and providers are expected to ensure that there are no more than 16 children in a group in early years settings,' it states. 'Sessional nurseries that have different cohorts of children at different times of the day may wish to consider having smaller group sizes to limit the number of children staff are in contact with.' Children are seen in a classroom in Hai'an, China on May 20 amid the coronavirus pandemic Identify safeguarding, special educational needs and disability (SEND), child wellbeing and welfare requirements Educators and childcare providers will need to plan how children will be supported to address the specific issues which may have arisen due to coronavirus, the advice added. 'The coronavirus outbreak may have caused significant mental health or wellbeing difficulties for some children,' the document states. 'Be alert to harms that may have been hidden or missed while they have not been attending settings. 'Consider the mental health, pastoral or wider health and wellbeing support children may need, including with bereavement, and how to support them to transition into the setting after a long period of absence. 'Consider how you will involve parents and carers to identify specific support for children and how childrens needs may have changed and to prepare for their return to your setting.' The guidance added readjustment to routines may be challenging for children with special educational needs and disability, and schools should ensure they have the staff needed to support these students at safe ratios. Planning what children should learn and how to adapt the EYFS curriculum Teachers and childcare providers should prioritise helping children adapt to these new routines and supporting them as they settle back into the setting, especially where there have been staffing changes. The guidance said continuing to support early language and communication skills is essential, and children who have had limited opportunities for exercise should be encouraged to 'exert themselves physically.' 'Settings should use reasonable endeavours to deliver the EYFS learning and development requirements as far as possible in the current circumstances, as set out in guidance on the temporary changes to the EYFS requirements in light of coronavirus,' the guidance added. 'This means continuing to provide an environment that invites learning across all 7 areas as far as is practicable during this time. Consider how stories, singing and games can be used to help children to socialise and resettle into familiar everyday routines.' Teachers are asked to consider how to encourage children to learn and practise habits such as regular handwashing and using tissues, including through games, songs and repetition. The guidance added educators should consider new approaches which will need to be taken to minimise the sharing of resources between groups, for example painting, sticking, cutting and outdoor construction activities. These should be thoroughly cleaned before and after use by different groups, and tools such as Play-Doh should not be shared between groups. Sand pits should not be used at this time but outdoor spaces can be used as much as possible where available, the guidance states. By Bruno Kelly TRES UNIDOS, BRAZIL (Reuters) - Tres Unidos, an indigenous village in Brazil's Amazon rainforest, locked out all visitors, hoping that isolation would keep it safe. And yet the new coronavirus still came. By Bruno Kelly TRES UNIDOS, BRAZIL (Reuters) - Tres Unidos, an indigenous village in Brazil's Amazon rainforest, locked out all visitors, hoping that isolation would keep it safe. And yet the new coronavirus still came. It arrived, most likely up the Rio Negro, the giant snaking river that connects Tres Unidos with the Amazon's largest city, Manaus - five hours away by boat. The rivers, the lifeblood of these remote communities, are now also bringing disease. The dots of confirmed coronavirus deaths on a map published by Brazil's government follow the rivers in these remote parts. Waldemir da Silva, the village chief better known here as Tuxuau Kambeba, said the virus came quietly, as if carried on the wind. "The virus is treacherous," he said, wearing a white face mask and a wooden headdress. "We started getting ill and thought it was a bad cold, but people got worse. Thank God the children did not get it," the 61-year-old told Reuters. The drama of the 35 families of the Kambeba tribe is repeated in indigenous communities across the Amazon, as the epidemic moves upriver from Manaus, one of the hardest hit cities in Brazil, where hospital have run out of intensive care units and cemeteries are using collective graves to bury the dead. FEAR OF INFECTION With the virus comes fear. For the inability to know who has the virus. For the poor quality healthcare. For the future of indigenous people. A non-profit conservationist group, Fundacao Amazonas Sustentavel, based in Manaus, is trying to help. It has donated test kits and the state government delivered 80 on Thursday to the Kambeba village. Three people resulted positive when they were tested by the community's nurse technician, Neurilene Kambeba, adding to 13 previous confirmed cases in the village of 106 people. "We feared the whole village was infected because many people had symptoms and we had no way of knowing," she said. "We are fighting for that virus to disappear and no one dies, because Manaus is very far away and we might not get there in time to save a critical patient." The Kambeba, who originated in the upper reaches of the Amazon in the forests of Peru, are known for their mastery of archery. Two men from the village have won medals competing in Brazil's national team. The community is treating the sick with hot drinks of traditional herbs prescribed by the elder indigenous woman to cure ills, such as garlic and lemon for coughs, or mangarataia, the word for ginger in their language. Virgilio Viana, head of the Fundacao Amazonia Sustentavel, said the villages nearest to Manaus were most vulnerable to infection by the coronavirus. Brazil is far behind other countries in testing for the virus and the situation is even more challenging in the Amazon, he said. The government has said it had difficulties buying tests abroad but has now stepped up testing as it plans to open up the economy, despite surging deaths from COVID-19. "The rapid tests are very important to be able to diagnose COVID-19 cases so that medical protocols of social distancing can then be followed to avoid contagion," Viana said. (Corrects non-profit's name to Amazonas, paragraph 9) (Reporting by Bruno Kelly; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. OTTAWAIndigenous health authorities that service Western Canadian First Nations say they are experiencing problems accessing enough medical and protective equipment needed to protect their citizens from COVID-19. Senior representatives from regional First Nations health authorities in Saskatchewan and British Columbia told a Commons committee Friday they need more personal protective equipment. We have delays in accessing PPE, said Tara Campbell, executive director of the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority in Saskatchewan. On-reserve populations PPE in Saskatchewan are distributed by the province and unfulfilled requests are then forwarded to the national emergency stockpile. She also said medical supplies such as thermometers and testing supplies are not readily available and that nursing capacity remains a critical issue. Campbell noted the key role that testing played in addressing an outbreak in the northern Saskatchewan community of La Loche earlier this month, where extensive door-to-door and mobile testing was done to identify and stop the spread of the virus. By being able to test and get results sooner, we were able to isolate individuals to make sure that transmission was minimal, she said. We arent able to do this in every community because testing supplies are limited. Chief Charlene Belleau, chair of the First Nations Health Council of B.C., said access to PPE has also been a concern for First Nations across her province. We also recognize the limitations across the country, but we are constantly advocating for PPE not only for our health-care providers but also for our people that are providing security on the lines or at band offices, she told the committee. The federal government has said it has been delivering large amounts of protective equipment to Indigenous communities to ensure they are able to protect their citizens and front-line workers against the novel coronavirus. On Friday, Indigenous Services Canada tweeted that as of May 22, it had shipped 845 orders of PPE to First Nations communities and had one order in progress. But Conservative MP Bob Zimmer, who is the partys Northern affairs critic, says the accounts coming from First Nations chiefs and advocates at committee over the last few weeks indicate more of these critical supplies are needed in many Indigenous communities. Its a federal responsibility to provide PPE to the Indigenous communities and it was supposed to be established that way. Were hearing of shortages across the board, across Canada, Zimmer said Friday. Richard Jock, interim chief executive officer of British Columbias First Nations Health Authority, said his agency has developed a system to distribute PPE to its communities and regions to ensure there is a few weeks supply to try to prevent critical shortages. But supplies are low. I would not want to say that theres a stockpile or an accumulated surplus, he said. Bellau also noted a rising dispute in B.C. about what level of government federal, provincial or Indigenous should pay the increased costs being incurred by First Nations that have hired security personnel to block or limit access to their communities to prevent outbreaks COVID-19. (Indigenous Services Canada) cannot rely on First Nations utilizing our own resource revenue as a means of protecting our communities, she said. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam attends the opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 22, 2020. The U.S. government will likely impose sanctions on China if Beijing implements national security law that would give it greater control over autonomous Hong Kong, White House National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said Sunday. The draft legislation represents a takeover of Hong Kong, O'Brien said, and as a consequence U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would likely be unable to certify that the city maintains a "high degree" of autonomy. This would result in the imposition of sanctions against China under the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, O'Brien said. Pompeo has already called the proposal a "death knell" for Hong Kong's autonomy. O'Brien warned that Hong Kong could lose its status as a major hub for global finance. "It's hard to see how Hong Kong could remain the Asian financial center that it's become if China takes over," O'Brien told NBC's Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press." He said financial services initially came to Hong Kong because of the rule of law that protected free enterprise and a capitalist system. "If all those things go away, I'm not sure how the financial community can stay there. ...They're not going to stay in Hong Kong to be dominated by the People's Republic of China, the communist party." The legislation was announced during the annual session of China's parliament, the National People's Congress. The session had been delayed for months during the coronavirus pandemic. Hong Kong faced months of at times violent anti-government protests before the pandemic effectively shut China down. Hong Kong has been governed under the "one country, two systems" principle since the former British colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The system gives Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy and a greater degree of freedom for the special administrative region than the rest of China. A draft decision on "establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms" for Hong Kong was submitted to China's parliament Friday, according to state news agency Xinhua. A document explaining the decision said the one-country two systems principle "has achieved unprecedented success in Hong Kong," but the "increasingly notable national security risks" in the city "have become a prominent problem," according to Xinhua. The document says activities "have seriously challenged the bottom line of the 'one country, two systems' principle, harmed the rule of law, and threatened national sovereignty, security and development interests," according to Xinhua. The move from China has incited strong opposition from pro-democracy activists and politicians. Thousands of protesters demonstrated for the first time since the introduction of the national security law on Sunday. Hong Kong police fired tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Nearly 200 political figures from the U.K., Europe, Australia, North America and Asia condemned the law in a joint statement. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. So now we know, without a doubt, that the Russia collusion narrative was a hoax from the start. President Donald Trump was right about that. And were not learning this from anonymous leaks to the media. We can read it for ourselves, as one Obama administration official after another, in transcripts of sworn testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, told lawmakers that they saw no evidence that Trump or any member of his campaign colluded with the Kremlin to steal the election from Hillary Clinton. It was the one time that these people actually told the truth, even if some of them continued to make the rounds of anti-Trump cable programs, talking about how the president was a Russian asset. The investigations continued even though there was nothing to investigate. And the prosecutions of those in the Trump orbit, including Michael Flynn, went forward. We had the Robert Mueller investigation, and the empty report that came out of it. The report gave Democrats nothing actionable against the president on collusion because there was nothing actionable there in the first place. We then had an impeachment proceeding that grew out of the whole lie. Weve known for a while that the Trump campaign was illegally spied on by members of the countrys intelligence apparatus loyal to former President Barack Obama. We know that resistance Democrats relied on a document, the infamous Steele dossier, which they knew to be a tissue of fabrications, bought largely with Clinton campaign money, in order to obtain FISA warrants to eavesdrop on American citizens. Trump was right about that too, by the way. And when the Obama forces couldnt beat Trump at the ballot box, they sought to remove him from office, lest he make their snooping public. The fake FBI investigation of Flynn, which has finally crumbled, was just part of that effort. Was it coincidence that shortly after the damning House testimony was released, Obama suddenly decided to chirp up about how lousy he thought Trumps response to the coronavirus pandemic had been? Strange behavior for an ex-president who has tried so hard to stay above the fray, who hasnt wanted to sully himself with dirty politics, who has wanted to preserve that hard-earned reputation for class and grace. It looks like things are hitting a little too close to home for Obama, whose administration made spying an art. They seized the home and work phone records of 20 Associated Press reporters in order to find out whod leaked info about a foiled Al Qaida terrorist plot. Obamas Justice Department hounded Fox News reporter James Rosen, including raiding his personal emails, tracking his movements and naming him as a possible criminal co-conspirator, while investigating another news leak. Under Obama, the National Security Agency without warrants collected mountains of data on Americans and foreign citizens. The NSA spied on German Prime Minister Angela Merkel, and also eavesdropped on German media outlet Der Spiegel. Richard Nixons infamous Plumbers never worked so hard. So its hardly surprising to learn that the Obama forces also spied on Trump, who threatened to undo every sacred Obama policy. It was standard operating procedure for them. So what did Obama know about all the shady operations against Trump, and when did he know it? What did Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, know? Its one of the greatest scandals in American history. Not that its getting covered that way by the media. The resistance press will happily accept Pulitzers for the collusion lie, but wont dare tread on Obamas hallowed legacy. Theyve gotten expert at looking the other way. And that scandal is almost worse. Democracy does indeed die in darkness. The SIS said the correspondent exhibited 'professional misconduct, disinformation and misinformation in his recent reports on Egypt' Related State of emergency extended Egypts State Information Service (SIS) says it has sent a warning to the editor-in-chief of The Washington Post newspaper over professional misconduct and disinformation displayed in a recent report on Egypt. The SIS, which is responsible for regulating the affairs of foreign press and media correspondents in Egypt, also said in a press release on Saturday that it has alerted the Cairo bureau chief of The New York Times over numerous professional violations in some of his recent reports. Chairman of the SIS Diaa Rashwan met with Cairo Bureau Chief for The Washington Post Sudarsan Raghavan late on Saturday. Rashwan briefed Raghavan on the professional misconduct, disinformation and misinformation contained in his recent reports on Egypt, the SIS said in its statement. Rashwan handed Raghavan a copy of the letter sent to the editor-in-chief of The Washington Post detailing the journalistic violations by its Cairo-based reporter, who was issued a warning that in the event that such professional violations . . . appropriate measures permitted by both the law in Egypt and the rules of many countries worldwide shall be taken against him. In the letter to the editor-in-chief, the SIS specifically referred to a report published in The Washington Post on 10 May 2020 titled As coronavirus spreads in Egypt, Sissi sees opportunity to tighten his grip. The letter detailed what the SIS described as professional violations in the report. The SIS said that the report anonymously quoted human rights activists, and directed very serious accusations to the Egyptian government, describing it as a military-backed government. The SIS argued that this rhetoric is at odds with the reality of Egypts established civilian state with all its legitimate institutions, governed by a constitution approved by the people in a referendum. The SIS also said in the letter that contrary to what was mentioned in the report, the amendments to the emergency law were due to the country's need to take extraordinary measures to counter the spread of the coronavirus, and not to grant the country's security institutions additional powers. The letter stressed that the amendments which expand powers to ban or limit public and private gatherings, to shut down schools, and to restrict people from owning, transporting, selling, buying or exporting any goods or services, as well as control their prices are essential for any country in order to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The SIS denied the correspondents claim that the government did not respond to a request for comment, saying that it had not received any communication from the correspondent in this regard. It also stressed that unlike what was mentioned in the report, the banning of prison visits was not to silence political prisoners, but rather to protect the prisoners themselves from the pandemic. The SIS said that based on such professional misconduct, it warned Raghavan of the need to adhere to the proper professional standards when practicing his journalistic work in Egypt. The SIS added in its statement that its chairman Rashwan also met with Cairo bureau chief for The New York Times Declan Walsh, and alerted him on numerous professional violations in some of his recent reports. The SIS underscored that it had previously issued a warning to the US newspapers bureau chief last month. Bellow is the full text of the SIS letter: Dear Mr. Martin Baron Editor-in-Chief, The Washington Post The State Information Service (SIS) conveys its highest regards to you and your esteemed newspaper and wishes to notify you of the following: Based on our appreciation of the Washington Post, and its known adherence to professional rules in journalism, we wish to inform you that the newspapers Cairo Bureau Chief Mr. Sudarsan Raghavan has often encroached on the rules of the press profession, which are recognized throughout the world and are endorsed by your esteemed newspaper. The latest example of such encroachment is the report by Mr. Raghavan titled As coronavirus spreads in Egypt, Sissi sees opportunity to tighten his grip, which was published in The Washington Post on 10/5/2020 and contained numerous professional violations as follows: - The report attributed to what it calls human rights activists, an anonymous source, very serious accusations to the Egyptian government, describing it as a military-backed government. Such words are mere rhetoric and are at odds with the reality of Egypts established civil State with all its legitimate institutions, governed by a constitution approved by the people in a referendum. Officials of State institutions (the Presidency and Parliament) came into power through free elections monitored by hundreds of reporters from around the world, including the correspondent of your esteemed newspaper. - At the same time, your correspondent in the aforementioned report accused officials in Egypt of exploiting amendments to the emergency law to grant the country's security institutions additional powers. It is a false accusation as the amendments to the emergency law were necessitated by the country's need to take extraordinary measures to counter the spread of the "Coronavirus". These are appropriate measures, considerably mitigated than those that all the nations of the world, including the United States itself, have had to take. - The correspondent based his report on a highly politicized statement by Human Rights Watch, which was rejected by Egypt. Besides, what your reporter has said about giving the State's official authorities the powers to ban or limit public and private gatherings, to shut down schools, and to restrict people from owning, transporting, selling, buying or exporting any goods or services, as well as control their prices are necessary measures taken by all the countries of the world in the face of the pandemic. - Your correspondent, who resorted to mere platitude by what he labeled activists and a tendentious statement by HRW, lives in Cairo and could have followed the rules of journalistic work by resorting to the relevant sources and taking their views into account when publishing the report, as well as following up on the reality in the Egyptian street, where citizens roam in much greater freedom than other countries despite the spread of the pandemic; a matter reflecting that the intervention of all official authorities in the lives of individuals is at a lower level than any measures in other countries. - The correspondent claimed that the government did not respond to a request for comment. Unfortunately, the State Information Service has not received any communication from the correspondent in this regard. In fact, the correspondent consistently has not contacted SIS to communicate with stakeholders in Egypt for most of his reports abundant in allegations and fallacies. - Your correspondent made false claims that the Egyptian people's revolution in 2013 to get rid of religious fascism was a military coup, While ignoring the armed terrorism that our country has been subjected to so far by these terrorist groups invoking the Islamic religion, and claiming that terrorists who are being fairly tried in public for their crimes are political opponents. - Your correspondent ignored all the rules of the journalism profession when he turned to a researcher at the Washington-based Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, and an unknown researcher said to be from Amnesty International. It would have been prudent for him to witness firsthand the situation on the ground, rather than propagating their baseless claims and ignoring the views of the concerned parties on these allegations, thus violating press rules requiring that the views of all parties be taken on an equal footing. - In his report, your correspondent criticizes the temporary suspension of prison visits and sees it as a way to silence political prisoners, while it is a measure to protect the prisoners themselves from the pandemic. Prison visits have been replaced by other means of communication between prisoners and their relatives. Present-day realities confirm that this measure has so far helped to protect the lives of prisoners. - This biased, unprofessional and subjective report is a continuation of the excesses of your correspondent in Cairo, based in its entirety on raising the most serious accusations against the State institutions in Egypt, resorting to the same type of sources, either anonymous sources labelled as "activists", or researchers, harboring well-known negative stances against Egypt, who do not reside in it and even have not entered it for years. - The presence of the reporter in Cairo and granting him accreditation as a foreign correspondent means, under journalistic customs worldwide, that the correspondent has to apprise himself of the reality and to communicate with all parties, not to poll the opinions of everyone who has antagonism with the Egyptian State around the world. In light of all the above, we wish to inform you that the State Information Service has met with Mr. Sudarsan Raghavan and warned him of the need to adhere to the proper professional standards when practicing his journalistic work in Egypt, in accordance with his accreditation as a foreign correspondent. Otherwise, we will have to take measures, permitted by law in Egypt and the guidelines regulating the work of accredited foreign correspondents, and which are applied not only in Egypt, but also globally. In conclusion, we wish to express to you our sincere appreciation to the esteemed "The Washington Post" newspaper, which undoubtedly would not tolerate such professional violations by its Cairo bureau chief, which are inconsistent with the newspapers status and credibility. Sincerely, Diaa Rashwan Chairman, State Information Service Search Keywords: Short link: STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The city Department of Veterans Services (DVS) has introduced a new project, called VetCheck, which will make supportive check-in calls to the veterans across the city during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The new project, which is a partnership with the Mayors Office of ThriveNYC, is designed to offer New York Citys veterans support and a connection to the veteran community during the pandemic. Its also intended to provide immediate information about essential public services, including free meals, COVID-19 test site locations, and mental health resources. The city is home to more than 200,000 veterans. The initiative will collaborate with veteran-serving organizations, such as the United War Veterans Council, The Mission Continues, Catholic War Veterans, Travis Manion Foundation, and various American Legion and Veteran of Foreign Wars posts. Lieutenant Colonel James Henden, the commissioner of the New York Department of Veterans Services described the sacrifice veterans and those close to them face daily. Veterans and those close to them are dedicated to a life of duty and serving others, said Henden. Mission: VetCheck allows them to continue their service by volunteering to help reduce the social isolation that is being felt by fellow service members -- past and present -- in addition to their families. This helps to meet veteran community members core needs during these tough times. New York Citys veterans deserve every resource our city has to offer, particularly during this isolating and difficult time," said Susan Herman, director of the Mayors Office of ThriveNYC. ThriveNYC is proud to support Mission: VetCheck, which mobilizes the power of volunteers and the energy of the veteran community to connect veterans to one another and to vital public resources. VetCheck will train volunteers from the citys veteran community to make compassionate check-in calls to other veterans. Volunteers will be offered supplemental training resources through PsychArmor, an organization that provides military-specific training. Veterans who are interested in helping their fellow veterans by making check-in calls can sign up to volunteer at Mission: VetCheck Veterans who are seeking a check-in or know a veteran who would benefit from a call can also visit Mission: VetCheck Veterans can also be referred to the DVS for additional resources and support such as housing, benefits, or healthcare needs. You might have watched the film Ratatouille, in which a rat named Remy aspires to become a culinary expert at a restaurant in Paris. Well, seems like he is not the only rat who had some creative skills. Another rat artist has earned overnight fame for his painting skills. Gus, the famous rat from Manchester, has drawn a number of abstract arts and sold them to raise money. According to The Sun, Gus artistic skills were first noticed by its owner Jess Indseth, who saw a different side of the rodent when it was left to play with her art and craft set. The 19-year-old owner decided to bring in some non-toxic childrens paints, just to help her pet nurture its skills further. Gus drew paintings on mini canvases using his paws, and the results left everyone surprised. Jess has sold her artwork to Etsy, for around 20 (approx. Rs 1800) a pop. She ended up receiving multiple orders from around the globe. Talking to the news outlet, Jeff, who is a professional swimming instructor, said, I love his artwork and lots of people across the world too. I was shocked to find there was a market for rat paintings but its amazing. Gus is Jeffs fourth rodent, which she bought from a breeder in 2018. She also has Boo, Dot and Eve, however, Gus seems to the calmest of all. Jeff has sold around 60 painting so far, earning a profit of around 1200 (approx. Rs 1.10 lakhs). Gus is the most artistic. Hes a star, Jeff added about her little pet. In some cases, Burns recalled, he would ask the secretary to step outside so that a family member can enter. When gatherings were limited to 10 people, Burns said families had to decide who can come in and funeral directors had to monitor how many people were in the room. Oregon is less than halfway through Memorial Day weekend, and already mountain rescue crews have been dispatched twice to bring down climbers stranded on Mount Hood. The latest climber rescued was Dani Rudinsky, 23, of Colorado, who became stranded after she injured her ankle in a small avalanche, according to the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office. Avalanche danger is high, given recent heavy snowfall and warm weather. Gov. Kate Brown and other officials have also asked people to stick close to home as they look for opportunities to get outside over the holiday weekend. Early Saturday afternoon, mountain rescue crews were just wrapping up their operation to save a climber who became lost on the mountain amid whiteout conditions Friday. Nikolas David Larson, 31, of Sunriver, had hypothermia by the time rescuers brought him down on Saturday. Climber Dani Rudinsky took this photo of her position below the Reid Saddle, where she was stranded after injuring her ankle in a small avalanche. Around 12:30 p.m. Saturday, the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office got a call from Rudinskys climbing partner, who reported that Rudinsky injured her ankle. The two were on the west side of Mount Hood near Yocum Ridge, below the Reid Headwall. They used a satellite-based communication device to send a distress call and communicate with rescuers, according to the sheriffs office. Rudinskys rescue required significant resources: three teams, with a total of 26 people. This coming on the heels of the last rescue mission made the rescue even more difficult," the sheriffs office said in a press release. The first team, composed of AMR Reach and Treat and Portland Mountain Rescue members made sure Rudinsky was stable and loaded her into a stretcher, according to the sheriffs office. Two more teams arrived, with people from Hood River Crag Rats and Portland Mountain Rescue. They set up a rope line to pull Rudinsky up to the south side of Illumination Saddle, an elevation of 9,200 feet, then skied down with her to Timberline Lodge. Mountain Wave Search and Rescue, Clackamas County Sheriffs Office Search and Rescue, and search and rescue coordinators from the Hood River County Sheriffs Office also helped. By the time rescue crews reached the lodge at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, teams had been working on the mountain for nearly 23 hours straight to begin the Memorial Day Weekend, the sheriffs office noted. Rescuers left it to Rudinsky to determine whether to seek medical treatment. -- Hillary Borrud: hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. A Limerick teenager is due to appear in court tomorrow following a collision between a garda patrol car and a hot-wired motorcycle. Gardai said two male youths, aged 17 and 16, were arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning in connection with the incident. Two youths who fled the scene on foot were arrested by gardai. A Garda spokesman said: Two male youths were arrested by gardai after a motorcycle they were travelling on collided with a Garda patrol car. The collision occurred at Charlottes Quay shortly after 3am, Saturday 23 May 2020. The two youths fled the scene on foot and were apprehended by gardai a short distance away. Gardai had been responding to reports of a motorcycle being stolen from Gratton Court when the incident occurred. Its understood the ignition of the motorcycle had been hot-wired. There were no reports of any injuries. Gardai said two youths were detained at Henry Street Garda Station for questioning and inquiries are ongoing. The younger of the two arrested males was released from custody pending a file being sent to the DPP. The second youth is still in custody and will be brought before Limerick District Court first sitting Monday 25th 2020. They returned back to Los Angeles this week after spending the past month in Canada amid the COVID-19 pandemic. And Hailey Baldwin and Justin Bieber took advantage of the Californian sun on Saturday, soaking up the rays with a day by the pool. The 23-year-old model took to social media to showcase a sizzling photo of herself wearing a two piece bikini. Stunner: Hailey Bieber took to social media to showcase a sizzling photo of herself wearing a two piece bikini on Saturday Hailey rocked a red triangular bikini top that drew attention to her ample cleavage and incredibly toned physique. She teamed the look with a skimpy black bottom and accessorised with her signature hooped earrings. The daughter of Stephen Baldwin added a rose colored bucket hat to her look, explaining on social media that she was wearing it to conserve her natural collagen supplies. Gorgeous: The model teamed the look with a skimpy black bottom and accessorised with her signature hooped earrings Educating her fans: The daughter of Stephen Baldwin explained on social media that she was wearing a hat to conserve her natural collagen supplies 'I never used to wear a hat in the sun but since learning we use 1% of our collagen a year after the age of 23 suddenly, I low hats??' she explained. Justin also took to social media to share a video of his wife swimming in the pool. 'Wifey,' he captioned the clip adding the two side eye emoji. Justin and Hailey returned home to Los Angeles earlier in the week after spending much of the lockdown with his family in Canada. Happy husband: Justin couldn't help but froth over his wife on social media The pair have been close to inseparable ever since they rekindled their love in the summer of 2018. Before then, Justin and Hailey had briefly dated in 2015 but split after a few months. Earlier on Friday, the beauty revealed that she had snuck out of the house to go on her first date with Justin, behind her parents' backs. 'The story behind that actually is that he asked me to go out for sushi with him, and I called my parents to ask them if I could go, and they said no,' Hailey said on Facebook Live on Friday. Young love: Justin and Hailey first began dating back in 2015 (pictured October 2015) 'They were like, "absolutely not, you are not going to dinner with Justin by yourself. It's not happening."' 'Cause I still lived at home at the time, and my older sister kind of covered for me and was like, "Oh yeah she's gonna sleep over at my apartment, and all good," and she covered for me... We didn't get caught,' she said. The couple's date took place in New York, where they went to the movies and got dinner together. 'The first time we kissed, we were in New York, and we had gone to dinner together, and we were just hanging, and we went back to watch a movie, and we kissed,' she reflected. Hong Kong, May 24 : Hong Kong police fired multiple rounds of tear gas on Sunday as hundreds of people took to the streets to protest China's planned national security law for the city, denouncing the proposed legislation as a threat to civil liberties and the end of the "one country, two systems" principle. Earlier in the day, the police urged citizens on its Facebook page not to take part in any unauthorised assemblies, saying it had mobilised enough officers to take decisive action and make arrests, reports the South China Morning Post (SCMP). Sunday's protest took place two days after a resolution to "prevent, frustrate and punish" threats to national security in Hong Kong was presented to China's legislature, the National People's Congress. The draft legislation would outlaw acts of secession, subversion and terrorism. The resolution is expected to be passed on May 28, authorising the NPC Standing Committee to craft a tailor-made national security law and impose it on Hong Kong, bypassing the city's legislature. The new law would require the Hong Kong government to set up new institutions to safeguard sovereignty and allow mainland agencies to operate in the city as needed, sparking concerns about mainland agents making arbitrary arrests. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam welcomed the law, while assuring residents and investors that the law would protect, rather than hurt, their rights, said the SCMP report. She maintained that it would not undermine the governing principle of "one country, two systems" for Hong Kong, its high degree of autonomy or the cherished principle of "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong". Hong Kong's opposition politicians have said the plan to introduce the law by fiat is tantamount to adopting a "one country, one system" model in the city, abandoning the "one country, two systems" principle that guarantees the city a high degree of autonomy. Sunday's demonstration was also called to protest a national anthem bill that would criminalise abuse of the Chinese national anthem in Hong Kong. The bill, which city leader Carrie Lam has called a top priority, provides for jail terms of up to three years. The Legislative Council will debate the bill on Wednesday. Months before World War II in the Pacific came to its abrupt conclusion, one of the great and largely unacknowledged heroes of Texas appeared suddenly off the island of Guam. The heroes who most deserve honor are often the ones who do not seek it out, whose actions spoke more than their words. Decked out in his tropical whites on May 26, 1945, Fleet Adm. Chester A. Nimitz, commander of all allied naval forces closing in on Japan, stood on the deck of the British battleship H.M.S. George V which stopped in Guam after bombarding the Ryukyu Islands. In a few clipped sentences, Nimitz praised the British task force as efficient and valuable. Seemingly modest, those words are high praise in the military. That tiny moment in the torrent of history and Nimitz are worth recalling now. World War II ended 75 years ago this year. With Memorial Day, we reflect on the fallen. We also cannot help but reflect on the great leaders of that time. Certainly imperfect, Nimitz was renowned for a few qualities: He was taciturn, diligent and experienced, which led to his fourth the ability to take informed, decisive risks. Last, he was humbly empathetic to his sailors. Why does this matter now? Our wartime president whose declared enemy is a virus is transfixed by his own reflection and casually flings about the term warrior on seemingly anybody serving his political narrative, including regular Americans charging ahead to reopen the country amid a global pandemic. A slew of governors, including that of Texas, have followed. Yet if you looked up in the sky, Americans, at any time over these past months of the pandemic, you would see our flag flying at full mast, despite more than 90,000 dead. That lack of empathy for our fellow Americans was only redressed on Thursday, when the president, responding to a written request by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders, ordered the flags flown at half mast at last. Nimitz, one of this nations greatest naval commanders, was born Feb. 24, 1885 in the unlikeliest of places: landlocked Fredericksburg, Texas, some 200 miles from the sea. The only other arrival of note in Fredericksburg that year would be the new, limestone-block jail. As a boy, Nimitz was a smart student, worked at his familys hotel, now the National Museum of the Pacific War, and wanted to be an officer in the U.S. Army, according to his modern biographers. He had glimpsed a few in town one day and West Point became his desire. But when appointment time came, his congressman informed him that the West Point slots were full. Nimitz could apply for another service academy: the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. Recalling the seafaring stories an immigrant paternal grandfather had told him as a boy, Nimitz jumped at the chance. Accepted, he skipped graduating high school to enroll on the verdant campus on the banks of the South River, majestic Chesapeake Bay just around the point. He graduated seventh in his class in 1905, the same year the U.S. Army was finally putting down the last of the insurrections in U.S.-held Philippines. His first junior officer appointments were typical but filled with the romance of Asia and the broad swells of the Pacific; his first command nearly ended in disaster when he grounded the gunboat U.S.S. Panay on a shoal in the Philippines. His subsequent court martial found that faulty charts were to blame. Skippering several submarines in the Atlantic, he was ordered to shore duty in 1913, just four years before America would enter World War I. The middle of Nimitzs career seems decidedly unglamorous. The career of a great naval officer is punctuated with stints steering desks, heads full of engineering problems and mastering the vast bureaucracy down to the details of personnel. Boring old competence counts. Besides, Nimitz had a head for math. So, he headed to Groton, Conn., to build diesel engines. Then he vanished into the Navy bureaucracy, a staff officer during World War I who didnt see combat in that war, graduate school and building the Navy ROTC. A couple of California fleet commands under his belt later, the Bureau of Navigation in Washington beckoned. Yet quiet diligence paid: he had his star as a rear admiral. After Pearl Harbor was attacked, Nimitz headed to Hawaii as the new commander-in-chief of Pacific naval forces. Married with a family, Nimitz was different than many of his fellow flag officers, some imperious with ambitions of empire, like George S. Patton in Europe or Douglas MacArthur in the Pacific. He honestly felt bad replacing the previous commander, humiliated and dismissed in the wake of Japans devastating surprise attack. Upon assuming command, he refused to fire his predecessors staff. He shared his quarters with two other officers. In his private moments he could not throw off the depression that had burdened him since his arrival, E.B. Potter wrote in his seminal 1976 biography, Nimitz. He was disappointed that he could do so little to turn the tide of war, and he suspected that he had disappointed his sponsors. I will be lucky to last six months, Nimitz wrote to his wife, Catherine, back in Washington in 1942. He needed to stop the relentless Japanese advances of 1941 while buying time to get more ships, planes and men into the fight. God grant me the courage to not give up what is right, he said, even though I think the situation is hopeless. The Battle of the Coral Sea in the spring of 1942 stopped the Japanese invasion of New Guinea, which would have possibly led to the Allies loss of Australia. The Battle of Midway was a risk, certainly, but Nimitz had foreknowledge: intelligence showed the Japanese would invade. He caught them off guard, and his force sent four Japanese carriers to the bottom; Nimitz altered the balance of power in the Pacific. Nimitz got the fleet he needed in 1943 to press the Japanese back, and so he did through 1944 from the Marshall Islands. That opened the door to the Battle of the Philippine Sea where Japanese Adm. Soemu Toyoda said: The fate of the empire rests on this one battle. Toyoda lost the battle long with two carriers and 400 aircraft in all. His prediction was right. Saipan and Guam followed, and then Tinian, where atomic-laden bombers launched for Japan the next year. In what is widely hailed as among the greatest naval battles ever fought, the Battle of Leyte Gulf from Oct. 23-26, 1944, involving 200,000 men, Nimitz not only stopped Operation Sho-Go, a last-ditch effort to stop the Allied landings on the Philippines he destroyed the entire offensive threat of Japans Imperial Navy. Yet throughout the war, Nimitz had pined over the possibility of defeat. He took his .45 pistol to the range regularly for practice; and dwelled quietly on his fears, trying to still and concentrate an anxious mind. Whether it was with his staff at Pearl Harbor or visiting the fleet, he liked to barbecue Texas-style for his sailors, have them play horseshoes, knock back a beer and tell ridiculously corny jokes. In my opinion, we were blessed and lucky to have had such a man as this, said retired general Michael Hagee, former commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps and CEO of the foundation that operates the National Museum of the Pacific War with the Texas Historical Commission. He frequently said, I did not win the war. He did not seek recognition. He was an intense person, said Hagee, who grew up in Fredericksburg before his own illustrious military career. But he had empathy for people. Washington created a new rank for him: fleet admiral, the highest rank in the Navy yet. At Japans surrender in Tokyo Harbor, in 1945, he bit his tongue to play second fiddle to the swollen pride of MacArthur. After retiring, he refused to authorize a memorial to himself in 1962, Hagee said. His character was whittled down to supporting cast in the movies. He turned down offers of biographies. His papers finally made their way to Navy archives in Washington. He helped the Japanese raise money to restore their iconic dreadnought battleship, Mikasa, the flagship at their 1905 Battle of Port Arthur in which they destroyed the Russian fleet. Potter sheepishly asked him to keep him in mind for an authorized biography. You know where my papers are, the old admiral said. And that was it. Nimitz died on Feb. 20, 1966, well into retirement, at his home on the Yerba Buena Island naval reservation in San Francisco. He didnt make it home to Texas much before that. He notably flew over his hometown once and people turned out to see the plane; later he stopped in and along with a parade was finally given his high school diploma. And his native Texas never did properly acknowledge him. Walk the leafy lawn of the state Capitol in Austin and youll find heroes of the revolution against Mexico and monuments to the Confederacy. But no statue of Nimitz. At the Battleship Texas State Historic Site in the Houston Ship Channel? Nope, even though the U.S.S. Texas fought her last war in Nimitzs Pacific campaign, bombarding Iwo Jima, the Ryukyus and Okinawa. It is long overdue for the state to erect a statue of Nimitz at the Capitol. Austin should simply gift financial and marketing help to the National Museum of the Pacific War, too, no strings attached. Nimitz was both a hero and a leader. And at about this time, we could stand to remember what great leaders and heroes really look like. Parker, author of Lone Star Nation: How Texas Will Transform America, is a contributing columnist for the Houston Chronicle. President Donald Trump has claimed hydroxychloroquine has 'rave reviews' and revealed he started taking it after two people tested positive for the coronavirus in the White House. Trump made the assertion while on 'Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson'- scheduled to show on Sunday - and shared that he had been taking the anti-malaria drug for roughly two weeks. 'Hydroxy has had tremendous rave reviews,' Trump said, after being asked whether him taking the drug was sending mixed messaging to the country since so many have been skeptical about its usage. 'I believe in it enough that I took a program because I had two people in the White House that tested positive.' Since Trump told reporters Monday that he decided to take hydroxychloroquine, a drug that he's been touting as a potential coronavirus treatment for weeks, the White House has been on the defense. 'Hydroxy has had tremendous rave reviews,' Trump declared, while on 'Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson', scheduled to show on Sunday Amid a politicized battle over hydroxychloroquine, @SharylAttkisson sits down with @realDonaldTrump to talk about the drug after finishing his two-week course of it, the pandemic and reopening the economy, Full interview is Sunday on Full Measure. More: https://t.co/xg0bmnywZg pic.twitter.com/hiilZppG1P Full Measure News (@FullMeasureNews) May 23, 2020 Government health experts don't have evidence yet that hydroxychloroquine is effective against the coronavirus. The FDA did approve its 'off-label' use, but also put out a warning on April 30 about heart problems it could cause and said it should only be used to treat coronavirus patients who are hospitalized That evening the White House press secretary sent out a note from the president's physician that said 'we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks' on the decision for Trump to take hydroxychloroquine. But the doctor didn't say he wrote Trump the prescription. Government health experts don't have evidence yet that hydroxychloroquine is effective against the coronavirus. The FDA did approve its 'off-label' use, but also put out a warning on April 30 about heart problems it could cause and said it should only be used to treat coronavirus patients who are hospitalized. Another clip from the Sunday program shows President Trump slamming Columbia University after a damning study from the university revealed that starting lockdown earlier could have curbed coronavirus cases by 83 per cent. Another clip from the Sunday program shows President Trump slamming Columbia University after a damning study from the university revealed that starting lockdown earlier, could have curbed coronavirus cases by 83 per cent .@realDonaldTrump reacts to a new Columbia University analysis indicating that a majority of U.S. deaths caused by COVID-19 could have been prevented if social distancing and lockdowns had started earlier. Full interview is Sunday on Full Measure. More: https://t.co/4o8VAHdHmi pic.twitter.com/vuywVKPTft Full Measure News (@FullMeasureNews) May 23, 2020 'Columbia University is a liberal, disgraceful institution, to write that,' he said of the top ranked university. Trump claimed that banning travel from China on January 31 was unprecedented and resulted in him getting 'tremendous heat.' 'And that went on for months, they were criticizing me,' he continued. 'Sleepy Joe Biden said I'm xenophobic, meaning I don't like certain people.' He later added: 'I saw that report from Columbia University and it is a disgrace that they would play right to their little group of people to tell them what to do.' More than 54,000 lives in the US would have been saved and over 900,000 coronavirus cases could have been avoided if social distancing measures and stay-at-home orders were imposed two weeks earlier, according to the study form Columbia. The federal government and states began issuing stay-at-home orders on March 15 - four days after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic. 'Columbia University is a liberal, disgraceful institution, to write that,' he said of the top ranked university By May 3, a total of 65,307 Americans had died from the virus and the number of infections across the country had surpassed one million. Had the US introduced lockdown measures one week earlier on March 8, the death toll is estimated to have been just 29,410 by then, according to the study. The number of cases nationwide would have been just under 390,000. Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai N.Y.U. and Grossman School of Medicine also found that the bulk of New York's COVID-19 cases were by way of Europe. The scientists studied DNA from thousands of samples of coronavirus patients and concluded that the first travelers to bring the virus to the city came from Europe, not Asia, according to The New York Times. But they also found that the strand of the virus that arrived in Washington state came from China. President Trump banned entry to the US by foreign nationals who had visited China within the past two weeks on 31 January. He banned travel from Europe on March 11. President Trump's appearance on 'Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson' is scheduled to air on Sinclair sites at 9.30am EDT on Sunday. Senior Colonel Wu Qian, Director General of the Information Office of China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) and Spokesperson for the MND, answers reporters' questions at a regular press conference on April 30, 2020. (eng.mod.gov.cn/Photo by Li Xiaowei) BEIJING, May 24 The Chinese military expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition on Sunday to the US selling Taiwan $180 million of equipment including torpedoes, and strongly urged the US side to immediately stop arms sales to Taiwan and stop military ties with Taiwan. The US act is a grave violation of the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques. It seriously interferes in China's internal affairs, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for Chinas Ministry of National Defense (MND), in a written statement on May 24. At present, the cross-Strait relations are complex and grave, as the Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen refuses to recognize the 1992 Consensus, attempts to raise her status by bonding with foreign forces, intensifies the cross-Strait antagonism, and damages the cross-Strait relations. Under such a situation, the new-round US arms sale to Taiwan sends out seriously wrong signals to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities and "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces, seriously undermines Chinas sovereignty and security, the peace and stability across the Taiwan straits, as well as the China-US military relations, said Senior Colonel Wu. Wu reaffirmed his standpoint in the end of statement, saying that the national rejuvenation and national reunification are the common aspirations of 1.4 billion Chinese people, and also the irresistible trend of history, no one or any force can stop it. Wu strongly urged the US side to immediately stop the arms sales to Taiwan and stop military contacts with Taiwan, in case of further undermining the relations between the two countries and the two militaries. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, Wu stressed. Sri Lanka will ease the coronavirus lockdown restrictions from May 26, limiting the curfew hours from 10.00 pm to 4.00 am among other relaxations. The curfew will be lifted during the day across the country, including hot-spot districts of Colombo and Gampaha, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's said in a statement. The two districts were identified as coronavirus hot-spots and placed under round-the-clock curfew since March 20. Inter-district movement will be permitted from Tuesday, except to Colombo and Gamapaha. ] Though the curfew will be lifted during the day, social-distancing and other practices to check the spread of COVID-19 will be implemented strictly, officials said. The coronavirus has claimed nine lives in the island nation with 1,068 confirmed cases. This is the second round of curfew relaxations in the island-nation after certain changes were effected on May 11 to revive economic activity, as part of which employees of state and public sector companies were allowed to travel to work. Senior police official Ajith Rohana said the curfew will be strictly enforced on Sunday and Monday. Id will held in Sri Lanka on Monday. "There will be over 900 roadblocks during the curfew on both days," Rohana said. While this weeks weather is not expected to be as extreme as the storm last year that cut power to millions and led to hundreds of deaths, experts still have their eyes on the weak link of the states energy system. Telecom players have urged regulator Trai to move forward quickly on the issue of fixing floor price for tariffs, saying the matter is imperative to ensure that the sector is sustainable and in a position to bear the deferred spectrum and AGR dues. The Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) -- whose members include Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio -- has written to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) seeking an open house discussion on the issue "at the earliest". "Given the financial pressure on the sector and the fact that ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) and tariffs of the Indian telecom sector are the lowest in the world, floor pricing is imperative to ensure that the sector is sustainable, and is in a position to bear the deferred spectrum and AGR (Adjusted Gross Revenue) dues, while continuing to invest in world class networks and services," COAI said in its letter to Trai Chairman R S Sharma. The association said the industry looks forward to an early decision by the authority on having floor tariffs for data services. "While, we acknowledge that the recent situation on account of COVID-19 might have caused some constraints, however the Authority has started conducting the OHD (open house discussion) through online process on various other topics. Accordingly, we request the Authority to kindly hold an OHD on this issue at the earliest," COAI said. The industry is seeking an early conclusion on this important matter with great interest, COAI said. The regulator had earlier this month resumed its customary open house discussions on pending matters through video-conference. However, Trai sources had made it clear that the issue of floor price of tariffs is unlikely to be taken up via online mode till the ongoing situation arising from the COVID-19 pandemic stabilises. Given the coronavirus pandemic and the difficulties faced by people, Trai may wait for the situation to stabilise before it proceeds to the OHD stage on floor price issue, a source had said. Recently, Bharti Airtel CEO, India and South Asia, Gopal Vittal in an earnings call drew attention to the pending floor price issue, saying while the telecom industry has seen some bit of repair, tariffs continue to be "unsustainably low". He exhorted the sector regulator to address the floor price issue "sooner than later". "We believe that an ARPU of Rs 154 is inadequate to turn a reasonable return on capital as a company and remain hopeful that ARPUs will get to Rs 200 in the short term and eventually to Rs 300 which is where it should be for a business like ours. "Of course, even at this level of ARPU we believe we will be very well placed to serve all the lower-end customers who may have the capacity to pay Rs 100 or less," Vittal had said. Airtel said the full impact of the tariff hike undertaken in December 2019 came through in its entirety with no downtrading. "While there will be some growth on ARPU on secular basis because of upgradation from 2G to 4G, we have maintained that tariffs are still unsustainably low. "The industry is very keen to have telecom regulator intervene in pulling together...floor prices...I think all responses have gone to Trai and right now they have not taken a decision given circumstances around COVID-19. But I do believe that this needs to be corrected sooner rather than later," Vittal had said. For Bharti Airtel, the ARPU or earning per subscriber -- a key metric for telecom companies -- stood at Rs 154 in March quarter against Rs 123 in year ago period, and Rs 135 in December quarter. For Jio, APRU was sequentially higher at Rs 130.6 per month, and the company had said that further impact of December 2019 tariff hike will flow through in the coming months. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After an absence of 22 days, North Korean strongman Kim Jong-Un returned to the pages of state controlled media. Photographs appeared on the main pages featuring Kim chairing the Central Military Commission, North Korea's most powerful body. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and the Rodong Sinmun (Workers News) splashed pictures on their main pages featuring Kim chairing the Central Military Commission (CMC) on Sunday. The articles cite unnamed "policies" being set forth to "increase the nuclear war of deterrence" and "putting the strategic forces on high alert." In a slideshow of 13 pages published by KCNA, Kim, looking puffy, is seen sitting alone at a huge desk overlooking a room full of men in uniform who are taking notes. Speculation Kim has appeared in public only sporadically in recent weeks leading a certain amount of speculation among Korea watchers. The leader last was shown inaugurating the Sunchon fertilizer factory on 2 May, just one day after a North-Korean defector in Seoul had claimed with 99% certainty that Kim was dead. According to DailyNK, a website run by Korea watchers, Kim then stayed in a local villa Samjiyon, from 9-10 May, with a mobile sentry post with soldiers "wearing wartime gear" set up around 50 meters from the entrance to the Kim's private road. Every two hours there was a change of guard, while movements of the local inhabitants was restricted. On 19 May, life appeared to "return to normal." On 20 May, it was reported that he "sent a verbal message of congratulations" to the President of Cameroon Paul Biya on the occasion of his country's national day. Nuclear ambitions North Korea watchers estimate that the country disposes of 20 30 nuclear warheads and has successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of flying up to 13,000 kilometres. According to the Washington D.C. based Nuclear Threat Intiative, a watchdog monitoring nuclear proliferation, North Korea unilaterally withdrew from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in January 2003, is not a party to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and has conducted six increasingly sophisticated nuclear tests since 2006. Until now, a more engaged attitude towards arch-enemy the US, including three top-level meetings between Kim and US Presdident Donald Trump, have not lead to Pyongyang scaling down its nuclear capabilities. Three more people tested positive for coronavirus disease Covid-19, taking the total number of cases in the state to 29. Out of these, 25 are active cases. The three latest cases were tested at the Virus Research & Diagnosis Laboratory (VRDL), state health department officials said. Meanwhile, two others tested negative for the disease and were discharged from the hospital. The first two Covid-19 positive cases, which were detected in Manipur on March 24 and April 2, fully recovered during treatment and were discharged from hospitals on April 12 and 21 respectively. In a press release, the Manipur government said that one of those who has been detected Covid-19 positive is a 26-year-old male who came from Tamil Nadu. He left Chennai on May 10 and reached Jiribam on May 13. The person is now admitted in the Covid-19 Care facility RIMS, it added. He belongs to Imphal West district. Two others - both males - are aged 19 and 26 and tested positive for coronavirus disease, a second release from the government said. They belong to Thoubal district and they returned from Delhi in different buses, it said. The district authority is well prepared to cope with any eventuality. Giving details about the people who have been cured of the disease, the release said that two people - a woman and her son from Tengnoupal district in Manipur - were discharged from the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) after they were found Covid-19 negative. Informing that the total number of recovered cases in the state has increased to four, it said, The current recovery rate is 13.79 per cent. Meanwhile, a special train carrying 1,571 passengers from Chennai arrived at the Jiribam railway station in Manipur on Saturday. The people who got down from the train were later transported to the respective quarantine centres after medical screening at Jiribam, reports said. The number of Covid-19 positive cases is on the rise after Manipuri people from different parts of the country started arriving in the state. According to official reports, more than 10,000 people have returned to Manipur from different states. Senator Elizabeth Warren, whose full-throated opposition to high-dollar fundraising events was a central tenet of her presidential campaign, has agreed to host such a gathering of donors for Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, who is considering her to be his running mate. The online event is set to take place on 15 June, according to three people with knowledge of the plans, who spoke under condition of anonymity to share the details. During her presidential run, Warren explicitly vowed not to attend private fundraisers or dial-up rich donors. A Massachusetts progressive, she championed tax increases on the wealthy and at times sharply criticised big-money donors. Her rise in public opinion polls last summer deeply concerned many veteran Democratic donors, particularly those on Wall Street and in the banking sector who believed she would damage their industries. Ms Warrens spokeswoman declined to comment. Biden campaign officials did not respond to requests for comment. Ms Warren built a network of high-dollar donors as a senator and used to attend fundraising events, building up her own campaign war chest before she entered the Democratic presidential race. But in late February 2019, as she sought to gain traction in online presidential fundraising, especially among progressives whom senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was also courting, she ruled out big-money events. That means no fancy receptions or big money fundraisers only with people who can write the big checks, Ms Warren said in an email to supporters at the time. It means that wealthy donors wont be able to purchase better seats or one-on-one time with me at our events. And it means I wont be doing call time, which is when candidates take hours to call wealthy donors to ask for their support. Ms Warren will now mine her old donor network to help Mr Biden as she manoeuvres to become his running mate, a position that she has said she would accept if asked. While she remains ideologically to Mr Bidens left, Ms Warren has edged closer to some of his politically pragmatic positions. Ms Warren, a supporter of a single-payer Medicare for All system, has voiced support for a proposal more line with Mr Bidens position of expanding the Affordable Care Act. All of this follows Ms Warren, before and during the 2020 presidential primaries, offering herself as a candidate who could represent Democrats dreams, not their fears that Donald Trump would win a second term if the party nominated anyone other than Mr Biden. We cant choose a candidate we dont believe in just because were too scared to do anything else, she said during her stump speeches last summer and fall. Ms Warren struggled to raise money at the outset of her presidential campaign. But after announcing she would refuse to grant private audiences to large donors or conduct high-dollar events, her fundraising took off. Before running for president, Warren had a record as a strong fundraiser (Getty) She raised $115.8m (95.1m) during her campaign $66.5m (54.6m) of which came from donors who gave less than $200 (164). Before running for president, Ms Warren had a record as a strong fundraiser: during her 2018 Senate re-election bid, she raised $30.8m (25.3m) for a race in which she faced little serious competition. During her first Senate race, in 2012, she raised $42.5m (34.9m). While she did not hold private fundraising events for her own campaign, Warren did appear at multiple such events for the Democratic National Committee. She also, before launching her presidential campaign, contributed funds shed raised from high-dollar donors to state Democratic parties. Mr Bidens other rivals have aided his fundraising since he became the partys presumptive nominee. Former mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, raised $1m (821,959) in a grassroots online fundraiser on Friday. Mr Buttigieg is scheduled to appear at more fundraising events with Mr Biden next week, as is senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Senator Kamala Harris of California, businessman Andrew Yang and senator Kirsten Gillibrand, all former rivals, are set to appear at Mr Bidens fundraising events in June. Mr Sanders sent a fundraising appeal for Mr Biden to his donor list but declined to share his list with the Biden campaign. The New York Times By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 22, 2020 | 07:29 PM | MCCRACKEN COUNTY On Friday, Leadership Paducah announced the partnership with the goal of providing a bed for each child to call their own, calling the effort "Wish Upon A Star." The class says they heard Laura Roberts with Starfish Orphan Ministry speak, and were touched when they heard how many children in Paducah do not have their own bed. On average, Starfish receives 1,200 requests for beds each year, and with their current budget they would only be able to accommodate approximately 600 of these requests. A $100 contribution provides one bed, which includes the frame, stuffed animal, mattress, pillow, and bedding. "Thank you for loving and helping others through difficult circumstances in their lives, like not having beds, said Tonya K., a local mother of four children. My family is one of them. The gentleness and open arms (at Starfish Orphan Ministry) were the most genuine feelings we have received in a while! We love all having our own bed to sleep in!" Anyone that is able to donate is asked to do so by visiting the link below, or by sending a check to Leadership Paducah, Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 810, Paducah, KY 42002, or email them at info@paducahchamber.org. Leadership Paducah, which is coordinated by the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce, is a program that works to develop the leadership potential the men and women in the McCracken County area. Through the program, those participating become acutely aware of social and economic changes, and the impact of such changes in the local community. The program is designed to foster an in-depth understanding of the inner-relationships and complexities of the Paducah/McCracken County area through a series of face-to-face discussions with the community and state leaders. Leadership Paducah has joined together with Starfish Orphan Ministry to make a difference in the lives of 1,000 local children. On the Net: The US Navy has demoed another weapon to add to its devastating arsenal, a high-tech drone shooting laser that will attack and damage any drone or vehicle with pinpoint accuracy. A US ship in the Persian Gulf deployed the active laser weapon to test how will it work in actual conditions as a ship-based naval weapon. It is a weapon called LaWs or Laser Weapon Systems that is part of the US Navy modernization. Not just a naval project, but a weapon ready under testing and tweaking for maximum effect, mounted on the USS Ponce amphibious transport ship. The ship-based LaWS is ready to be used now, and for any future engage, the Ponce and its crew as reported by CNN. LaWS weapon are projectile less weapons against aerial or ground targets. Captain of the USS Ponce called the new naval weapon better than any solid projectile, advanced lasers are a notch over specific weapons that are best against specific targets only. For example, a laser that can hit a flying object or ground target will give anything mounting the weapon system a versatile attack system. America's adversaries will be at a loss against a high-grade laser-like Star Wars weapon that attacks faster and at the speed of light, much faster than any ICBM or hypersonic weapons touted by the PLA. Giving all adversaries a fast counter strike to missile threats. Most militaries are trying to develop laser weapons, but the US may have given them a right hook by fielding the first truly functional laser weaponry on the planet. Also read: Aircraft Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt Will Be Putting China in Place as It Blatantly Harass US Assets Projectile weapons need delivery systems and fuel to propel them. According to Lt. Cale Hughes, lasers are photonic light that bath incoming target, and lasers are a not affected. Any range or physical factor is nothing to a beam of high energy light. Also, targets will be hard-pressed to evade any weapon that travels at the light speed. The USS Ponce and her crew used a drone aircraft, used by China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and other forces facing the US today. LaWS gives America a way to lessen threats posed by them since they can just point and shoot to destroy the target. During the LaWS demo, the drone was shot and its wing got burned which knocked it from the sky. The laser struck without warning and attacks stealthily compared to other weapons, noted Officer Hughes. It is a precise assault weapon and best at lessening collateral casualties in attacks. The cost of the laser weapon is $40 million, with an electrical supply from the generator of the system, a three-man crew. It costs less than a high-tech missile and is a dollar per use non-projectile weapon. Currently, deployment of the laser weapon is for used against aircraft and small boats which are utilized for aerial and surface targets, it has proven itself reliable over the three years of testing and effective too. Soon to come is the second-gen upgrade that will be shooting down missiles, as the next objective. So far, the USS Ponce is still classified (its mission status) and potential for shooting down missiles is under wraps. This naval Star Wars weapons utilize a high-tech drone busting laser, which is now in operation not just in development should warn adversaries that America means business. Related article: Two US Warships Warned Chinese Navy to Stop Coercing an Unarmed Drilling Ship in Malaysian Waters @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Mumbai: Hours after two seers (sadhus) were found strangled to death in Maharashtra's Nanded, the police have arrested a person Sainath Shingade from Telangana in the case. According to the police, the accused was trying to run away with the dead body in the trunk of his car when his vehicle crashed at the gate of the ashram. The accused is then said to have stolen a bike and fled from the scene. He left behind a laptop and around Rs 65,000 in the car which he allegedly stole from the sadhus. The police suspect that the accused wanted to stage a scenario that the seer had left the village. On Saturday, the bodies of the two seer's were found inside the ashram near the bathroom of the house. The deceased sadhus have been identified as Balbrahmachari Shivacharya and his accomplice Bhagwan Shinde. The police suspect that the accused had entered the ashram with an intention to steal and had managed to loot Rs 69,000, laptop and other valuables from the victim's bedroom including his car keys. As Shivacharya tried to grapple with the robbers, they strangled him and his accomplice to death with a charging cable They sped off in the monk's car but ended up crashing at the main gate of the ashram which alerted people and around 8-10 inmates ran outside and saw the attackers jumping onto a two-wheeler and speeding off into the darkness. Nanded Superintendent of Police Vijaykumar Magar had earlier said around five crack teams have been formed to nab the absconding criminals. Further investigations are on. 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. Pastor Okochi Obeni Pastor Okochi Obeni of Gods Descendants Assembly, Amasiri, Afikpo North Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, was recently tortured, brutalised and forced by his tormentors to drink water from the gutter, for allegedly criticising the council chairman, Ogbonnaya Oko Enyim. The cleric, who is currently hospitalised at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, shares his experience with EDWARD NNACHI What kind of relationship do you have with the Chairman of Afikpo North Local Government Area, Ogbonnaya Oko Enyim? Im a social media activist. Both of us are from Amasiri community so he is the chairman of my local government area. As a social critic, I criticise bad governance and people in power not doing well. The same way I criticise people in positions of authority not doing well is the way I criticise the chairman. The perceived negative relationship I have with him started when he was asked to build a kilometre of road like his counterparts in other local government areas of the state. The governor told them to construct a kilometre of road anywhere in their councils. He was unable to do that. It took him quite some time to take action as regard the road construction. So, I wrote about it. I criticised it. So, when he was seeking re-election, I wrote again that any local government chairperson who could not build a kilometre of road in their council was not worthy of being re-elected. It was from that point that I started having problem with him. He started hurting me, using different means. He reported me to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Nigeria Police, saying I was attacking him on social media. I went there and my statement exonerated me. I told them I did not have any personal issue against him and that I was only trying to hold him accountable as a public office holder. Did you ever suspect that your posts and comments on Facebook could put you in harms way? As a social media activist, Im not afraid of what people would do to me, since Im not lying against them. For sure, those in government who are not doing well will in one way or the other try to make people keep mute or accept their ill-governance style. I was not afraid because I was expecting it. But I didnt know it would be come in a barbaric manner like what I experienced. But one thing is sure, there is no way they can stop the media in this state. The media is the fourth arm of the government. Other arms of government have their critical roles to play in society. Just like that, the media have a critical role to play to ensure the survival of the society. So, if they dont want to be criticised or hate criticisms so much, they should stay away from public offices. I knew and had preempted that what the chairman and his agents did to me on Thursday, May 14, 2020, would come some day. But one thing I know is that injustice to one, is injustice to all. Can you narrate how you were tortured? I was expecting to be treated badly by these people, but I did not envisage it would take that form. That day, I was called by one Amadi Julius Nyerere, who is a nominee of the chairman and a Technical Assistant to Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi. He called and said the Essa age grade chairman wanted to see me. I thought the plan was to reconcile me with the council chairman, so I went there. On reaching there, I discovered that all the aides of the council chairman, Isi Oru age grade members, and Essa age grade chairman (who is related to the council boss), and his executives, were all there. It dawned on me that there was a plan already on the ground that was being followed using all means available since their plan to use policemen in Ebonyi State Security Neighbourhood Watch had failed. So, they resorted to attacks. I never experienced the kind of ugly treatment they gave me. They tied my hands behind my back and up till this very moment, I cant make use of my hands. I cant hold any object; you can see how Im struggling to hold my phones. They forced me to drink gutter water and did all sorts of things to me. They put my body through all manner of inhuman treatments, aside from flogging me 36 times. I want people to know that public service should not be a do-or-die affair. If you know are not competent to be in a position of authority and cant tolerate criticisms, please stay off and let people who understand what governance entails take up positions of authority. Also, allow the media to do their work. You were seen in the video apologising in your native dialect and asking for forgiveness; why were you apologising if you knew you were right? As I said earlier, my hands were tied behind my back. Those people made to stay on my knees for over two and a half hours inside a gutter. So, to be honest with you, my strength was failing me and I needed freedom. I lost consciousness twice. All I needed was freedom. I noticed blood was not flowing through my veins anymore. Whatever anyone told me to say at the point to regain my freedom, I would say. If you watched that video, you would hear where in my dialect, I was begging them to loosen the knot in the rope used to tie both my hands together. They said they would ask me some questions and if I answered them correctly, they would free me. I said I would answer their questions. It was a terrible experience. And so, whatever I said in that video, I said under duress. Whatever apology or pleas I made in that video were for the sake of my freedom. I knew they werent going to be binding on me and I never meant them. Im a human rights activist and I must continue to make those in positions of authority to be accountable to the people and be transparent in their dealings with the people. They are paid with public funds; therefore, the public and the press must be able to hold them to account. Therefore, whatever I said was said under duress. How is your condition now? At first, I thought it was going to be a minor thing after the doctors here treated the wounds I had. However, after the treatment, I discovered I could not make use of my hands. I also realised I could not make use of my buttocks because I hardly sit properly and easily now. Just as I was rejoicing that I was going home to meet my family, a doctor examined me and discovered that most of my veins and nerves had been damaged because of the long hours that my hands were tied and I was beaten. He said the health challenges could become permanent if I didnt treat them quickly. He said it could lead to paralysis. They further advised that I should be moved to the physiotherapy centre of the hospital and thats where I am currently. I have been receiving treatment here but I still cant hold any object. I cant easily close my hands or open them. I still feel so much pain all over my body, but it is better than how I felt on the day of the incident. My worst fear is that these current health challenges might lead to permanent paralysis in the future. Im begging people to pray for me to recover quickly. What do you want as justice? The people who tortured me should all be arrested. Im still surprised and worried that Ogbonnaya Oko Enyim has not been arrested. It doesnt give me joy that somebody would commit such a heinous crime and be walking freely on the streets of Nigeria. Im still begging the police to do something about it. I heard that the Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer in Abuja, Mr Frank Mba, said some arrests had been made; I am not yet satisfied. Ogbonnaya Oko Enyim, Okpara Akpu Mbe, Oko Olughu, Amicable, and others should have been in police custody by now. They instigated the attack; they were the ones videoing me and telling the Isi Oru people what to do to me. So, Im begging the security agencies to come my rescue by bringing these people to justice. It is not all about me; it is about other practitioners and journalists whose lives are very much in danger in the state. Let them do justice to this matter and when they do, I will be glad and will be able to beat my chest and say Nigeria is a safe place for the media. Would you still have the courage to be critical of the local government chairman and other political leaders in the state who you think are not doing well? Well, this is the first time I was threatened. The chairman once took me to the state Criminal Investigation Department for criticising his style of governance. But that didnt bother me. He once sent members of the Ebonyi State Security and Neighbourhood Watch to my family; they came and threatened my wife, which I also ensured was published to draw attention of the public to the situation and that the lives of my wife and kid were at stake, but that also didnt stop me. So using the Isi Oru and other traditional means illegally to frustrate me cannot also stop the fighting spirit in me. I only want to see good governance, not bad governance in our land. Those in authority should be accountable to the people; thats what I have been saying and thats why the local government chairman is angry with me and everyone that criticises him. Those at the grass roots should feel the impact of governance. This is the crux of my agitation; this is why I have been involved in active social media activism. They cant stop me. When I recover, I will still investigate and write to condemn evil and all violations against human rights in Amasiri, Afikpo North Local Government Area in Ebonyi State. Whats your greatest regret amid all these? My regret is that the elite in Amasiri are keeping quiet over this issue. They think it is about me alone. It is about the general interest of Amasiri land. I read that the local government chairman called some journalists (The PUNCH not included), community people, government officials and others to his house and told them that torturing me was in line with our tradition. Amasiri community is where the only Senior Advocate of Nigeria in the entire Ebonyi State hails from and you are telling the world that barbarism or inhuman treatment is part of our culture. It baffles me. Im lost. But I thank God that the custodian of our culture and tradition, (Ezeogo) Patrick Aja (The current Isakaogu of Ndukwe Kingdom), has debunked the media report because barbarism and inhuman treatment are not part of our culture. I had expected all educated Amasiri men and women to stand up and condemn this barbaric action. My only regret is that people are not saying anything about a development that can jeopardise the future their children. I dont regret holding government to be accountable to the masses. What was your criticism of the local government chairman about? Well, Im not criticising the council chairman, Im only criticising his style of governance, I mean, his bad leadership tendencies. I do not hate him. I dont hate him as a person. All Im against is the way he runs the affairs of the council. You should take governance to the people who own it. But we cant find this kind of thing happening here. Good enough, he is the first chairman of Afikpo North Local Government Area to have come from Amasiri land. The roads in Amasiri are dilapidated. We dont have good drinking water, and he is from here. If we dont hold him accountable, the ugly trend may not change anytime soon. It was because I engaged him on social media that he started the one kilometre road in the first place and he has not been able to complete it after over one year. And when I write about it, he will come and attack me again. But when we hold leaders accountable, they will know that journalists are watching them and do what is expected of them. *** Source: Sunday PUNCH (Newser) The New York Times is out with an extraordinary Sunday front pagethe entirety of which consists of the names and obituaries of 1,000 Americans, approximately 1% of the almost 100,000 now lost to the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins statistics. "But a count reveals only so much," intones the Times. "Memories, gathered from obituaries across the country, help us reckon with what was lost." This includes one of its own, "Alan Finder, 72, Ridgewood, NJ. Unflappable New York Times journalist," and runs the gamut from "Noel Sinkiat, 64, Olney, Md. Nurse planning for retirement" to "Bassey Offiong, 25, Michigan. Saw friends at their worst but brought out their best." From the very young to the very old, the very serious or career-minded to the very light-hearted or family-oriented, the piece makes clear that the virus has rampaged through America with impunity. Click for the Times' interactive. (Read more coronavirus stories.) A Utah man has been arrested after he told police he killed a 25-year-old woman he met on the Tinder dating app. Ethan Hunsaker, 24, called 911 at 3.19am on Sunday to report that he killed someone inside a home in the area of 1300 N. Reid Avenue in Layton, police say. When officers arrived to the scene they found a woman lying on the floor with multiple stab wounds to her torso. Emergency workers tried to resuscitate her, but she died of her injuries at the scene. The woman's name was not immediately released. Utah man Ethan Hunsaker, 24, was arrested on Sunday after he called police saying he killed a 25-year-old woman he went on a Tinder date with Hunsaker said he met the woman on the dating app Tinder late Saturday night. 'The motive behind this homicide is under further investigation; however, the attack appeared to be unprovoked,' police said. Hunsaker and the woman began communicating Saturday night around 9pm. Husaker picked the woman up from her home and they went to a Layton bar together. A short time later they went back to Hunsakers home. Hunsaker told police he woke up during the night with a woman laying on his left arm and he began choking the woman for about a minute and she fought back, according to a probable cause statement filed by police. Cops said this was consistent with the marks on Hunsakers arms, neck and shoulders. Hunsaker then walked into his kitchen and grabbed a pocket knife and stabbed the woman, who was lying on the floor. He stabbed her multiple times in her chest, side and back, cops say. He then dialed police about 10 minutes later, according to KSL. Hunsaker said he met the woman on the dating app Tinder late Saturday night. Stock image of Tinder app above Cops reported that the date had been normal and there was no argument to incite the killing. Police said Hunsaker has a history of mental health problems. He told police he has 'daily thoughts' of suicidal and homicidal ideations. Hunsaker was arrest on suspicion of first degree murder and is being held in the Davis County Jail. It wasn't immediately clear if Hunsaker has obtained an attorney and he could not be reached for comment. Anyone with information about the killing is asked to call Layton police at 801-497-8300 and reference case number 20-06994. The province is now opening up COVID-19 testing to all Ontarians even those without any symptoms, says Premier Doug Ford. Our best defence right now is to ramp up testing, Ford said Sunday, promising a new strategy will be announced this week to target various sectors and hotspots across the province as experts have been calling for and as numbers continue to fall far short. If you are worried you have COVID-19, or that youve been exposed to someone who has COVID-19, even if youre not showing symptoms, please go get a test. You will not be turned away, you dont need an appointment, Ford also said at Queens Park. ... If you feel you need a test, youll be able to get a test, he also said. So please dont wait. Previously, only those showing one or more symptoms were able to be tested for the novel coronavirus. But this change in policy is the only way to boost the numbers, Ford said, and comes after criticism the province is not testing broadly enough, especially now as more businesses reopen and new cases continue to rise. Its the second change to testing protocols in 10 days. Before the May long weekend, Ford and his health officials said people with minor symptoms were welcome to make appointments at assessment centres that had previously turned them away. Ford has since acknowledged that change was not well communicated and said an advertising campaign is coming to clarify the evolving protocols for testing. On Sunday, the premier also addressed the large crowds that showed up at Torontos Trinity Bellwoods Park on Saturday, saying he was absolutely shocked to see the photos circulating on social media, and pleaded with Ontarians to avoid mass gatherings. I thought it was a rock concert at the beginning, Ford said, warning there is still a deadly virus amongst us and if we allow it, it will spread it will spread like wildfire. Ford has also been under fire because the province has used less than half its available lab capacity to process tests in the last week, meaning about 54,000 more could have been tested to get a more accurate picture of the virus. The shortfall continued Saturday when 11,383 samples were processed at a network of public health, hospital and commercial labs than can handle more than 20,000 samples day. A number of epidemiologists have been pressing the government to test people with occupational risk of exposure, such as grocery clerks. Ford has been pleading with Ontarians to get tested at assessment centres, which until a week ago were rejecting people with mild or moderate symptoms. Testing dropped off last weekend after a blitz of residents and staff in nursing homes was completed, and critics said the government did not have a plan in place to fill the void. Ontarios chief medical officer said Friday that he was concerned about issuing a plea at that time and having labs swamped, creating a backlog of tests that would make it harder to track the virus. It became clear we should be utilizing that capacity, said Dr. David Williams. The capacity is now available. Ford said Sunday that no one will be denied a test, but also warned that even if you receive a negative test result, it doesnt mean youre clear. You can still be exposed to the virus. So please continue to monitor your health. Watch for symptoms, and get tested again if you see symptoms or youre worried about exposure. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said blamed Ford for not taking action to put a new plan in place to fix the provinces recklessly inadequate testing regime. She also noted that the government has failed so far to meet its goal of 20,000 tests a day. For weeks, Doug Fords restrictive testing rules were turning people away from assessment centres, Horwath said in a written statement. He blamed a lack of swabs. Then he blamed a lack of reagent. Then he blamed public health leaders. In all that time, he hasnt expanded testing, or taken it outside the existing assessment centres. She said testing needs to be expanded far beyond those assessment centres. Thats Fords job, and hes been negligent in failing to do it. The NDP says the province needs to regularly test everyone in group homes, shelters and retirement homes, as well as workers in businesses that are reopening and start up mobile assessment centres. Enough words. Enough blame. Lets see some action. Peoples lives and our provinces economic health depend on it, Horwath also said. As of Sunday morning, health units recorded 26,759 total COVID-19 cases with 458 new cases and 2,140 deaths. While the United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under pressure to sack Dominic Cummings, the British Police contradicted Downing Street's statement and said that they made contact with the senior advisor's father. The police reportedly said that the father of the top advisor confirmed that his son had travelled with his family from London and the officer made contact. On May 23, a Downing Street spokesperson reportedly said that at no stage was Cummings or his family spoken to by the police about breaking the rules. However, the police officials contradicted the statement by the UK PMs office and said that an officer had spoken to Cummings father earlier about him travelling to Durham. As per a media report, Cummings had left his London home to stay with his parents in northern England while he was also suffering from symptoms of COVID-19. READ: UK PM's Advisor Under Pressure Over Lockdown Trip Cummings was reportedly spotted near his parents home with his son. Downing Street believes that Cummings' actions were in line with the coronavirus guidelines and he behaved reasonably and legally. However, the Labour Party demanded the ruling party to provide a swift explanation for his actions as they pointed out that the government guidelines were very clear to stay home and not to take any non-essential travel. Although the government spokesperson reportedly said that owing to his wife being infected with suspected coronavirus it was essential for Cummings to ensure his young child could be properly cared for. READ: UK's Labour Party Calls For Urgent Inquiry Into PM Adviser Cummings' Lockdown Trip Opposition leaders demand resignation Meanwhile, the Scottish National Partys Westminster leader Ian Blackford reportedly said that Cummings should resign or be dismissed by Johnson. Ed Davey, who is the acting leader of the lIberal Democrats also reportedly said that if Dominic Cummings has broken the guidelines he will have to resign. The incident reportedly took place back a week after Johnson sent the UK into lockdown and banned people from visiting other households. Back in March, the UK PM gave instructions that people must stay at home and should not be meeting family members who do not live in their home. However, the Downing Street spokesperson explained that his sister and nieces had volunteered to help and that is why Cummings went to a house near, but separate from his extended family. He went on to also say that Cummings sister shopped for the family and left everything outside. (Image credit: AP) READ: UK PM's Adviser Cummings Says He Will 'obviously Not' Resign After Defying Lockdown READ: Boris Johnson Plans To Scale Back Huawei Role In UK's 5G Network: Report From smart police helmets to research labs, the novel coronavirus has given Dubai an opportunity to test its technological and scientific clout as it shapes its approach to the pandemic. A key part of the glitzy Gulf emirate's fight is its COVID-19 Command and Control Centre, set up to coordinate the efforts of Dubai's doctors, epidemiologists and other professionals. It is hosted within the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) in Dubai's Healthcare City, also home to state-of-the-art hospitals, labs and research centres. "For several years, Dubai has endeavoured to put in place solid digital infrastructure, and this has contributed to the fight against the coronavirus", said Amer Sharif, who heads the multidisciplinary centre. It was established at the start of the health crisis by Dubai Crown Prince and social media star Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum. In one room, young mask-wearing men and women sit at carefully separated desks crunching data on laptops and coordinating with workers on the ground. The initiative includes a scientific team whose role is "to stay abreast of the latest advances in research and scientific evidence, both in the country and elsewhere in the world", team head Alawi Alsheikh-Ali told AFP. - 'Data and science' - The United Arab Emirates has carried out more than 1.6 million coronavirus tests, and has officially declared over 28,700 infections, including 244 deaths. This high-tech approach, Sharif said, including "the complete digitisation of the health system", has prevented a greater spread of the virus and made the lockdown easier. Tom Loney, associate professor of public health and epidemiology at MBRU, said the coronavirus was an opportunity for Dubai to put its capabilities to the test. "It's the ability to react, to make quick decisions based on data and science" that sets Dubai apart, said Loney, who is also an adviser to authorities in the city-state. According to him decisions were made by order of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, whose portrait is featured on the MBRU building. Dubai is one of seven emirates in the UAE, a key Gulf state with big technological and scientific ambitions. The emirate lacks the oil wealth of its neighbours, but has the most diversified economy in the Gulf, building a reputation as a financial, commercial and tourism hub. The UAE sent an astronaut into space last year, and in July is set to launch the first Arab probe towards Mars, a project sponsored by the emir of Dubai. - 'Own model' - Many tech options were already at Dubai's fingertips when the pandemic struck, and the emirate was quick at putting its technology to a variety of uses during the virus crisis. Police wear smart helmets that take the temperature of passers-by while laboratories make protective masks using 3D printers. When a night-time curfew begins, Dubai residents -- 90 percent of whom are expats -- receive a reminder message on their mobile phone in Arabic, English or other languages. The UAE has regularly announced research advances into the COVID-19 illness, developing several apps to help manage the pandemic. One of them, Alhosn, which the government has encouraged residents to download, helps track people who are infected with the virus or who may have come in close contact with confirmed cases. But the use of technology to fight the pandemic has raised concern across the world over government surveillance and privacy risks. Tech experts and the media have highlighted this issue in the UAE, where some foreign websites and applications are already blocked. But Sharif pushed back against scepticism. "Dubai and the Emirates respect privacy, whether it is a question of patient records or smart applications", he said. The emirate was creating its "own model" of responding to the health crisis, Sharif added, though authorities were also looking at countries such as South Korea, seen as a positive policy response to the crisis. "We must follow the developments... but also add to them," he said. The centre was established at the start of the health crisis by Dubai Crown Prince and social media star Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum The COVID-19 Command and Control Centre has been set up to coordinate the efforts of Dubai's doctors, epidemiologists and other professionals The command centre is hosted within the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dubai's Healthcare City "Trump gave China more than praise. He shipped China 17 tons of American masks and medical supplies. Our masks and supplies. Supplies we need now." - voice-over of ad via American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic super PAC, released April 17, 2020 - - - For weeks into the coronavirus crisis, President Donald Trump expressed support for China's handling of the epidemic that first emerged in the city of Wuhan and the country's "transparency" on the situation. Now that the death toll in the United States has soared, Trump and his aides have started to blame China, accusing it of not quickly sharing information that might have stemmed the pandemic. This attack ad opens with a reminder of how long Trump kept praising China and its president, Xi Jinping. Then it makes the charge above - that Trump shipped medical equipment to China now desperately needed in the United States. It's certainly fair game to highlight that the president played down the emerging crisis for weeks. The Washington Post reported on April 18 that "U.S. manufacturers shipped millions of dollars' worth of face masks and other protective medical equipment to China in January and February with encouragement from the federal government [which] underscores the Trump administration's failure to recognize and prepare for the growing pandemic threat." But the specific instance highlighted in the ad - and also in a similar ad circulated by The Bulwark, an anti-Trump group formed by Republicans - is framed in a misleading way. - - - The Facts The ad says that "Trump . . . shipped 17 tons of American masks and medical supplies. Our masks and supplies." The impression left by the ad is that these were U.S. government goods, shipped on Trump's order. But these were actually donations by private charities and public companies for Project HOPE, an international health-care organization that has been operating in Wuhan for a quarter-century and helped establish a nursing school there. Usually, donors to Project HOPE arrange for charter aircraft to take their donations overseas. For instance, as these shipments arrived in Wuhan, another shipment - 2 million respirator masks, 11,000 protective suits and 280,000 pairs of nitrile gloves donated by MAP International and MedShare - was sent to Project HOPE via UPS, which provided the transportation as an in-kind donation. In the case highlighted in the ad, the State Department's role was providing the aircraft. The department sent chartered planes to Wuhan to pick up some 800 consulate workers, their families and other Americans. The planes otherwise were going to be empty on the way to China, so officials decided to fill the jets with goods donated by Samaritan's Purse, the Boeing Company, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Intermountain Healthcare. Money to help underwrite the effort was provided by Kenneth Griffin, a hedge fund manager who is chief executive of the investment firm Citadel. (It's unclear whether he helped defray the State Department's transportation costs. A Citadel spokesman would not clarify.) "We have evacuated more than 800 people from Wuhan," Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun told reporters on Feb. 7. "The first charter flight departed Wuhan on January 28. Two subsequent flights departed on February 5th. Yesterday, on February 6 two additional evacuation flights departed Wuhan, carrying 800 passengers. The State Department, working closely with our partners in China, has loaded the holds of those arriving 747s with 18 tons of privately donated medical supplies and humanitarian assistance for the Chinese people. This includes urgently needed masks, gowns, gauze, respirators and other vital materials." Project HOPE said the shipment would have been made with or without the State Department's help. "Countless flights carrying protective gear from all over the world arrived in China as our team worked to help doctors and nurses on the front lines," said Rabih Torbay, Project HOPE's president and chief executive. "Particularly with increasing caseloads like we were starting to see toward the end of January in and around Wuhan, it is hard to imagine transport would be the limiting factor to helping contain a deadly outbreak before it becomes a pandemic." Indeed, Boeing's announcement on the donation made no mention of the State Department, simply saying it had made "a donation of 250,000 medical-grade respiratory masks to address medical supply shortages in China." Similarly, a news report on the Mormon Church's donations referred only to planes being chartered for the trip, carrying 220,000 face masks, 870 pairs of protective goggles and more than 6,500 pairs of protective coveralls. On top of the donations delivered by the State Department flights, Project HOPE spokeswoman Rebecca Gustafson said the organization delivered protective gear and equipment to more than 25 hospitals in China, including more than 4.7 million face masks, 87,000 isolation gowns, 20,000 protective coveralls, 273,000 pairs of examination gloves, 20 defibrillators and 20 patient monitors, 15 ventilators, 12 medical air compressors and 10 disinfection machines. At the time of the State Department flights, the World Health Organization was pleading for help to stem the crisis in China. "Front-line health workers in China require the bulk of PPE supplies," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Feb. 7, when 12 cases had been confirmed in the United States. "There is limited stock of PPE and we need to make sure we get it to the people who need it most in the places that need it most. . . . WHO discourages stockpiling of PPE in countries and areas where transmission is low." (Santa Clara county announced April 21 that a person who died at home on Feb. 6 tested positive for covid-19, several weeks before the first recorded death in the United States.) It was also a one-off event for the State Department, which has not assisted or supported the delivery of additional aid to China, beyond the nearly-18-ton shipment highlighted in the ad. For context, that's a relatively small amount considering the numbers cited for Project Airbridge, the U.S. government effort to deliver medical supplies across the United States, such as 80 tons shipped on March 29 and 83 tons shipped on April 2. Jeb Fain, a spokesman for American Bridge, defended the line in the ad. He noted that the ad merely used the word "shipped." He also said it was appropriate to pin the shipment on Trump because a top official from the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, in late March had said: "Under the direction of President Trump, the United States Government is responding rapidly. The U.S. was among the first nations to offer help to the Chinese people, and we are the largest financial backers of the World Health Organization and UNICEF. In early February, the United States delivered more than 17 tons of medical supplies to China donated by the American people. These supplies included masks, gowns, gauze, respirators, and other vital materials." "As The Washington Post's own reporting and multiple fact-checking organizations have already verified, the president's own State Department, as they said themselves, shipped 17 tons of American masks and medical supplies to China in February under the president's own direction," Fain said. "Those are the facts and they're not up for debate. This president doesn't get to avoid accountability now that he finds it politically inconvenient." - - - Thirty-second attack ads are not often known for nuance. But this one goes awry when it suggests that Trump shipped to China protective gear that belonged to Americans. These were donations by private charities and public companies at a time when the U.S. case count was still low. All the State Department did was supply planes that would have been empty anyway. Nevertheless, the State Department touted the shipment and attributed it to Trump's leadership. The line in the ad is carefully, even cleverly, worded, keeping it just shy of the Three Pinocchio mark. But it's misleading enough to earn Two Pinocchios. 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. As the coronavirus pandemic ramped up earlier this year, Springfields Eastfield Mall was left with empty halls, an ugly decrease in revenue and a skeleton crew of workers, according to property manager David Thompson. When management found out in March that brick-and-mortar retailers and other businesses deemed non-essential would be forced to close due to the public health crisis, they announced the shopping centers staff would be reduced. The majority of the malls merchants, roughly 70 of which are retailers, had to close their doors and vacate their spaces. Like so many business throughout the state and country, store owners at the shopping center on Boston Road are struggling, Thompson noted. The malls livelihood depends on the rental income of our tenants, and right now thats few and far between, he said. It causes a lot of anxiety for our tenants. Now, only a few janitors work at the shopping center each day. With many of the buildings lights turned off to conserve utility costs, employees walk through the malls dimly lit hallways with a sense of surrealism. A space that would normally be occupied with busy shoppers is instead filled with dead air. Staff who are still tasked with maintaining the space use the word "spooky to describe it, according to Thompson. As you can imagine, if you take a walk through the common area, its a ghost town. Its a sparkling and clean ghost town, he said. Its kind of eerie. As Thompson and other retail property managers in Massachusetts look eagerly to open their doors in the coming months and get a steady flow of customers back into their shopping centers, excitement as well as uncertainty remains. Retailers have been included in both the first and second phases of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Bakers plan to reopen the state amid the COVID-19 public health crisis, but how malls fit into that plan is uncertain. Business owners in the retail industry will not be able to open their physical spaces until June at the earliest. That date may fluctuate too depending on whether there is a spike in cases of the viral respiratory infection that forces the state to reinstitute certain social distancing restrictions. Although retailers will be able to operate with remote ordering and curbside delivery starting May 25, for several business, this type of service is not expected to boost sales substantially. A big part of shopping, especially at malls, is the experience: walking through public spaces, trying on clothes, feeling fabrics. Thats pretty much the entire approach for our retailers: Customers want to come in," said Thompson, noting that many people would rather shop in person than online, especially with clothing as they can try it on and look at the products on the shelves. Those are obviously the customers we count on. He added, Its tough. Its a struggle. According to Bill Rennie, vice president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, the states permission of curbside business is a step in the right direction, but it is not going to result in a tremendous volume of sales that will be sufficient to keep stores open long-term. The RAM conducted a survey in April that looked at the previous nine weeks of business. It reported a nearly 68% decrease in revenue from the previous year, Rennie said. The survey was based on responses from small- and medium-sized retailers alike that were open at a limited capacity, severely restricted or closed completely. Some businesss revenue was down by 95% or 100%, while others were breaking even, according to Rennie. Depending on what kind of retailer you are and the product you sell, a big part of that shopping experience is seeing that item with your own eyes, holding it in your hand," he said. There are certain things that consumers generally want to touch and feel before they make that purchase. He added that many retailers were planning on opening to open their doors on May 18 when the governors order closing non-essential businesses was expected to expire. But their thinking has since changed with Bakers recently announced timeline for reopening. Still, curbside business is better than no business, Rennie said. Again, its a small step forward. Were waiting to see what the parameters are, if there are any, defining how curbside works," he said. Were hopeful for additional guidance. Our members are focused on being able to open the doors in a safe and protective environment. 4/24/2020 - A huge heartfelt thank you banner to the essential workers during COVID-19 pandemic at Thornes Marketplace in downtown Northampton. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) 'Its risky: The pessimism and uncertainty surrounding curbside delivery Earlier this week, Thompson sent out an email to his merchants at the Eastfield Mall, outlining the governors reopening plan. He was also trying to gauge his tenants thoughts on opening their doors again. The property manager received only two replies back that were both vague at best," he said. The retailers uncertain responses were understandable, though, Thompson noted. Many businesses are barely scraping by, and they are debating whether it is financially viable to open with curbside delivery. Theyre obviously going to have to hire staff back, get them back on the payroll, and theyre not sure whether the customer base will be there to support them," he said. Thats the feedback Im hearing: Its risky. Frustrations in regard to other businesses being able to open before retailers have also mounted for those in the industry. Restaurants have been allowed to operate with curbside delivery since the start of the outbreak. The 99 Restaurants at the Eastfield Mall, for instance, has been using the service for the past few months, Thompson said. Now, barbershops and salons will be next in line to conduct restricted in-person business per the guidance set forth by the governors 17-member reopening advisory board. Thompson noted that one of the Springfield malls salon is planning to open Tuesday with safety officials present to monitor the operation. The frustration were seeing now, of course, is mainly from those who were deemed non-essential, who, in the first phase, the only step forward for them is curbside pick-up, said Rennie of the Retail Association of Massachusetts. The RAM vice president pointed out that all of the New England states had already implemented curbside business for retailers. Massachusetts, one of the states hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, is further behind in its reopening process. What were seeing right now is a lot of frustrations from our members who are deemed non-essential and have remained closed for several weeks now," he said. With the reopening process put in place, were seeing a lot of questions from our members about why a salon or a barbershop can reopen with such close contact, but we can have limited store openings. At Thornes Marketplace, a smaller-scale shopping center in the heart of downtown Northampton, questions about reopening are aplenty and so are doubts about the positive impact of curbside delivery. Both management at the Eastfield Mall and Thornes would not disclose the amount of total revenue lost among its merchants over the pandemic, but they said it was dramatic. The Northampton shopping center was expecting some of its tenants to be able reopen on May 18 and was helping them prepare for that possibility, according to Jody Doele, marketing manager at Thornes. With the governors recently announced reopening plan, though, that timeline has shifted. The marketplace is back to thinking about what a potential reopening would look like in the coming weeks. Management has bought sanitizer, gloves, masks, floor decals and even foot-operated door openings for bathrooms as part of their preparations, said Doele. Multiple businesses in Thornes have already started using e-commerce sites to sell goods, but how curbside will affect sales is still uncertain, and Doele is not expecting the service to drive up sales as, akin to many retailers, the experience of shopping play a big role in customers purchases. If our current revenue is zero, we have no sense of what curbside delivery will equate to in sales," she said. The Eastfield Mall is similarly asking many questions about curbside business and the protocols surrounding it. Thompson noted the governors orders are fairly vague, and he is talking with his staff at least twice a week over the phone or via Zoom video-conferencing about their preparations. What is unclear is the personal protective equipment and signage needed. The property manager has ordered masks, floor signs and hand sanitizer already - everything thats needed for a reopening, he said. Thats where were at now," Thompson said. Its uncharted water. No one really quite knows yet. Uncertainty surrounding mall reopenings in the commonwealth is widespread. MassLive reached out to a dozen shopping center owners across the state and heard back from only half of them. Questions remain for what reopenings will look like at the 14 Massachusetts shopping centers run by the Simon Property Group, which owns Copley Place in Boston, the Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis, the Burlington Mall, the Solomon Pond Mall in Marlborough, the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets and more. The company announced in late March - after discussions with federal, state and local officials - it would close all of its retail properties throughout the United States, which includes dozens of malls, premium outlets and mills. The health and safety of our shoppers, retailers and employees is of paramount importance, David Simon, CEO of the company, said in a statement. Jacqueline Boselli, a spokesperson for the Simon Property Group, told MassLive the company will comply with all state and local orders and only reopen properties when permitted to do so. She did not provide any specifics about what the reopening process would like at any of the groups malls, though. We will share additional information when it becomes available, she said. The Assembly Row shopping center in Somerville, Massachusetts. (Courtesy Aram Boghosian) There is light at the end of the tunnel: The optimism Despite the pessimism and lingering questions about curbside delivery for malls, retailers are looking forward to the far-off possibility of fully reopening their doors for in-person services. Businesses are excited to get back to business, Thompson said. I dont want to paint a whole dark, gloomy, doom picture for all of this," he said. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and I think were close to it. There are two trains of thoughts that exist surrounding brick-and-mortar store reopenings, Thompson said: one in which people will be too fearful to shop again due to the virus and another in which customers will flock to retailers because of pent-up demand. Thompson is opting for the latter train of thought. The general manager is looking at the situation optimistically and is hopeful for an influx of sales, he said. People are frustrated. They have cabin fever, and they want to go out and resume normal life," he said. I think once we are fully open or close there to, Im counting on a big increase in customer traffic. While some shopping centers are still in the process of preparing for curbside delivery, some malls have already readied their own systems to try to boost sales while also abiding by social distancing guidelines. Boston Properties, which owns the Prudential Center shopping center in the Back Bay neighborhood of the city, is in the process of surveying its retailers for interest in curbside business. The company will better understand which retailers will offer the service next week, it said. The Hampshire Mall in Holyoke is also expected to begin curbside pick-up services May 25 and has issued healthy shopper guidelines" for everyone entering its properties that mirror many state and federal restrictions. We and our tenants appreciate the states willingness to move on with phased re-openings in a manner that protects the health and safety of everyone, Lynn Gray, manager of the mall, said in a statement. We look forward to a full re-opening when we are able to do so." Assembly Row, a shopping center in Somerville owned by Federal Realty, announced on May 1 what it describes as a robust contactless pick-up program that it will roll out once retailers are allowed to partially reopen. With the service, customers will be able to place orders with stores by phone or online and arrange for pick-up, with the aim of making patrons and the shopping centers more than 80 merchants feel comfortable to conduct business again. The service will also be available at Federal Realtys Linden Square shopping center in Wellesley, according to a statement from the company. David Middleton, general manager of Assembly Row, told MassLive that while the state is acting on the more cautious side of things, allowing retailers flexibility with curbside delivery is better than nothing. I think anyone in this industry can share in frustrations," he said. But I think with Massachusetts being in the top three in terms of COVID-related deaths, I think its a fair approach. Its a tough pill to swallow, but we have to look at the bigger picture. One factor that works in Assembly Rows favor is the fact that it is an outdoor shopping center, according to Middleton, but the general manager noted that he and other retailers will all have to adapt to a new reality of operating during a pandemic. Retailers are just going to have change the way they go about selling their merchandise to customers. Its just going to be the new normal," he said. Like Thompson, Middleton thinks there is a pent-up demand for retail shopping as well. Spring products are sitting on stores shelves, and people are hungry to leave their homes and buy them. Its been 10 weeks or so since people have been able to get out of their house. Were on the glass-half-full side, instead of looking at it in a pessimistic way," he said. We view ourselves as a neighborhood. We want people to come back to the neighborhood safely and help the restaurants and retailers as much as they can. Related Content: Lyne Lucien/The Daily Beast / Photo Getty Erica* was already on edge before the pandemic started. She had recently secured a full stay-away order against her ex, but said hed already started violating itcalling her late at night, showing up at their childs school unannounced, sending her threatening texts, according to her recent court petition. Every time she dropped her kid off for a visit, she said, her ex would try to pick a fight. Shed taken to watching behind her back every time she left the house, fearing he would pop out from behind a garbage can or parked car. I feel like a criminal, she said one day last month. Like I owe someone something, and Im going to have to pay it back. When the lockdown started, Ericas kid didnt want to go for the weekly parental visits anymore, and Erica didnt fight itshe was already afraid of letting her child outside their home in New York City, where the coronavirus was raging uncontrollably. But when her child didnt show up for a scheduled visit, Erica said, her ex only got more angry. One day, according to court filings, he called her more than 100 times in an hour, threatening to have her arrested. Erica had already made a police report and filed a petition to suspend visitations during lockdown, but no arrest had been made, and the court had not responded. In an interview last month, an attorney working with Erica worried aloud that the situation would only get worse without a court intervention. Even though right now hes not hitting her, its only a matter of time before it escalates to a dangerous situation, said Anna Maria Diamanti, the director of family and matrimonial practice at womens legal services provider HerJustice. She didnt know how accurate her prediction would turn out to be. Experts say domestic violence rates in New York have increased at least 30 percent amid the COVID-19 pandemic, owing to a dangerous cocktail of anxiety, economic turmoil, and almost everyone being trapped inside. At the same time, the courts have been hamstrung by staffing cuts and remote-only operations. Understaffed and overburdened, family courts have tried to prioritize orders of protection and other emergency filings. But advocates say cases like Ericasongoing custody and visitation disputes on the verge of becoming emergencieshave been pushed to the sidelines, sometimes with violent results. Story continues This case is an illustration of pretty much everything weve been afraid of in this shutdown, said Naomi Young, a lawyer at HerJustice who helped Erica with her case. As a lawyer who works on these cases, this was one of the most frustrating and terrifying experiences Ive ever had. Custody and visitation casesalready one of the most common family law disputeshave taken on a renewed intensity during the pandemic. How should parents with shared custody swap children if it means traveling long distances or using public transportation? Who sets the standard for social distancing or remote learning in the home? In some cases, front-line medical workers have reported partners refusing to let them see their children out of fear they will bring the virus home from the hospital. Domestic Violence in Lockdown Could Be the Worst Plague of All These cases are even more fraught for survivors of domestic violence. Jennifer Friedman, legal and policy director for the Bronx and Manhattan at Sanctuary for Families, said abusers often use the courts as a means of torment from afar. Abusers frequently subject their victims to lengthy, expensive, and unnecessary litigation, she said, using their children as a pawn. If youre already engaged in this kind of intensive litigation, under the additional stresses placed by this COVID emergency, you can imagine how challenging a time this is for victims of domestic violenceeven those who are already separated from their abuser, she said. Currently, however, New York state courts are not open to hearing new custody and visitation cases, except in limited circumstances. Starting in late March, the courts shuttered their physical locations and postponed all scheduled cases on their dockets. A skeleton crew of judges and clerks provided remote-only hearings for emergency issues like orders of protection, juvenile delinquency cases, and emergency child welfare proceedings. On the first day that family courts went virtual, a court spokesperson told the New York Post, the number of requests approved for hearings went from the usual 85 down to 12. In recent weeks, the courts have resumed hearing some previously scheduled cases. But they are still not taking new petitions for custody and visitation, unless a judge decides its an emergency. New York City courthouses have been closed since mid-March. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters Domestic violence advocates who spoke with The Daily Beast praised the courts for adapting quickly in an unprecedented situation. But they emphasized that the current regulations are leaving some victims without recourse. The courts are still available if you need an order of protection, Young said. But in cases that dont rise to that level, or require a different type of filing, thats when it becomes really problematic. Luba Reife, the deputy director of the Family Law Project at Sanctuary for Families, said she had advised multiple survivors like Erica during the shutdown. She had also spoken with survivors in the opposite situation, in which their abuser had custody of the child when lockdown started and was now refusing to return them. Usually the court would step in to adjudicate these matters, Reife said, but these days that was rarely possible. The attorney recalled one client whose ex had kept their child from her since March. She sought help from the court, but the case was adjourned until July. Weve been advising a lot of very desperate people who are saying, Ive only been able to FaceTime with my child at the whim of my ex. What can be done? Reife said. And the answer is, there really is not much that can be done. People are not really able to modify orders easily at this point, she added. The only mechanism to really change a current order is to not follow it. A spokesperson for the New York State Unified Court System said that, for the health and safety of all concerned, the city went from 125 courtrooms to just five citywide virtual courtrooms in March. She also linked to a press release announcing that five more county-specific courtrooms would be added this week to address applications in pending cases that could be resolved with a brief remote appearance. We had to draw the line somewhere, the spokesperson said of which cases the court chose to hear. Unless it was life or death, it would have to wait. Erica was one of the lucky few whose cases were deemed an emergency. A judge heard her petition in late March, just as the courts were closing, and granted her a virtual hearing a few days later. But when Erica tried to call in for the court date, no one answered. When she finally reached someone at the court, they told her the hearing was not on the court schedule. Even when she provided photos of her summons with that days date on it, the court employee told Erica there was nothing she could do; she would have to wait for another court date by mail. But the new court date never came. Instead, one day in late Aprilalmost a month after her original hearing dateEricas ex showed up. He found her outside on a grocery run, she said, and beat her so badly she had to call the paramedics. I felt like I was going to die, Erica told The Daily Beast. I kept getting hit repeatedly, hands closed, on my head. All I remember was the ongoing punches, that I feel like it never ended. He hit me like I was his worst enemy, she added. I felt like that was going to be it, that was the end of me. Someone eventually called the police, who arrived and took a report, but Ericas ex has yet to be arrested. A spokesperson for the NYPD said the investigation remains active. The number of domestic violence reports in New York increased by 15 percent in March and 30 percent in April, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. At the same time, the number of domestic violence arrests have plummeted, dropping 43 percent between March and April. Legal advocates who spoke to The Daily Beast said they were also seeing a decrease in callseither because survivors were too consumed by the current economic crisis to reach out, or because they could not get away from their abuser to do so. In the absence of more court interventions, advocates worry that a growing number of abusers will take matters into their own hands. Any time you have a situation where youve lost an opportunity to hold [an abuser] accountable for their behavior, that always runs the risk that the behavior will escalate, Diamanti said. The more abusers can get away with, the more they will do. The longer the courts are closed, the more critical and the more difficult and urgent peoples situations are going to get, Young said. When the courts do open theres going to be a flood of people who have been trying to self-help for weeks or months. In her weekly public address last week, New York state Chief Judge Janet DiFiore announced the landmark reopening of five upstate regions for in-person court operations. But she cautioned that the reopening would be slow and incremental, and would very significantly by region. I know you are all anxious for our courts to get back to full operations. I am as well, she said. Lets be patient and remind ourselves of the careful, incremental way in which weve responded effectively to the pandemic, so that we dont forget, and arent tempted, to jump ahead of where we need to be right now. In the meantime, attorneys are attempting to advise clients in what Friedman called a very unstable world with no precedent. Reife said shes been telling clients to document every FaceTime and Zoom call between their child and their abuser, in hopes of proving that they did not violate their visitation agreement during the pandemic. In a video call with survivor advocates last week, a survivor using the pseudonym Jane Doe said she had moved to virtual visits between her abuser and their child during the pandemic. But she said her abuser had accused her of withholding the child, and she was afraid that when the courts reopened, she would be penalized for acting in what she felt was her kids best interest. Im really worried that the court does not recognize how much abuse is being extended through the means of visitation, even long after obtaining an order of protection, she said. Im really worried that the court will punish the survivors as a result of COVID-19, and I'm really afraid that when this emergency is over, a lot of survivors who have not been complying with this visitation issue could face serious ramifications. Erica, meanwhile, said she is still worried about what might happen with her ex. Just last week, she said, the Administration for Child Services filed an abuse and neglect petition in the case, temporarily suspending visits between the child and father. But in the meantime, shes still looking behind her back every time she goes out. I just bury my head in work because its stressful for me, its stressful for [my child,] and in reality I dont know what else to do, because every time I raise my hand for help I get shut down, she said. At the moment were just staying home, she added. Theres not much I can do. *Erica is a pseudonym. 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. (Newser) Merriam-Webster has updated its entry on "Chinese restaurant syndrome," a term many Asian Americans saw as antiquated and even racist. The phrase was previously defined as a legitimate illness brought on by food seasoned with monosodium glutamate but "especially Chinese food." Merriam-Webster.com said symptoms include numbness of the neck, arms and back as well as headaches and dizziness. Now, the definition has a detailed disclaimer noting the term as "dated" and "offensive," the AP reports. It also states research conducted since the so-called syndrome was reported in the 1960s has not found any link between MSG and those symptoms. It also contains a link to another entrythe more clinical term, "MSG symptom complex." story continues below Peter Sokolowski, editor at large at Merriam-Webster, confirmed the changes. "This process is always ongoing, and includes the gathering of evidence and drafting of revisions to be reviewed by specialized and senior editors before being added to a scheduled release of changes," he said. The issue gained attention in January when Ajinomoto, a longtime Japanese producer of MSG seasonings, called on Merriam-Webster to alter its entry. The company hired restaurateur Eddie Huang and The Real TV co-host Jeannie Mai for a social media campaign. MSG comes from glutamate, a common amino acid or protein building block found in food. The Food and Drug Administration says MSG is generally recognized as a safe addition to food. (Read more Chinese food stories.) 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe We will never get out of this now. It will go on for ever. We will not be free people again. Even when we seem to be free we will be like prisoners on parole, who can be snatched back to their cells at a moments notice. I think I now understand why this period has come to be known by the repulsive word lockdown, an American term which describes the punishment of rioting convicts in a penitentiary, by confining them in their cells for long periods. Police are pictured speaking to demonstrators in Hyde Park, London last week. We are learning, during this induction period, to do what we are told and to become obedient, servile citizens of a new authoritarian State I hate this word, because it does not seem to me to be fitting to describe free people in a free country. But we are no longer such people, or such a country. We have become muzzled, mouthless, voiceless, humiliated, regimented prisoners, shuffling about at the command of others, stopping when told to stop, moving when told to move, shouted at by jacks-in-office against whom we have no appeal. We are learning, during this induction period, to do what we are told and to become obedient, servile citizens of a new authoritarian State. We are unlearning the old rules of freedom. All the things we used to take for granted now belong to the State, which can hand them back to us if we are good, and yank them away from us again if we are bad, or if it can think of an excuse. And there will always be an excuse, a rise in the fictional R rate, an emergency that can be exaggerated into fear, whether it be a virus, a terror threat or even the new Middle Eastern war that I have long feared is coming. But who would have thought it would be Covid-19, of all things, that would be the pretext for the snuffing out of centuries of liberty? I have long sensed a desire in our new elite to be more powerful. It goes with their belief that they are so wonderful that nobody ought to disagree with them. You could tell that they longed for curfews, to go on the TV with grim faces and tell us all to go quietly to our homes, to ban gatherings of more than three people, for our own good. But it never quite worked. People actually laughed in 2003 when Anthony Blair madly sent tanks to Heathrow Airport to deal with an alleged terror threat, which never materialised. Al Qaeda was a good bogeyman for a bit, but all the stuffing came out of it, especially when we ended up supporting it in Syria. Islamic State had the same basic problem. Its supposed supporters here almost invariably turned out (like Al Qaedas before them) to be fantasists or drugged-up maniacs with no coherent aim or plan. There was never an excuse to fire up the shiny new Civil Contingencies Act, with its enormous dictatorial powers, All the things we used to take for granted now belong to the State, which can hand them back to us if we are good, and yank them away from us again if we are bad, or if it can think of an excuse. A sign about the lockdown is pictured above in Pilsley But now the new Strong State, growing in our midst for decades, has finally become powerful enough to emerge in all its naked nastiness. Or rather, all the proper institutions of a civil society have grown so weak that the Strong State can now get its way. The married family, the independent middle-class, able to make a decent living on the basis of hard-won qualifications, the political parties, Parliament itself, the Opposition, the Monarchy, the Armed Forces, the Church (pathetically anxious to close itself), the Civil Service, most of the media, the BBC, are just husks of what they were 50 years ago. In many cases, bodies supposed to stand up for us now lecture and browbeat us on behalf of the Government. But I think the worst thing of all has been the naked transformation of the police into a politicised state militia. I have had plenty of criticisms of the police before now, and take none of them back. But their performance in this crisis has been deeply shocking and sad. They have acted as the agents of Ministers, openly taking one side in a political controversy, shouting angrily and menacingly at innocent citizens that they must go home and that, if they do not, they are killing people. Lulled by the lotus-eating weeks of furlough payments and mortgage holidays, and by the almost unceasing spring sunshine, we have lolled about for the past two months vaguely wondering what that faint unpleasant sound in the distance might be. A sign about social distancing is pictured above in Margate Lord Sumption, the former Supreme Court judge, distinguished historian and Reith Lecturer who has spoken repeatedly for Britain in these dark times, said it very clearly many weeks ago: This is what a police state is like. Its a state in which the government can issue orders or express preferences with no legal authority and the police will enforce Ministers wishes. These are not the words of some troublesome scribbler, like me, but those of an enormously distinguished intellect who is nobodys fool, never uses a word he has not considered, and knows his way very well round the past and the present. And so it has been. Lulled by the lotus-eating weeks of furlough payments and mortgage holidays, and by the almost unceasing spring sunshine, we have lolled about for the past two months vaguely wondering what that faint unpleasant sound in the distance might be. Well, I will tell you what it is. It is the forging of the fetters we shall be wearing in the times to come, because, for the most part, we didnt care about our liberty, and so no longer deserve to have it. TV so good youll forget its French Where to turn for solace in the midst of all this? Lewis Carrolls Alice books, works of witty genius about the folly of mankind, are one refuge. Poetry sometimes helps. But I have also found that the brilliant French TV spy thriller series The Bureau is a great escape. Full of intelligent women, endlessly clever, and making much use of the glories of pre-virus Paris, I think its the best TV espionage thriller since the Alec Guinness version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. You forget its in French after about 30 seconds. Endlessly clever: Mathieu Kassovitz in The Bureau One silent killer we should be terrified of I see the tireless lobby for horrible electric scooters and e-bikes has got to work again, trying to make out that the Governments insane attack on public transport (too dangerous to use, allegedly, lest you find yourself sharing a carriage with a virus) means that such vehicles are the future. What rubbish. These silent killers are a terrible danger to pedestrians and proper cyclists. They do nothing for the health of their users, who get no proper exercise from riding them, but clutter up cycle lanes. They are the ideal means of transport for people who have lost their licences through drink or drugs and want to continue to use motor transport. Or for people who cant or wont pass driving tests but want to go fast anyway [File photo] They just shift their pollution to power stations, and the ingredients of their batteries require the rape of large parts of the Third World. They are the ideal means of transport for people who have lost their licences through drink or drugs and want to continue to use motor transport. Or for people who cant or wont pass driving tests but want to go fast anyway. Their supposed speed limiters are a joke, easily overcome. Those cities which have allowed e-scooters have bitterly regretted it, as their pavements have become as dangerous as the roads themselves. Yet the excuse of the new normal or recovery from the virus crisis or protecting the NHS will in the next few months be repeatedly used in a hundred such bad causes, from a Stalinist raid on savings (probably in the guise of an NHS surcharge which will be impossible to oppose) to a bonfire of the remaining planning controls and green belts. And people will fall for it, as they have fallen for the whole phoney crisis. If you want to comment on Peter Hitchens click here In pharmacy school, Lindsey Belding learned all about the drugs that fight cancer, and the things that they do to the body. So in January 2018, when her then-fiance, Luke Belding, was diagnosed with leukemia, she was ready to be his advocate, to help him navigate treatment, to walk with him on the journey. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 23/5/2020 (607 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In pharmacy school, Lindsey Belding learned all about the drugs that fight cancer, and the things that they do to the body. So in January 2018, when her then-fiance, Luke Belding, was diagnosed with leukemia, she was ready to be his advocate, to help him navigate treatment, to walk with him on the journey. Theyd already been through so much together. Theyd met online in the summer of 2013: he from New Brunswick but preparing to do his masters degree in marine biology at a university in Boston; she from Massachusetts, set to start pharmacy school in Maine. Their connection was instant, and soon proved unshakeable. Lindsey and Luke's bond did not waver through his cancer diagnosis weeks after their engagement, or through his first stem-cell transplant that summer, a gift from his brother.(Supplied) He loved that she was smart, and funny, and independent. She loved that they seemed to be riding on the same wavelength, as if theyd known each other forever. They were best friends before theyd even met in person, she says, and when they finally did meet, that bond only grew stronger. It stayed strong throughout the early years of their relationship, most of it long distance, visiting a few times a year. Strong throughout Lukes 2016 move to Winnipeg, where he started his PhD research in fish biology, and where he proposed to her the next Christmas, around the time he started to feel a searing pain in his bones. Their bond did not waver when he was diagnosed with cancer weeks after their engagement, or throughout his first stem-cell transplant that summer, a gift from his brother. Shortly after the transplant, with the support of Lukes nurses, they held a quiet and intimate wedding in the sanctuary of Health Sciences Centre. He was bald from chemotherapy then, and wore a plaid shirt and slippers. She wore a pretty white dress, and held a spray of flowers. They planned a more formal wedding for exactly one year later, but it never came to pass: in early 2019, Luke relapsed, kicking off months of agonizing recovery and a search for a new stem-cell donor. Lindsey and Luke on their wedding day at HSC. (Supplied) Throughout it all, Lukes brother Ben Belding says, Lindseys strength, and the couples bright spirits, kept them going. "Shes just his rock," Ben says, from his home in Calgary. "Through this whole process, shes been so motivated. Shes been home health care worker to him, shes been nurse to him, shes been everything Shes always been at his side, and always been positive." In the spring of 2020, they found a stem-cell match. The process had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but at last they could dream of a smoother road ahead. Theyd just got a new puppy; Lindsey was settling into her work as a pharmacist in Winnipeg. On April 9, Luke received his second transplant. The recovery was difficult, and the hospital was closed to visitors, but they know how to handle distance. They texted every day, and chatted on video calls every evening. On May 7, Luke marked his 29th birthday alone in hospital; he was supposed to go home the next day. Lindsey had started feeling sick, with a sore throat and rising fever. She assumed it was something like strep, her body run ragged from stress. She took a COVID-19 test; it came back negative. To be safe, doctors decided to keep Luke in hospital until she recovered. Days passed, and she didnt get better, and when she went to an urgent care centre for tests and treatment they found something concerning: her white blood cell count was low. Her immune system was failing. She would be admitted to hospital and isolated for her own safety. On May 14, five weeks after Lukes second stem-cell transplant, Lindsey learned she too had B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia the same type of cancer which Luke had been facing for the last two years. Lindsey and Luke during their wedding ceremony at HSC. (Supplied) It was a staggering diagnosis. The chances of a newlywed couple both contracting this type of blood cancer is astronomically low; the vast majority of cases occur in children. A mathematician the Free Press spoke to Saturday estimated the odds of the Beldings situation at roughly one in 10 billion. When they found out, Lindsey was in shock. Luke just felt numb. Even doctors who heard about it were stunned: Dr. Anthea Peters, a hematologist and professor at the University of Alberta who specializes in blood cancers, told the Free Press shes never heard anything quite like the Beldings story, calling it incredibly bad luck. "Its still hard to wrap our minds around," Lindsey says, chatting over the phone from her room at HSC. "There are really no words to explain, because its just so unique and weird and everyone keeps saying, what are the odds? I keep saying that too. Its just so bizarre. Thats the best way to put it." In the midst of this stunning news, a moment of grace. For about 24 hours after Lindsey was admitted and before Luke was discharged, they were on the same HSC ward. For the first time in over a month, they were able to hug, and laugh, and share that precious face-to-face time. "It was just being able to see her smile," Luke says, over the phone from their home. "It was needed." Now, they once again find themselves facing cancer apart, but together. Lindsey has started chemotherapy, with her current treatment plan scheduled to run through the middle of June. Luke is at home, where he is working to recover from his transplant and preparing to support the couple once Lindsey is released. "Im just trying to slowly get myself back into a condition where once shes home, she can rely on me to do most of the things for the both of us," Luke says. "She was doing everything for us when I was sick, so I have to be able to at least do something while Im just kind of sick, and shes really sick." They have support. Luke points to their family, who have rallied around them from afar, and to his colleagues at the University of Manitoba laboratory where he studies fish. They are grateful too for the staff at HSCs GD6 ward, who have supported both of them all this time: "they are amazing, wonderful people," Luke says. Still, as one can imagine, the financial burden on the young couple has been and will be heavy. Their family has set up a GoFundMe to help them support their recovery; people can donate online here. In its first 24 hours, the GoFundMe had raised more than $24,000, and messages of support have flowed in from all over. "Weve seen such a nice ray of sunshine the last few days in humanity," Ben says. "Its so important to look out for your neighbours that just might mean reading the story and sharing positive vibes. It makes a big difference. Its hard to express how much that means to someone. Ive never felt that power before until recently." 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. Above all, the family hopes that people who read their story will be inspired to sign up to donate blood and stem cells. People aged 17 to 35 who meet the health criteria are eligible to register as a stem cell donor; more info, including an eligibility questionnaire, is available online at blood.ca/stemcells. "It saves lives," Luke says, noting that both have benefitted from donated blood products as well. For now, they look to the future. For seven years theyve been a couple, most of that time separated by distance or illness. The challenge ahead of them now is steep like a huge wall they have to climb, Luke says but they will face it the same way theyve faced everything else: as a pair, unbroken and unbreakable. "We havent had a chance to have a normal life," Luke says. "But we try to normalize our lives as much as possible. Were good as individuals, but were better as a team. Were each others best friends, and thats how we function, and hopefully thats how well continue to function." For those who wish to follow the couples journey, Lindsey has been keeping a blog at lifeloveandleukemia.blog. melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca The father of a 19-year-old law student gunned down in an alleged drive-by shooting told how the family fled war-torn Lebanon in the hopes of finding safety in Britain ten years ago. Innocent passer-by Aya Hachem was walking to Lidl supermarket near her family home in Blackburn when she was hit by a bullet fired from a passing Toyota car last Sunday. The first of two shots struck a building but the second fatally pierced her chest. Her father Ismail Hachem - a former soldier - arrived in England ten years ago as an asylum seeker. He was granted British citizenship last year. Aya Hachem's mother is comforted during her daughter's funeral in Qlaileh in south Lebanon Paramedics battled to save the Children's Society charity volunteer, but she died a short while after she was taken to hospital. Pictured: Her funeral on Saturday The teenager's funeral was held in Qlaileh in south Lebanon on Saturday. Pictured: Her coffin is carried by relatives Relatives of Miss Hachem threw flower petals during her funeral at a cemetery in her family's hometown He said his family sought 'to find safety' after he was shot in the back. He now questions how his family will ever feel safe again after the broad-daylight attack. He told The Sun on Sunday: 'Aya and her mother used to discuss her graduation dress. Instead her mother dressed her in her funeral dress.' The family returned to Lebanon for the teenager's funeral which was held in Qlaileh on Saturday. Ms Hachem was a second year student at the University of Salford and the eldest of four siblings. Ismail Hachem - father of a 19-year-old law student gunned down in an alleged drive-by shooting - told how the family fled war-torn Lebanon in the hopes of finding safety in Britain ten years ago Innocent passer-by Aya Hachem was walking to Lidl supermarket near her family home in Blackburn when she was hit by a bullet fired from a passing Toyota car last Sunday Paramedics battled to save the Children's Society charity volunteer, but she died a short while after she was taken to hospital. It comes as four men and a woman appeared in court charged with her murder. The defendants, from Blackburn and Great Harwood, spoke only to confirm their name and address when they appeared at Preston Magistrates' Court. The court was told that the allegations were so serious they could only be heard at the crown court and no applications for bail could be made. The five defendants will appear for a bail application hearing at Preston Crown Court on Wednesday. To the Editor: Re Industry Ties Pose Possible Conflicts for Scientist Leading Vaccine Team (news article, May 21): Who would be more qualified to head a fast-track effort to develop a coronavirus vaccine than someone who had run a major pharmaceutical company? It makes no sense to suggest that a person with that experience should be disqualified because of a potential conflict of interest. The theoretical possibility that a man, who is probably by now a multimillionaire, would subvert such an important program because of a theoretical financial interest is far outweighed by the benefits that his experience brings to the process of developing an essential vaccine. As one who has spent a career going in and out of government service, I have always questioned the wisdom of assuming that people who abandon lucrative careers in private industry because they perceive the importance of public service will somehow sell out their office in an effort to enhance some theoretical financial interest. The nation desperately needs the services of someone like Dr. Moncef Slaoui. John S. Martin Fort Myers, Fla. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here The state of Michigan reported just five deaths as a result of the coronavirus on Sunday, May 24 the lowest number on record since Saturday, March 21. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has noted previously that reported numbers tend to be lower on Sundays and holidays, and data has regularly reflected that. Not all local health departments are reporting over the holiday weekend. Still, the total number of new cases and deaths reported on Sunday are the lowest in some time. Browser does not support frames. The MDHHS reported 314 new confirmed cases of the virus Sunday, the states second-lowest daily total since March 23. Michigans 54,679 total number of confirmed cases ranks eighth among states. Michigan now has 5,228 total COVID-19 deaths, which remains the fourth highest number in the nation behind New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. For the first time in four days, Kent County did not report the most new cases among Michigan counties, as Wayne County moved back into the top spot with 74 new cases reported. Kent County reported the second most new cases in the state with 51 on Sunday as Ottawa and Oakland both reported 23 new cases. Heres a look at the Michigan counties with the most confirmed cases: 1. Wayne County: 19,771 cases (2,329 deaths) 2. Oakland County: 8,215 cases (955 deaths) 3. Macomb County: 6,499 cases (778 deaths) 4. Kent County: 3,359 cases (67 deaths) 5. Genesee County: 1,948 cases (240 deaths) 6. Washtenaw County: 1,294 cases (96 deaths) 7. Saginaw County: 989 cases (106 deaths) 8. Kalamazoo County: 797 cases (47 deaths) 9t. Ingham County: 696 cases (25 deaths) 9t. Ottawa County: 696 cases (26 deaths) For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here. Note: This story has been edited to reflect current cumulative case and death data. COVID-19 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. Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued an executive order requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while inside enclosed, public spaces. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. Also on MLive: Michigan to report coronavirus antibody test results separately Sunday, May 24: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Michigan coronavirus recoveries now exceed 33,000 For vacation spots outside of Michigans reopened zone, Memorial Day weekend goes from boom to bust Michigan marijuana industry changed, but thriving amid coronavirus pandemic Merritt Speedway opens 2020 season: We did everything Covid-wise Hindi News Local Mp Indore Lockdown Update News Fire In The Moving Car At Indore : , , - 2 - , - , , , , 100-150 , , Sorry! This content is not available in your region Mass murders, vandalism, social media abuse, propaganda, assault. Anti-Semitism in the U.S. and Europe is rising and worsening in ways not seen since the 1930s. Like a virus, it mutates and evolves across cultures, borders and ideologies, making it all but impossible to stop. This is exactly why filmmaker Andrew Goldberg took on the hot topic in the film, Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations. I started it right after the election and worked on it for three years, Goldberg says during a recent interview. It was nonstop and exhausting. The story is changing every day and there is always another piece of bad news. It was difficult to keep up with. PBS is stepping in and airing the film nationwide after the films theatrical run was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will premiere at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 26, on New Mexico PBS. Goldberg and crew traveled around the world with production for the 90-minute film. It examines the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and the rise of anti-Semitism on the far right. In Hungary, it looks at how Prime Minister Viktor Orban launched a massive campaign reminiscent of Nazi propaganda against Jewish billionaire George Soros. In England, members of the traditionally anti-racist, far-left Labour party conflate Israel and Jews with anti-Semitic vitriol, causing tremendous pain for the Jewish community. And in France, the film illuminates the seemingly endless wave of violence against Jews by Islamists and radicals. In fact, the filmmakers were one of the only productions allowed to film in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh after the shootings in 2018. Pittsburgh happened and that came out of nowhere, Goldberg says. That would slow our production down because we wanted to tell a complete story. The film features interviews with Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and Deborah Lipstadt to victims of terror, experts and anti-Semites themselves. It is narrated in part by Julianna Margulies. Goldberg says because anti-Semitism continues to rear its head around the world, an entirely different film could be made today. Through all of the interviews, Goldberg held onto his journalistic values and stayed neutral. Everybody that we talked to, they are trying to get you to see their point of view, he says. People did get aggressive in this way. Goldberg says the increasing bigotry and violence within each of these four countries paints a terrifying portrait of how global hatred disseminates and harms. Activist Maajid Nawaz says in the film, If we dont draw a red line in the sand when it comes to anti-Semitism, Muslims will be next, gays will be next and everyone else who is deemed a minority will be next. Goldberg hopes the film will open up minds and keep the narrative moving forward. Theres been very strong voices that have come from previous situations, Goldberg says. When you dont see an administration stand up, its seen as a form of permission. America has a long history of public voice making change. That voice should never be silent. ON TV Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations will have its national premiere at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 26, on New Mexico PBS. LONDON - Prime Minister Boris Johnson's push to reopen schools in June, to get kids back in classrooms and free up their parents to jump-start Britain's moribund economy, is running into surprisingly steep resistance. Parents here are all jitters. Teachers fret it's too soon. And the scientific advisers, charged with predicting what's safe or not, are offering a muddle of conflicting models. Johnson reaffirmed his plan that primary schools in England should open in a week at a news conference Sunday evening. It's not going well. The prime minister acknowledged that it might not be possible for all schools. He promised more cleaning of grubby surfaces, more social distancing between first graders, more use of outdoor space, and more virus screening for students and teachers. But full stop: Johnson's pitch to reopen schools is a major test of the trust placed in his government - one of the most important metrics for unlocking the lockdown. The British government has been hammered for its shortcomings in deploying widespread and transparent testing and tracing; in safeguarding nursing homes, where deaths have skyrocketed; and in providing protective gloves and masks to front-line medical workers, who during the worst days of epidemic spike were forced to don garbage bags as gowns. The holiday weekend brought more trouble for Downing Street, as the press revealed that Johnson's top adviser - his spin doctor Dominic Cummings - had breached quarantine rules by taking a 260-mile road trip to his parents' property in north England while he was stricken by coronavirus. The Cummings affair has generated complaints that there was one rule for the elites and another for the ordinary folk, who don't have country homes to escape to. On Sunday, Johnson vowed to stand by his man, saying that Cummings "acted responsibly and legally and with integrity and with the overwhelming aim of stopping the spread of the virus and saving lives," when he traveled north to isolate at his parent's home with his sick wife and child. The prime minister desperately wants Britain to catch up to the rest of Europe and America, to come out of lockdown soon, but slowly. Johnson was almost killed by the virus, and since his release from intensive care he has stressed caution. But Britain has fallen into what economists say is its deepest recession in 300 years, and shutdowns here and around the globe have underscored a reality of modern life: You can't run an economy without schools, which not only provide learning for the next generation, but provide essential child care for working parents. If schools don't open, parents can't go back to work. Britain is watching what happens as classes resume in Germany, New Zealand and Denmark. But infections in those countries have been much lower. Britain, with 37,000 dead, has suffered the highest toll in Europe. Johnson's government has pursed a united "four nations" approach, with coordination among England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. But that solidarity is splintering. Scotland and Northern Ireland announced Thursday that their pupils won't be starting school until August. Wales hasn't yet set a date. This was a major blow to Johnson's government. Teachers and their unions are urging caution. The unions say their members are bewildered by government plans, such as they are. Why not delay for a few weeks, asked Kevin Courtney, a leader of the National Education Union. Nor does it appear that Johnson has won over the most important constituency: Worried parents. Justine Roberts, the founder of Mumsnet, a parenting website in Britain, said "many parents are seriously reluctant to send their children back to school." "Our users are worried about children passing on the virus within households, in the wider community and to school staff," she said. The government plans to start with a partial reopening of elementary schools, inviting back students in the equivalent of kindergarten, grade one and grade six, which is the final year of primary school, as it's known in the U.K. Roberts said that there is "some sympathy" for the rationale behind starting with the older students, "to help those children with the transition to secondary school." But the plan to resume classes for younger children is "causing bafflement and some anger, and a suspicion that decisions are being driven by the need to get people back to work." Opinion surveys show people are wary. The most recent polling by YouGov indicated 36 percent approve of opening schools in early June and 50 percent oppose it. Fourteen percent said they didn't know. Dozens of municipalities in England say they cannot guarantee their elementary classes will reopen on June 1. Inquiries by the BBC and Financial Times found that at least 44 of 151 municipal councils in England have said they won't open all their primary schools by then - a clear rejection of government calls. The prime minister has promised to deliver a "world-beating" test and trace system by June 1 to stop a possible second wave of contagion. But that program has been delayed - and might not be up and running until after Johnson wants schools to open. The first 24,000 tracers are just being hired and trained now. A mobile phone app from the National Health Service has experienced glitches. The government's scientific advisers have told ministers that schools need a robust system to test and trace new cases of coronavirus before students can safely return to their classrooms. Reports from the scientists, who advise the government, found that reopening schools did not pose a major risk to students or teachers, but they also said that infections could climb if classes began. The papers published by the advisers provided few clear-cut answers. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said "the welfare of children remains at the very heart of everything we are doing." "Being able to be back in school will benefit not just their education but also their well-being," he said. 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. More than 40 churchgoers who attended a service after lockdown was eased in Germany earlier this month have contracted coronavirus, officials say. The service was held on 10 May at a Baptist church in Frankfurt. Church officials say they followed social distancing rules and disinfected the building ahead of the service. Each of Germany's 16 states determines its own lockdown exit plans. Hesse, where Frankfurt located, relaxed restrictions on worship on 1 May. Those attending services have to be kept 1.5m (5ft) apart, and provided with hand sanitiser. Wladimir Pritzkau, the deputy head of Frankfurt's Evangelical Christian Baptist congregation, told German media that the rules were adhered to during the 20 May service. Read Full Story .... HERE >>> : 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 Teresa and Mark Marsden still feel the loss of their daughter seven years after she took her life at The Gap, an infamous suicide spot in Sydney's east. They feel her absence every day, but most acutely at birthdays, weddings and anniversaries. They still receive letters and fines addressed to Renae Marsden for not voting. While they won't get their daughter back, they are determined no one ever experiences the journey to hell they've been on. Parents Mark and Teresa Marsden of catfishing victim Renae Marsden want a law to make the act illegal. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer In 2013, Renae Marsden was making wedding plans, enquiring about a honeymoon in Greece and looking forward to her 21st birthday. Her friends and family describe her as a happy, bubbly and loving young woman who had her whole life ahead of her. But on August 5, Ms Marsden took her life at The Gap after her relationship with the man she'd been dating for two years, but had never met, came to an end. Just days ago, scientists leading the University of Oxford's coronavirus vaccine development expressed optimism about their progress more than 1,000 people in the United Kingdom have been inoculated already, and 10,000 more will be given the vaccine in May and June. But there's some cause for concern, The Telegraph reports. Professor Adrian Hill, director of the University's Jenner Institute, said what was formerly an 80 percent chance of developing an effective vaccine by September possibly in time for a potential second wave of infections has dwindled to 50 percent. That's not because the team no longer believes in its work, which is reportedly still going well. Instead, the U.K.'s infection rate decline may make it tough to gauge the vaccine's efficacy. "It's a race against the virus disappearing, and against time," Hill said. Hill only expects fewer than 50 of the 10,000 trial volunteers to catch the virus, which has faded since the U.K. and other countries implemented strict lockdowns, and if it turns out that fewer than 20 test positive, the study's results may be useless. The vaccine showed promise when it was tested in six rhesus macaque monkeys earlier this year, but it will obviously need to show that it provides the same protection in humans before it can be distributed. More stories from theweek.com Trump shares disturbing meme of Biden's campaign in a coffin J.K. Rowling's new children's book is being released for free online Trump keeps falsely accusing Joe Scarborough of murder, and it's long past weird Diane Carlson Evans, a Vietnam nurse whose brainchild was the Vietnam Womens Memorial in Washington, D.C., is noted for her perseverance. Carlson Evans went through a decade-long struggle, with plenty of resistance but also lots of help, to get the memorial at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, completed in 1993. Now, 27-years later, she is, among other things, thanking all those she worked with on the project, via her book, Healing Wounds, A Vietnam War combat nurses 10-year fight to win women a place of honor in Washington, D.C. For years, I have wanted an opportunity to be able to say thank you to those who helped me live up to the song which describes my life: Gonna Stand My Ground, and I Wont Back Down by Tom Petty, Carlson Evans wrote in a Jan. 10 email. Theres a price we pay for standing our ground. But at the end of the day, it is worth it. After 50 years since returning from Vietnam, I have told my story. Thank you for standing with me and helping to share that story. Bob Welch co-authored the book, which goes on sale Tuesday, May 26. Diane Carlson was raised on a dairy farm in Minnesota. After graduating high school in Buffalo, Minnesota, in 1964, she attended the Army Student Nurse program in Minneapolis. Carlson then volunteered to serve as a combat nurse in Vietnam, from 1968-69. Just out of college and 21 years of age, her first assignment was the (burn unit) 36th Evacuation Hospital in Vung Tau, right on the South China Sea beach. I didnt feel the war there as much as I did when I was transferred up north, to Pleiku, in the central highlands jungle near the Cambodian border, she recounted. I was with Two Corps supporting the 4th Infantry Division, in the 71st Evacuation Hospital. The war was very different there. The 4th Infantry had something like a 75 percent casualty rate. First Lt. Carlson was head nurse in the post-surgical unit. The patients were on respirators, blood transfusions and chest tubes, and it was very hard to see so many young men with such horrific wounds. They had to deal with patients dying, in addition to having to set aside dying patients in order to save the most salvageable ones. Pleiku was only about a 10-20 minute helicopter ride from the field of action, and they came under attack many times. We got to know the difference between the outgoing artillery and the incoming rockets and mortars that would fly in and hit our hospital, sending shrapnel everywhere, Carlson related. After her tour in Vietnam, Diane went on to complete a total of six years in the Army Nurse Corps, attaining the rank of captain. In 1984, Carlson Evans co-founded the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project. It took seven years of testimony before three federal commissions and two congressional bills, for Evans and her supporters to garner permission for the memorial, honoring the 11,000 military women who served in Vietnam and the 265,000 who served around the world during the Vietnam era. With the help of thousands of volunteers plus the public support of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans and the American Legion and the corporation which underwrote the project, funds were raised to complete the effort. The Vietnam Women's Memorial was dedicated on Nov. 11, 1993, with remarks from then Vice President and Vietnam veteran Al Gore. Sculptor Glenna Goodacres 7-foot bronze statue featuring three women and a wounded soldier stands on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Since then, as founder and president of the Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation, Carlson Evans speaks nationally about the experience of women in wartime. With husband Dr. Mike Evans (also a veteran), she parented four children, and came to Helena about 20 years ago. Among her accolades are honorary degrees, doctor of humane letters, from Haverford College (Pennsylvania), Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, Connecticut), and Carroll College; the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs "Advocate of the Year" Award; the "Outstanding Civic Achievement Award" by the USO, Washington, D.C.; and the "Vietnam Veteran of the Year" award from the Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans of America. Carlson Evans has also been awarded the "Woman Agent of Change by the AAUW (American Association of University Women); the "Woman of the Year, Jesse Bernard Award" Center for womens Policy Studies, Washington, D.C.; the BRAVO (Brotherhood of all Veterans Organizations "National Special Service Award; Veteran of the Year Award" by VIETNOW; and VFWs Gold Medal of Merit. She has earned New York Citys Lillian D. Wald "Spirit of Nursing" Award, as well, in addition to the Montana Amnesty International Human Rights award. In 2018, she was awarded the American Legions Patriot Award. Regarding Carlson Evans long battle for the nurses memorial, the amazon.com website states, that the wounded soldiers who survived Vietnam proved to be there for their sisters-in-arms, by joining their fight in combatting unforeseen bureaucratic obstacles and facing mean-spirited opposition. Her impassioned story of serving in Vietnam is a crucial backstory to her fight to honor the women she served beside, amazon recounts. She details the gritty and high-intensity experience of being a nurse in the midst of combat and becomes an unlikely hero who ultimately serves her country again as a formidable force in her daunting quest for honor and justice. Carlson Evans had numerous book signings scheduled in Kentucky, Colorado, Minnesota, Washington D.C., and Montana before all were canceled through September, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are more important considerations right now, my heart goes out to those who are suffering physically and/or economically, said Carlson Evans, who is doing an interview with New York Public Radio on Tuesdays release date. Mine is just a book. Healing Wounds may be purchased at Montana Book Company, or visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/1682619125. Curt Synness, a Navy veteran, can be reached at (406) 594-2878 or email curt52synness@gmail.com. Hes also on Twitter @curtsynness_IR Love 11 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 In a latest chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police in the 2000 match-fixing case against prime accused Sanjeev Chawla, some startling revelations have been made. Chawla, a British citizen was extradited to India after a rather lengthy process this year in February, but was out of Tihar Jail in the absence of High Courts stay order. On May 13, Delhi Police approached the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order, according to a report in the Indian Express. The chargesheet lists in detail, the role played by Chawla, in fixing matches during South Africas 2000 tour of India. on the basis of statements of the witnesses recorded during the investigation, conversation recorded between the accused in the seized audio and video cassettes, CFSL report and other documentary and oral evidence, it can be safely concluded that some of the matches were fixed and in some, an attempt was made to fix themthe chargesheet read. In furtherance of this conspiracy, the 1st Test Match at Mumbai and 1st One-Day International at Cochin were fixed and the same resulted in wrongful gain to the accused and wrongful loss in general to the public at large, who had gone believing that they would perform optimally. The accused persons have thus committed offences punishable under sections 420 and 120B of IPC, the chargesheet said. Former BCCI secretary as witness In the list of 68 witnesses, one of the biggest names was former BCCI secreatary Jayawant Lele, who held the post when the scandal broke out in 2000. He passed away in 2013. Mumbai Test, Cochin ODI were fixed The South Africans played two Tests and five ODIs in India in that series. In the chargesheet it is mentioned that Mumbai Test and Cochin ODI were fixed. some of the matches were fixed and in some matches an attempt was made to fix them." It was decided that South African team will not score more than 250 runs in an innings. Though the South African team won the Test in three days, this was attributed to a very poor performance by India. The Indian team had batted first and scored 225 and the South African team scored only 176. In the 2nd innings, India scored a mere 113 and the South African team won the match by scoring 164 runs only. Thus, the South African team did not score more than 250 runs in both the innings, as committed by accused Hansie Cronje to the fixers. Thus, this match was a fixed one. Cochin ODI (March 9, 2000) Constant calls made to Hamid Cassim by Sanjeev Chawla and Hansie Cronje on the night intervening 8/9.03.2000 further corroborate the statement of Hansie Cronje made before King Commission that he was being regularly pressurised to underperform as per their bidding. Hansie: No, no They were saying that they were already doing Cochin, the other guys are already angry with me because I have not received their money Sanjeev: I can deposit the money in your account, it is not a problem Tomorrow itself I can deposit the money. Bangalore Test (March 2-6, 2000) Though Hansie Cronje had spoken to other players, as per the statements made before the King Commission, this match was not fixed although an attempt was made to fix it. 2nd, 3rd, 4th ODIs Though the matches were not fixed, it can be inferred that Hansie Cronje helped in giving inside information to the accused persons and helped them in placing bets and earn huge profits. 5th ODI From the recorded conversation, it is evident that Hansie Cronje had agreed to fix the score of the match and he had also agreed to fix the individual score of Herschelle Gibbs. It was also agreed that if the result came as agreed, then Sanjeev Chawla will pay $140000 to Hansie Cronje. Though the players forgot about the deal in the heat of the game and did not agree, it can be concluded that a serious attempt was made to fix the match. Tomorrow is Memorial Day, when we honor the sacrifice of the men and women who died for our country. Too often we forget the meaning of the day and head off to sales, the beaches, and the backyard barbecues. In those states still locked down, it will be a continuation of the grim economy and spirit-busting effects of overreaching dictators, little based on reason. It will be a particularly hard to celebrate day for the many friends and family members of those killed in nursing homes and assisted living residences due to outrageously misguided gubernatorial dictates. There still is a lot we dont know about the transmission and treatment of the virus, though youd be well advised to skip the hysterical accounts in the fake news and rely on more substantive accounts elsewhere. One thing has been consistently true, though: The elderly have been the most vulnerable to this disease. Reason would suggest, in that case, that instead of focusing enforcement attention on closing parks and beaches and arrests of lone surfers or churchgoers sitting in their closed window cars, attention should be paid to those institutions which house in close quarters the aged and infirm. Apparently, however, Democratic governors live in a post-rational world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5.1 million people live in nursing homes or residential care facilities, representing 1.6% of the U.S. population. And yet residents in such facilities account for 42 percent of all deaths from COVID-19, for states that report such statistics. Alaska, Hawaii, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming do not break out deaths by residential categories. But among the 79,259 U.S. COVID-19 deaths captured by our analysis, 32,930, or 42 percent, were nursing or residential care home residents. You would think, then, that the contra-rational approach of governors like Andrew Cuomo would draw media attention and criticism. Instead, he is being lionized, probably because the pensmiths hope that he will be the Democratic nominee when the party gives the demented and corrupt Joe Biden the hook. Professor Glenn Reynolds, reminds us of the idiotic moves Cuomo took. Probably the biggest and deadliest mistake was New Yorks requirement that recovering patients with COVID-19 be accepted by nursing homes. Thats right -- people who were still contagious with a disease that is especially deadly to the old and sick were placed in facilities that were full of the old and sick. Nursing homes that protested were ordered to shut up and take the patients anyway. More than 5,300 nursing home patients in New York have died from Covid-19, and as an Albany Times Union account notes, critics blame this policy. Cuomo has now tacitly admitted the error by reversing the policy, requiring patients to test negative before they are sent to nursing homes. But it took rather a long time to reverse what seems like an obviously deadly policy, one that the Wall Street Journal called a "fatal error." Writing in the New York Post, Michael Goodwin notes: First, nursing homes never believed they had any right to deny infected patients, saying the order from the state Department of Health would have included that option if that were the intent. The orders language did not offer any hint of flexibility... Worse, the order came without warning, took effect immediately and gave the homes no time to set up segregated beds and staff. All nursing homes, good and bad, large and small, were treated as if they were fit for an influx of coronavirus patients. The second problem with Cuomos claim is the case of the Cobble Hill Health Center, which lost at least 55 patients to the virus. The CEO, Donny Tuchman, showed reporters April emails where he asked state health officials for assistance, and was turned down. He also asked them if COVID-19 patients he had could be sent instead to the Javits Center or the Navy ship Comfort, both of which were far below capacity. He was rejected again. Its true there was one way Albany officials did help beleaguered nursing homes. The packages of equipment they sent included body bags. He wasnt the lone governor to adopt this stupid policy. The governors of California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey adopted the same stupid rule to place COVID-19 infected patients in nursing homes for the elderly, resulting in high mortality rates there. Its not that the governors had no warning of the disastrous effects of these policies -- they received ample warning Health experts and trade associations had warned early on that forcing nursing homes to take on newly discharged COVID-19 patients was a recipe for disaster, noting that such facilities didnt have the ability to properly quarantine the infected. This approach will introduce the highly contagious virus into more nursing homes. There will be more hospitalizations for nursing home residents who need ventilator care and ultimately, a higher number of deaths. Issuing such an order is a mistake and there is a better solution, American Health Care Association President and CEO Mark Parkinson announced in March after New Yorks order went into effect. David Grabowski, a professor of health policy at Harvard Medical School, sounded incredulous when asked about the policy. Nursing homes are working so hard to keep the virus out, and now were going to be introducing new COVID-positive patients? Grabowski told NBC. Richard Mollot, executive director of the Long Term Care Community Coalition in New York, echoed that sentiment. To have a mandate that nursing homes accept COVID-19 patients has put many people in grave danger, Mollot told the Bucks County Courier Time. I agree with FEE -- the consequences of central planning, which disregards the input of those on the ground with real experience, is a hubristic disaster -- always. This week a video of a horrific lengthy and brutal beating of an aged and feeble 70-year-old veteran in a nursing home by a 20-year-old strong man -- a video Im loath to link to precisely because it is so awful to watch -- adduced a lot of comments online blaming the nursing home. The facts prove otherwise. The first blame, of course, goes to the thug, but just as blameworthy is the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, and her government minions. Because of the lockdown -- and one assumes bureaucratic error, the elderly man had been removed from "his apartment without notice to his family who had no idea how to reach him" and placed in the nursing home. At the direction of Whitmer, the man doing the beating was placed there because he had been diagnosed with COVID-19 in a nearby hospital. The placement of this young man there was unconscionable because along with being infected, he had a history of assaultive behavior and mental illness: The suspect's father, who asked not to be named, said his son has mental health issues and a pending assault case in Washtenaw County and should never have been placed in the nursing home. "He has issues and for them to put him in a facility like that, nothing good was going to happen," the suspect's father told 7 Action News. He said his son was recently moved to the nursing center because the 20-year-old was diagnosed with COVID-19 at the University of Michigan Hospital. The father said he's been working with Washtenaw County Mental Health Services to get his son the help he needs and that he was placed in a group home in Chelsea. But, recently, he said his son began hearing voices and that's when he was taken to the hospital and it was there he says that his son was diagnosed with COVID-19. "He never should have been housed, quarantined with the victim that he eventually assaulted. That should have never happened," he said. "Someone dropped the ball." The statewide lockdowns were taken on little scientific basis, arbitrarily issued, and have had a disastrous impact on the economy. And the skyrocketing nursing home death rates are not the whole of the deaths caused by top-down mismanagement of what, it seems from the most accurate sources, was hardly more dangerous to the general population than the normal flu. Doctors in Northern California say they have seen more deaths from suicide than theyve seen from the coronavirus during the pandemic. The numbers are unprecedented, Dr. Michael deBoisblanc of John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, California, told ABC 7 News about the increase of deaths by suicide, adding that hes seen a years worth of suicides in the last four weeks alone. [snip] Suicide has been an increasingly significant problem across the country as the coronavirus outbreak caused stay-at-home orders that led to unemployment and stress. By late March, more people had died in just one Tennessee county from suicide than had died in the entire state directly from the virus. A study published in early May suggested that the coronavirus could lead to at least 75,000 deaths directly brought on by anxiety from the virus, job losses, and addiction to alcohol and drugs. Another study conducted by Just Facts around the same time computed a broad array of scientific data showing that stress is one of the deadliest health hazards in the world and estimated that the coronavirus lockdowns will destroy 7 times as many years of human life than strict lockdowns can save. Earlier this week, more than 600 doctors signed their names on a letter to President Trump, referring to the continued lockdowns as a mass casualty incident and urging him to do what he can to ensure they come to an end. When should these lockdowns cease? Well, our windsock oracle Dr. Anthony Fauci said on March 12 that thered be suffering and death if we reopened too early and 10 days later offered up that staying closed too long could lead to irreparable damage. With guidance like that and his earlier flip-flops --like the wear masks now-we dont need masks then -- and all his murky Delphic musings, its time to ignore him and listen to the doctors on the ground and your own pragmatic observations of the devastation people like Fauci and the governors caused. Having enjoyed the wielding of such enormous powers, a few of those same governors are reluctant to cede power back to the voters, voters increasingly defiant at the loss of their constitutionally guaranteed rights. Governor Whitmer, apparently in response to the growing citizens revolt just further extended her lockdown to June 12. It applies to others, not herself of course. Shell be at her summer home and hosting a graduation party for her daughter. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 24, 2020 14:10 606 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd9e0e17 1 National Jokowi,COVID-19,Kaesang-Pangarep,Bogor-Presidential-Palace,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,Idul-Fitri,Iriana-Joko-Widodo,first-lady,prayer Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo performed Idul Fitri prayers with his family and a few aides in front of the Bayurini Pavilion of Bogor Palace in West Java, in accordance with the governments proscription of mass prayers during the COVID-19 outbreak. Jokowi, First Lady Iriana and their youngest son Kaesang Pangarep joined the Idul Fitri prayers led by Baitussalam Mosque welfare council head Muhammudun. If before Ramadan we were in conflict with each other, insulting each other, committing many wrongdoings, on this Idul Fitri holiday let us make a commitment to improve ourselves, get along with each other, forgive each other, unite and tighten the bonds of brotherhood, Muhammudun said in his Idul Fitri sermon on Sunday. Beside the Presidents family, the prayers at Bogor Palace were attended by presidential security detail commander Col. Achiruddin, presidential press bureau staffer Erlin Suastini, presidential aide First Lt. Mat Sony Masturi and the Presidents personal bodyguard, First Lt. Windra Sanur. After the prayers, Jokowi and his family celebrated the holiday in Bogor rather than in his hometown of Surakarta in Central Java, in accordance with the governments ban of the Idul Fitri exodus that usually sees millions leave the major cities to gather with their extended families in their hometowns. The State Palace has also announced that Jokowi will be foregoing the traditional open house event due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Previously, Coordinating Legal, Political and Human Rights Minister Mahfud MD reminded the public that mass Idul Fitri prayers in mosques or public squares were prohibited this year by the Health Ministrys regulation on large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) and the 2018 Health Quarantine Law. The countrys largest religious organizations, namely Muhammadiyah, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), had also encouraged Muslims to pray at home during the COVID-19 outbreak. Published on 2020/05/24 | Source The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Monday issued experimental guidelines to prevent a resurgence of coronavirus infections as schools reopen. Advertisement High school seniors will return to school first on Wednesday and the rest will follow in the coming weeks. They could be taught alternately one week online, one week off according to their grades. Elementary and middle schoolchildren should attend school at least once a week, but parents can home-school them for up to 34 more days without losing points for attendance. Kindergartens can also give both online and offline classes starting May 27. Each school will have discretion to decide which type of classes they will give, a spokesman for the office said. "We've provided minimum guidelines for offline classes". They also involve thermal imaging cameras being installed and pupils having their temperature taken twice a day. If any coronavirus infection occurs, the school will close again. Some parents feel this barely lightens their burden and their kids are unlikely to learn much. One 39-year-old mother said, "It's going to be just the same amount of trouble as homeschooling if my kid goes to school only once a week". Guwahati/Gangtok/Agartala, May 24 : Sikkim reported its first coronavirus case and Arunachal Pradesh a fresh case while Assam registered 64 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the state's total tally to 392 as on Sunday night. Meanwhile, with the starting of domestic flight operations from May 25, different northeastern states have issued different Standard Operating Protocols (SOP) for the arriving passengers. In Gangtok, Sikkim Health Secretary Pemba T. Bhutia said that the Himalayan state reported its first coronavirus case when a 25-year-old student who returned from Delhi last week tested positive on Saturday. The student from Rabangla in South Sikkim district is admitted at Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital in Gangtok. Hospital sources said his condition was stable. A month after Arunachal Pradesh became coronavirus free, an Arunachal student who has returned back to the state from Delhi by bus along with 33 other people on May 18 has tested Covid-19 positive on Sunday. The border state had become coronavirus free after its lone patient, a 31-year-old man who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi, was discharged from hospital on April 24. In Manipur, three people, including a woman, tested positive on Saturday night taking the state's total cases to 32 with 28 of them active. In Tripura, three people, who recently came from Delhi, tested positive on Sunday night taking the state's total Covid-19 positive cases to 194, which included 161 Border Security Force personnel and their kin. However, only 27 cases are active. In Guwahati, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that 90 per cent of the 392 Covid-19 patients in the state have been reported from quarantine centres across the state. He said out of 33 districts, Dhemaji in eastern Assam has reported no coronavirus case, while Hojai in central Assam, had the highest number -- 77 -- of cases. "So far by train and by road, 60,000 people, mostly from southern and western India, returned to Assam. Over 12 lakh people of the state are residing in different parts of the country," the minister told the media on Sunday evening. He said that of the total positive cases, 39 cases were attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat's congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin in March, 271 are due to inter-state travelling and remaining from unknown sources. Out of the total cases, 57 people have been discharged from hospitals after they recovered from the disease and three migrated to other states, while four died, including a 16-year-old girl. Sarma, who also holds the Finance portfolio, said that around 2,000 passengers would come to Assam daily by different domestic flights and all except those who would not remain in the city for more than 8 to 10 hours would have to be in a quarantine centre in hotels, guest houses and in educational institutions. According to the SOP issued by Tripura, health authorities will collect samples of one among every five passengers. The Meghalaya government in a notification said that after arrival by aircraft and railways up to Guwahati, the Transport Department would arrange buses to pick up the Meghalaya-bound people, who would be taken to Shillong or Tura for testing. These people would be kept in institutional quarantine for up to 48 hours till the test results of the samples are known. A Mizoram government notification said that no person shall board any flight bound for Lengpui Airport in Aizawl without obtaining prior permission from Mizoram Home Department and any person arriving there without a movement permit shall not be allowed to leave the airport. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Education is a hot topic this Legislative session. Here's what bills we're watching. Here are some of the hot-button education bills were tracking at the Argus Leader. Check back each day to see where they stand as we update. Boris Johnson has offered full support to his embattled senior adviser Dominic Cummings but many questions still remain about the aides actions, following allegations that he broke lockdown rules twice. It has already become a cliche to suggest that Downing Streets explanations for Mr Cummings behaviour have raised more questions than answers, but on Sunday the prime minister offered barely any answers at all. Mr Johnson insisted his adviser acted responsibly and legally and with integrity when he drove his family 260 miles at the height of the UKs coronavirus lockdown. However, he failed to answer key questions on what Mr Cummings had done and what the advisers actions meant for the governments public health guidance. Below are the questions Mr Johnson failed to answer at Sundays press briefing. Q: Did Mr Cummings make a trip to Barnard Castle in April when he was isolating or at least based in Durham? Mr Cummings was reported to have made a trip to Barnard Castle, about 30 miles from the Cummings family property in Durham, on 12 April and Mr Johnson was asked specifically about this allegation on Sunday. The prime minister replied: I think when you look at the guidance, when you look at the particular childcare needs that Mr Cummings faced at the time, it was reasonable of him to self-isolate as he did for 14 days or more with his family where he did. I think that was sensible and defensible and I understand it. He added: As for all the other allegations, I just repeat what I have said earlier on: I have looked at them carefully and I am content that at all times throughout his period in isolation, actually on both sides of that period, he behaved responsibly and correctly and with a view to defeating the virus and stopping the spread. Mr Johnson failed to directly address the reports about Mr Cummings alleged trip to Barnard Castle and failed to explicitly deny the trip happened. Q: If somebody is in the same position as Mr Cummings and has the same childcare concerns, are they at liberty to do precisely what he did? The prime minister sought to justify Mr Cummings actions by arguing they were totally understandable but stopped short of saying other people were allowed to do what he did. Looking at the very severe childcare difficulties that presented themselves to Dominic Cummings and his family, I think that what they did was totally understandable, there's actually guidance about that particular difficulty, about what you need to do about the pressures that families face when they have childcare needs, Mr Johnson said. His answer did not clarify whether a different family would have been allowed to follow Mr Cummings course of action. Q: Why did Mr Cummings need to go to Durham when he has now said his family did not care for his son? Mr Johnson defended his adviser by arguing the family travelled to Durham in search of childcare, but it is unclear why exactly Mr Cummings had to travel 260 miles for help. Downing Street has also said Mr Cummings and his wife did not need childcare in the end and instead relied on the family to deliver food to their door. In response to a question on this issue, Mr Johnson said: The guidance makes it very clear that where you have particular childcare needs that has got to be taken into account. He added: "I have seen a lot of stuff in the last few days about this episode of self-isolation by Mr Cummings that does not seem to correspond remotely with reality. "As far as I can see he stuck to the rules and he acted legally and responsibly with the sole objective of avoiding such contact as would spread the virus." It is still unclear why Mr Cummings could not have got help with childcare or food deliveries in London if he needed them. Q: If the guidance supposedly said it was permissible to travel for childcare purposes, why were so few people aware of this? Mr Johnson also failed to address why it was not clear to many people that you could travel long distances for childcare, as Mr Cummings did, if this was supposedly allowed. On 23 March, the prime minister was unequivocal when he said: You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home. His statement announcing the lockdown also made no references to supposed exemptions for childcare needs. When asked about this issue on Sunday, Mr Johnson replied: Mr Cummings did isolate for 14 days or more and the circumstances of his self-isolation were determined by the difficult childcare position that he found himself in and I understand that and I think that many other people do. However, as he ended the press conference, the prime minister noted: I think we will be back again tomorrow. These questions do not represent a complete list of the many unexplained details about Mr Cummings' actions or the governments response to them, and many parts of the story remain unclear. Some of the other questions we still do not have answers to include: When was Mr Johnson made aware of the trip and did he authorise it? Why did Downing Street keep quiet about the trip to Durham for weeks? Was it right for Mr Cummings to follow his instincts when the rest of the country was following clearly defined rules? These are questions Downing Street will likely be asked to answer over the coming days. Additional reporting by Press Association Rod Prosser, Beverley McGarvey, Paul Anderson. 10 is on the hunt for a chief operations and commercial officer who will co-manage ViacomCBS operations in Australia/ NZ, with Beverley McGarvey Executive Vice President of ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand. When Paul Anderson resigned as Chief Executive Officer of Network 10 and Executive Vice President in March, 10 advised the market it would be seeking to appoint co-leads. Today the Australian Financial Review reports executive search firm Mission Bay is on the hunt for the COCO role. 10 declined to comment. Ejaz Kaiser By Express News Service RAIPUR: A gang-rape complaint left the Chhattisgarh police baffled, as a teenaged first-year graduate student admitted, in an ICU of a private nursing home in Bilaspur district, claimed through vaguely written contents on a sheet of paper citing balatkar, ward boy, etc and she accused every ward boy as "offender". Meanwhile the Bilaspur police after lodging an FIR have begun investigation. The girl who attempted suicide was rushed to the private hospital in a serious condition on May 18. She still seems to be in a state of hallucination ostensibly caused by traumatic experience faced owing to her attempted suicide. Nothing could be said as of now on gang-rape in ICU or ward boys involved, as she seemed abstracted of her surroundings. We are waiting for the girl to show signs of recovery as her communication is emerging from her hazy memories. We have paraded all ward boys of the hospital before her and she inattentively cited all of them as offenders, Bilaspur SP Prashant Agrawal told the New Indian Express. On Saturday, the girls father lodged a police complaint recounting on what she expressed through words giving sketchy description on the alleged rape incident inside the ICU. The father claimed that she was raped by the ward boys inside the ICU following which the police had registered an FIR. Remember the Red Wall? Rather like Brexit, the seismic shift in UK politics when traditionally Labour seats in the North and Midlands fell to the Tories in the election a few months ago has been eclipsed by the coronavirus. Boris Johnson cannot afford to forget these supporters, particularly in the strange political and economic landscape that has emerged along with the pandemic. Virus or no virus, the Tories need to deliver on their promise to bring back prosperity to the regions. I'm in charge: Prime Minister Boris Johnson came to power with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to wipe out the Conservatives' toxic image in the North To do this, they need a proper industrial strategy that will promote advanced manufacturing and innovation. Above all, they must help the young, whose prospects are most at risk, to make their way into good jobs, with tax breaks for employers taking on recruits, for instance. Scenes on sun-drenched beaches in the past few days suggest some of us have seized on the pandemic to take a long holiday at taxpayer expense. What a fool's paradise. You can bet that is not the mood in Derby, where the townspeople have learned that the major employer, aero engine-maker Rolls-Royce, is planning thousands of redundancies. This represents not only a loss of jobs, but of opportunity for youngsters striving for a coveted apprenticeship. It's also bad news for the Tories, who took local Labour seats in the election including Derby North, High Peak, and Dennis Skinner's old constituency of Bolsover. Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria is another Labour stronghold that swung to the Tories in December. Barrow - a Labour stronghold that swung to the Tories in December and which scores high on most measures of deprivation, has been hit by Covid-19 with a very high rate of infection The major employer there is the submarine yard of BAE Systems, which is protected from the full extent of the economic slump by its military importance. But Barrow, which scores high on most measures of deprivation, has been hit by Covid-19 with a very high rate of infection. Places like the TS3 postcode in my birthplace, Middlesbrough, which includes some of the poorest parts of town with many already unemployed, have suffered extremely high mortality rates. If the Government is not careful, one unwanted side-effect of Covid-19 is that inequalities, far from being levelled out, could become more firmly entrenched. That would be a disaster for the Tories, who must also now contend with a more credible Labour leader, having had it easy with the ludicrous Jeremy Corbyn. If the virus results in another hit to manufacturing and jobs in the North, people who defected from Labour to the Tories may start to regret their choice. As the Conservative mayor of Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, told me, the 'never trust a Tory' mindset is not far beneath the surface in Labour heartlands such as the North East. Some cynical unions are even creating a narrative of callous politicians conspiring with rapacious bosses to make people work in peril of their lives to shore up profits. This does not bear a moment's serious examination. Of course there are some rogue bosses out there, but Britons no longer toil in a world of Dickensian cruelty. We have Rights with a capital R. But the fact that this nonsense is gaining currency should remind the Tories not to take for granted their new friends in the North. Measures needed include tax breaks for R&D and green tech, freeports and targeted help to attract big employers. Johnson came to power with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to wipe out the Conservatives' toxic image in the North. He will never achieve this if he allows manufacturing to buckle under the virus. States across the country will resume domestic flight services from today, except Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, said Union Minister for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri. Airports in Andhra Pradesh will resume services on Tuesday, May 26, and West Bengal will restart on Thursday, May 28. Earlier on Sunday evening, IANS had reported on the delayed resumption of flight services in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. "It has been a long day of hard negotiations with various state govts to recommence civil aviation operations in the country. Except Andhra Pradesh which will start on 26/5 & West Bengal on 28/5, domestic flights will recommence across the country from tomorrow," Puri tweeted. It has been a long day of hard negotiations with various state govts to recommence civil aviation operations in the country. Except Andhra Pradesh which will start on 26/5 & West Bengal on 28/5, domestic flights will recommence across the country from tomorrow. Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 24, 2020 In another tweet, the minister said that starting Monday, there will be limited flights from Mumbai and as per approved one-third schedule from other airports in the state. For Tamil Nadu, he said that there will be maximum 25 daily arrivals in Chennai, but there would be no limit on number of departures. "As per request of state govt, operations in Andhra Pradesh will recommence on limited scale from 26 May. For Tamil Nadu, there will be max 25 arrivals in Chennai but there's no limit on number of departures. For other airports in TN, flights will operate as in other parts of country," Puri said. Domestic flight services resume on Monday after around two months of suspension amid the nationwide lockdown. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 09:01:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland reported two new imported COVID-19 cases Saturday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 1,713, the National Health Commission said Sunday. One new case was reported in Shanghai and one in Guangdong Province, the commission said, adding that three new imported suspected case were reported in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Of the total imported cases, 1,673 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 40 remained hospitalized with one in severe condition, the commission said. No deaths had been reported from the imported cases. Enditem Alhamdulillah, All Praise be to Allah, by whose Grace and Blessings we, at the Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Foundation (STBHF) are able to felicitate the Muslim ummah worldwide. Eid-ul-Fitr is an Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. This is a time for peace for all Muslims in the world to devote to prayers and mutual well-being. It is a joyous occasion with important religious significance. Happiness is observed at attaining spiritual uplift after a month of fasting. On this auspicious occasion, the Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Foundation (STBHF) would wish to extend its warmest wishes to Muslims celebrating Eid-el-Fitr in Qatar and around the world. We congratulate all members of the Muslim community, the men and women who have successfully undertaken the month-long Ramadan fasting. Eid-ul-Fitr is considered one of the main festivals of the Muslim people all over the world. The festival of Eid is celebrated every year after the spotting of the moon on the 30th day of Ramadan. The festival is also called the Festival of Breaking the Fast. The Muslim communities all around the world fast for 30 days called Ramzan or Ramadan, before finally breaking it on Eid-al-Fitr. On this day, people forget their grievances and embrace each other and wish for each other's well being. Muslims also offer prayers in large groups. But this time due to lockdowns and other necessary health precautionary measures because of the escalating COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is celebrating the occasion by following the rules of social distancing. While people will celebrate the festival at their homes, the spirit and enthusiasm of the day are at its peak. Muslims are not only celebrating the end of fasting, but thanking God for the help and strength that they believe He gave them throughout the previous month to help them practice self-control. The significant of Eid -ul -Fitr is purely spiritual. It is the day when the Muslims thank Allah for having given them the will, the strength and the endurance to observe fast and obey His commandment during the holy month of Ramadhan. Eid has no connection with any historical event nor is it related to the changes of seasons or cycles of agriculture. It is not a festival related in any way to worldly affairs. This day, in Muslim world, brings rejoicing and happiness. The rejoicing is not, however, at the departure of the month of Ramadhan; it is the happiness which man feels after successfully completing an important task. So far as the passing away of the month of Ramadan is concerned, Muslim religious leaders of the early days of Islam always felt profound sorrow when it came to an end, as they felt that they were being deprived of the spiritual blessings which were associated with the month of fasting. These show the true Islamic feeling towards the month of Ramadan and its blessings and spiritual benefits. Eid-ul -Fitr is related to such a month of blessings, because it is on this day that the strict restrictions of the preceding month are lifted. Unfortunately, in some places, this resumption of the normal activities is misinterpreted as a licence to indulge in activities prohibited in Islam, like transgression against peaceful neighbours-the case of Saudi Arabia championing a campaign of lies, deception and terrorism against the people of Qatar. Fortunately, such trends are not common yet; but such States should be made to understand the significance of Eid -ul-Fitr. Religious observances of the Eid-ul-Fitr are designed to offer thanks to Allah that He helped us in accomplishing the aim of Ramadhan. Surely, it would be an affront to Allah if anybody, after thanking Him for completing that spiritual training, goes right away sinning against Him! Eid-ul-Fitr can be interpreted as a three-fold blessing: First it provides one more occasion for the Muslims to thank God and remember His blessings. Secondly, it affords an opportunity of spiritual stock-taking, after the month of Ramadhan. A Muslim can now ponder over the strength (or weakness) of his will power; he can see, in the mirror of Ramadhan, what were the strong (or weak) points of his character, because under the stress of fasting, the hidden qualities (or evils) of human character come to surface in such clear way which is, perhaps, not possible otherwise. Thus a man gets a chance of self-diagnosis of the traits of his character, which probably no one else may ever detect. Thirdly, it enjoins the well-to -do persons to share a portion of what they have with their poor brethren. On the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr, a Muslim is obliged to give to the needy food-stuff at the rate of a prescribed weight, on behalf of himself and of every member of his family, including servants and guests who were sheltered under his roof on that night. It would certainly be pleasing to God if we did not forget these lessons after Eid-ul-Fitr. Incidentally, here the difference between religious and materialistic outlooks becomes sharper. Religion exhorts a man to give, by his own free will, a share of his wealth to those who are less fortunate, and to give it for obtaining the blessings of God. Materialism teaches him to snatch from others whatever they have got without any regard to the moral or ethical questions involved. Thus, the religion tries to strengthen the highest qualities of the human character; materialism strives to make him the slave of the lowest animal instincts degrading him to the level of the beasts. It is gratifying that in recent years, our generous citizens, according to the humanistic customs inherited from our ancestors, have been helping low-income families, orphans, the disabled, orphanages and nursing homes, making a worthy contribution to the improvement of cities and towns of our country. We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who has done pious deeds in this holy month and we are confident that the number of such people will continue to grow. Each good deed aimed at supporting the orphaned and the poor in the Muslim culture is considered the best deed. The humanistic and tolerant nature of the sacred religion of Islam is expressed through such good and godly deeds, and importantly, such actions contribute to the strengthening of national unity, stability in society and relations between the inhabitants of the country. Even in the early stages of the spread of Islam, the wise and insightful sons of the Tajik people and culture, such as Imam Azam Abu Hanifa and Imam al-Bukhari, played a prominent role in commenting and spreading the humanistic ideas of the sacred religion of Islam, in spreading science, enlightening the people and promoting cultural values. Indeed, the maintenance of the lamplight of education and the encouragement for the study of science are one of the most important points in the teachings of our highly educated ancestors. We would like to express our respect to all Muslims who are making great efforts to prevent the spread of the Corona virus pandemic during the holy holiday of Eid al-Fitr. We highly value our relations of trust with Muslim communities and countries, and we hope to strengthen the relations in such areas like charity and providing noble service to improve the lives of people. While we are facing the deadly Corona virus pandemic, we would like to cooperate closely with the international community including all Muslims in order to overcome this challenge, and further strengthen the deep and cordial relationships with Muslim communities worldwide. As we observe Eid-al-Fitr this year, we prayer that the faith and will of the faithful be directed to the accomplishment and creation, and not to incite hatreds, revenge and committing actions that threatened the existence of humankind. We would like also to extend our unflinching solidarity to the Muslim Ummah, and wish for early convergence of the Corona virus pandemic, as well as their health and happiness. Concluding, we would like to commend Muslims around the world for their courage and sacrifices in agreeing to celebrate and pray from their various homes to stay safe and save lives. Before we request joy and success, we ought to request kindness. May Allah shower his leniency on us! Ameen!! Happy Eid-al-Fitr! Sender: Mohamed Alie Jalloh Programme Coordinator Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Foundation (STBHF) The Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine has told Radio Farda Kyiv insists on punishing those responsible in Iran for shooting down its passenger plane in January. As the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 took off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini international airport on January 8, heading for Kyiv, two missiles were fired at the plane which crashed near the capital city, killing all aboard. Victims of the crash included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans, and three Britons. Speaking exclusively to Radio Farda, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Yevheniy Yenin, on Saturday, May 23, dismissed a recent remark attributed to the Islamic Republic Minister of Defense. The previous day, a former lawmaker had cited the country's Minister of Defense, Brigadier General Amir Hatami, blaming the operator for violating regulations and "rules" for firing two missiles at the Ukrainian airliner over Tehran. Reacting to the comment attributed to Irans defense minister, Yenin told Radio Farda, "We will only accept Iran's explanation if we are convinced that it has made every effort to conclude the investigation." For three days, the Islamic Republic authorities vehemently insisted that technical failure caused the crash. Ultimately, under domestic and international pressure, the country's Joint Chief of Staff admitted that an Islamic Revolution Guards Corps missile had downed the plane. Meanwhile, Tehran has so far refused to hand over the doomed plane's black boxes for decoding outside Iran. Earlier, the head of Iran's Armed Forces Judiciary, Shokrollah Bahrami had disclosed that one person had been detained in connection with the plane's case and several others had been summoned as defendants. "We expect the investigation to be comprehensive and transparent, in line with international law and standards," Yenin sais, referring to statements made by Iranian government officials. Furthermore, he called on the Islamic Republic government to give Ukraine, as the owner of the aircraft, access to relevant information. He also asserted that other countries involved in the case have a similar position to Ukraine's. While reiterating the fact that Tehran has so far not delivered any official explanation about the tragedy, Yenin noted that the Islamic Republic has not yet set a compensation to be paid to Ukraine and its International Airlines company (UIA), as well as the relatives of the victims. Moreover, Iran has so far refused to table a guarantee ensuring that a similar incident will not happen again in the future, Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister complained. Ukrainian government officials have repeatedly stressed the need for Tehran to cooperate in investigating the incident, asserting that not only the anti-air system operator but also all those who ordered firing missiles at the Ukrainian passenger plane should be identified and punished. Kyiv has also repeatedly warned that should Tehran not cooperate, it will sue the Islamic Republic at international bodies. Mumbai, May 24 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday hinted at further extension of the lockdown after May 31 and proposed restrictions on plans to resume domestic flights from May 25 as the Covid-19 situation could worsen after the onset of monsoon. Addressing the state, he said it was not proper to impose the lockdown suddenly and now it couldn't be lifted abruptly as it would be detrimental to the people. "We will have to study the situation carefully before moving ahead, every step will be taken cautiously to bring back life to normal. The coming weeks are critical as the spread of coronavirus is increasing. People must exercise extreme precautions during monsoon," Thackeray said. Hours after Home Minister Anil Deshmukh red-flagged the Centre's plans to resume domestic flights from Monday, Thackeray spoke to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri on the issue. "The Chief Minister has communicated that till Mumbai International Airport plans and fine-tunes airport operations, they (Centre) should initiate minimum possible domestic flights from Maharashtra from Monday. "These should be purely emergent in nature, like for international transfer passengers, medical emergencies, students and cases on compassionate grounds," said an official from the CMO. Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik later said that the state government is likely to permit around 25 flights daily including cargo services. Taking a swipe at the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's recent 'Maharashtra bachao' agitation, Thackeray said they should not indulge in politics in this crisis before the state. "Even if you play politics, we will not. We have the responsibility of the state and the peoples' faith. We will continue to work for the people," he said. Thanking the Centre for agreeing to the state's demand to provide foodgrains to even those who don't have ration cards, he pointed out that lakhs of Shiv Bhojan Thalis are being served to the people at Rs 5 per plate. Besides, around six lakhs labourers from other states are being provided breakfast and two meals at shelter homes, he added. "They are not a burden on us but they wanted to go home, and after getting sanction, nearly seven lakhs have been sent by 481 special trains. We have taken such good care of them that they chant 'Jai Maharashtra' while leaving," said Thackeray. "Whether the Centre will pay the 85 percent cost of tickets for these labourers or delays it, we have already paid for it fully, around Rs 85 crore so far. We have demanded 80 trains daily, but we are getting around 30-40 trains for sending the migrants back," he pointed out. In addition to the departures by trains, more than 3.80 lakh migrants have been sent by 32,000 buses to the state borders or railway stations at a cost of Rs 75 crore. The CM said over 50,000 industries have resumed operations with more than six lakh employees returning to work in the Green Zones, and now efforts are on to allow shooting of films and television serials besides opening up cinemas in Green Zones. Thackeray said the next battle would be more serious with patients likely to increase, but people must not panic as the health services are all geared to tackle it. "By May-end, 14,000 beds with ICU-Oxygen facilities are coming up in Mumbai and all over the state, several lakhs of beds are being readied for Covid-19 patients. Reassuring the farming community which is now busy with the ensuing Kharif season, Thackeray said that in a new experiment, seeds and fertilisers would be provided to the peasants at their farms. He urged the masses to stay away from monsoon diseases, avoid getting drenched in the rains, and take all other Covid-19 precautions in the interest of all. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text A 20-year-old school dropout was arrested for allegedly stalking a girl in west Delhis Paschim Vihar area, police said on Saturday. The accused has been identified as Rahul Chillar, a resident of Rajdhani Park, Nangloi. He was arrested on Friday, they said. On Tuesday, a woman lodged a complaint at the Paschim Vihar (West) police station alleging that Chillar was stalking her daughter and called her frequently. He studied in same school as the girls and is her senior by two years, a senior police officer said. He used to talk to the girl but now she refuses to talk to him, which annoyed him, the officer said. On Tuesday, he barged into the girls house. He was carrying a pistol and threatened the girl and her mother, according to the officer. The womans nephew reached there and snatched the pistol from Chillars hands. Thereafter, the accused fled from the spot. He left behind his mobile phone, the officer said. Chillar has been arrested and further investigation in the matter is underway, the police said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife, Samira have wished Muslims in Ghana a happy Eid Mubarak. The Vice President in a video message described this years Eid as one of the most challenging in recent times due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country. Due to the outbreak of the pandemic and its attendant restrictions, Muslims for the first time cannot gather at the mosques to mark Eid ul-Fitr today, Sunday, 24 May 2020. Muslims in the country have been advised to pray at home in accordance with the ban on public gathering. Dr Bawumia also indicated that he has missed the opportunity to tour the country during Ramadan periods to pray and have iftar with his fellow Muslims in various communities due to the pandemic. As-salamu alaykum, as we celebrate this year's Eid we want to thank Allah for seeing us through one of the most challenging Ramadans in recent times. We had to deal with the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic and for that reason, the usual prayers in the mosques with our family and loved ones weren't the same. We have had to stay at home throughout this period. Personally, I missed the beautiful opportunity I have usually had during my Ramadan tour to pray and have iftar with various communities across the country. Nonetheless, this has been a very spiritually fulfilling experience and we pray to the Almighty Allah to accept our sacrifices during this month of Ramadan and to bless the nation. Mrs Samira Bawumia asked all Muslims to pray for their loved ones. As we continue to observe the coronavirus restrictions and guidelines by celebrating Eid at home this year, let us continue to pray for our friends, families, loved ones and our nation. citinewsroom The Russian navy has canceled two major shipbuilding projects; the 19,000 ton Lider class (Project 23560) nuclear-powered cruisers and the upgraded version of the 5,400 ton Gorshkov class (Project 22350) frigates. This upgraded (Project 22350M) frigate would have a larger hull that the original Gorshkov, weigh 8,000 tons and have more weapons and more equipment that might not work. The Lider class ships were originally proposed as 12,000 ton cruisers without nuclear power. With nuclear power they replace the Cold War era 28,000 ton Kirov class battlecruisers. Without nuclear power the Libers replace the similar, but older, Slava class cruisers. The Kirovs are not aging well and two have already been retired. The other two are being refurbished, a process that takes at least three years, and kept in service into the 2030s. The nuclear powered Lider were to cost $1.4 billion each. Thats more than three times what the original Gorshkovs cost and twice what the larger Gorshkov will go for. Many naval experts saw the Kirovs as an expensive type of ship Russia could not afford and really did not need. The same applied to the nuclear-powered Liders and larger Gorshkovs. What really killed the Liders and additional Gorshkovs was not just a shrinking naval budget but the many problems encountered with the Gorshkovs and the realization that these problems would not go away in a larger version. Numerous delays getting the first Gorshkov into service played a large role in the cancellation. Construction the first Gorshkovs began in 2006 but by 2010 only one had been launched and it was still only half complete. Two have now been completed and construction is underway on the fourth. The second two Gorshkovs are still not in service although one is still undergoing sea trials and the third is to be launched soon. The navy originally wanted twenty Gorshkovs to replace the Cold War era Sovremenny class destroyers and Burevestnik class frigates. Until the recent cancellation the government only promised money for twelve Gorshkovs with the possibility of three more. These building plans were contingent on these new ships proving their worth. That did not happen. The first Gorshkov has finally passed sea trials a year after it entered service in 2018. One of the delays involved the failure of the anti-aircraft missile system to function properly. There were also problems with the engines. The builder kept insisting it would be ready soon but soon kept getting extended. Another side effect of the Ukraine invasion was Ukraine refusing to supply any more naval turbines. The navy has a Russian firm building these but that is often behind schedule as well and ships like the Gorshkovs use turbines. The original Gorshkov's are armed with a 130mm gun, two Kashtan autocannon systems for missile defense and 8 Yakhont 3M55 or PJ-10 BrahMos anti-ship missiles. Both are three ton supersonic missiles, with the BrahMos being an advanced version of Yakhont developed in cooperation with India. There is also a launcher for 24 Uragan 1 (SA-N-12) anti-aircraft missiles (30 kilometers range, 70 kg/154 pound warhead), four 533mm (21 inch) torpedo tubes, four RPK-9 (SS-N-29) anti-submarine rockets and a helicopter. Gorshkovs require a crew of 210 sailors and will have the latest electronics the Russians have available for anti-air and anti-submarine work. These ships cost about $400 million each and are capable of doing most of what the older, larger 7,900 ton Sovremenny class destroyers did. These older, larger, ships, were designed for high seas operations far from Russian shores. Given the shrinking naval budget and quality control problems with larger ships, the only new ships still being built are smaller ones. The new fleet will be a return to the traditional Russian navy job of defending coastal waters. Even accomplishing that mission is in doubt if Russian cannot get its shipyards up to speed. Russia has been able to build some new corvettes but these are smaller and much less capable ships than the Gorshkovs. Prolonged low oil prices are doing major damage to the Russian Navy. Less oil income on top of the damage done by economic sanctions because of the Ukraine invasion, plus the additional production costs caused by loss of Ukrainian defense industry suppliers, has forced Russia to make a number of changes that have not been mentioned in navy press releases. Russia has been trying, since the late 1990s, to build replacements for Cold War era warships. Most of these have reached the end of their useful lives and many of them, while still listed as in service, rarely, if ever, seem to leave port. Russian admirals have been aware of the fact that they won't have much of a navy by the 2020s unless these older ships are replaced. The problem is that the older ships cannot be easily or cheaply refurbished or upgraded because that would cost more than buying new ones, These older ships are not just falling apart, but because there was not any money available right after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, there were few repairs and no upgrades during the 1990s. The twelve destroyers currently in service were all completed in the 1980s and 1990s. There is also one 1960s vintage destroyer in the Black Sea, which is more for show than active service. The destroyers are wearing out quickly and wont be fit for service much longer. The plans for two new classes of destroyers have been put off until the 2020s. The current destroyers suffered from lack of maintenance in the 1990s and there is no money for refurbishment. These dozen destroyers wont last much beyond 2030, at least not as ships that can stay at sea much. There has been some new construction for frigates (ocean-going ships displacing about 4,000 tons) but some of that construction has stopped or been canceled. Construction of smaller ships like corvettes (500-1,000 tons) and patrol boats is continuing but not at a rate to replace all those currently in service. These smaller vessels are mainly for coastal security and the Cold War era fleet had a lot more of these because Russia was a classic police state that enforced strict border controls. That has been loosened up since the Cold War ended and the loss of many older ships will not leave the coasts undefended. Submarines were one ship type that got priority for new construction even in the 1990s but that has now slowed down. This is critical when it comes to building replacements for the last Cold War class of SSBNs (nuclear ballistic missile subs) which were all completed in the 1980s. These have been quietly retired or semi-retired (only going to sea for training). Priority was put on building eight new Borei class SSBNs. These were delayed and the first one did not enter service until 2013. There are now four in service but construction on the other four has been stopped. Some of these are half-built but there is simply no money to finish them now. So the SSBN fleet is in danger of shrinking to four subs for a while, maybe a long while. The Russian economy revived in the late 1990s and parliament came up with more money after 2000 to build enough surface ships to maintain a respectable fleet. But that revealed another problem. Most of Russia's warship building capability (experience and skills) disappeared after 1991. Before 2014 the government thought it had a solution and that was to make a deal with France to import modern warship building techniques, by purchasing two Mistral amphibious assault ship/helicopter carriers, and the right to build two more in Russian shipyards. During that process, Russian shipbuilders would learn how it's done in the West. Since the late 1990s, most of the Russian construction effort went into finishing a few subs and building some surface ships for export. Even these subs had serious construction problems. Mainly it was quality control and the Navy refused to accept ships, especially subs that could not pass sea trials. Apparently, the shipyards were ordered to put all their efforts into the subs and eventually some of these limped into service. But the deal to import French shipbuilding techniques disappeared when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014. France refunded the billion dollars paid for the two Mistrals (and later sold them to Egypt) leaving the Russians on their own. The Gorshkovs are not an isolated example. The same problems have been encountered with the Su-57 stealth fighter, the radical new T-14 tank, the new Borei SSBN and the Bulava ballistic missile for Borei. In general, Russian defense industries continue to have problems developing new technology or even manufacturing older items reliably. The Russian space program is having similar problems with its rockets. The list goes on and on. Russia plays down all these problems but the net result is they have very little locally produced stuff to replace their Cold War designs. Worse, China is now producing improved and more reliable versions of those Cold War era weapons, along with new Western tech (like large, missile-armed UAVs) that Russia cannot master. In the late 1980s the Soviet (Russian) Navy was the second largest in the world and largely consisted of new ships, many of them nuclear-powered and equipped with a formidable array of weapons. All that is largely gone now. China has left its Cold War era ship designs behind and is copying Western designs. So are the Russians, but not as competently as the Chinese. Nor can the Russians build dozens of new warships a year and have them operate reliably. American intel collecting aircraft, ships and satellites monitor sea trials for new Russian and Chinese ships and note that the Chinese are doing much better. Now the second largest fleet in the world is Chinese and it is looking to be a far more dangerous adversary than the Soviet fleet ever was. Press Release May 24, 2020 Gatchalian proposes creation of National Education Council to 'build back better' from COVID-19 impact Senator Win Gatchalian has filed a bill proposing the creation of a 'National Education Council' (NEDCO) to institutionalize national coordination and harmonization of policies among the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Senate Bill No. 1526 mandates NEDCO to create a national education agenda, which will establish the country's strategic vision for education. The national education agenda will have a horizon of at least five years, which NEDCO will update annually. NEDCO will also submit an annual report to Congress on the implementation of the national education agenda. According to Gatchalian, the establishment of NEDCO will boost the education sector's efforts to 'build back better' from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected more than 28 million students from pre-primary to tertiary levels. To reiterate the need for aligned education policies, Gatchalian cited as an example the need for a stronger link between teachers' in-service and pre-service teacher education, noting that the latter is not within the DepEd's mandate. Pre-service teacher education provides training to student teachers before they undertake the actual teaching experience while in-service teacher education provides learning opportunities for practicing teachers. NEDCO will also implement an action agenda to boost the country's performance in assessments such as the National Achievement Test (NAT), Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Education Index, and Education for All Development Index. Gatchalian recalled the results of PISA 2018, which revealed that out of 79 countries, the Philippines ranked lowest in Reading Comprehension and second lowest in Science and Mathematics. The senator added that if the proposed measure becomes a law, one of NEDCOs' tasks is to make the education system more resilient considering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Sa pagbuo ng NEDCO, palalakasin natin ang ugnayan sa pagitan ng DepEd, TESDA, CHED, mga iba't ibang sektor, at ahensya ng pamahalaan upang maging mabisa ang pagpapatupad ng mga reporma sa ating sistema ng edukasyon," said Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture. NEDCO will be chaired by the President, while the DepEd Secretary, CHED and TESDA Chairpersons will serve as Co-Vice Chairpersons. Other members of the NEDCO will include the Senate President, the Speaker of the House, the heads of various government agencies, and representatives of different sectors. The proposed measure also taps the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for education mapping and statistics. The creation of a body similar to NEDCO was first proposed in the 1991 Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) to further strengthen the role of education in accelerating national development and global competitiveness. The National Coordinating Council for Education (NCCE) was created through Executive Order (EO) No. 273, s. 2000 issued by former President Joseph Estrada. In 2007, the Arroyo administration abolished the NCCE and transferred its functions to a Presidential Assistant and then to the Presidential Task Force to Assess, Plan and Monitor the Entire Educational System. As the new coronavirus pandemic continues, Muslims in the western Balkan countries have been finding new ways to pray for Eid celebrations at the end of Ramadan. Faithful in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, countries with a predominantly Muslim populations, have been either praying at home or outside closed mosques. Imams have been in digital contact throughout the fasting month of Ramadan, and are expected to conclude it with Eid in the same way . In Pristina, Mufti Naim Ternava of the Islamic Community of Kosovo led prayers at a mosque in front of a group of imams sitting 1.5 meters from each other, with attendees listening through loudspeakers. "Brothers and sister, on this Bayram day I invite you to be patient a little bit more until we overcome the danger from the COVID-19," said Ternava, calling the faithful to avoid visiting each other. The event comes after a group of Muslims prayed at the Skanderbeg Square in Pristina to protest the Community's decision against opening the mosques. Kosovar health authorities repeated advice for people to not gather in mosques or visit relatives during the pandemic. "Let's consider our sacrifice and care to preserve the health of everyone as a sublime value" health authorities said in a statement. In Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, mosques opened on 6 May after seven weeks of closure. Restrictions are still in place, with facemasks and social distancing measures in force during prayers, and older people advised to stay at home. For Eid prayers, everyone was asked to perform the first daily prayer that precedes it at home. In addition, the Islamic Community agreed not to carry out its traditional Eid reception, usually attended by government officials, foreign diplomats and representatives of other religious communities in the country. "Thank Allah when we went through all this, adhered to, followed the instructions of the state, persevered in all this and hopefully it will get better." Vail Imamovic said In Tirana, Albania, where the capital's main Skanderbeg Square is usually packed with faithful during Eid, people gathered inside the mosques instead, as they opened their doors after two months of closure. "The moment the mosques were closed seemed as if a big entrance was shut, God's door. But later we understood that if a mosque was closed at a quarter, then hundreds of mosques opened because the home of each one of us turned into a mosque," said Imam Gazmend Teqja of the Xhura Mosque in the Albanian capital. At a mosque not far from the centre, people gathered in the street in defiance of social distancing orders. No police were seen stopping the gathering. As of Sunday there have been 29 confirmed deaths and 1,032 confirmed cases in Kosovo, 141 confirmed deaths and 2,391 confirmed cases in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and 32 confirmed deaths and 989 confirmed cases in Albania. (Representative Image) Senior Chinese leaders Saturday joined national political advisors in different group discussions at the third session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The leaders -- Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng -- are all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. Premier Li Keqiang stressed strengthening the development of convenient and efficient testing technologies, effective drugs and vaccines against COVID-19, and promoting international cooperation in the regard. Noting that the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has attached great importance to the cause of multiparty cooperation, Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, called on non-CPC parties to take an active part in coordinating epidemic control and economic and social development. Wang Yang, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, stressed upholding the fundamental principles of "peaceful reunification" and "one country, two systems," adhering to the 1992 Consensus that embodies the one-China principle, and resolutely opposing and deterring secessionist activities advocating "Taiwan independence" in any form. Wang Huning, a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, stressed speeding up the reform and improvement of the system for disease prevention and control, making breakthroughs in key and core technologies related to medical and health care, and addressing issues that concern the immediate interests of the people. Zhao Leji, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, called on political advisors to make proposals for major decisions and plans, such as the task of coordinating epidemic control and economic and social development. Vice Premier Han Zheng said establishing and improving at the state level the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security is a carefully-made decision by the central authority based on Hong Kong's situation. The move targets acts of splitting the country, subverting state power, organizing and carrying out terrorist activities and other behaviors that seriously endanger national security, as well as activities of foreign and external forces to interfere in the affairs of the HKSAR, he said. In a significant observation, a judge of the Orissa High Court has observed that indulgence in sexual intercourse on false promise of marriage does not amount to rape. Justice S K Panigrahi also raised questions about whether rape laws should be used to regulate intimate relationships, especially in cases where women enter into a relationship by choice. Justice Panigrahi made the observations on Thursday while allowing the bail application of a rape accused, setting aside a lower court order. The case related to the arrest of a student from Koraput district of Odisha under rape charges on a complaint by a 19-year-old tribal woman in November last year. According to the case records, the young man and the woman of the same village were in a physical relationship for about four years and she got pregnant twice during that period. The woman later lodged a police complaint alleging that the man had established physical relations with her taking advantage of her innocence and promising that he will marry her. The woman had claimed that she was coerced by the accused into terminating her pregnancies by consuming abortion pills. Police registered a case and arrested the man, who was in jail for the last six months. The high court on Thursday allowed his bail application on the condition that he will cooperate with the prosecution and shall not threaten the alleged victim. In his 12-page order, Justice Panigrahi discussed the rape laws in detail and observed that "a consensual relationship without even any assurance obviously will not attract the offence under Section 376 of the IPC (rape)". Noting that there was a need to delve into the issue, Justice Panigrahi said questions are often raised as to how such cases are addressed by the statute and judicial pronouncements. He, however, also observed that the rape laws often fail to address the plight of socially-disadvantaged and poor victims, who get lured into sex by men on false promise of marriage. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The military commander of eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) said on late Saturday that they will continue fighting forces loosely allied with the UN-supported Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, even though his campaign has suffered setbacks in recent weeks. Khalifa Haftar, commander of the LNA forces , has been waging a campaign for over a year trying to capture the capital. The military tide has been reversed in recent weeks, and his forces lost several towns and a key airbase. Haftar's side controls the country's east and most of the south, while the GNA controls areas in the west, including Tripoli. In a two-minute audio speech addressed to his forces, Haftar said they ``will fight and fight'' against what he called ``Turkish colonialism.'' Turkey is aiding the embattled government in Tripoli. It has recently stepped up its military support with armored drones, air defenses and Syrian mercenaries with links to extremist groups. ``To our brave officers and soldiers, you are fighting a holy war that is open to all fronts, a comprehensive war in which there is nothing but victory,'' Haftar said in the speech. ``Every Turkish solider, mercenary sent by (Turkey's President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan to Libya and every traitor who has allowed the occupier to return is a target of our armed forces.'' Col. Mohamed Gnounou, a spokesman for GNA forces, said Saturday that they seized two military camps on the outskirts of Tripoli that LNA forces had captured at the beginning of their campaign last year. Haftar's side said its fighters were merely completing a retreat of 2 to 3 kilometers (about 2 miles) from Tripoli's southern reaches to allow families to visit each other safely in celebration of the Eid al-Fitr holiday Sunday. It also said they had retaken the Yarmouk military camp and killed ``large number of the militias`` and captured a dozen others. It said they shot down two Turkish drones over southern Tripoli that were targeting their forces. The claims of the two sides could not be independently verified. The US ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, called Saturday for a halt to the ``destabilizing flow'' of Russian and other foreign military equipment and mercenaries into Libya. ``The needless offensive against Tripoli must end so all foreign forces can depart and Libyan leaders who are prepared to lay down their weapons can come together in peaceful dialogue on the issues that divide them,'' Norland said during a phone call with Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj. Aguila Saleh, the speaker of Libya's parliament, called for the UN Security Council to withdraw its recognition of the Tripoli-based government and appoint a new administration representing all Libyan regions. In an address aimed at the Libyan people on the eve of Eid el-Fitr, he also called for clearing Tripoli of ``terrorist groups'' and a fair distribution of the nation's oil and gas revenues. The escalation in fighting comes despite increased international pressure on both sides to return to negotiating a political settlement and to halt the violence over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. Libya has reported at least 75 cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, including three deaths. The oil-rich country has been in turmoil since 2011, when a civil war toppled long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. Libya has since split between the rival administrations in the east and the west. The turmoil in Libya has steadily worsened as foreign backers increasingly intervene despite pledges to the contrary at a high-profile peace summit in Berlin earlier this year. * This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Researchers at Columbia University are conducting this critical study to assess CQ as prophylaxis against COVID-19 in healthcare workers Hyderabad based Natco Pharma Limited reiterates its commitment in supporting a clinical trial to prevent symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections by donating Chloroquine Phosphate (CQ) Tablets through its marketing partner in the United States, Rising Pharmaceuticals, to a study conducted by Columbia University, New York. After NATCOs recent donation to a global clinical trial conducted by the CROWN (COVID-19 Research Outcomes Worldwide Network) Collaborative at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis it has now committed to support the Phase 2 of a clinical trial at Columbia University. The trial aims to determine the effectiveness of CQ in preventing COVID-19 infection in healthcare workers with moderate to high risk of exposure to the virus. Researchers at Columbia University are conducting this critical study to assess CQ as prophylaxis against COVID-19 in healthcare workers. The Phase 2 trial will enroll 350 volunteers who work in direct patient care roles at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and who have contact with patients who may have COVID-19 infection. NATCO has been supplying CQ Tablets, a USFDA approved drug, through its marketing partner to the United States since 2011. Columbia University, a private Ivy League research university in New York City established in 1754 is renowned across the world for its expertise in conducting well designed clinical trials and NATCO is glad to work with them on this path breaking trial. Bolsonaro's approach has mirrored that of Trump, who in the early days of the outbreak sought to downplay the severity and suggest the few cases that existed in the U.S. would just disappear. After agreeing to encourage Americans to practice social distancing, Trump began to say the cure can't be worse than the problem itself. He has been aggressively pushing governors to allow businesses to reopen and traveling more himself. With much of the nation shut down due to COVID-19, one might not even remember that May 25, 2020, is a Monday or, more importantly, Memorial Day. The customary Memorial Day festivities of barbecues, beer, wearing white, traveling, and shopping will be truncated, if not arrested. But perhaps this is a sublime unintended consequence of social distancing and sheltering at home orders. If it settles our minds and let us focus on first things first actually giving Memorial Day its due. Although there are many competing claims for its origin, the record is clear that Memorial Day began as Decoration Day near the end of the Civil War. Dedicated women and men would decorate the graves of the wars fallen soldiers. The strewing of flowers on their tombs were almost compulsory, spontaneous affairs scattered throughout the country. No laws, resolutions, or executive orders spurred the adorners to action. Then, women and men were inspired by the each other to give solemn homage to the dead. However, one cannot cabin a good idea its power will spill over to the broader society. Major General John A. Logan was the leader of the Grand Army of the Republic an organization of former Union soldiers. He ordered that on May 30, 1868, the fallen be commemorated and their graves be decorated. The day was celebrated in 27 states. That year included the first Decoration Day at Arlington National Cemetery. Former Union General, current congressman, and future President John Garfield was the keynote speaker. Garfield reflected that the fallen had summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and . . . made immortal their patriotism and their virtue. He also remarked that our history had made our people unfit for despotism, and the war dead sacrificed for freedom: They must save their Government or miserably perish. Logans order, the commemorations across the country, and Garfields stirring words created a strong foundation to firmly establish Decoration Day as an annual celebration held every May 30. With Michigan leading the way, Decoration Day became a state holiday across the nation. Why May 30? Southern Decoration Days were tied to some key event of the Confederacy, but Logan yielded to a much stronger power Mother Nature. The flowers would be in full bloom. With the fading of the Civil War generation, the intervention of other conflicts, and World War I, Decoration Day expanded to include all war dead. By World War II, it was commonly referred to as Memorial Day. Congress in the 1960s got the bright idea to create a three day weekend, uprooting nearly a century of tradition, by shifting the date to the fourth Monday of May. With that change, much of the memorial was lost, and the travel season and other festivities began. Frederick Douglass declared on Decoration Day in 1871 that if our country has before it a long and glorious career of justice, liberty, and civilization, we are indebted to the unselfish devotion of the noble army who rest in these honored graves all around us. Nothing could be more true today. This Memorial Day, enjoy yourself. But also honor our dead through a prayer, moment of silence, flying the flag, attending a ceremony (if legal), or other meaningful reflection. Be worthy of the sacrifices of the fallen by rededicating yourself to American freedom and liberty. They and you deserve it. Hon. Michael Warren is an Oakland County Circuit Court Judge, co-creator of Patriot Week (www.PatriotWeek.org), and author of Americas Survival Guide (www.AmericasSurvivalGuide.com). The Republican-controlled Legislature then adopted a new restriction that felons had to settle their financial obligations to the court before having their eligibility to vote restored. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed it into law last year. The states lawyers argued that voters knew when they supported Amendment 4, the measure restoring voting rights, that felons would have to pay their outstanding debts before becoming eligible to vote. But the judge roundly rejected that argument and noted that the state has no uniform way to let felons know how much they owe or have already paid. Surely very few Florida voters knew that every Florida felony conviction results in an order to pay hundreds of dollars in fees and costs intended to fund the government, even when the judge does not choose to impose a fine as part of the punishment and there is no victim to whom restitution is owed, Judge Hinkle wrote in his 125-page opinion. Surely very few Florida voters knew that fees and costs were imposed regardless of ability to pay, that the overwhelming majority of felons who would otherwise be eligible to vote under Amendment 4 owed amounts they were unable to pay, and that the State had no ability to determine who owed how much. He upbraided Florida for failing to come up with a satisfactory way for felons to check how much they might owe or show the state that they could not afford to pay. The judge ordered the division of elections to issue a form with which felons might request an advisory opinion on their eligibility to vote. The felon would then be able to register to vote within 21 days unless the division finds that the applicant is ineligible. Judge Hinkle temporarily blocked the restriction in October, a decision later affirmed by appeals court. Judge Hinkle then held an unusual bench trial via video conference in late April and early May. The coronavirus pandemic had made it unwise for lawyers and witnesses to appear in court in person. WATERLOO REGION Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms is encouraged to get tested at any of Waterloo Regions four centres. Ontario Premier Doug Ford in a departure from previous provincial guidelines has also directed people who have no symptoms, but think they might have been exposed, to get tested. All of the local centres operated by the three hospitals and a Waterloo walk-in clinic were on the weekend accepting self-referrals from people experiencing symptoms, who can call directly to book an appointment. The centres have been open. Weve extended the hours, St. Marys General Hospitals president Lee Fairclough. They can come and be tested. Basically, its a phone call to book a time. The centres expanded testing to anyone with symptoms on the holiday weekend, following earlier provincial directives. Snapshot of COVID-19 cases in Waterloo Region Updated May 24 112 People who have died 4 Days, no deaths 1,078 People who have tested positive 713 People have recovered Source: Region of Waterloo public health During his Sunday briefing, Ford said he was opening testing further to people who are worried they have COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone with the virus, regardless of whether they have symptoms. Even if youre not showing symptoms, please go get a test. You will not be turned away, Ford said. No matter if youre showing symptoms or you arent showing symptoms and bring your family along with you to get tested. He said the government will soon be releasing a detailed testing strategy targeting various sectors and hot spots across the province with the aim of ramping up testing, adding that the only way to continue reopening the economy is to see the numbers of new cases going down. If you feel you need a test, youll be able to get a test. So please dont wait. Our assessment centres are ready to receive you, Ford said. Local testing centres are all open seven days a week, although hours vary. Information is posted on Region of Waterloo Public Healths site, including locations, hours and numbers to call for an appointment. The St. Marys location, which is in north Waterloo where it held a cardiac program, tested 44 people on Saturday and most weekdays reaches close to the current capacity of 55. We have the ability to expand that as we need to, Fairclough said. People shouldnt hesitate to get tested, as all the locations have the capacity to test more people and Fairclough emphasized that theres no need to worry about overburdening the health system. People also dont need to avoid getting tested because they dont want to go into a hospital. A provincial requirement for all assessment centres is that theres a separate, marked entrance. Thats the case at both centres located within Grand River Hospital and Cambridge Memorial Hospital. Booking an appointment also means no lineups or crowds. Fairclough also encourages people who have recently returned to work and develop symptoms to get tested. No new COVID-19 deaths in Waterloo Region were reported over the weekend. The total number of 112 has remained steady since Wednesdays update by public health, and its only one more death since the long weekend. The Sunday update which includes data up to 7 p.m. the day before, reported 1,078 confirmed cases, up only 12 cases since Friday. Of the current local cases, 713 are resolved and 29 are hospitalized. Two out of three cases in the region are resolved. Outbreaks are declared at 12 long-term care and retirement homes. An outbreak at PeopleCare Hilltop Manor in Cambridge ended on Saturday. A total of 15,486 tests have been done in the region. We just want to be sure that were reaching the people we need to, she said. Regional Chair Karen Redman said during Fridays briefing that its welcome news everyone with symptoms can now get tested and overall the number of new cases in the region are slowing. However, COVID-19 is still present in Waterloo Region, Redman said. She encouraged people to wear a face mask or covering when theyre in situations where its difficult to keep two metres from others. If we all wore face masks, we would be protecting each other. You protect me. I protect you, Redman said. As a caring, collaborative community, I know that we can do this together. Both provincial and federal officials are now recommending the use of face masks to limit the spread of COVID-19 as stores and amenities begin to reopen. It is part of our new normal, Redman said. If we all continue to physically distance, maintain good hand hygiene and wear mask coverings to protect each other, we will beat this. Township of North Dumfries Mayor Sue Foxton also encouraged people to get out and enjoy life, but not to forget important public health measures put in place to curb spread of the virus. Weve started the new normal. Weve started the next way on how were going to live our lives. And that means we have to watch social distancing, we have to wear masks when we go out in public because sometimes we get crowded together even though we dont intend to be, Foxton said in a Twitter message on the weekend. She reminded people that the battle is not over yet. The success of how we do this allows us to defeat and move forward stronger and better. But we have to do it together. We have to follow the rules, Foxton said. The more things we do right, the less restrictions well have and the more well be able to move forward and outward together and enjoy each others company again. Read more about: MANISTEE COUNTY, MI - Manistee County Sheriffs deputies and Michigan State Police are investigating an early-morning murder-suicide and attempted carjacking incident that left three separate crimes scenes across the county. The string of incidents began about 7:30 a.m. Sunday when Manistee County Sheriffs deputies responded to a report of a shooting in the 4300 block of Potter Road in Onekama Township, police said. Deputies found a 28-year-old Bear Lake man had been shot numerous times. The victim, whose name has not yet been released, died at the scene. Witnesses stated they observed a subject pull into the driveway and shoot the victim numerous times and then leave, police said. At 8:37 a.m. today, authorities responded to a complaint about gunshots being fired in the 14000 block of Contes Highway in the Brethren area of Dickson Township. Police determined no one had been injured there, but there had been a carjacking attempt that seemed to involve a vehicle similar to the one reported at the earlier homicide scene. Michigan State Police troopers from the Cadillac post were assisting with the investigation when they learned the suspect, a 27-year-old man, might be in the Wellston area. Troopers went to an address on Spruce Street there, but learned the suspect had walked away from that home a few minutes before. Authorities were approached by a resident, who told police that the suspect had tried to steal his car, then ran away toward a nearby swamp. Police set up a perimeter and saw the suspect walking on Spruce Street a short time later. The suspect pointed a firearm in the direction of a trooper before shooting himself with his own firearm, state police said. Troopers approached the suspect, took him into custody, and attempted life-saving measures until EMS crews arrived. The suspect died on the way to the hospital, police said. His name has not been released by police. Assisting on this investigation were the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Police Department, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and local emergency workers. A special thank-you goes out to the various residents in Wellston who provided quick updates to the troopers on scene, state police said. TORONTO, May 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Fraser Institute today released its annual rankings of Ontario secondary schools, and the findings show that more Ontario high schools declined in performance in 2019 than those that improved. The Report Card on Ontarios Secondary Schools 2020 , the most accessible tool for parents to compare the academic performance of the provinces schools, ranks 733 anglophone and francophone public and Catholic schools (and a small number of independent and First Nations schools) based on nine academic indicators derived from annual provincewide reading, writing and math tests. The Report Card offers parents information they cant easily get anywhere else, about how their childs school performs over time and compares to other schools across Ontario, said Peter Cowley, a Fraser Institute senior fellow. This year, 73 schools around the province experienced declining performance, while 47 schools showed improvement. But contrary to common misconceptions, the data suggest every school is capable of improvement regardless of where its located, where it ranks, or the students it serves. For example, Great Fort Erie Secondary School in the Niagara region was one of the top five fastest improving schools in the province last year (rising from a score of 3.6 out of 10 in 2015 to 6.8 in 2019) despite 26.7 per cent of its students having special needs. Similarly, over the same period, Ecole secondaire Hanmer, a French-language high school north of Sudbury that ranks 658 out of 733 this year, is the third-fastest improver across the entire province and has improved its rating from 0 to 3.7 from 2015 to 2019. We often hear excuses that some schools cant improve student performance because of the communities and students they serve, but all over Ontario, there are schools with students facing significant challenges that still find ways to improve, Cowley said. For the complete results on all ranked schools and to compare the performance of different schools, visit www.compareschoolrankings.org . MEDIA CONTACT: Peter Cowley, Senior Fellow Fraser Institute 604-789-0475 peter.cowley@fraserinstitute.org Bryn Weese, Fraser Institute (604) 688-0221 ext. 589 bryn.weese@fraserinstitute.org Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter | Like us on Facebook Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 11:41:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BUJUMBURA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Burundian National Independent Human Rights Commission on Saturday evening said the general elections on May 20 were held in a "good and fair" manner. "I confirm that elections took place at a time when peace, security and human rights were respected," said Sixte Vigny Nimuraba, chairman of the commission, in a press statement released in Burundi's economic center Bujumbura. Nimuraba urged security forces to continue being professional in protecting human rights as they did on the polling day. He also called on political competitors to respect results of the elections once they are released. Burundi voters went to the polls on Wednesday to elect a new president, members of the National Assembly, and district councillors. According to the agenda of the National Independent Electoral Commission, provisional results for the three polls are expected to be published on May 26. Agathon Rwasa, a major challenger to the ruling party in the elections, on Thursday rejected provisional results released earlier in the day by a dozen of district electoral commissions, a small portion of the total 119 commissions nationwide, which showed the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) gained a large victory in the three elections. The presidential candidate and chairman of the opposition National Council for Liberty party said the results are a "fantasy," arguing he has evidence that he and his party win in those districts. Burundi plunged into crisis in April 2015 when the current president, Pierre Nkurunziza from CNDD-FDD, decided to run his controversial third term bid, which he won in July 2015. His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup in May 2015. The overall security of Burundi has improved, and the current situation is generally stable. Enditem The General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, on Sunday said it will take a special miracle from God for Coronavirus to completely leave the world. Adeboye, who spoke during a live telecast to members of his church on Dove TV, charged Christians to trust in God because He could not be caught by surprise. The man of God insisted that just like other infections, Coronavirus would not go away in haste, but would remain in the world for a while. Coronavirus will not disappear completely. Just like flu, Cholera and Ebola, it wont leave the world completely. It will take a special miracle from God for it to leave the world completely. Many people will be grateful to God after this lockdown. Some people who dont spend time with their families will be grateful to God. Trust God that nothing takes him by surprise, he knows everything from the beginning and He is in charge, he stated. Adeboye added that he had told his members at the beginning of the year that this year (2020) the world is going to behave like a child in convulsion. l also told those of you who are my children: you are going to pass through this thing without a problem. Those of you who are genuinely my children, you will pass through the sea without even a touch of water on you. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fiery furnace, even the smell of fire was not on them. I want you to believe me because my Father does not lie: You will come out of this problem safe and sound. You must take the step of faith. I want you to put yourself in the position of the Children of Israel. Moses spoke, told them tomorrow will be alright, they saw the wind blowing, they saw a path opening up in the Red Sea, but it took an act of faith on their part to work into the middle of the Red Sea because on their right and left hand, there was a huge wall of water but they marched on. May l appeal to you, if you want to pass through whatever challenges you are facing, you better cross over to the right side. Cross over to Jesus Christ, He can make a way where there is no way. His name is the way. Surrender your life to Him. A n investigation has been launched after a tweet on the official UK Civil Service account hit out at truth twisters. The account shared the blunt message after the Downing Street press briefing on Sunday and was shared thousands of times before being deleted around 12 minutes later. The post said: "Arrogant and offensive. Can you imagine having to work with these truth twisters?" The tweet, which was liked more than 30,000 times before being removed, came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to defend his chief adviser Dominic Cummings over allegations he breached lockdown rules by travelling to Durham. The tweet was soon deleted and it is not clear if the account had been hacked or if the tweet had been posted from somebody working there. BBC Newsnight policy editor Lewis Goodall retweeted the post and said: "This has just been tweeted from the UK Civil Service account. "This is the craziest political weekend for a long time." A UK Government spokesman told the Standard: An unauthorised tweet was posted on a Government channel this evening. The post has been removed and we are investigating the matter. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy The beginning of the new decade hasn't exactly gone according to plan. The past couple of months have been consumed by dealing with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has ravaged the U.S. economy and labor market, as well as cost almost 92,000 Americans their lives, as of early in the morning on May 20, 2020. By some estimates, COVID-19 could push the unemployment rate to 25%, which would rival the all-time high set during the Great Depression. Just in case you forgot, we're just over five months from Election Day But seemingly lost among these challenges is the fact that this is an election year. In a little over five months, voters will head to the polls (or perhaps mail in their ballots) to determine who'll lead the country forward for the next four years. From the Democratic Party ticket, former Vice President Joe Biden has emerged as the presumptive nominee from a field that once consisted of around two dozen candidates. Meanwhile, on the Republican ticket it'll be incumbent Donald Trump seeking a second term. Although pretty much all events lately have been held virtually, because of safety concerns surrounding COVID-19, one thing that's pretty clear is that these two candidates share little in common. Biden, for example, was vice president when Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, became law and expanded healthcare options for many low-income Americans and their families. Biden has pledged to expand the ACA if elected as president. Trump, on the other hand, made a pledge before winning his first term to dismantle or repeal Obamacare. He's been modestly successful in weakening many of its components, albeit some facets of the Affordable Care Act remain in place to this day. And make no mistake about it: Biden's and Trump's differences don't end at healthcare. They have differing stances on immigration, climate policy, trade, corporate taxation, Social Security, and much more. The one issue Trump and Biden actually see eye-to-eye on But amid the partisan divide that Washington, D.C., has become known for in recent years, the former vice president and current president do share one thing in common and it's something that two-thirds of the American public isn't going to happy about. Namely, neither Biden nor Trump has any intention of legalizing marijuana. According to an October 2019 survey from national pollster Gallup, 66% of Americans were in favor of legalizing cannabis, which is unchanged from the previous year, and up substantially from the 44% who supported legalization 10 years ago. Based on party identification, Democrats (76%) and Independents (68%) strongly favor legalization, with Republicans (51%) relatively neutral. But, to be clear, favorability toward marijuana has improved significantly for self-identified Republicans over the past decade. Furthermore, 33 states have legalized medical marijuana since 1996, with 11 of those states also allowing for the consumption and/or retail sale of recreational cannabis products. In other words, the cannabis industry has existed in the U.S. in opposition to federal law, which lists it as a Schedule I (i.e., illicit) substance, for the past 24 years. Yet, even with an overwhelming percentage of the public in favor of legalization, neither candidate is likely to support legalization. However, there could be some nuanced differences for the industry depending on who wins the November election. Two big changes we could see if Biden wins in November If the contender, Joe Biden, were to take the Oval Office comes January 2021, there would likely be two key differences to how the U.S. cannabis industry looks today. First of all, Biden has championed the idea of decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level. Obviously, this wouldn't mean that anyone could have pounds of weed in their possession at any given time. However, small possession offenses may result in a fine, rather than jail time. This could certainly open the door to more consumers considering marijuana products for personal use. The second change is that Biden's presence makes it a bit likelier that some sort of cannabis banking reform measures will be signed into law during his first term. As a refresher, since most banks and credit unions report to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (a federally created agency), they fear the financial or criminal repercussions of assisting cannabis-based businesses. This means most pot companies can't access traditional forms of financing. Under a Biden presidency, that has a greater likelihood of changing. This is noteworthy given that real estate investment trust Innovative Industrial Properties (NYSE:IIPR) has made a financial killing by offering sale-leaseback agreements to U.S. multistate operators (MSO). Since MSO's are struggling to access traditional forms of financing, Innovative Industrial is stepping in and purchasing cultivation and processing sites in exchange for cash. In return, it rents these assets back to their previous owners for an extended period of time (10 to 20 years), reaping the rewards of rental income. If cannabis banking reform comes to fruition, Innovative Industrial Properties would lose the advantage of being a funding source for U.S. pot stocks. Expect the status quo from Trump presidency 2.0 Comparatively, if Donald Trump were to be reelected to a second term, there would be little chance of change at the federal level. For instance, Trump has indirectly made his stance on marijuana crystal clear through the selection of his two attorneys general. Both former AG Jeff Sessions and current AG William Barr publicly oppose the expansion of the legal cannabis movement. In fact, Sessions tried to repeal certain cannabis protections that would have allowed him to use federal dollars to prosecute medical marijuana businesses in legalized states. This past December, Trump also attached a signing statement to a federal funding bill that he signed into law. Presidents usually attach signing statements to legislation that they believe could limit their authority to uphold federal law in accordance with their constitutional responsibilities. In sum, Trump's signing statement could, in theory, allow him to completely ignore the protections put in place for medical pot businesses in legalized states. If Trump wins a second term, large-scale MSOs with sufficient funding should shine. As an example, Green Thumb Industries (OTC:GTBIF) has opened 44 dispensaries in legalized states and has licenses to open as many as 96 retail locations in a dozen states. Green Thumb has been actively selling properties to Innovative Industrial Properties via sale-leaseback agreements to bolster its balance sheet, and it's getting ever so close to operating profitability. With no immediate funding concerns, a second term for Trump would likely help it continue to corner market share in key states. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday lashed out at the country's justice system, rejecting the charges against him as "ludicrous", as his long-awaited corruption trial got underway, making him the first sitting premier of the country to go on trial for corruption. Netanyahu, the country's longest serving prime minister, appeared at the opening hearing at a Jerusalem court to face charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, days after he returned to power following months of political deadlock. The 70-year-old Israeli leader is accused of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three different cases, dubbed Case 1000 (fraud and breach of trust), Case 2000 (fraud and breach of trust) and Case 4000 (bribery, fraud and breach of trust). It is the first time in the country's history that a sitting prime minister is facing a criminal trial. Speaking to the media before entering the Jerusalem District Court, Prime Minister Netanyahu told reporters the investigations against him were tainted from day one, and called the three indictments against him "ludicrous," the hareetz.com reported Netanyahu told the panel of judges that he has read and understands the three indictments against him. Netanyahu's lawyer Micha Fettman listed in the court the incomplete and late arrival of the evidence against the prime minister. Fettman said it will take the defence team at least two or three months to make any preliminary requests to the court as I am blessed to be ignorant of the full extent of the charges, the portal reported. The prime minister's legal team asked the court for a six-month delay to fully study the charges. Netanyahu has denied all the charges, claiming that he is the victim of an "attempted coup by overaggressive police, biased prosecutors and a hostile media". A three-judge panel on Wednesday rejected a request for exemption and directed him to appear in person during the reading of the chargesheet. The panel ruled that the reasoning behind Netanyahu's request for exemption from personal appearance "did not justify such a deviation from the norm", which requires the presence of the accused at the opening of his or her trial. Netanyahu on Tuesday requested exemption on the ground that his and his bodyguards' presence would violate Health Ministry's coronavirus restrictions. Defence Minister Benny Gantz said that Prime Minister Netanyahu is innocent until proven guilty, just like every citizen, adding that he is "sure that the justice system will hold a just trial for him". "I reiterate that my colleagues and I have complete confidence in the justice system and law enforcement. At this time, perhaps more than ever, we must act as a state and society for unity and reconciliation, for the State of Israel and for all Israeli citizens," he said. In Case 1000, Netanyahu is accused of fraud and breach of trust over gifts he allegedly received from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and billionaire James Packer. According to the indictment, Netanyahu received cigars and champagne from the two over the course of several years. His family members, the indictment states, also demanded and received gifts from the businessmen, and that the prime minister was aware of this fact. Milchan and Packer's gifts to the Netanyahus, including the Prime Minister's wife, Sara, are estimated to have amounted to over 1 million shekels (about USD 280,000), according to police investigations. Netanyahu has not denied that such gifts were given but has argued that they were "tokens of friendship". The Israeli leader's defence has been that it is allowed to receive gifts from friends. His lawyers have said that he was not aware of the requests made by his family members. Case 2000 centers around Netanyahu's alleged desire to receive better coverage in one of the country's leading dailies, Yedioth Ahronoth. According to the indictment, at a series of meetings between Netanyahu and the newspaper's publisher, Arnon Mozes, the two men allegedly discussed a deal calling for the prime minister to try to limit the circulation of rival newspaper, Israel Hayom, which is owned by Netanyahu's longtime political patron, Sheldon Adelson. Mozes would have given Netanyahu favourable coverage in exchange. Netanyahu was indicted for fraud and breach of trust in the case. Mozes has been charged with bribery in the matter and will also stand trial. The Israeli prime minister was caught on tape telling Mozes that he would convince Israel Hayom to limit its circulation which would have benefitted Yediot Ahronoth financially. Case 4000 alleges that Netanyahu made decisions benefiting media mogul Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder of Bezeq, Israel's largest telecommunications company, in exchange for positive coverage on Walla News, a portal owned by Elovitch. It is considered the most serious of the three cases. As per the indictment in the case, Netanyahu and his wife Sara made consistent requests to alter the coverage on the Walla website in order to serve the PM's political interests, and target their opponents. Netanyahu is not the first leader in the country to face trial but his predecessor, Ehud Olmert, and former president Moshe Katsav stepped down to fight the charges. Both of them were sentenced and served jail time. Netanyahu's government was sworn in on May 17, bringing an end to the longest political deadlock in Israel's history. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Member of Parliament for Akatsi South constituency, Hon. Bernard Ahiafor has donated an undisclosed amount of cash to the Muslim communities in his constituency, during his tour of two major Mosques (Akatsi and Wute). Presenting the Cash Mr. Ahiafor emphasized that, though the fasting period could still be successful without his donations or a donation from the great NDC, they are of a firm belief that there are some people who could not genuinely afford the food items needed for their celebration, so the need for the donation but unfortunately, Coronavirus has changed his ways of dealing with them and that called for the cash instead of food items. He also seized the opportunity to admonish them to exhibit the true nature of Islam in order to live harmoniously with each other.Mr. Ahiafor again stressed that, adherence to the WHO and GHS rules and regulations to curb the COVID-19 must be key in the constituency. He was accompanied by the Constituency Treasurer, Mr. Solomon Adoteivi, Deputy Secretary, Hon. John Amekuedi, The Constituency Organizer, Hon.Sulleyman Seidu and, Mr. Johnson Samlafo, an activist and others. READ HIS FULL STATEMENT HON. BERNARD AHIAFOR, MP FOR AKATSI SOUTH CELEBRATES WITH MUSLIMS The Member of Parliament for Akatsi South with his team visited the two Muslim Communities Akatsi and Wute zones. He stated in his speech that, it is the wish of the NDC, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, and himself to once again assist in the purchase of foodstuffs as it used to be. However, lethal pandemic COVID-19 has changed our ways of doing things. This season will go down to history. Base on this, He Hon. Bernard Ahiafor and the NDC have decided to aid the two Muslim communities ( Akatsi and Wute) with Ghc5000 and Ghc2000 respectively towards an edifice that will serve as a remembrance of this year's Eid-Ul-Fitr. The Akatsi Muslim community and the Wute Community have decided to use this fund to acquire Muslim Cemetery and Arabic Schools respectively. The Leadership of the Muslim community received this news as a surprise and they were more than grateful to the MP and his delegation. Calling him a significant danger to the community with a criminal history dating back years, a federal prosecutor is fighting convicted former Worcester restaurateur and drug dealer Kevin Perry Jr.s second bid to be released from prison due to the coronavirus pandemic. Recently Perry, 49, filed a second motion seeking compassionate release from the Federal Medical Center in Devens, Massachusetts citing existing health conditions and cases of COVID-19 at the federal facility as reasons he should be released early from his 14-year sentence. A federal judge earlier this month denied Perrys first bid for early release citing Perry only served 25% of his sentence for money laundering and fentanyl distribution charges. Perry wants to be released early and serve home confinement. In a court filing Friday, federal prosecutor Greg Friedholm once again notes Perry has served only a portion of his sentence. The prosecutor argues Perry has failed to show any extraordinary and compelling reasons to warrant his immediate release. Friedholm contends a judge should deny Perrys second attempt at release as the convicted drug dealer remains an ongoing danger to the community. In the recent filing, Perry said his cellmate tested positive for COVID-19. He also noted there are cases of coronavirus at FMC Devens. Federal prison records show that, as of Sunday, there are 24 inmates and two staff members who tested positive for the virus. In his renewed motion, the defendant asserts that an increase in the number of positive tests for COVID-19 at FMC Devens warrants his immediate release, and returns to well-worn hyperbole that continued incarceration represents the equivalent of a death sentence, the prosecutor wrote. Once again, the picture that the defendant attempts to paint is unsupported by the facts presently before the court. Friedholm said an increase of inmates testing positive at the federal facility is a concern but believes staff has worked to protect the health and safety of the nearly 1,000 inmates held there. After May 8, the warden ordered the testing of every inmate and any inmate who tests positive is placed in isolation. Any inmate who came in contact with another inmate who tested positive is placed in quarantine. Perry was tested on May 13 and his results were negative. He was placed into quarantine for 14 days. Perry is also screened daily for any symptoms of coronavirus, the prosecutor said. The government notes, because of confidentiality concerns, it cannot confirm or deny Perrys cellmate tested positive. Perry was sentenced to serve 14 years in federal prison in 2018 after he admitted to using drug money to buy two Worcester restaurants and other properties in Central Massachusetts. Records show Perry asked the warden on March 26 for a compassionate release due to the pandemic. He was denied. Perry then petitioned the courts but was denied on May 8. Perry and his lawyer argue that it has been impossible for inmates to social distance in the facility, citing another ongoing federal case involving FMC Devens. In his previous motion and again in the current motion, Perry cites his leukopenia, a shortage of white blood cells in his body, as a reason for him being at an increased risk for serious illness or death if he contracts coronavirus in federal prison. He also cited a history of hepatitis C and had a past positive test for tuberculosis. His health is now in great peril, with his direct exposure to a known infected individual, and that individuals exposing himself to others in Mr. Perrys housing unit, the recent motion states. Perry, according to the prosecutor, has not provided information to show his medical condition is not stable or cannot be managed at the facility. Friedholm notes Perry requested to be housed at FMC Devens to address self-described psychological issues. Friedholm states Perrys criminal history dates back to age 13 and continued almost unabated for 16 years until Perry was convicted in 2005 for manufacturing ecstasy. The prosecutor notes Perry than began making and selling drugs again while on supervised release after serving time for the 2005 conviction. Perry distributed nearly 2,000 fentanyl pills while on release. Federal records show Perry is expected to be released from prison in February 2029. In the motion, Perry and his lawyer argue he is not a risk of re-offending. Perry used drug money he hid from the government after he was convicted in 2005 of selling and manufacturing ecstasy to help buy the Worcester restaurants and properties in Central Massachusetts. Federal records show Perry spent more than $2 million to buy the properties which included The Usual and The Blackstone Tap. Those restaurants now have new owners. The case against Perry led to others being charged in federal court. His estranged wife, Stacey Gala, has also pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge although her sentencing has been delayed due to the pandemic. Gala used some of Perrys drug money to renovate one of Worcester restaurants, authorities said. The money was used by Gala and her former business partner, Joseph Herman, who has already pleaded guilty in the case. He is also awaiting sentencing on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, false statements and attempted tampering with a witness. Herman was Galas former manager at The Usual. Federal investigators charged another man, Christopher Slavinskas, in the case. He and Herman retrieved the money from a storage locker where Perry hid money. Slavinskas hid some of the money in a Worcester church. Slavinskas was sentenced to two years of probation in the case for lying to investigators. 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The ministry hopes the move will help towns, cities and prefectures better deal with the increased risk of child abuse caused by their stay-at-home requests amid the pandemic and offer temporary shelters to children if their parents become infected, they said. It plans to earmark about 4 billion in related spending in a second supplementary budget for fiscal 2020, the sources said. The ministry plans to increase subsidies if governments increase the number of workers as well as doctors, nurses and lawyers. The workers include child welfare staffers who give support directly to children and parents. Subsidies will also climb if governments establish new consultation centers, the sources said. In addition, the ministry will give financial support to private groups that run children's cafeterias and deliver meals to children, to strengthen patrols in communities. Charlottesville officials are preparing to begin discussions about removing the two Confederate statues that were at the heart of the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally. In an April email, City Manager Tarron Richardson indicated that he wants to hold so-called 2-2-1 meetings with the City Council in June to discuss the removal of the statues. The Daily Progress obtained the email through a request under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Such 2-2-1 meetings are used by governments to meet with less than a quorum of elected officials so that an open meeting is not required. City spokesman Brian Wheeler said last week that officials anticipate being able to engage the community in the process later this summer. Richardsons email came four days after Gov. Ralph Northam signed bills that give localities the authority to remove, relocate or alter their Confederate monuments. The legislation goes into effect July 1. Virginia is home to more than 220 public memorials to the Confederacy. In 2017, the city voted to remove its statue of Robert E. Lee and, later, one of fellow Confederate Gen. Thomas Stonewall Jackson. The vote spurred a deadly white supremacist rally that tried to unite various far-right factions on Aug. 12, 2017, as well as a lawsuit to protect the monuments, which the city lost. Richardsons email specifically calls for discussions on the removal of the statues. When asked if other options are under consideration, the city said it did not have any further information to share at this time. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the Richmond City Council was in active discussions about its monuments and the Norfolk City Council wanted to remove a statue. Since the pandemic started, no public discussions among other Virginia localities have been reported by media outlets. The state, however, has funded new signage around a statue of Harry Byrd Sr. on Capitol Square in Richmond to mark his role in the Massive Resistance campaign against desegregation. The new legislation allows, but does not require, localities to hold a nonbinding referendum on what to do with monuments. The new law requires localities to first publish a notice of intent in a newspaper, followed by a public hearing within 30 days. However, unlike other local governments, Charlottesville has an extra roadblock. Because a judge issued a permanent injunction of the Lee and Jackson statues removal, the city would have to petition the court to remove the injunction before taking any action. Richardson wants to hold meetings after the council approves its budget for fiscal 2021, which its expected to do on June 1. Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, said she isnt familiar with all of the new laws requirements for removing statues, but cautioned governments from waiting too long before informing the public. If you go too much in this direction of having these 2-2-1 kinds of meetings, you risk not only getting pushback on one side or the other based on the policy decisions youre also going to get pushback on the way it was handled, she said. 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. Lillian Johnson, 77, pictured outside her East Meadow, New York, nursing home. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, her son was unable to visit her for two months. Lamont Johnson Lamont Johnson lives just about two miles from his mother's nursing home in Long Island, New York. He has not been able to visit her for about two months. The reason: Covid-19 had spread to his mother's residence, in the hamlet of East Meadow, ultimately resulting in 39 deaths. Like other nursing homes and assisted living facilities throughout the country, the residence stopped allowing family members to visit elderly or ailing loved ones as the novel coronavirus spread across the nation. But the stress of the situation was amplified by a lack of communication, Johnson said. Oftentimes, no one would answer the phone when he called the nursing home. That meant Johnson did not know how his mother, Lillian, 77, who suffers from dementia, was doing day to day. More from Personal Finance: How to get Medicare if you're 65-plus and jobless Here are 8 new jobs created by the pandemic Like it or not, remote learning could be here to stay Meanwhile, Johnson said he noticed something else: a lack of broad access to data on exactly how many nursing home residents have been tested and how many have passed away. Johnson, a village trustee in Hempstead, New York, joined a group of other Nassau County officials to call for a federal investigation. "We have to do more to protect the people, to love the people that took care of us when we were young," Johnson said. Despite the risks, Johnson said he can't wait to see his mother. "I would go today if I could," he said. Many families with loved ones in nursing homes and other care facilities are desperate to be able to visit them again. But that so-called return to normalcy will take time, and will likely be a lot different than before. "Our society will be forever changed by the Covid-19 in terms of how we really think about our physical contact with our family members," said Dr. XinQi Dong, director of the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research at Rutgers University. New adjustments BrightStar Senior Living's assisted living community in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is among the company's residences that have recently overhauled their rules in response to Covid-19. BrightStar Senior Living At BrightStar Senior Living, with multiple assisted living facilities in the Midwest, battling the coronavirus has been a challenge, said Brad Jacobsen, director of senior living project development. At one facility, two people who have died tested positive for Covid-19, while seven others tested positive and have recovered. "We put all our protocols in place, but people had been affected," Jacobsen said. "So 14 days later, we had the next outbreak of folks testing positive." It was a very stressful time, Jacobsen said, that prompted them to put extreme measures in place at all of the company's buildings. Now, all residents are isolated and no family members can do in-person visits. Additionally, all employees have to wear full personal protective equipment at all times and they are tested before every shift. Staff must also fill out a questionnaire indicating any symptoms they are experiencing. Residents' lungs and temperatures are tested twice a day, Jacobsen said. Family visits now happen over platforms like Facebook or Zoom a couple of times a day. Window visits, where they can see each other while talking over the phone, also occur when possible. Now that residents are healthy, social distancing activities in activity rooms or hallways are starting again, he said. But how soon in-person family visits begin again depends largely on what new protocols need to be put in place, particularly when it comes to testing. "Everybody is just trying to do research at this point to find out what the new normal is going to be," Jacobsen said. Testing, testing Nurse practitioner Sharlene Gan with Los Angeles Christian Health Centers takes a swab sample from James Ollie at the Midnight Mission of Skid Row Los Angeles, testing for Covid-19 on April 30, 2020. Al Seib | Los Angeles Times via Getty Images With tests still in development, virtual visits over Zoom and WebEx will likely be the norm for the foreseeable future, Dr. Dong said. Going forward, family members should be prepared to undergo tests in order to visit loved ones. But there are many questions that need to be answered before such protocols are put in place. Covid-19 tests vary widely in efficacy, and some can have high rates of false negatives. Meanwhile, results can either take hours or days. My dream is that nursing homes become a thing of the past, in the way that we do them now. Carolyn McClanahan director of financial planning at Life Planning Partners "We really don't understand well enough to know the sensitivity and specificity of those tests to know what is the best kind of test," Dr. Dong said. Antibody tests, which test for past infection, can also be inconclusive. "If we don't test at the right time, we miss the whole boat," Dr. Dong said. For nursing homes, more big questions loom, according to Dr. Dong. Who will pay for the tests? What happens when a worker tests positive and then has to be out for 14 days? Who will replace them? Nursing homes in New York State have already been forced to try to tackle these issues now that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has made it mandatory for nursing home workers to be tested twice per week. Long-term shifts Ridley Epstein, 9, and her grandmother, Donna Forsman, 78, say goodbye after chatting via cell phone during a through-the-door visit at Brookdale Arlington Senior Living in Arlington, Virginia. Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images For families, questions around tests are just scratching the surface of the bigger issues they face as they try to find the best care for their loved ones. Spikes in coronavirus cases may prompt them to question whether they should relocate their family members to facilities with less exposure. Or, they may hesitate to put a loved one in a nursing home or assisted living situation at all, for fear of exposure to the virus and not being able to visit. Long term, that's not a solution, said Thomas West, partner at Signature Estate & Investment Advisors. "There aren't enough professional caregivers to take care of everybody in their home," he said. West said it should be expected at this point that a facility likely has Covid-19. "I would be very worried if there was runaway Covid," West said. "If you happen to be one of the hot spots where 25% of your population, 30% of your population has it, that means that somebody didn't control something when it went in there." What you should expect is really good communication about what is being done to protect your loved one and minimize the spread, West said. If you choose to move a family member to a new facility, you need to be sure that it's the best fit for them. Some patients, particularly those with dementia, can be traumatized by those transitions, West said. Slow transition SolStock Admittedly, finding a new normal for care will take time. "My dream is that nursing homes become a thing of the past, in the way that we do them now," said certified financial planner Carolyn McClanahan, a physician and director of financial planning at Life Planning Partners. One idea would be to have more inter-generational communities, which could help promote better health for older adults, she said. Another approach could be creating a community health workforce that could make visits to the elderly in their own homes. For now, the biggest hurdle for many is still just getting to see their relatives. One of McClanahan's clients sneaks in visits with her mother, who is in assisted living, by waiting around the corner during recreational breaks outside. Our society will be forever changed by the Covid-19 in terms of how we really think about our physical contact with our family members. Dr. XinQi Dong director of the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research at Rutgers University Chennai: The coronavirus pandemic is hurtling along in Tamil Nadu but lockdown restrictions are being whittled down one by one. The number of new positives topped 740 for four days in a row and the death toll broke through 100 yesterday, but the state government on Sunday allowed 17 industrial estates in Chennai, the reddest of the red cities, to resume work from tomorrow, Monday, but with conditions. Chief among the conditions is that the work force would have to be limited to 25 per cent and safety measures would have to be implemented. Industrial estates situated in non-containment zones, including the Ambattur and Guindy clusters here can resume work from May 25, but employees residing in containment zones would not be allowed to go to work. There will be thermal scanners at all factories and workshops to screen employees, an official release said. Social distancing would be followed between workers, and the work places would be disinfected twice a day. Industries have been shut for two months. On Sunday, beauty parlours and salons reopened across the state, except those in Greater Chennai police limits. They are under orders to ensure their workers and customers wear masks at all times. The premises would have to be disinfected at least five times a day. There can be no use of air-conditioners. In many ways the Modi Sarkar 2.0 shouldnt have had the blood, sweat and tears of the most vulnerable people it is meant to serve. Sachin Tendulkars second innings were often disappointing. Men In Black, Grease, Caddyshack, Basic Instinct, Taken, Exorcist, Transformers, Jaws and many blockbusters had forgettably underwhelming sequels. But none can accuse the 366 days of Modi Sarkar 2.0 of being boring. It crashed into our collective consciousness like a fireball with the scrapping of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir, streaked across the firmament with the banning of instant triple talaq, pirouetted with the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act, and left a trail of ashes with the economy in peril, the Delhi riots, and now COVID-19 pandemic. There was never a dull moment. Here is a quick look at the highlights of the Narendra Modi governments second tenure after it was voted back to power on 23 May, 2019, with an even bigger majority than in 2014. Let us see what worked and what didnt. 1. Scrapping of Article 370 Not many Indians believed Indias first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehrus blunder in granting Kashmir special status a move that strengthened and provided a legal bedrock for separatism and insurgency would be reversed in their lifetime. This was the BJP governments finest moment. In one masterstroke, Kashmir was fully legally and administratively integrated with the rest of the country. It was also the first time India struck back with force in the losing, 1,000-year demographic war which has continually disembodied and shrunk it. 2. Banning instant talaq This was a much-needed corrective step which freed Muslim women from being thrown out of marriage at just a patriarchal whim. Decades-old perverted secularism stopped governments from banning the practice in the guise of Muslim personal law. The step also paves the way for a Uniform Civil Code. The case against polygamy and multiple marriages are already in court. 3. Stronger anti-terror law In August, Rajya Sabha passed amendments to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, making it easier and speedier to act against terror. Most importantly, it now allows India to designate individuals as terrorists, as is the norm in most nations. 4. Economy in a tailspin Economy remains the one overriding worry for Modi Sarkar 2.0. It started slipping from last year. The government had two budgets, one interim and one full, to fix things. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman increased the surcharge on Income Tax for both domestic and foreign portfolio investors that sent the markets tumbling. A month later in August, she hurriedly rolled it back. But the damage to investor sentiment was done. This year, the government again lost the moment to reset the economy. Instead of easing tax, the government introduced six slabs within an annual income of Rs 15 lakh. There was little for the middle and the salaried class, who have endured the twin shocks of demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax and whose consumption and spending form the edifice of the India growth story. Only last month crude prices were negative. But the government, instead of passing on the benefit to consumers, raised duties on diesel by Rs 13 a litre and on petrol by Rs 10 litre. 5. The disinvestment chimera The government has promised to privatise Air India, which has accumulated losses of more than Rs 60,000 crore. There has also been much talk of disinvestment from the Life Insurance Corporation. But not much has moved. The finance minister has recently announced a new public sector policy which will list out strategic sectors requiring presence of public sector enterprises (PSE) in public interest. In other sectors, PSEs will be privatized, and the number of enterprises in strategic sectors will ordinarily be only one to four. Air India falls into the previous category, and being the only one of its kind, it may well mean that the Maharajas privatization plan, which has failed to take off last year, may be aborted for the time being. 6. Merger of PSU banks One bold economic step of this NDA tenure was the merger of 10 public sector banks into four big banks. This facilitates consolidation, makes the banks stronger and more competitive. It also leads to rationalisation of manpower and resources and avoids overlap of branches across India, thus cutting down on running costs. 7. Blood and citizenship The government took another civilisational step by fast-tracking the citizenship process for six persecuted minorities from Muslim-majority Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan under the Citizenship Amendment Act. Muslims from these countries can still apply for Indian citizenship, but not under this narrow-window legislation. Nationwide protests and violence erupted from Murshidabad in Bengal to Jamia in Delhi. It ultimately led to the Delhi riots in which more than 50 Hindus and Muslims were killed. 8. At Rams doorstep at last While the Supreme Court finally delivered its judgment which favoured building a temple in Lord Rams birth site in Ayodhya where the Babri Masjid once stood before it was demolished, it culminated the ruling BJPs decades-long activism. The government has set up an independent trust to build the temple there. A battle fought through a mass movement, won in the court. 9. Containing corona catastrophe It is now quite clear that purely in terms of containment, India has done a stellar job when dozens of developed nations have got knocked out. In spite of its 130 crore population and rudimentary healthcare, both the government and citizens responded quickly and spiritedly. In this crisis, India has helped the world with hydroxychloroquine, and built its own medical capacities (created thousands of new beds for patients, and started producing masks, protective equipment and sanitisers at a mass scale). States like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Telangana have aggressively started pitching for businesses and manufacturing which are exiting China. 10. Long road to COVID-19 relief While the government has rolled out a set of worthwhile reform measures like amending the Essential Commodities Act and giving a strong push to Make in India, its relief package for migrant workers seem to be a jugglery of already announced schemes. The distressed workers need immediate relief. Some of them are walking hundreds of kilometres home with their families. They need cash in hand. The direct benefit transfers done so far are falling short. Having insufficient data on migrant workers cannot be an excuse. Each day the government is getting data from the Shramik Special trains it is running. In many ways, the spectacular first year of Modi Sarkar 2.0 shouldnt have had the blood, sweat and tears of the most vulnerable people it is meant to serve. And if it showed economic imagination to match its clockwork political instincts. FILE PHOTO: People wearing protective face masks walk past the closed Nike store on a nearly empty 5th Avenue, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Manhattan, New York city, New York, U.S., May 11, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Segar Closed luxury retail stores on 5th Avenue in Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York Reuters A Shelby County Tennesee health official was denied entry to a Memphis Nike warehouse where a worker had died from COVID-19 days earlier, according to ProPublica. When a Nike employee called the health official by phone the following day and said Nike had made changes to enforce social distancing, the health official concluded her investigation. A Nike spokesperson told ProPublica that the security guard, who worked for a third-party company, should have let the official into the facility. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Related Video: What COVID-19 Recovery Looks Like, Day by Day A Nike warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee, refused to allow a public health worker into the facility after a temporary worker at the facility died from COVID-19, ProPublica reported Saturday. According to the report, an environmentalist from Shelby County Tennessee was denied entry by a third-party security guard at a Nike warehouse in Memphis on April 16, according to the report. The official was told she was not able to enter the facility without an appointment. Five days prior to her April 16 visit, Nike learned that a temporary worker employed by Adecco at a facility on Shelby Drive had died from COVID-19. The environmentalist's visit to the facility was sparked by a complaint that Nike was not cleaning properly or allowing workers to practice social distancing, according to the report. The environmentalist was told she could not enter the facility without an appointment. According to ProPublica, the environmentalist received a call the following day from a Nike employee who said the company had installed markers at the facility to enforce social distancing and that the facility was closed each Tuesday for cleaning. No one from the Shelby County office visited the warehouse again to verify that the changes had been made, and the environmentalist who had been denied entry on April 16 "felt at that time there was nothing else that needed to be done," Kasia Alexander, environmental health administrator for the department, told ProPublica. Story continues Bruce Randolph, the Shelby County health director told the outlet that the agency has the authority to use local police to gain access to a facility, though it did not do so. From March 26 to May 12, the agency received 201 complaints among various businesses in the county. The Nike facility was the only facility that had turned a county inspector away, according to the report. "We don't just automatically get law enforcement involved simply because the first time we show up, some security and management person refuses to allow us access," he said. A Nike spokesperson told the outlet the company had expanded social distancing in doorways, breakrooms, on the warehouse floor, and other areas from 3 feet to 6 feet at the beginning of April. The company said it uses plexiglass to separate workstations and placed markings on tables to tell workers where to sit to maintain an appropriate distance. It is also checking the temperatures of workers and visitors, according to the report. Willie Gregory, Nike's director of global community impact, told ProPublica that the health department should have been let into the facility. "If you're doing the right thing, you should give admittance to those people," Gregory said. According to ProPublica, at least 21 workers at Nike's five Memphis warehouse and distribution center locations have tested positive for COVID-19 as of May 18. Neither Nike nor the Shelby County Health Department returned a Business Insider request for comment on Saturday. Read the original article on Business Insider Engr. Musa Wada, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in last Kogi Governorship election, has vowed to appeal the victory of Governor Yahaya Bello at the electoral tribunal on Saturday. The Kogi Governorship Election Tribunal had on Saturday dismissed the case filed Wada, against the election of Governor Yahaya Bello. However, in an interview with Channels Television in Abuja on Saturday, Wada said he would appeal the judgment. Musa had filed a petition challenging the election of Yahaya Bello as the Governor of Kogi State. But in a judgment of two to one, delivered by the Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Kashim Kaigama, the tribunal held that the petitioner had failed to prove the allegations of over-voting, massive thumb printing, voter intimidation, and other electoral malpractices. The tribunal also awarded a cost of one million naira to be paid by the petitioners, PDP and Musa Wada to INEC, Yahaya Bello and APC who are the respondents. Meanwhile, in a dissenting judgment, Justice Ohimai Ovbiagele nullified the election of Governor Yahaya Bello and ordered INEC to conduct fresh elections in seven local government areas where the petitioners proved their allegations of over-voting, thuggery, voter intimidation, massive thumb printing, and other electoral malpractices. In reaction, Wada said the dissenting judgment by Justice Ovbragele is a clear indication that the election of Governor Bello was flawed. He, therefore, insisted that the majority judgment of the Tribunal is not a true representation of the events of November 16, 2019, in Kogi State Tripoli, Libya (PANA) The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the European Union (EU) Delegation in Tripoli have congratulated the Libyan people on the occasion of the Eid El-Fitr celebrated on Sunday and called for a cessation of hostilities by respecting the spirit of the religious event D etectives searching for a teenager who has been missing since VE Day have confirmed that her body has been found. Hampshire Police said that a body found in woodland in Havant, Hampshire, on Thursday is that of 16-year-old Louise Smith. The teenager, from the Leigh Park area, was reported missing on May 8. In an update on Saturday evening, police said formal identification procedures had been completed with Louises family being informed and supported by specialist officers. Friends of the teenager, whose death police previously said was being treated as suspicious, have spoken of their devastation at her death. Mandy Ferdinando, who had known Louise since she was a young girl, laid flowers at the entrance to Havant Thicket, where the teenagers body was found. She said: She was a lovely girl with a heart of gold. The community is devastated, sad, shocked, I cant speak for everybody but when anyone hears of a young person, whoever it may be, its very sad. Louise was last seen in Somborne Drive in the Leigh Park area at about midday on May 8. Police forensic officers carried out searches of a flat in the street and blacked out the propertys windows. A man and a woman, both aged 29, were arrested on May 15 on suspicion of kidnap and later released on bail. Detective Chief Superintendent Scott MacKechnie previously said: Our officers will continue to be conducting enquires in the Leigh Park area and the extensive forensic work will continue for some days in the Havant Thicket. Elon Musk's spacex crew on Saturday completed the final rehearsal for their historic mission - the first astronaut launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center since the last shuttle flight in 2011. NASA astronauts Robert Behnken, 49, and Douglas Hurley, 53, both veteran space travelers, will crew the capsule Wednesday. Hurley piloted Atlantis on its last trip. The two astronauts performed their 'dress rehearsal' Saturday, Hurley said. They arrived at the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida wearing their SpaceX-designed spacesuits and in a Tesla with the license plate ISSBND, ISS Bound. They then climbed into their Crew Dragon spacecraft at Launch Complex 39A. SpaceX also successfully tested their Falcon 9 rocket Friday. Behnken wrote on Twitter Friday: 'Exciting couple of days here at NASA Kennedy! 'Crew arrival in Florida was awesome, seeing our vehicle roll to 39A was epic, and watching our SpaceX Falcon 9 1st-stage fire one more time before our mission still has a smile on my face!' NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley, left, and Robert Behnken, wearing SpaceX spacesuits, are seen as they depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A during a dress rehearsal prior to the Demo-2 mission launch on Saturday A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on Friday on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A during a brief static fire test ahead of NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 mission this week The rocket is set for a Wednesday, May 27, launch that will send two astronauts to the International Space Station for the first crewed flight from the U.S. in nearly a decade Astronauts Doug Hurley, left, and Robert Behnken pose in front of a Tesla Model X car during a SpaceX launch dress rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. Elon Musk's SpaceX is the conductor and NASA the customer as businesses begin chauffeuring astronauts to the International Space Station. With American shuttles no longer in use, the US has had to rely on Russia for rides to the station US President Donald Trump will be among the spectators at Kennedy Space Center in Florida Wednesday to witness the launch, which has been given the green light despite months of shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. The general public, in a nod to virus restrictions, has been told to watch via a livestream as Crew Dragon is launched by a Falcon 9 rocket toward the International Space Station. Elon Musk's SpaceX is the conductor and NASA the customer as businesses begin chauffeuring astronauts to the International Space Station. With American shuttles no longer in use, the United States has had to rely on Russia for rides to the station. They're scheduled to blast off at 4.33pm EDT from launch pad 39A, the same one the Apollo astronauts used to get to the moon. NASA's Commercial Crew program, aimed at developing private spacecraft to transport American astronauts to space, began under Barack Obama. But his successor sees it as a symbol of his strategy to reassert American domination of space, both military - with his creation of the Space Force - and civilian. He has ordered NASA to return to the moon in 2024, an unlikely timetable but one that has given the storied space agency a boost. NASA astronauts Robert Behnken, 49, and Douglas Hurley, 53, both veteran space travelers, will crew the capsule Wednesday. Hurley piloted Atlantis on its last trip NASA astronaut Robert Behnken rehearses putting on his SpaceX spacesuit in the Astronaut Crew Quarters inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the Kennedy Space Center ahead of NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station NASA astronaut Douglas Hurley rehearses putting on his SpaceX spacesuit on Saturday Douglas Hurley, left, and Robert Behnken, wearing SpaceX spacesuits, are seen as they depart for Launch Pad 39A on Saturday during a dress rehearsal prior to the mission launch, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida The two astronauts performed their 'dress rehearsal' Saturday, Hurley said. They arrived in their SpaceX-designed spacesuits after arriving at the launch pad in a Tesla with the license plate ISSBND, ISS Bound The Launch Pad 39A and the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon spacecraft on top of the rocket, Saturday In the 22 years since the first components of the ISS were launched, only spacecraft developed by NASA and by the Russian space agency have carried crews there. NASA used the illustrious shuttle program - huge, extremely complex, winged ships -to carried dozens of astronauts into space for three decades. But their staggering cost - $200 billion for 135 flights - and two fatal accidents finally put an end to the program. The shift to private companies allows NASA to zero in on deep space travel. The space agency is working to return astronauts to the moon by 2024 under orders from the White House, but that deadline appears increasingly unlikely even as three newly chosen commercial teams rush to develop lunar landers. Mars also beckons. The White House portrayed the launch as an extension of Trump's promise to reassert American dominance in space. He recently oversaw creation of the Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces. 'Our destiny, beyond the Earth, is not only a matter of national identity, but a matter of national security,' Trump said in a statement. Vice President Mike Pence, who is chairman of the National Space Council, also plans to attend Wednesday's launch. NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley (L) and Robert Behnken pose while participating in a dress rehearsal for launch at the agency's Kennedy Space Center NASA astronaut Bob Behnken in his spacesuit at SpaceX headquarters in California In this August 2018 photo made available by SpaceX, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken familiarize themselves with SpaceX's Crew Dragon, the spacecraft that will transport them to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program The Crew Dragon spacecraft and the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket are pictured at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 21, 2020 This February 2020 photo shows the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule after its arrival to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral The last shuttle, Atlantis, landed on July 21, 2011. After, NASA astronauts learned Russian and traveled to the ISS in the Russian Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan, in a partnership which survived political tensions between Washington and Moscow. But it was only ever meant to be a temporary arrangement. NASA had entrusted two private companies - aviation giant Boeing and upstart SpaceX - with the task of designing and building capsules that would replace the shuttles. Nine years later, SpaceX, founded by Musk, the outspoken South African entrepreneur who also built PayPal and Tesla, in 2002, is ready to launch. At 4:33pm on Wednesday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to take off from Launch Pad 39A with the Crew Dragon capsule at its top. NASA astronauts Robert Behnken, left, and Douglas Hurley pose for pictures after arriving at the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center ahead of SpaceX's Demo-2 mission, May 20, 2020, in Florida. In this Thursday, March 19, 2020 photo astronauts Doug Hurley, foreground, and Bob Behnken work in SpaceX's flight simulator at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral NASA has awarded SpaceX more than $3 billion in contracts since 2011 to build the spacecraft. The first astronauts launched by SpaceX are breaking new ground for style with hip spacesuits, gull-wing Teslas and a sleek rocketship - all of it white with black trim. The color coordinating is thanks to Musk, the driving force behind both SpaceX and Tesla, and a big fan of flash and science fiction. NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken like the fresh new look. They'll catch a ride to the launch pad in a Tesla Model X electric car. 'It is really neat, and I think the biggest testament to that is my 10-year-old son telling me how cool I am now,' Hurley told The Associated Press. 'SpaceX has gone all out' on the capsule's appearance, he said. 'And they've worked equally as hard to make the innards and the displays and everything else in the vehicle work to perfection.' SpaceX has confounded expectations with its space craft, built using more than $3 billion of NASA contracts SpaceX tests its StarHopper, successfully hovering 500 feet above the launch site and safely landing at the company's facility in Brownsville, Texas in August 2019 Nineteen hours after takeoff the two men will dock at the ISS, where two Russians and an American are waiting for them. The weather forecast remains unfavorable, with a 60 percent chance of bad conditions, according to Cape Canaveral forecasters. The next launch window is Saturday, May 30. The launch has taken five years longer than planned to come about, but even with the delays SpaceX has beaten Boeing to the punch. Boeing's test flight of its Starliner failed due to serious software issues, and will have to be redone. Elon Musk's SpaceX is the conductor and NASA the customer as businesses begin chauffeuring astronauts to the International Space Station. With American shuttles no longer in use, the United States has had to rely on Russia for rides to the station SpaceX founder Elon Musk speaks during the 67th International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2016 'It's been a real success story,' Scott Hubbard, former director of NASA's Ames Center in Silicon Valley who now teaches at Stanford, told AFP. 'There was huge skepticism,' Hubbard, who met Musk before the creation of SpaceX and also chairs a SpaceX safety advisory panel, recalled. 'Senior people at the legacy companies, Lockheed, Boeing, would tell me at a conference that these SpaceX guys don't know what they don't know,' he told AFP. SpaceX finally came out on top with its cheaper Falcon 9 rocket, the first stage of which comes back to land vertically on a barge in the Atlantic. The bulky, orange ascent and entry suits worn by shuttle astronauts had their own attraction, according to Behnken, who like Hurley wore them for his two previous missions. Movies like 'Armageddon' and 'Space Cowboys' stole the orange look whenever actors were 'trying to pretend to be astronauts.' On launch day, Hurley and Behnken will get ready inside Kennedys remodeled crew quarters, which dates back to the two-man Gemini missions of the mid-1960s. SpaceX techs will help the astronauts into their one-piece, two-layer pressure suits. Hurley and Behnken will emerge through the same double doors used on July 16, 1969, by Apollo 11s Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins - the Operations and Checkout Building now bears Armstrongs name. But instead of the traditional Astrovan, the two will climb into the back seat of a Tesla Model X for the nine-mile ride to Launch Complex 39A, the same pad used by the moonmen and most shuttle crews. It's while they board the Tesla that they'll see their wives and young sons for the last time before flight. Making a comeback after three decades is NASAs worm logo - wavy, futuristic-looking red letters spelling NASA, the 'A' resembling rocket nose cones. The worm adorns the Astro-Tesla, Falcon and even the astronauts' suits, along with NASAs original blue meatball-shaped logo. The white-suited Hurley and Behnken will transfer from the white Tesla to the white Dragon atop the equally white Falcon 9. 'Its going to be quite a show,' Reed promised. A Falcon 9 SpaceX heavy rocket lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in 2018 Since 2012, SpaceX has been resupplying the ISS for NASA, thanks to the cargo version of the Dragon capsule. The manned mission, called Demo-2, is crucial for Washington in two ways. The first is to break NASA's dependence on the Russians. But the second is to catalyze a private 'low Earth orbit' market open to tourists and businesses. 'We envision a day in the future where we have a dozen space stations in low Earth orbit. All operated by commercial industry,' said NASA boss Jim Bridenstine. Musk is aiming higher: he is building a huge rocket, Starship, to circumnavigate the Moon - or even to travel to Mars and ultimately make humanity a 'multi-planet species'. We're angry at New York state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, and you should be, too, especially if you're a beneficiary of the New York State Common Retirement Fund or a legislator who has not backed divestment of the fund based on DiNapoli's assurances. We're angry because DiNapoli has resisted divestment of the Common Retirement Fund from fossil fuels despite repeated warnings from financial and climate experts that this industry was poised to lose New Yorkers a lot of money. Now it has come to pass: The retirement fund has lost billions of dollars, roughly $25 billion by our best estimate. DiNapoli told us he knew what he was doing. It has cost us dearly. Some may want to give him a pass because COVID-19 has run down the market. Much of this loss was before COVID-19. But, both before and after COVID-19, the fossil fuel industry has underperformed the rest of the market dramatically. DiNapoli gives various justifications for his unyielding loyalty to fossil fuels: DiNapoli has said political considerations should not affect investment decisions. Really? Then why did the Common Retirement Fund divest from private prisons? Was the celebrated divestment that targeted apartheid in South Africa inappropriate? Are the managers of the 1,200 institutions around the world that have committed to fossil fuel divestment, including Norway, Ireland and New York City, all somehow derelict? Are the 80-plus New York legislators, governor, the attorney general as well as the New York City mayor and comptroller wrong in their support of divestment? DiNapoli has said the fund can have more impact on climate through shareholder advocacy. This is plain false. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has made it clear that, as a matter of law, shareholder advocacy cannot be used to change the business model of a company, and the business model of fossil fuel companies is to bring coal, gas and oil to market to be burned. Even small victories, like forcing ExxonMobil to produce a report on the impact of climate on future business, have been met with substandard compliance, as noted by the comptroller himself. At best, shareholder advocacy moves glacially slowly at a time when urgent action is needed. In this case, it has accomplished absolutely nothing over the course of a decade. DiNapoli has said he has a fiduciary responsibility to maximize return for the beneficiaries of the fund. We agree with this principle, and it is clear that DiNapoli is violating it by not divesting. DiNapoli was told fossil fuels would lose money, especially in a world committed to transitioning to renewable energy (New York's own public policy in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act comes to mind). In this context, it was clear the value of fossil fuel companies was going to decline. He ignored this common-sense prediction. In doing so, and sustaining unconscionable losses, he has violated his fiduciary duty. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The fossil fuel industry is the villain in the climate story. It has known for years that its product was causing warming yet it undertook a massive disinformation campaign that delayed efforts to fight climate change, which is now causing havoc around the world: fires, floods, climate refugees, and more. DiNapoli stands by coal, gas and oil, retaining billions of investment, which is losing money and is going to keep losing money. DiNapoli has told pensioners and legislators that he knows best, but events have proved otherwise; the fossil fuel industry is in a rout. We're angry, and we hope you're angry. It's time to overrule DiNapoli and pass the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act before we lose several billion dollars more. From 30 years in the neolithic period, the global average life expectancy has today reached a little more than 72 years. This means that for millions of years, humans have been reproducing when they were young and fit, and the process of natural selection did not really have the chance of weeding out the genes that cause problems later in life. Such a theory for explaining why humans degenerate with age was first put forward by Peter Medawar in 1952, and forms the basis for most modern theories on ageing. After humans reach peak fitness, and beyond the age of reproduction, the body begins to rapidly deteriorate. The quality of life for the elderly is not great. They may experience neurological deterioration, an increased susceptibility to heart disease, and are more likely to get cancer. There are a number of age-related diseases including osteoporosis, alzheimers and cataracts, with an exponential increase in incidence alongside ageing. Around the world, a lot of resources are spent in taking care of the elderly. What if each of these diseases are a symptom, while the actual condition that needs to be tackled is ageing? The basic idea is that if we figure out and treat the underlying mechanism that causes ageing, then maybe these resources to care for the elderly can be applied elsewhere. However, this may be a flawed line of thinking. If ageing is a disease, it is something that affects all human beings, as well as all multicellular organisms. Those who remain healthy and active in their old age are considered to be blessed with good genes, but they show signs of biological ageing as well, such as wrinkles. Now even an immortal organism (the hydra may just be one such), experiences ageing. Medewar elegantly explained the reason to coin a term to describe the deterioration associated with ageing, we obviously need a word for mere ageing, and I propose to use ageing itself for just that purpose. Ageing hereafter stands for mere ageing, and has no other innuendo. I shall use the word senescence to mean ageing accompanied by that decline of bodily faculties and sensibilities and energies which ageing colloquially entails. Gerontologists, or the scientists that specialise in the study of senescence, are not interested in discovering the elixir of life. Instead, they are more interested in coming up with treatments that can extend the average life span from 72 years to around 100 years, or at best 120 years at the present. Bear in mind that there is a major gap between research and practical applications that is suitable for humans. While many experiments have extended the life spans of lab animals by 50 percent, most successfully on mice, none of these treatments have yet translated to human beings. For example, Michael R Rose, a researcher from the University of California, Irvine, conducted a landmark experiment where he progressively increased the lifespan of fruit flies. In the first generation, he picked middle-aged fruit flies that gave birth. In the next generation, he picked fruit flies that gave birth when they were old. In successive generations, Rose kept picking fruit flies that lived longer, and reproduced later in life. While this was successful in fruit flies, such an approach may not be practical in humans. We are as old as our arteries One of the telltale signs of ageing is seen in the calcification of arteries, which are bone-like deposits of calcium phosphate crystals along the walls of the arteries. This causes the arteries to harden, and is also responsible for some of the problems associated with old age, such as dementia, high blood pressure, as well as an increased risk of heart diseases and strokes. Calcification also restricts blood flow to all the organs within the body. The smaller blood vessels simply wither and die. This results in low levels of oxygen throughout the body, as well as a buildup of toxins. It is this process that causes the muscles in the elderly to shrink and grow weaker, medically known as sarcopenia. Without say, a birth certificate, measuring the extent of calcification allows for an accurate measurement of a persons age. Even the age at which ancient Egyptian mummies died can be guessed by having a look at the extent of calcification of the arteries. Till recently, the exact process by which the calcification occurs, was not known. Researchers from Kings College of London and Cambridge University published a paper in Cell Reports in June 2019 which outlines the mechanism for calcification of the arteries. As a part of regular DNA repair, cells produce a molecule known as PAR (the full form is a matryoshka doll of acronyms, and is as such irrelevant for the purposes of this article). PAR is released when cells die, and the molecules bind strongly with calcium. As they acquire calcium within the circulatory system, they form into increasingly large droplets, eventually crystallising on the walls of the arteries, a process known as biomineralisation. Now, within bone tissue, this is an essential process to harden the skeleton. However, in the circulatory system, it just causes an increasing number of problems as the body grows older. The researchers then went on to investigate ways in which they could prevent the PAR molecules from crystallising within the arteries. The researchers found that minocycline, an antibiotic commonly used to treat acne, can inhibit the calcification of arteries. This is a promising drug, and the researchers are moving into clinical trials. Reversing Sarcopenia Another crucial aspect related to ageing that causes the muscles to atrophy and reduces blood flow, is that the body starts growing new blood vessels. After a series of experiments, researchers at Harvard discovered that blood flow within the body begins to reduce after cells stop producing a protein known as sirtuin1, shortened to SIRT1. The reduction in SIRT1 is in turn caused by a reduction of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a molecule responsible for protein interactions and DNA repair. SIRT1 is known to delay ageing in organisms as different as yeast and mice. NAD+ is known to decline with age. Within muscles, SIRT1 is responsible for the growth of capillaries, the smallest blood vessels in the body. As both SIRT1 and NAD+ in the body reduce with age, the muscles also deteriorate. The researchers developed a treatment using nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a derivative of niacin, previously known for its involvement with DNA repair, which is a precursor to NAD+. Also included in the treatment regimen was sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), a precursor to hydrogen sulfide, which also boosts SIRT1 production. The procedure allowed for 32 month old mice (the equivalent of 90 human years) to run for twice as long as untreated mice of the same age. The mice treated with only NMN ran for 1.6 times longer. The treatment in mice at least, proved effective at maintaining capillary growth into old age. However, the researchers warn of the dangers of using treatments that increase blood flow, as the same treatment can encourage tumours to grow faster, by providing them with more nutrition. However, the research is promising in the way that it opens up avenues for future therapies, that will allow the elderly to remain active in their old age. Go on a diet One of the oldest life extension treatments known to science, is that of calorie restriction. Essentially, it means eating 30 or even 50 percent less than a regular person, but without any compromises on nutrition. If someone does it throughout their lives, they would be ridiculously thin, will always feel cold, and will be perpetually hungry. Its a diet of extreme abstinence, and is also called a fasting diet. Such a diet was known to extend the life spans of mice by 50 percent in an experiment in 1934. A 2017 experiment on rhesus monkeys also showed an extension of the life span. The results have been replicated in worms, microbes, spiders and insects, but not with humans. However, scientists are still in the dark about the exact mechanism by which calorie restriction manages to increase the life spans in almost all the animals that it has been tested on. If this mechanism is understood, scientists may be able to devise a pill that mimics the effects of fasting. On the solemnity of the Ascension, Pope Francis explains that on this day Jesus "invests [the disciples] with mission among all peoples". "This message of salvation implies first of all the duty of witness". On the feast of Our Lady of Sheshan, united spiritually to Chinese Catholics, pastors and faithful, "so that they may be strong in faith and firm in fraternal union, joyful witnesses and promoters of charity and hope". Today is also the World Social Communications Day. Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The mystery of Jesus' Ascension into heaven - in which he "asks the disciples to act and announce, entrusting them with the mandate to continue his work" - and a message to the Chinese Catholics on the feast of Our Lady of Sheshan, characterized the moment of Regina Caeli, presided over by Pope Francis from the Library of the apostolic palace. Explaining the solemnity of the Ascension, which is celebrated on the seventh Easter Sunday in Italy and in other countries - in the Vatican it is celebrated on the previous Thursday - the pontiff stressed that before going up to heaven, "the last meeting of the risen Lord takes place with his disciples", in which He "invests them the mission among all peoples". The contents of the mission entrusted to the Apostles - he said - are these: to announce, baptize, teach to walk on the path traced by the Master, that is, the Gospel. This message of salvation implies first of all the duty of witness, to which we, disciples of today, are also called to account for our faith. Faced with such a demanding task, and thinking of our weaknesses, we feel inadequate, as the Apostles themselves certainly felt. But we must not be discouraged, remembering the words that Jesus addressed to them before ascending to Heaven: "I am with you every day until the end of the world" (v. 20). This promise ensures the constant and consoling presence of Jesus among us ... With the promise to stay with us until the end of time, Jesus inaugurates the style of his presence in the world as the Risen One: a presence that is revealed in the Word, in the Sacraments, in the constant and interior action of the Holy Spirit. The feast of Ascension tells us that Jesus, although he ascended to Heaven to dwell gloriously on the right hand of the Father, is still and always among us: from here we derive our strength, our perseverance and our joy ". After the Marian prayer, Francis invited everyone to "unite ourselves spiritually to all of the Catholic faithful in China who today celebrate, with particular devotion, the Feast of Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, Patroness of China who is venerated in the Sheshan sanctuary in Shanghai. Let us entrust the pastors and faithful of the Catholic Church in that great nation to the guidance and protection of our Heavenly Mother, so they may be strong in the faith and firm in fraternal union, joyous witness and promoters of hope and charity." Then addressing the Catholic faithful directly he said: "My dear Catholic brothers and sisters in China, I would like to assure you that the Universal Church, of which you are an integral part, shares in your hopes and supports you in your trials. She accompanies you in prayer for a new effusion of the Holy Spirit, you that the light and beauty of the Gospel, Gods power for the salvation of those who would believe, may shine in you. While once again expressing my profound and sincere affection for you all, I impart upon you a special Apostolic Blessing. And may Our Lady always keep you ". The pontiff then recalled that today the World Day of Social Communications, dedicated this year to the theme of narration, is also celebrated: May this event encourage us to tell and share constructive stories, which help us understand that we are all part of a story bigger than ourselves and we can look to the future with hope, if we really take care of each other as brothers and sisters. After a greeting to the Salesians, "sons of Don Bosco", for the feast of Mary Help of Christians, Francis thanked all those who celebrated the "Laudato si 'week", dedicated to his encyclical and inaugurated a whole year studying it and how to take care of the "common home" and the poor. After a few minutes he went to his study window to greet the meagre crowd that had appeared on St. Peter's square. Because of the pandemic emergency, in fact, numerous "gatherings" are still not recommended. A 53-year old woman cancer patient died on Sunday, days after she tested positive for COVID-19 on her return from Dubai, taking the toll due to the deadly virus in the state to five, a top official said. The condition of the woman had been critical since arrival on May 20 and she was on ventilator support and the end came this afternoon at the Government Medical College Hospital here, health department sources said. "A covid test was conducted on her and she had tested positive. So though the cause of death is malignant cancer, we will consider this as COVID death," State Health Secretary Dr Rajan Khobragade told PTI. The woman, hailing from Kalpetta in Wayanad district, along with her husband had reached Kerala from Dubai on May 20 for cancer treatment. She was first admitted to a private hospital and later shifted to the medical college hospital after testing positivefor the coronavirus. With her death, the COVID-19 fatalities in the state has risen to five. A 73-Year-old woman, who had returned to the state from Mumbai, had died after testing positive for the infection in Thrissur on Thursday night. Earlier, three people, including a four-month old baby girl, had died of COVID-19 in the state, which has been witnessing a spike in new cases in recent days. Meanwhile, a 17-year-old boy who had returned to Kannur from Chennai and was under quarantine died at a hospital on Sunday. He had been admitted to the hospital following fever and headache. His first test had returned negative, health department sources said. As a precautionary measure one more sample had been sent for testing, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 13:31:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan National Center for Disease Control on Saturday reported three new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 75 in the country. In a statement, the center said that of the 149 suspected samples, only three tested positive for the virus, adding that one patient has recovered. So far, 39 people have recovered and three have died from the disease, according to the center. The new cases have been linked to travel to Turkey earlier in May, the center said. In early May, Libyan authorities began to allow the return of its nationals stranded abroad. In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country, Libyan authorities have taken a series of measures, including closing borders, banning public gatherings, closing mosques and schools, and imposing curfews. Enditem The total number of active cases of COVID-19 in Union Territory of Puducherry rose to 29 on Sunday with five fresh cases reported while one patient got discharged from a hospital here. The five cases, included a man and his mother who was already undergoing treatment for coronavirus, Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao told reporters. He said the rise in the number of cases was witnessed since the lockdown-related restrictions were relaxed on May 17. The last five days have witnessed a surge in the number of patients causing concern to the health authorities, the Health Minister said. He said it was not practically possible for the government to deny permission to those belonging to Puducherry and those returning from abroad and other states and districts in the country. "We have decided to exercise utmost vigil at the border points and residents of Puducherry returning to the Union Territory will be kept under compulsory quarantine for 14 days either in the government designated centres or at their homes," he said. Rao appealed to the people to ensure that the Union Te rritory did not become a comfortable place for the spread of the pandemic. Director of Health and Family Welfare Service S Mohan Kumar said 12 patients have so far been discharged after recovery in the Union Territory and the total cases reported since the outbreak of the pandemic was 41. Health Minister accompanied by the officials of his department later visited the medical college hospital to ascertain how many health staff, including nurses, had downloaded the Arogiya Sethu app in their mobiles. Meanwhile, a press release from the health department said the Health Minister, who found out that lesser number of staff had patronised the mobile app, asked all the staff to download the apps without any further delay. (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 Josa Lukman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 24, 2020 10:58 606 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd9dcec6 1 Art & Culture theater-performance,Bakti-Budaya-Djarum-Foundation,#culture,#play,#Jakarta,#streaming,#digital,#YouTube Free Enjoying a bit of culture this weekend, when people celebrate Idul Fitri at home during the pandemic, does not require you to walk out your door. Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundations #NontonTeaterDiRumahAja campaign has consistently showcased their repertoire of plays for viewers at home, from dance-theater Citraresmi to an adaptation of Pramoedya Ananta Toers Bunga Penutup Abad (The Flower that Ends a Century). Its latest highlight, however, is a bit more lighthearted to keep spirits high. This weekend, on May 23-24, the foundation streams on its website and on YouTube a recording of Indonesia Kitas Maling Kondang (Famous Thief), which was first performed in October 2012. At its heart, Maling Kondang is based on the West Sumatra folktale Malin Kundang, a cautionary tale about an ungrateful son who is ashamed of his humble origins and refuses to recognize his mother, causing her to curse him and turning Malin Kundang and his ship into stone. However, like many Indonesia Kita productions, the play was given the satirical treatment, injected with a sense of political playfulness that has become a trademark of the troupe. Directed by Yusril Katil, Maling Kondang keeps Malin Kundang as the main character. In this play, Malin returns home a successful and rich man, intending to use his wealth to develop his village, run for office and build a monument of himself. With Malins arrival, many in the community proud of his achievements try to get into his good graces in the hopes of getting some of Malins riches thrown their way. However, Malins pure-hearted mother continuously wonders about the source of her sons wealth, at the same time disapproving of his arrogance. In Indonesia Kitas works, the traditional Malin Kundang storyline gets turned on its head and has a pointed, political tone slapped onto it. In the play, Malin includes a lampshade of the folktale, arguably breaking the fourth wall by saying that he is not like the old Malin Kundang, as he is not ashamed of his mothers lack of wealth. While this is probably a heartwarming moment, Malin continues by saying that poor people are, of course, very beneficial, especially during election campaigning. The humor in the play is mostly political, referring to various events in the Indonesian social and political sphere in 2012, which, in a way, makes the play feel dated. For instance, a joke utilizing two similarly unpleasant choices offer two different outcomes, with one option leaving the recipients face looking like Hambalang if he goes to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office and looking like a simulator if he goes to the police precinct, referring to the Wisma Hambalang and the driving license simulator graft cases, respectively. Another, raunchier one is when Malin starts posing emulating a statue, with the final pose having him lying on his side with a come-hither stare. Immediately, his companion started freaking out, saying the pose would make him become part of a pornographic student test sheet, parodying a scandal involving a picture of the adult film actress Maria Ozawa in such a worksheet. However, the play does have a few laugh-worthy or groan-inducing moments, depending on your stance on cheesy jokes, like a line involving national cars that turn out to be models by various Japanese manufacturers like Baleno and Pajero, likely a potshot at the Timor national car project. Raunchy jokes also get some airtime, such as the aforementioned Maria Ozawa line, as well as Malins mother guessing someones name by blurting out the name Udin Petot the short version of a phrase indicating an inclination for sexual acts. Its not all political humor though, as there are some non-skit highlights, such as a performance by Minang rapper Tommy Bolin and others featuring traditional Minang cultural performances like Tapuak Galembang, Ginyang Mak Taci and Badendang. Admittedly, while watching a recording does have its benefits like the ability to rewind and pause, the process becomes an annoyance when your internet connection is spotty and you end up having to refresh the page every minute or so, as happened while watching the stream on indonesiakaya.com on Saturday. Thankfully, the stream on YouTube was much more stable, though it did start a little later than the one on Indonesia Kayas website. Agus Noor, one part of the Indonesia Kita trio, the other two being actor Butet Kartaredjasa and the late musician Djaduk Ferianto, said in a statement that in the middle of the explorations of humor and culture, Maling Kondang is a form of anxiety and criticism of social issues like corruption. Some people no longer feel ashamed about being corrupt, even boasting about it in public. Some are blinded by social status and wealth without looking into how the person acquired them. Hopefully, the broadcasting of Maling Kondang in #NontonTeaterDiRumahAja can open new perspectives for art enthusiasts in seeing social issues, he said. (ste) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust is set to start in Jerusalem District Court on Sunday. He strongly denies all charges. Why it matters: Netanyahu is Israel's first sitting prime minister to go on trial on corruption charges. He's the country's longest-serving leader and was sworn into office for a fourth consecutive term exactly a week ago. Driving the news: Netanyahu was indicted last November on all three corruption cases against him, known as 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000. In January, Netanyahu surrendered his immunity from prosecution moments before the Knesset was expected to form a committee to strip it from him. The prime minister had requested not to attend the arraignment, but Reuters reports the court ruled last Wednesday, "It is incumbent upon the requester, as with all other defendants, to appear and have his say in court." Three other defendants have been charged in the case, the Jerusalem Post notes. Zoom in: Per Barak Ravid of Israel's Channel 13 news, writing for Axios Case 1,000, the first fraud and breach of trust charge, concerns allegations that Netanyahu took gifts "worth $200,000 from businessmen in return for promoting their interests." Case 2000, the second fraud and breach of trust, is over an alleged bribe deal between Netanyahu and Arnon Mozes, the publisher of Israel's largest newspaper. Case 4,000, the bribery, fraud and breach of trust charge, concerns the relationship of Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu with Israel's leading telecommunications tycoon. "According to the police statement, Netanyahu, who at the time was also the telecom minister, allegedly gave Elovitz regulatory benefits worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In return, Netanyahu and his wife meddled in the content of Walla, one of Israel's major news websites owned by Elovitz, and demanded positive coverage," Ravid reported for Axios when Israeli police recommended he be indicted in 2018. Of note: As part of a power-sharing deal with Benny Gantz, the leader of the centrist Blue and White party, Netanyahu will remain as PM for at least 18 months, even as his corruption trial gets underway. The position is then due to rotate to Gantz. Go deeper: Israel's high court allows Netanyahu to form government despite indictments By Express News Service BHOPAL: Much before the battle of votes at the bulk 24 assembly by-elections, Madhya Pradesh is presently witnessing another battle of sorts a war of 'Missing' posters. Gwalior, the hometown of powerful erstwhile royal Scindia family saw Missing posters bearing the pictures of ex-union minister and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia being put by supporters of a Congress leader Siddharth Singh Rajawat. The posters were put all across the city, including the palace of the erstwhile royal family, the Scindia clan. Despite Jyotiraditya Scindia no longer being either an MP or an MLA, the posters bore his picture and read Talash: Gumshuda Jan Sevak Ki, Congress mein rahkar jo janseva nahi kar paa rahe they, jo corona mahamari ke samay aprawasi mazdooron ki awaz na utha sake, jinhe road par utarne ka shauk thaa ve aaj gumshuda hain. Talash kar laane waale ko 5100 nagad inaam (Search on for missing public servant, one who couldnt do public service in Congress, one who failed to raise the voice of migrant labourers during the corona pandemic and one who loved hitting the streets, but is presently missing. Whoever searches and brings him back will get Rs 5,100). The state Congress leader Siddharth Singh Rajawat while owning responsibility for the posters said similar posters will be put across Gwalior-Chambal region, which Scindia believes is his political turf. Just a few hours after the posters appeared in Gwalior city, the Scindia supporters and BJP workers tore the posters across the city. A case was registered against the Congress leader Siddharth Singh Rajawat u/s 188, 505(1)(c) of IPC and he was arrested by the Gwalior police. Similar Missing posters bearing pictures of Congress MLA from Bhitarwar seat and former MP minister Lakhan Singh Yadav were also put up in many parts of Gwalior district by people anti to Yadav. Yadav is the only Scindia loyalist MLA who didnt quit Vidhan Sabha membership and Congress in March. Just a few days back, similar posters bearing pictures of ex-Vidhan Sabha Speaker and Congress MLA from Gotegaon seat NP Prajapati had gone viral over social media in Narsinghpur district. A few days prior to it, similar posters of ex-CM and Chhindwara MLA Kamal Nath and his Chhindwara MP son Nakul Nath were found in various parts of Chhindwara town. With the poster war already being on between Congress and BJP supporters, the political atmosphere is charging up ahead of 24 bulk assembly polls slated in MP in the coming months. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is scrapping his 10-person limit on group gatherings and allowing churches to open at 25 per cent occupancy if certain safety guidelines are met. Walz's decision comes after the state reported a record number of COVID-19 cases. He says the issue has been a challenging one because large gatherings raise the risk of spreading the virus. Walz says he understands the toll the pandemic has taken on the spiritual health of residents. His new executive order applies only to religious gatherings and not receptions. While the leader of the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis welcomed the change, the governor said parishes should not open if they don't feel they can meet safety measures. Archbishop Bernard Hebda said in a letter to parishioners that limiting gatherings to 10 people had burdened the Church's ability to fully meet the sacramental needs of our faithful. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Premier Li Keqiang joins the group discussion of NPC deputies from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Saturday. [Photo/Xinhua] Premier Li Keqiang reiterated on Saturday the importance of stabilizing China's economic fundamentals with stronger measures to create jobs, safeguard people's livelihoods and protect market players as the country faces unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking during a panel discussion with deputies to the 13th National People's Congress from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the premier pledged more steps to help small, micro and medium-sized businesses and self-employed individuals cope with the challenging period. More support will be extended to those on flexible payrolls such as small traders, said Li, who is also a member of the NPC delegation from Guangxi. In the face of unprecedented challenges to its development, China must coordinate epidemic containment and socioeconomic development and blaze a new path that allows for an effective response to shocks and sustains positive growth. He explained that fiscal funding increased from last year, due to an expanded budget deficit and the issuance of special central government bonds worth 1 trillion yuan ($140 billion), and this will be transferred to governments at county and city levels to support job creation and safeguard people's livelihoods. To ensure that the people's basic needs are met, the country can also shore up consumer spending, which is now a key driver of China's economic growth, he said. More work must be done to guarantee the well-being of those experiencing difficulties and win the battle against extreme poverty, the premier said, adding that weak links in rural infrastructure, healthcare, ecology and the environment must be tackled as soon as possible. He called for greater steps forward in reform and opening-up to overcome obstacles, promote fair competition and roll out more concrete steps to help businesses and create a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment. Li called on officials from Guangxi to give play to the region's geographical advantages, expand opening-up and build the region into a platform for high-level opening-up. While working to fulfill its main targets and tasks for this year, the regional authorities must rely on Guangxi's various ethnic groups in seeking further development and taking measures to ensure the people's well-being, he said. Li also joined panel discussions with some members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on Saturday afternoon. Political advisers taking part in the discussion were from the China Association for Science and Technology and from the science and technology sector. Li called for greater research and development of more convenient and efficient testing technologies and effective pharmaceuticals and vaccines, a key pillar of winning the battle against the pandemic. The level of fundamental research must be further enhanced, and businesses must be encouraged to step up research and development, he said. The premier highlighted the need to transfer outcomes in scientific and technological research to production more quickly, bolster the level of security for industry and supply chains and enhance the momentum of new growth engines. Reforms to streamline administration and improve compliance oversight and services must be further deepened to reduce the burden on researchers so that they can focus more on their work, he added. Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning and Zhao Leji, who are also members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, also joined panel discussions with political advisers on Saturday. Colombo [Sri Lanka], May 23 (ANI): Newly appointed Indian High Commissioner of India Gopal Baglay visited Gangaramaya Temple and St Anthony's Church in Colombo on Saturday morning to pray to Lord Buddha for health, peace and prosperity of the people of Sri Lanka and India and their friendship and cooperation. This was his first movement from his official residence after observing stipulated health protocols since his arrival on 08 May 2020 on a special flight carrying a gift consignment of medicines and medical items from India to Sri Lanka. At the Temple, the High Commissioner was welcomed by Venerable Dr Kirinde Assaji Thero, who warmly recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the temple during the International Vesak Day Celebrations in 2017. He also showed the High Commissioner photographs of the significant visit displayed at various prominent places in the Temple. Thero fondly recalled the time he spent studying in India and pointed out the importance of such ties the two countries share. The High Commissioner stressed the commitment of India's leadership to strengthen multifaceted ties, especially the historical and deep civilisational, religious and cultural bonds, with Sri Lanka. Thereafter, the High Commissioner visited St. Anthony's Church to pay homage to the victims of last year's Easter Sunday terrorist attack. Recalling Prime Minister Modi's gesture of solidarity in visiting Sri Lanka and the Church at the first possibility after the attacks, Baglay prayed for peace, safety and security of the two countries. The administrator of the Church Rev. Father Jude Raj blessed the people of the two countries with health and happiness. He also blessed the High Commissioner in his task to foster ever closer friendship between the two neighbouring countries. "Reiterating solidarity expressed by leadership! On his first morning outside India House, High Commissioner paid homage to victims of #EasterSunday terrorist attacks at St. Anthony's Church, visited by PM Modi last year in wake of the attacks," the Indian High Commission wrote on its official Twitter page. "He recalled that PM Modi's visit to the Church last year sent a strong signal of solidarity and guided even closer cooperation for peace and security between #India and #SriLanka," the Twitter thread added. The High Commissioner reiterated India's abiding commitment to developing even stronger all-round cooperation with Sri Lanka, including in the sphere of people-to-people relations. (ANI) As the country combats the pandemic, millions are struggling with their employment status. There are currently more than a million people in Texas who are struggling with health care over the loss of the employment-based-insurance coverage. Many are awaiting the reopening to find jobs and regain their financial losses. Businesses are hopeful as they slowly open their doors to the public. Some Texans have landed in the sporadic health care safety net of the state, where advocates are claiming they could be removed from mental and physical health services as they encounter the economic tension of a public health crisis. Research studies have estimated that from "25 million to 45 million people in the US" are likely o lose their health insurance through the companies they are working for in the months ahead if the rate for unemployment increases to 20 percent. To date, the study also showed that to date, the number has reached almost 15 percent, a record high, it indicated, "since the Great Depression." A Terrible Situation in Texas The situation, based on the study, is specifically terrible in Texas, where the officials have limited access to publicly financed health insurance projects for the less fortunate, and, as the research said, "Have led the charge to toss in court, the Affordable Care Act." Texas, which, more than five million residents or about 18 percent of the populace, now consider a home this particular state is the minority of all the states that have dropped to extend the coverage of Medicaid to individuals earning near or lower than the poverty line. As a result, out of the 1.6 million Texan people who have possibly lost their employer-based health insurance amid the pandemic, 30,000 would be qualified for Medicaid should there be an expansion of the program by the state, Kaiser Family Foundation's recent estimates said. The approach of the state stands opposing to the 36 other states that offer the expanded Medicaid covering adults earning below 138 percent of the poverty line or roughly $36,000 annually for a household with four family members. Affected Unemployed Texans One of the affected Texans is 35-year-old Laci Crosson whose son no longer has pills for his attention deficit disorder. In March, her husband was laid off from his job as a mechanic for heavy equipment. Crosson hurried to get two younger kids enrolled in Medicaid. However, for the adults which include her eldest son who has a behavioral condition and is currently taking Adderall, no support is available, she said in a report. For quite some time now, the stay-at-home mom said her son has not been taking his medicines. She herself, she shared, recently experienced a medical emergency after she "had a bad bout of pneumonia" just a few weeks after her husband was laid off according to the local report. For days, Crosson shared she was bedridden that her husband got so worried she had COVID-19. She then went to the hospital and immediately, she was asked if she had health insurance. She was given strep test, a flu test, electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, and a bill she said, she feared she wouldn't be able to afford. Currently, the Crossons, already lost a storage unit since they can no longer afford the payments. The family is downsizing its hose to a smaller size, as well. Texas enforces the strictest eligibility for Medicaid across the state and adults are possibly to be eligible for the public insurance program except if they have a disability that they are unable to work, or if they are pregnant. The limiting criteria have reportedly left a huge health insurance hole for those who are not poor enough to be eligible for Medicaid but earn quite little to get supports in the "federal marketplace." Check these out: Long the proponents of good cyber security hygiene, Australian government agencies have been on the defensive after a series of successful cyber attacks that have left them red-faced and scrambling to maintain critical services. The epidemic of breaches across Australian government agencies Service NSW, the statewide digital-services branch of the New South Wales government, was caught flat-footed in late April after a successful phishing attack allowed an external hacker to access the email accounts of 47 staff members. [ How much does a data breach cost? Here's where the money goes. | Get the latest from CSO by signing up for our newsletters. ] Compromised data was limited to email records and, the agency said in a statement that customers should be reassured that MyServiceNSW data had not been compromisedyet investigations were continuing with the help of police, state and federal cyber security agencies, and the state Information and Privacy Commission. The breach comes days after the government was forced to suspend a COVID-19-related Australian Taxation Office (ATO) scheme providing early access to individuals superannuation funds, after revelations that the compromise of a third-party agent for the scheme had facilitated fraud. As many as 150 victims were said to have been involved, authorities told a parliamentary inquiry into COVID-19, with Australian Federal Police freezing bank accounts containing around $120,000and the ATO suspending the service while investigations proceed into the approximately 250 third parties that have access to the ATO systems. The scheme had been a catalyst for a rising tide of scams but its direct manipulation reflects the rapidly changing landscape of compromise that government bodies have faced as COVID-19 disruption continues. The office of Western Australia premier Mark McGowan was also facing the consequences of the changing landscape, with Chinese hacking group Naikon said to have targeted his office by inserting Aria-body malware into a draft email intended to be sent to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC). The detection of the malware foiled that attempt, but the federal Department of Home Affairs wasnt so lucky after it was revealed that poor security in a system for tracking skilled migrants had allowed confidential personal details of more than 700,000 people to be made publicly available. Even digital health providers were being targeted, with the Australian Digital Health Agency confirming that hackers had been detected while trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to breach the security perimeter around My Health Record (MyHR)the controversial system managing healthcare records for around 90 per cent of Australias population. External hackers had tried to compromise the external perimeter for our system, national health CIO Ronan OConnor told a parliamentary inquiry last week, but he said that the intruders had failed to access any data in the MyHR system. Australian agencies have improved data security, but not enough Foiling the breach extended the winning streak for MyHR, whose security has long been a sensitive issueand which has not been hacked yet despite its concentrating an unprecedented amount of sensitive data in a single system. Yet the sheer volume of breaches, and the variety of attack methods used, highlight the very real ongoing threat that Australian agencies face as the government works to navigate treacherous economic waters while maintaining service delivery, financial viability, policy continuity and, among other things, data security. The high degree of scrutiny of the new COVIDSafe app, which is now tracking the close contacts of more than 5 million Australians, highlights the additional challenges that the pandemic has presented for a public service that has long been working hard to boost its security. Some 427 cyber security incidents were reported to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) in 2019, according to the agencys recent report on the governments security posturewith 18 per cent related to malicious email and 14 per cent stemming from scanning, reconnaissance or brute-force attacks. Federal agencies had progressed in their implementation of the mandated ASD Essential Eight guidelines, the report found, with 50 per cent more entities improving the maturity of their user application hardening, 35 per cent showing improvements around multi-factor authentication, and a third improving their management of potentially malicious Microsoft Office macros. However, the report found that agencies still suffer from inadequate visibility of their information systems and data holdings; struggle with obsolete and unsupported systems and applications; had misunderstood, misinterpreted and inconsistently applied the Essential Eight guidance; had ineffective risk management practices; and were still struggling to implement the Top Four core technological protections. Government bodies, according to Verizons newly released Data Breach investigations Report (DBIR) 2020, continue to face a barrage of attacks. Public administration organisations are regularly targeted for theft of personal informationinvolved in 51 per cent of breaches in the sectoras well as credentials (33 per cent) and other information (34 per cent), Verizon found in analysing 6,843 reported incidents that included 346 with confirmed data disclosure. External actors were blamed in 59 per cent of data breaches, with financial motives identified in 75 per cent of casescompared with espionage, which was a motive in just 19 per cent of cases. Web applications were the most frequently targeted, with misconfiguration of cloud services enabling some 30 per cent of data breaches. There are security researchers out there who spend their time looking for just this kind of opportunity, the reports authors noted. If you build it, they will come. Today marks the auspicious occasion of Eid-al-Fitr. The festival is observed to honour the sacrifice of Prophet Mohammed, also recognised as the messenger of God, who was willing to sacrifice his son on God's instruction. Before he could sacrifice his son, God provided a lamb instead. It is believed that it's because of God's intervention that a goat is sacrificed each year on this occasion. Usually, Eid is celebrated in style by the celebrities, who are mostly seen dazzling the Iftar parties. However, this year celebrities and fans will give it a miss as the festival that shares love, blessings, and good wishes with loved ones, will be all about social distancing amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Mollywood celebrities Prithviraj, Dulquer Salmaan, Nivin Pauly among others have taken to their social media handles to wish fans on Eid. Check out the wishes here! Prithviraj, who recently returned to India amid the COVID-19 lockdown, after being stranded in Jordan while shooting for his upcoming big project Aadujeevitham wished Eid Mubarak with a special picture. South heartthrob Dulquer Salmaan unveiled a big surprise on the occasion as he dropped the second poster from his upcoming movie, Kurup. He wrote, "Here's a little surprise for Eid! Another poster from our most ambitious "Kurup"! In an ideal world today the film would have released in theatres all over. But guess we will have to make do with a poster release! @DqsWayfarerFilm #MstarCommunications." Heres a little surprise for Eid ! Another poster from our most ambitious Kurup ! In an ideal world today the film would have released in theatres all over. But guess we will have to make do with a poster release ! @DQsWayfarerFilm #MStarCommunications pic.twitter.com/Yo1NB9M4Nx dulquer salmaan (@dulQuer) May 24, 2020 Nivin Pauly wished fans a safe Eid. He wrote, "Have a safe Eid everyone." Talking about Nivin's project, his Thuramukham is scheduled for a release as soon as the lockdown ends. He is also a part of Padavettu directed by Liju Krishna. Jayasurya, who made it to the headlines recently, with his movie Sufiyum Sujatayum, becoming the first Malayalam movie to get OTT release, wished his fans with a beautiful picture. Fahadh Faasil shared an adorable picture with his wife and actress Nazriya Nazim to wish his fans on Eid. Tovino Thomas shared an earlier released poster of his film Minal Murali with Eid wishes. Aju Varghese took to his social media handle to wish fans with his picture. On this special occasion, Filmibeat wishes you all a very happy and prosperous Eid. Prithviraj Sukumaran To Get Back In To Shape: Sets Up A Mini Gym In His Quarantine Room! Prithviraj's Mother Mallika Sukumaran Rescued Yet Again From Flash Flood You may practice a religion, and feel that allowing another human being to take someones life is against your religions ethical code. Or you might feel that theres a danger that we are disrespecting the miracle of life if we allow VAD. In parliamentary debates, this kind of view is sometimes expressed by MPs. In one debate, an MP said: "it is my understanding that God has a no kill policy". Not all of us share this view. In our democratic society, we have come to tolerate peoples right to hold and practice certain beliefs that are not shared by everyone provided that the practice of such beliefs does not unduly harm others. We might call such beliefs reasonable in a wide sense. Although we may personally dismiss such beliefs as false or misguided, they are views about which we can rationally have a debate and so, as we say, people are 'entitled' to their view. By contrast, we could not rationally debate whether people from certain backgrounds should be excluded from medical treatment. Fully informed parties in ideal conversation conditions would quickly see that such a proposal could not be sustained. It is because some issues are genuinely contestable are issues about which there can reasonably be a range of different views that our democratic society has recognised the right of each of us to make up our own minds about them, and act accordingly in our own lives. This is why we hear a lot about the importance of autonomy, of my right to decide for myself what beliefs I accept about, e.g. how I should die. Last Monday, lockdown 4.0 with some relaxations was promulgated. But this did not end, as the Supreme Court noted, the deluge of migrants making their way home. The question being asked by many, including serving and retired military personnel, is why the armed forces, the most-trusted instrument of the State, has not been more actively involved in containing the biggest internal security crisis facing the country. A serving lieutenant colonel, a retired commodore and two former Navy chiefs the first two on this page and others on social media have urged the armed forces be requisitioned to aid the civil administration in assisting citizens in distress. On day 48 of the lockdown, the government issued instructions to the states not to let migrants walk home. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, in an interview to this newspaper last month, said the coronavirus chain had to be broken by April 14 through the lockdown and social distancing, adding that the military is totally prepared to meet up to the demands made by government and people. The question was prompted by two sad events: Endless columns of hungry and tired migrant workers with families trudging home and their inhuman treatment by the police; and a media briefing by the CDS and three service chiefs where it was expected he would announce some major humanitarian intervention by the military. Instead, he narrated events that the three services would conduct to commemorate coronavirus warriors. After their appearance, veterans expressed dismay and rebuke. Given the unprecedented cuts underway in the defence budget, the countrywide flights of transport and fighter aircraft and helicopters and lighting up warships was expenditure better invested in providing succour to migrants. The visibility of the Army would have been a balm for distressed migrants. Following the nullification of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the surgical ground and airstrikes and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khans warning of Indian false flag operations, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has chosen to keep its powder dry. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said recently that he would not call in the Army as it is guarding the borders. But other than those deployed, sufficient forces are available for mitigating the humanitarian crisis. The Army has a strategic surplus of 8,000-10,000 personnel earmarked for United Nations Peacekeeping and deployable formations in peacetime. Should the armed forces have been deployed? The answer is a resounding yes. The country is confronted with an unprecedented human security challenge. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made saving lives and livelihoods, in that order, the national objective. In 2003, at an international security conference at Berlin, then deputy national security adviser, Satish Chandra, presented an elaborate paper on pandemics. Some contingency planning was done in the National Security Council and operational directorates of the armed forces. According to statistics with the defence archives, after Partition, India has faced 529 national disasters till 2017 with 200,000 deaths. The military played a key role in rescue and relief operations. The spotlight, so far, has been on the director-general of the Armed Forces Medical Services who dedicated large portions of his medical resources and services to civilian administration across the country, including establishing quarantine camps and coronavirus disease (Covid-19)-only hospitals. Ordnance factories have belatedly been ordered to produce medical equipment, including ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and other material. Naval warships have evacuated diaspora from the neighbourhood and for the first time charged $40 certainly bad optics for civil-military relations. The Indian Air Force has flown medical teams and stores to many foreign countries. The armed forces in the neighbourhood are involved in helping State authorities in dealing with the pandemic. In Sri Lanka, the National Operations Centre for Management of the Covid Outbreak is under the CDS. In south and southeast Asia, the military is assisting the State in handling the pandemic. Has the military become a holy cow in India? Especially when, for the first time, the military response mechanism has been catalysed with the appointment of a CDS and a powerful department of military affairs. The armed forces have the capacity, staying power and discipline to assist the State in weathering this storm in several ways. In mobilising national and state capacities, the military will act as a force multiplier. People, including the CDS, were hoping the first lockdown would contain the virus but uncertainty prevails. The pandemic is expected to peak in June-July with the likelihood of a second and third spike. The Army should be immediately directed to establish a task force for Organisation and Management of Safe and Secure Movement of Migrants and remain on standby for emergency missions. Every state is networked with Army formations in a location with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on aid to the civilian authority. While remaining sanitised, the military must be more optimally utilised in this national humanitarian crisis. That will be reason enough to ring bells and shower petals. Ashok K Mehta is a retired major general and founder member, Defence Planning Staff The views expressed are personal Tata Motors owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is said to be in talks with the UK government for an estimated one-billion pounds support package to tide through the coronavirus pandemic, according to British media reports. Britain's largest carmaker has submitted a large bespoke loan package request to ministers in recent weeks, 'Sky News' reports. The request is understood to be for temporary state funding, with the loan request lodged with the UK's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which is headed by Indian-origin minister Alok Sharma. Jaguar Land Rover [is] constantly in discussion with government on a whole range of matters relating to COVID-19 and we will not discuss details which are confidential and private, a JLR spokesperson said. The Sunday Times' reported last week that the government was exploring plans to become a lender of last resort to key companies, including JLR, which could entail the state extending loans that could convert into shares. The UK's Treasury department plans to set up a bad bank or asset resolution fund to hold stakes in companies that it may end up part-owning. The West Midlands luxury car giant employs around 40,000 people, with the vast majority in the UK, and supports a large number of suppliers. Its sales fell 31 per cent in the first three months of the year amid the lockdown and it was forced to halt production in the UK, putting staff on furlough, until restarting work amid social distance rules at its Solihull factory last week. There are also concerns around the Tata Group's other major asset - the Port Talbot steelworks, owned by Tata Steel, with the company thought to be considering shutting one of its two blast furnaces. The Indian steel major has sought a 500-million pounds loan from the government to support the south Wales site, which employs about 4,000. That request is also believed to be under consideration by the government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ghana Police Service in collaboration with Zoomlion Ghana Limited has launched the upper East Regional version of the disinfection exercise in Police facilities and premises. The launch, which took place at the Police Headquarters formed part of the National Fumigation exercise to limit COVID-19 infections of public institutions. The exercise, which will be carried out concurrently will fumigate barracks, offices, and all premises of the Police Service in the Region within five days. The Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police ( DCOP) Osei Kwaku Ampofo Duku, commended Zoomlion Ghana for the prompt response and taking up the task to support the Police to minimize the spread of the virus. He said the police officers had started cleaning up in preparation for the immediate take-off of the exercise. We are full of joy because, in the police circles, we are the hardest hit, where seven of our police officers in the region were affected but thankfully, they have escaped danger and are doing well, he said. He said to ensure that all the Police officers in the Region were safe, the Police medical team had tested all of them, to curtail the spread within the Command. ACP Alexander Amenyo, the Deputy Regional Commander, said it had become necessary in the wake of the increasing spread of the Pandemic to take all the necessary measures to curb the spread of the virus and thanked the Police administration for the intervention. He also thanked the Regional Zoomlion for the earlier fumigation of the police clinic and the Police training school at Pwalugu in the Talensi District and called for a continuous cordial working relationship between the two bodies. Mr John Sackey, the Upper East General Manager of Zoomlion Ghana, said the exercise was in two phases and would engage 215 men and officers of zoomlion Ghana across the districts to disinfect and disinfest to get rid-off other pests. He noted that COVID-19 was no respecter of persons considering the rate at which the pandemic afflicted people globally, nationally and regionally and stressed that as Zoomlion Ghana and other organizations have put in their best to fight the pandemic, the public had to adhere to the protocols of washing hands under running water with soap, using alcohol-based hand sanitizer and the wearing of face masks. If we all contribute our quota we will overcome the pandemic, Mr Sackey said. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri has thrust itself into the center of coronavirus fears as videos from the park went viral on Sunday afternoon. With Missouri already reopened videos spread via social media of people partying poolside. The state peeled off its coronavirus restrictions on May 4 and recorded a spike in case counts that day, according to The Kansas City Star. And while epidemiologists have noted that swimming or going to the beach can be manageably safe with social distancing practices, that is not what was recorded all over the internet. Current US death toll: 97,414 Incubation period: 2-14 days Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri - today #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/3Kn8U4g8Gv Tom Folan, MD (@tomfolanmd) May 24, 2020 Missouris coronavirus case count already spiked as Gov. Mike Parson allowed businesses to open on May 4. Missouri has 11,752 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with 676 deaths. What the hell is going on in the Lake of the Ozarks right now? Are people really this dumb? pic.twitter.com/66hlawnSYM Bishop (@Bishop_SAF) May 24, 2020 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. A fruit seller in north Delhi's Jagatpuri who was looted of mangoes worth Rs 30,000 by passers-by amid the COVID-19 lockdown said he feels 'overwhelmed' after receiving over Rs 8 lakh in donations A fruit seller in north Delhi's Jagatpuri, who was looted of mangoes worth Rs 30,000 by passers-by amid the COVID-19 lockdown, said he feels 'overwhelmed' after receiving over Rs 8 lakh in donations from the public, NDTV reported. "Overwhelmed," says Delhi mango seller, flooded by donations after loot Read more here: https://t.co/x7sF1nRbPF pic.twitter.com/zjmrVGFfca NDTV (@ndtv) May 23, 2020 "Now I can celebrate Eid with my children," Phool Mia, 43, told ANI. "This shows humanity is still alive." More than a hundred people sent in contributions ranging from a few hundred rupees to thousand of rupees after NDTV shared Phool Mia's bank account details on social media. "I am thankful to you. You told my story. I am thankful to everyone who has helped me," Phool Mia told NDTV. "Those who had to steal, did so. But I am overwhelmed that so many people have helped me." A clip of the incident, which went viral on social media, showed a mob filling their helmets and bags with mangoes, jostling with each other to steal from the unattended crates and even filling their hands with fruit and running away. The behaviour of the Delhi mob amid the coronavirus lockdown, which has seen migrants in large numbers peacefully taking to the streets and highways to walk home hundreds of kilometres, often without food and water in the scorching May heat, provoked outrage on social media and led to an outpouring of sympathy for Phool Mia. Four men have been arrested on the basis of video footage, police told ANI on Saturday. Phool Mia filed a complaint on Friday. As per PTI, the incident occurred after a heated argument between the fruit-seller and some rickshaw-pullers on Thursday morning. Phool Mia said he was standing under a tree when a group of rickshaw pullers asked him to leave. "My stock of mangoes worth Rs 30,000 was kept there. Some persons were fighting with each other fearing which I left the place to avoid any sort of altercation. When I returned, I saw that they were looting the mangoes kept there. There were 50 to 100 people who were involved in this act," Phool Mia told PTI. With inputs from agencies The central government on Saturday sent five columns of Indian Army to help restore infrastructure in Kolkata. IMAGE: A worker attempts to repair an electric pole, in the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan, in Kolkata, on Saturday. Photograph: Swapan Mahapatra/PTI Photo The Centre took this decision after receiving a request from the West Bengal government. 'Based on the request from the government of West Bengal, five columns were deployed today in the state to assist the civil administration in the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan. They will be providing assistance in road clearance work tomorrow as well,' the statement from Indian Army read. The army officials were seen assisting the local administration in clearing out the roads. A JCB machine was also used by the team to restore infrastructure in state capital Kolkata. Severe storm Cyclone Amphan in the Bay of Bengal had made landfall around 20 kilometers east of Sagar Island in the Sunderbans on Wednesday afternoons snapping telecommunications, power lines and cutting off roads links. Due to the cyclone, more than 80 people have lost their lives across West Bengal. Jerusalem, May 24 : A trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin on Sunday, making him the first sitting Prime Minister to go on trial in the countrys history. Netanyahu has been charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust - allegations which he strongly denies, branding them a "witch-hunt" by political opponents, while vowing to clear his name, the BBC reported. Netanyahu, who was sworn back into office as head of a rare national unity government, is expected to attend the opening session of the trial, which is being held at Jerusalem District Court. Leader of the right-wing Likud party, he is Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister, having been in power continuously since 2009. He also served a term in office from 1996-1999. According to Israeli law, a Prime Minister charged with a crime is not required to resign. Even if he is convicted, Netanyahu will not be required to resign unless and until any appeals are exhausted, reports the BBC. Under the unity government deal with former political rival Benny Gantz, a new role of "alternate prime minister" was created, which means when the two men switch positions in 18 months' time. Netanyahu will still occupy a prime ministerial office and stay on as Gantz's deputy. Meanwhile, a rally in support of Netanyahu was scheduled to take place Sunday outside the court, with Likud Ministers Amir Ohana and Miri Regev declaring they would accompany the premier to his trial, reports The Times of Israel. A separate protest against the premier was also set to be held near the court on the city's Saladin Street, with the Haaretz daily reporting that police were to boost their presence in the area. The robots are coming. But that might be a good thing in the post-pandemic operating rooms and grocery stores of the future. As the world adapts to a future in which cleanliness is king, people and companies may increasingly turn to robots to perform tasks previously reserved for humans, experts and technologists said. Those who have seen robots only in movies may also become more open to their increasing integration into daily life, and equipment once seen as a costly luxury may become indispensable to avert the risk of becoming infected by a superbug. One of those robots, called Tally, is made by San Franciscos Simbe Robotics and already roves the aisles of supermarkets the country over, counting items on shelves and reporting back to its human controllers. Tally can more accurately analyze whats on the shelf and not, freeing up the store team to do tasks like customer service, restocking and sanitization, said Simbe CEO Brad Bogolea. The robot exemplifies a future in which, instead of robots wiping out swathes of the job market, they do the menial jobs that allow humans to focus on more complex tasks and stay out of harms way. Everybody thats worried about losing jobs to automation, theres a whole diversity of jobs that will open in these tech areas because youre not going to go fully automated tomorrow, said Karen Panetta, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Tufts University in Massachusetts. You still need humans in the loop, she said. A tool like Tally could also be used in the stores of tomorrow to enforce social distancing measures and allow fewer employees to be in aisles taking stock, reducing risk. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle Bogloea said most of the companys robots are deployed in stores across the Midwest, where people are less accustomed than those in the Bay Area to seeing autonomous cars taking to the road. That hasnt prevented stores from adopting the technology. We started seeing strong acceptance pre-COVID, Bogolea said. This type of pandemic opens up a much greater opportunity for technologies like robotics and artificial intelligence to take hold, he said. That increased acceptance may mean more time for complex tasks in the consumer realm, but the same may not be true when it comes to the industrial setting. On average, each industrial robot replaced more than three workers nationally, according to a report from MIT News on a recent study by Daron Acemoglu, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Acemoglu found that adding one more robot per thousand workers in the industrial setting also reduces wages by nearly half a percent. Beyond consumer and industrial applications, medicine may also be more accepting to robotics, Panetta said. People have been resistant because they want the human doctor, Panetta said. But a robot swabbing someone for the coronavirus could allow frontline medical staff to perform more essential functions and keep them out of the path of the virus, she added. Shai Policker, CEO of medical technology incubator Medx Xelerator, has been grappling with the acceptance of robotic technologies for years. Just six months ago, talking to a physician ... theyd say, Well, Id like to be near my patient, Policker said. Suddenly those physicians are more readily adaptive to the idea of operating remotely because of the risk of infection, he added. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle Policker said two companies his accelerator has helped fund a disposable robotic system that assists in navigating through complex blood vessels and an imaging technology that can detect problems during kidney dialysis allow doctors and nurses to be further away from potentially infected patients during procedures. While these machines can be expensive to buy and install, Policker said those walls may come down as preventing the transmission of the virus, particularly to already unwell people, becomes a core focus. Medical settings present other unique challenges, particularly when it comes to cleanliness, in normal times but even more so during a pandemic. Researchers including Professor Kenji Shimada at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh are working on robotic solutions beyond what is currently available. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Shimada is working on a mobile robotic arm able to disinfect high-risk areas like hospital rooms using chemicals or ultraviolet light. He envisions a technology able to map a room and track where the machine has cleaned. Nothing is visible so you need a digital model to keep track of that, Shimada said of finding and killing the coronavirus and other microscopic threats. He said he plans to begin testing prototypes on campus, but it could be a year or two before an operational version of the machine is ready, underscoring the need to repurpose some technologies for the time being. That includes drones. Health authorities have said a return to normal will require robust testing along with an army of contact tracers to fight the virus. Because not everyone lives in a city where drive-through testing is available, some companies are looking at how to use drones to pick up and deliver samples. Volansi, a Concord drone company, is working on the problem of how people can hand off their samples to a lab simply by placing them in one of the companys drones, which can take off and land vertically and access almost any location. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle CEO and co-founder Hannan Parvizian said the business so far has focused on moving items around countries with emerging economies and limited ground infrastructure, where regulations around drone activity are more lax. Restrictions in the U.S. will need to be loosened, however, for companies like Parvizians to take to the skies loaded with virus samples. The Federal Aviation Administration requires drone operators to be able to see the drone they are controlling, whereas technology like Parvizians relies on programmed flight paths ranging from 50 to 200 miles. The FAA does make exceptions that can make drone operation easier for companies like Volansi. California drone operators, some of them first responders, received more than 400 waivers to go beyond current FAA regulations, the most of any state, according to the nonprofit, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. In the aftermath of the coronavirus, what Ive seen is that the public is extremely aware of how relevant this technology is, Parvizian said. He added: What were hoping to change is the regulators, based on the pressure they see from the public, will work harder to put a framework in place to enable this technology. Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice Schools in Mumbai to resume offline classes from pre-primary level to std 12 from Monday: municipal commissioner. 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 Fear of starvation amid the coronavirus-forced lockdown ended Shyam Babu's dream of "big-city school" for his child as the family packed their bags to return to their remote Chewara village in Bihar. For the last two months, he has been struggling to make ends meet. As Babu reminisces about the last eight years, since he moved to Gurgaon in search of work, and ultimately got his son admitted to a school here, his 8-year-old son Neeraj is reluctant to leave and pleads his father that he will stay back and go to school when it reopens. He fears that there may not be any coming back to Gurgaon and he will have to study in a village school from now. "I have been in Gurgaon for eight years now. I have worked as a labourer at different construction sites. I always wanted my son to study in a big-city school since those in villages are not that good. "Neeraj got admission in a government school here. His fees and meals were taken care of and we were happy that he will get a good and will not have to work as a labourer when he grows up," Shyam Babu told PTI. With no work and wages pending, Babu's family had to vacate their rented room and were waiting for a chance to catch a train back home. "Neeraj wanted to stay back so that he can resume school when it reopens. But how can we leave him here alone?" he said. Unhappy about visiting his village suddenly with all their belongings, Neeraj said, "I like the school here. I wish I am able to come back and the situation turns normal soon. If they will let my father build houses, I will get to come here too." Tirath Kumar, a rickshaw puller, says that in his village in Bihar's Sheikhpura district big-city school is a sought after thing. "A rickshaw puller can work anywhere, but we chose to do it in a big city so that our kids get to study there. It is a very sought after thing there if your kids study in 'bade sheher ka school'. We have the same government schools there also but teaching is good in city schools. "I like it when my daughter talks in English fluently. She is smarter in maths too than her village friends," Kumar said. He was determined to return to Gurgaon after a few months. "I will come back and see if we can again move here and will be able to survive. If yes, I will get my family here. Else my daughter will have to study in a village school only. Her here is not expensive to manage as the anganwadi centres help too, but what will we eat, where will we stay?" he posed. Both Tirath Kumar and Shyam Babu's families left for their village on Shramik Special Train earlier this week, among hundreds of migrants labourers who were victims of reverse migration after being out of work due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Diwan Raj, who worked with a catering firm here, said, "My son's school here is very good. They also sent sanitiser and masks for the whole family and the teacher explained to us on phone about the virus and precautions everyone needs to take. You don't get all this in village schools. Children then struggle when they grow up." "I wish I could do something to keep things as they were. I also waited for two months hoping that situation will turn normal but we have exhausted our savings too now. Though the lockdown has been eased to some extent still there is no work, so we will now have to go back. There is no other option. We can live anywhere, we don't mind but my son's will not be the same, I am more worried about this," he added. According to the Haryana Chief Minister's Office, so far over 2.60 lakh migrants have been sent home from the state. The country has been under lockdown since March 25 to contain the spread of the virus. The curbs have now been extended till May 31. It has thrown economic activities out of gear, rendered many homeless and penniless, beginning an exodus of migrants to their home states. While trains and buses are being arranged for them, lakhs of them continue to wait for their chance as they struggle to make ends meet. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With his 'you ain't black' warning to black people who don't want to vote for him, Joe Biden, the candidate the Democratic establishment picked because he was supposedly the guy who could bring in the black vote, once again revealed his racism, and the fallout is ugly. And it's telling that the press is trying to cover for him by keeping it out of the news. Here's how bad it was: "If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black." Oh really, Joe. pic.twitter.com/IsegjgjV14 Lawrence B. Jones III (@LawrenceBJones3) May 22, 2020 "If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or for Trump, then you ain't black," Biden said, in the same nasty aggressive tone he used to snarl at the Iowa farmer he challenged to a pushup contest and called fat. The fallout on Twitter was explosive, and it's still going like rings on a mushroom cloud as I write this: Here's are some retorts from black voters: .@JoeBiden says that if I'm supporting @realDonaldTrump than I'm NOT black? Who the hell are you? You don't even know where I'm from. You didn't walk a day in my shoes. You didn't see my mom struggle. You didn't see me work hard to get where I'm atand you say #Iaintblack? pic.twitter.com/HbFs5EIH8I Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) May 22, 2020 Why is this so disgusting in itself? First, it's presumptuous, demonstrating that Democrats clearly take black voters for granted, which is what Joe seemingly addresses. But it's also racist, because it attempts to nullify black people's right to think for themselves and make choices, something Biden doesn't tell whites. Third, as Kevin Williamson noted, the black accent was creepy, too, something seemingly reserved by white Democrats to throw at only black people: Imagine Biden going into the gay community and pitching them for votes in a stereotypical gay cadence, or going to, say, a Korean-American community event and trying to win their votes by imitating their immigrant accents.) Only blacks get this treatment from Democrats, which is yet another reason to view it as racist. It's also exceptionally opaque of Joe, too. How long has this argument been going on? I first heard it during the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings, chaired by none other than Creepy Joe Biden on the television, back when I lived in San Francisco. The issue came up in the lefty circles I knew in the Mission District as well as in the plummy academic environs of U.C. Santa Cruz - did black people have a right to think for themselves or not? Most lefties I knew at the time were actually were willing to give it a 'yes but,' rather than a 'no.' They knew that to say 'no' was a really bad look. Joe of course, was oblivious. Here's the view of a bigfoot in the Black community, BET billionaire Robert Johnson, a guy only a stupid person would cross: BET Founder Robert Johnson: Joe Biden 'Should Spend the Rest of His Campaign Apologizing to Every Black Person He Meets' https://t.co/EVHz3CbY0j via @BreitbartNews Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 23, 2020 Think of how puny and disgusting Biden must look to self-made-against-all-odds success story Johnson, telling him he needs to vote a certain way, or else his entire story and all he did to make it is null, whitey having the last word once again. Johnson must view him as a pinworm. Charlemagne Tha God looked flabbergasted, too, and for good reason. Talk like that is racist, the real kind. And most racists like to conceal it, but Joe is so out-of-it he doesn't, he doesn't even know it's racism. Charlemagne, though, is a kind of truth detector, toxic to phonies, so he knows for sure. He's the same guy who unwittingly exposed Kamala Harris as a fraud over her 'I'm Jamaican' (so I smoke pot) thang, prompting a disgusted response from her very proper Jamaican father who knew she knew better, and worse still for her, drew attention to her vicious record as a prosecutor, throwing low-level pot offenders into prison and not letting them out even when their terms ended, (the better to use their cheap labor to fight wildfires). All that, as she was tokin' up a good time herself. That pretty well finished her off when Tulsi Gabbard brought it up at one of the Democratic Party debates. Now it's Joe Biden turn and the fallout is even more pluming. Biden was the guy put forth by Democrats -- against a huge field of contenders -- as the guy to support because he's the guy who could bring in the black vote. He was President Obama's vice president. Now that he's been exposed as a racist, why is he there at all - why not a guy like Pete Buttigieg, who may not be drawing in black voters but he sure as heck doesn't insult them. Biden's going to lose votes over this, raising questions as to why he's there at all. He might even get booted form the Democratic nomination slot come summer because a lot of people are being turned off. Which signals that it's a strange thing that the network are doing all they can to keep this exploding political wildfire with smoke everyone can see, out of the news. Nothing to see here. The nets covered the Biden 'apology' and moved on, but Twitter keeps going and going. Twitter has since marked the matter as 'sensitive' which means it's looking to censor the issue, too. A little nuance from this observer: Fascinating to watch how the left-leaning cable networks have covered Bidens you aint black comment. MSNBC has discussed it nearly every hour, including a lengthy tough interview between @ChuckTodd, @KatyTurNBC and Symone Sanders (clip below). CNN hasnt mentioned it once. pic.twitter.com/InRhcMkTUD Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) May 22, 2020 MSNBC is the Bernie Sanders Network, and has a small audience, so they'll have at it. Not so, CNN, not so the mainstream networks ABC, CBS, NBC. Nobody's covering the fallout. There were brief mentions of Joe's supposed apology on the networks (he called his statement 'cavalier' which sounded pretty detached and weird, hardly a real apology, given the problematic nature of it. Yet by and large, this is not an issue to the bigger networks, despite an explosion of Twitter traffic and voter interest, and despite the mainstream media's long-held fascination with finding racism under every rock to support a 'narrative.' That phony '1619' invented history from the New York Times hit all the right narrative notes, which is why it got a Pulitzer. And more important from a breaking news perspective, Biden's statement is going to cost him votes. That's not a story to them? Yet they don't want to say anything. Which tells you that for them, they're in the sack with Democrats. Politics supersedes their proclaimed primacy of race. Black people are only of interest to the press so long as they vote Democrat. And if an avalanche of black votes move away from the Democrats as a result of this gaffe, they're somehow not going to notice. If this doesn't discredit them along with Joe himself, what does? They're exposed as shills from this coverup. Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, in his Eid al-Fitr message on Sunday, announced that he would expedite the release of Taliban prisoners as taking another step forward towards a truce with the insurgent group by responsible government. This comes after the Taliban announced a three-day ceasefire starting on May 24 as Islams holy month of fasting comes to an end. The release of prisoners of the group held by the Afghan government, which was also mentioned in the US-Taliban peace deal as confidence-building measure, has been at a standstill over a disagreement. The Taliban has demanded at least 5,000 prisoners to be freed at one go in exchange for 1,000 Afghan security officials detained by the extremist group. However, the Afghan government had refused to oblige until now because according to Ghani, the winner of prevailing peace would be the citizens of the country who suffer the most. As a responsible government we want to move one more step forward: I am announcing that the release of Taliban prisoners will be expedited and we call on the Taliban that they also expedite the release of the security and defense prisoners," Ghani was quoted by ANI. "The winner of peace will be the Afghan people. War brings destruction and misery, especially for Afghan women who suffer the most," he added. Read - India Welcomes 3-day Ceasefire In Afghanistan; Hopes It Will Be Extended Further Read - Taliban, Afghan Govt Declare 3-day Ceasefire For Eid; US Peace Envoy Calls It 'momentous' Three-day Eid ceasefire The announcement of a three-day Eid ceasefire at the end of Ramzan came amid an escalation of armed conflicts between Taliban and Afghan government despite the momentous signing of US-Taliban peace deal was expected to pave the way for a dialogue between Taliban and the Afghan government. The insurgent groups spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had made the declaration on Twitter and called for a halt in offensive operations solely for Eid festivities. Even though the troops on both sides were expected to cease war during the violence reduction period after the peace agreement involving the US, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has welcomed the Taliban announcement. He took to Twitter and said that as the Commander-in-Chief of the army he has instructed them to defend only if attacked. This comes after the Taliban rejected the Afghan governments call for a ceasefire for Ramzan and called it not rational. Read - US Envoy Working To Resuscitate Flagging Afghan Peace Deal Read - A 'healthy' Afghanistan Is Going To Need To Have A 'healthy Relationship' With India: Wells (With ANI inputs) Image Source: AP Stop what youre doing and watch The Beach. Warwick Thorntons solo series is an exquisite and mesmerising television experience. And you wont see anything else like it this year. The 630 min series comes with little introduction as the Indigenous director (Samson & Delilah, Sweet Country, Mystery Road) arrives at a lone beachside shack in Jilirr, Dampier Peninsula, on the north-west coast of Western Australia. From his old jeep he unpacks his supplies: 3 chickens, a guitar, cooking equipment, ready for his seclusion. Theres no dialogue, no narration as he opens up the dusty old hut just the tinkling of a piano and the unmistakable presence of the land. Across this 6 part series Thornton gets back to basics, cut off from the world and modern media. Turning hunter / gatherer, he cooks up small feasts of fish and crabs, making the series an Indigenous River Cottage of self-sustenance. Trust me, the food is one the key attractions of this series. But so is Thornton, peering out from his massive beard and wild hair, he veers from blunt indifference to tenderness and insight. Speaking only to his chicken ladies he is sparing in dialogue, preferring to strum his guitar, grind spices in a mortar & pestle, or keep an eye on a bird in a tree on the horizon. Stillness is a trademark of this unique work. And so are the arresting visuals that son Dylan River (Robbie Hood) has captured on the screen. Whether as drone shots or extreme close-ups, this is a stunning postcard of the Australian landscape. River works with the light, shadows, underwater and sky as his father cuts a lone figure on the land. It is punctuated by moments of humour, as he reminisces stories to his chickens (Im almost sorry it has any dialogue), or tells his seedlings Grow you little bastards -the phrase is cheekily turned into a lilting theme song sung by Megan Washington. The Beach is quintessentially Australian, and reminds us of the First Australians connection to country. Its a quiet masterpiece from Thornton, who is star, creator and director and it washes over you like a cool breeze on a summers night. One of the defining TV works of 2020. The Beach will air in its entirety as a three-hour event across on NITV, SBS and SBS On Demand at 7.30pm on Friday 29th May. Luca Zaia, governor of the Italian region of Veneto, announced on Sunday that plans are still moving forward to hold the Venice Film Festival from Sept. 2-12. The confirmation comes days after the Venice Biennale, which organizes the film festival, moved the dates for its 17th International Architecture Exhibition to 2021, but maintained the dates for the film festival. Zaia, who is also a board member on the Biennale, said that while the festival will move forward, attendees should expect that fewer films will be featured. Cate Blanchett is set to preside over the festivals jury. Also Read: Cannes Admits Physical Festival Is Impossible, Turns to Other Plans If it is held, the Venice Film Festival would be the first major gathering for the global film industry since the pandemic forced studios, film productions and movie theaters to shut down worldwide, starting with China in January and spreading across the globe by March. The Cannes Film Festival, which would have held its closing ceremony on Sunday, was officially canceled two weeks ago. Italy will reopen its borders to international travelers on June 3, with plans to reopen gyms and public pools on Monday and movie theaters on June 15. The country... Read original story Venice Film Festival Is Still on for September, Governor Confirms At TheWrap SARANAC LAKE The village has retracted a plan for downtown restaurants to set up outdoor dining areas on village sidewalks after county and state officials deemed the concept not compliant with current guidelines meant to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. Though we are disappointed, we will acquiesce to this determination in solidarity with our county and state leadership which has made an extraordinary effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in New York and relies upon the goodwill and cooperation of all its citizens and local governments to achieve success, village Mayor Clyde Rabideau wrote in a statement he emailed early Friday morning. This so-called soft start for downtown restaurants and shops would have started Saturday, May 23. It was planned to be a weekly Saturday evening feature of the villages Main Street and Broadway business district, where participating businesses could set up tables on select sections of sidewalk and customers ordering takeout food from restaurants could sit and eat there. Later, the plan was to include sidewalk sales by retail stores. Franklin County Legislator and Tupper Lake village Mayor Paul Maroun said the county was receiving calls about this proposal. Its absolutely not allowable, he said. He and Essex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Shaun Gillilland, of Willsboro, both said the North Country Regional Control Room found that the proposal is not authorized under Phase 1 of the states reopening plan, which the North Country is currently in. The North Country Regional Control Room is a task force appointed by the state to manage the regions reopening. Saranac Lake is split between Franklin and Essex counties; the downtown area is in Franklin County. Restaurants will be able to open for dine-in customers in Phase 3 of the reopening process, which could begin June 12 at the earliest in the North County, if the region continues to satisfy a series of state metrics on COVID-19 cases, testing and contact tracing. Rabideau said the process of planning and then withdrawing the idea gave village officials a better understanding of the vast spectrum of feelings of our citizens, their fears, their hopes and their wants. All the restaurateurs who talked to the Enterprise on Thursday said they were just learning of this announcement when asked about it, and they were hesitant to say they would participate because they had not been presented the plan before it was introduced. The plan was drawn up by Rabideau, the four Village Board trustees, village Chief of Police James Joyce and village Manager John Sweeney via emails and phone calls, outside of Village Board meetings and without consulting village Public Health Officer Ray Scollin. Rabideau announced it Thursday. Rabideau listed several different viewpoints he is hearing. There is no denying many Saranac Lakers justly remain fearful of contracting COVID-19 and have anxiety about venturing outside, he wrote. They are also fearful of the virus spreading to others in the community through contact and thus elevating the potential danger. There is no denying that others have no fear and passionately hope our community quickly returns to normal. There is no denying that businesses are suffering terribly, and our economy is in peril. Many business owners are unsure how to appropriately open in the phases ahead or even if their customers will return when they do. We will not satisfy all while doing so, but as our governor has expressed many times since this crisis started, Its not about me, its about we, Rabideau wrote. The state has not yet announced an official position on whether Saranac Lakes plan meets its guidelines. Rich Azzopardi, a senior advisor for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, said Thursday afternoon he had not seen the announcement and has not responded to Enterprise inquiries since then. Rabideau did not return Enterprise phone calls Thursday or Friday to expand on his written statements. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 5 After the Verzuz bash on May 23 united Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, we are ready for the next one. Bring on Beres Hammond. Bring on Wayne Wonder. Bring on Buju Banton. Capleton, Sizzla, Lady Saw, and Super Cat would be welcome too, because the Jamaican edition of the celebration was a party like no other. The virtual house was packed with music fans from all over the world, and like other Verzuz events, attracted some big names in music. Rihanna, Diddy, Damian Marley, Konshens, Sean Paul, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, and Buju Banton were just a few of the celebs who tuned in for the show. This was the first one that brought two artists together in the same room, and even though the audience was spread out in their own homes, the energy was magnetic. Tears, smiles, and air horns ruled the night, and rightfully so. Beenie Man and Bounty Killer killed it and made history. Big up! Bounty Killer | Johnny Nunez/WireImage/Getty Images; Beenie Man | Shareif Ziyadat/FilmMagic/Getty Images How the Bounty Killer vs. Beenie Man show was different Peeeeee-ople dead! From the beginning, selectas Richie D and Kurt Riley set the tone by playing classics from Garnett Silk, Shinehead, Sanchez, Barrington Levy, and a host of other favorites. The sound quality was crisp, and vibes were reminiscent of what youd hear and feel back in the day at Sunsplash, Sting, or any sound clash at a venue in Brooklyn, Kingston, or Miami. As an opener, the Jamaican national anthem played before things took off. Beenie Man and Bounty Killer shared the floor in a Verzuz first, but what made it so special was these two deejays have come a long way from their rivalry from the 90s. After a few stumbles and truces, they are officially brothers. As tunes from each artist blared from the speakers for this session, there were moments when they grabbed the mic and chanted the lyrics live. Keeping that same energy, they also freestyled over a few riddims and cracked jokes. It is hard to imagine that anyone listening at home was sitting still on a sofa. It was worth it just to hear Bounty Killers distinct voice and to see Beenie Mans animated dancing and that of his daughter, Desha. She made sure to hit the floor with throwbacks like the Pepperseed. Jamaican/Caribbean culture was in full force and honored the entire night. To cap it off, sound system veteran Rory of Stone Love played the afterparty. RELATED: Shaggy Reveals Why He Turned Down a Spot On Rihannas Forthcoming Album The songs will light up your playlists Going in, viewers had some songs in mind that they wanted to hear, and one of them was Bounty Killers Look on the Bug Riddim. It wasnt the only hit that made everyone want to throw their lighters up. Stucky (Bounty) and Old Dog (Beenie) took the crowd back, but when Hypocrite came on, it was another hot track that invited old memories of every song on the Showtime Riddim, including Bounty Killers Eagle and Di Hawk. Aye! Aye! Of course, some hip hop collaborations were played, such as Deadly Zone (Bounty and Mobb Deep), Fresh From Yard (Beenie and Lil Kim), and Hip-Hopera (Fugees and Bounty). Other dancehall classics in the rotation were Worthless Bwoy, Romie, Girls Dem Sugar, and Benz and Bimma. Fans reminded that hip-hop has roots in Jamaica Swizz Beats and Timbaland partnered up to create Verzuz, and with this particular installment, made a point to remind folks that rap stems from Jamaicas music scene. Black Thought rapped in Web that Kool Herc aint never get a royalty check as a nod to the Jamaican DJs pioneering role in creating hip-hop in New York. Back in the 70s, Kool Herc brought the style of toasting from the island to the US. In laymans terms, toasting is rhyming/chanting over a vocal-free beattypically a dubplateand including trash talk, jokes, or social commentary in what was typically a freestyle. It originated in Jamaica with greats such as U-Roy, I-Roy, and Dillinger. Kool Herc parlayed the style and started producing break beats, which is the foundation of early hip-hop. And that is why Swizz Beatz is always emphasizing that Verzuz is educational. The session with these two dancehall titansBeenie Man and Bounty Killerhelped connect some musical dots. RELATED: DMX Wants Jay-Z to Face Off Against Him in Instagram Music Battle Hong Kong: Safeguarding national security Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Hong Kong has experienced social unrest with frequent violence. There is even advocacy of independence. In view of the increasingly serious situation the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is facing in relation to national security and the difficulty of the executive and legislative authorities of the Hong Kong SAR to complete on their own legislation for safeguarding national security in the foreseeable future, the National Peoples Congress (NPC) has taken steps at the national level to improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong SAR to safeguard national security. The Hong Kong SAR Government has clearly pledged its support to the NPCs decision. Here I wish to explain the rationale involved in relation to the Constitution and the Basic Law, and the legal instruments that are being used. First, one must understand that the NPC is the highest organ of state power authority of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). Under the Constitution, Article 62 in particular, the NPC has the power to introduce laws and other legal instruments including making decisions. As an example, the Hong Kong SAR was established under the decision of the NPC on the Establishment of the Hong Kong SAR pursuant to Article 31 of the Constitution on 4 April 1990. As a matter of fact, the Basic Law was passed the same day as a national law by the NPC pursuant to Articles 31 and 62(14). The draft decision to be deliberated by the NPC and the Explanatory Statement of the draft decision have been published. The decision is to be made in accordance with Articles 31, 62(2), (14) and (16) and the relevant provisions of the Basic Law. Article 31 of the Constitution provides that the state may establish special administrative regions when necessary and the systems instituted in special administrative regions shall, in light of specific circumstances, be prescribed by laws enacted by the National Peoples Congress. Article 62(2), (14) and (16) provide that the National Peoples Congress exercises the following functions and powers to supervise the enforcement of the Constitution, to decide on the establishment of special administrative regions and the systems to be instituted there and to exercise such other functions and powers that the highest organ of state power should exercise. It is beyond doubt that the NPC has the power to make decisions relating to the Hong Kong SAR and in particular, as in the case here, to ensure that the Constitution is implemented. When making the decision, the NPC will also comply with the laws and as clearly stated in the Explanatory Statement and the draft decision the one country, two systems principle is to be upheld and implemented. Based on the Constitution, the NPC can also delegate to its Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress (NPCSC) to make laws and that is exactly what the draft decision paragraph six is referring to. There are doubts as to whether the NPCSC can legislate national security laws for the Hong Kong SAR. Such doubt is totally unwarranted. National security is never part of Hong Kong SARs autonomy, and indeed never a matter that concerns only the Hong Kong SAR. National security affects 1.4 billion nationals and it is trite that it has to be and is a matter that is entirely within the purview of the Central authorities. When the threats to territorial integrity, secession and subversion of a nation persist coupled with a lack of laws that address these, it is natural and indeed proper for the Central authorities to take action and propose to the NPC to make a decision and to introduce a national law applicable to the Hong Kong SAR. Such a national law is within the ambit of defence and foreign affairs as well as other matters outside the limits of the autonomy of the Region set out in Article 18(3) of the Basic Law. The four areas to be covered in this national law are secession, subversion, terrorist activities endangering national security and interference by foreign political forces. These are core national security matters of any state and that is why the NPC considers it necessary to make such a decision at a national level for a national law to be introduced into Annex III and to be promulgated by the Hong Kong SAR. Paragraph three of the draft decision also explicitly points out that it is the Hong Kong SARs constitutional responsibility to safeguard national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity; stresses that the Hong Kong SAR should as soon as possible complete the national security legislation stipulated in the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR. Whilst the Hong Kong SAR is authorised to legislate national security laws, it does not preclude the Central authorities from legislating at a national level for national security. Further as a matter of fact, the Hong Kong SAR simply has not been able to legislate at all for all these years. Upholding national sovereignty is the duty of each and every national. When there is no country, there is no home. These are basic principles that any right minded person will agree. To blindly vilify laws relating to national security is totally irrational. It is high time we grapple and address the need to legislate to protect national security and as the Hong Kong SAR cannot do it, it is not surprising that the NPC takes action at the national level. I hope the above explanation has provided some understanding of the legal basis for the two steps to be taken: the draft decision to be passed by the NPC, and the enactment of a national law by the NPCSC to be introduced to Annex III of the Basic Law to be promulgated by the Hong Kong SAR. Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng wrote this article and posted it on her blog on May 24. This story has been published on: 2020-05-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 05:11:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Saturday received Chinese Ambassador to Iraq Zhang Tao and the two discussed means to boost bilateral ties. Zhang congratulated al-Kadhimi for taking office after gaining the confidence of the Iraqi parliament. The ambassador also confirmed China's willingness to develop relations with Iraq and asserted China's stance in respecting Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity. For his part, al-Kadhimi said that Iraq appreciates China's support in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and he looks forward to strengthening economic cooperation in a way that addresses the current crisis caused by the decline in oil prices. Al-Kadhimi also expressed Iraq's desire to attract investments from Chinese companies in the country in the fields of energy and agriculture. On May 6, al-Kadhimi was sworn in as the new prime minister in Iraq, following the approval of the parliament on most of his cabinet members. On April 26, a Chinese team of medical experts left Iraq after a 50-day stay to support Iraq in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic. China has also donated batches of medical supplies to Iraq to help to combat the coronavirus. Enditem The City of San Antonio has partnered with the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to collect 50,000 donated cloth face coverings and distribute them to vulnerable people. The mask drive, called Covered with Compassion, has already collected almost 17,000 face cloth coverings from almost 40 organizations in the business and faith communities. The masks have been redistributed to various nonprofit organizations and congregations, which provide them directly to residents, according to city officials. The drive is now reaching wider to include donations from anyone who can offer cloth masks, scarves, bandannas and handkerchiefs. The materials must be new and unused. Donations can be dropped off Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at TriPoint, 3233 N. St. Marys Street. The city strongly recommends face cloth coverings for people over the age of 10 to slow the transmission of the coronavirus. Some studies have shown masks are one of the most effective ways to avoid getting or spreading COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. The donated face cloths will be distributed later at five of the senior centers operated by the Department of Human Services, Senior Services Division: District 1 West End Park Senior Center; District 2 Senior Center; the South Side Lions Senior Center; District 5 Senior Center; and Normoyle Senior Center. Anyone in need of face coverings can pick them up at one the centers via curbside delivery on a date that will be announced after the donation deadline, officials said. For more information, call the COVID-19 hotline: 210-207-5779 or visit covid19.sanantonio.gov On ExpressNews.com: A timeline of COVID-19 in San Antonio Dr. Erika Gonzalez, chairwoman of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said we will not only encourage our members but our entire business community to help us reach our goal of collecting 50,000 cloth face coverings. The City of San Antonio is also providing safety supply kits to small businesses and nonprofits to help them reopen safely. On ExpressNews.com: Nonprofits struggle amid the pandemic The kits include one noncontact thermometer, two gallons of hand sanitizer and face masks. They can be picked up Wednesday at the Alamodome during the Greater. SAfer. Together. Supply Pickup Day. To be eligible for the kits, businesses and nonprofits must have a public-serving location within the city limits, must have been affected by state or local COVID-19 executive closure orders, must have been in operation prior to March 1 and must have no more than 25 full- or part-time employees or contract workers. To register, visit https://covid19.sanantonio.gov/reopening or call 311 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily. Registrations are accepted on a first come, first served basis and quantities are limited. Businesses in suburban cities and in unincorporated Bexar County can apply for supplies through the county's COVID-19 Essential Items Bag program. The application is available on the county's website. Those wishing to assist in distributing the kits on Wednesday can sign up for a time slot through a link at https://covid19.sanantonio.gov/reopening. Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje is a general assignment reporter covering breaking news, cultural trends and interesting people and goings-on around San Antonio and Bexar County, as well as all across South Texas. To read more from Melissa , become a subscriber. mstoeltje@express-news.net | Twitter: @mstoeltje India reported another steep single-day surge in Covid-19 cases with 6,767 new infections. With this, Indias coronavirus tally jumped to 131,868 on Sunday. Indias coronavirus death toll stands at 3,867 fatalities while more than 54,000 patients have recovered from the disease across the country. The big 4 Covid-19 states - Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Delhi - continue to struggle with a surge in Covid-19 cases. Together, these four states account for over 67% of the total number of cases in India. Heres taking a look at Covid-19 state-wise tally The big 4 Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra crossed the 47,000 on Sunday with 47,190 patients. The state has recorded 1,577 deaths so far, highest in the country, while over 13,000 patients (13,404) have recovered from Covid-19. Tamil Nadu has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in the country. The state has reported 15,512 coronavirus cases so far while 7,491 people have recovered and 103 patients have died. The Covid-19 tally in Gujarat stands at 13,664 - third highest in the country. Gujarat has seen 6,169 people recover from coronavirus while 829 people have died. In Delhi, the Covid-19 has jumped to 12,910. Two hundred and thirty-one people have died from the infection here while 6,267 have made a recovery. Also read: India now has infrastructure to treat 10 lakh Covid-19 patients States with over 5,000 cases Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are the states where the coronavirus cases have breached the 5,000-mark and are rapidly inching towards 10,000. Coronavirus cases in Rajasthan touched 6,742 on Sunday. The state has reported 160 fatalities while 3,786 patients have recovered from the infection in the state. In Madhya Pradesh, as many as 6,371 people been infected from Covid-19 till date. Two hundred and eighty-one people have died from Covid-19 in the state while 3,267 have recovered. The number of Covid-19 positive cases have jumped to 6,017 in Uttar Pradesh. While 3,406 people have recovered from coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh, 155 have died from the infection here. Situation in other states West Bengal is a state where coronavirus cases have breached the 3,000-mark and are rapidly rising. The number of infected cases in West Bengal reached 3,459 on Sunday. There have been 269 deaths and 1,281 recoveries in the state. States like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Haryana and Bihar have reported over 1,000 but less than 3,000 Covid-19 cases till date. States like Kerala, Jharkhand, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura have reported under 1,000 Covid-19 cases. Goa, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, Meghalaya, Manipur have less than 100 Covid-19 cases. States and Union territories with just one positive Covid-19 case include Dadar Nagar Havel, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. All patients in Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram have recovered. Note: Figures are from official data released by the Ministry of Health, and may differ from realtime numbers released by various state governments subject to confirmation from the Centre. FERNDALE, MI - Jason Momoa just spent some time in Metro Detroit, and as you can imagine, word got out quickly all over social media that the Aquaman actor was in town. A sizable crowd gathered in front of the home Momoa was visiting as people hoped to get a glimpse of the star. Jason Momoa was in Ferndale Michigan. Lets take a moment for those who live in the surrounding area. #JasonMomoa #Detroit #Michigan #BorrowedPhoto pic.twitter.com/O7KRHBDp0t Justin LaMarr Stevenson (@Jaaay_Duuurty) May 22, 2020 So, why was he in town? According to WDIV-TV, Momonas representative told the TV station he was simply in the Metro Detroit suburb visiting a friend and wasnt filming anything. Reporter Jason Colthorp said the actor was worried about creating an inadvertent health emergency because the crowd got so big as people tried to spot him coming out of the house. WDIV-cameras did capture him leaving. Momoa, who was born in Hawaii and raised in Iowa, has previous ties to Detroit. Back in 2014, MLive interviewed the actor who said he wanted to buy a building in the city to open a brewery. At that time, he said if he did that, it would be years down the road. Momoa also spent his 35th birthday going pub crawling in Detroit, he said in an interview in 2019 with Mens Health Magazine. I was with a bunch of friends. We went climbing in the daytime - did some good old exercise. Then we went on a pub crawl around Detroit, had a nice dinner, a good cigar... and I dont recall too much after that. Someone put me safely in my bed. Also, according to the Detroit Free Press, Momoa and his Pride of Gypsies production company have produced commercials for Detroit-based apparel company Carhartt. The Freep says the actor rented a house in Detroits Indian Village for a short time. READ MORE: Faygo brings back high-ranking flavor not available in Michigan for 15 years 1929 Michigan mansion has 2-story library with Sistine Chapel-like painted mural ceiling, $4.75M Why Jerry Seinfeld says hes always wanted to go to Battle Creek in his new Netflix special New Delhi, May 24 : Six days after the beginning of lockdown 4.0, the Centre on Sunday came with a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to bring Indians stranded abroad, giving priority to compelling cases in distress, short-term visa holders and persons with medical emergencies. The compelling cases will include migrant workers or labourers who have been laid off, short term visa holders faced with expiry of visas, and students. Persons with medical emergencies comprises pregnant women, and elderly and those required to return to India due to the death of a family member. However, the cost of travel as specified by the carrier, will be borne by such travellers, says the 10 point SOP issued by the Union Home Ministry. All travellers will also be required to give an undertaking that they are making the journey at their own risk, it said. Such persons will have to register themselves with the Indian missions in the country where they are stranded, along with necessary details as prescribed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). They will travel to India by non-scheduled commercial flights as allowed by Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), and ships as allowed by the Department of Military Affairs and Ministry of Shipping. Based on the registration received, the MEA will prepare a flight or ship wise database of all such travellers, including details such as name, age, gender, mobile phone number, place of residence, place of final destination; and information or RT-PCR test taken and its result. This database will be shared by MEA with the respective state/Union Territories (UTs) in advance. MEA will designate state or UT wise nodal officers, who will coordinate with the nodal officers designated for this purpose by the respective states and UTs. The Ministry will display with at least two days' notice, the schedule (day, place and time of arrival) of the incoming flights, ships, on their online digital platform. Passengers arriving through the land borders will have to undergo the same protocol and only those who are asymptomatic will be enabled to cross the border into India. The guidelines for international arrivals, including for quarantine arrangements issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Sunday will be followed. The government earlier this month facilitated the return of Indians on compelling grounds in a phased manner from May 7 and brought back over 35,000 people. In order to contain the spread of novel coronavirus pandemic, international air travel was prohibited when national lockdown was imposed on March 24. Many Indian nationals who had travelled to different countries before the lockdown for various purposes such as employment, studies, internships, tourism and business and were are stranded there, and the government decided to bring back such people facing distress and desirous of returning to India urgently, the Ministry said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Two bodies of drowning victims were recovered from Phu Ninh Lake in Nui Thanh District, Quang Nam Province, located in central Vietnam, on Saturday. A group of six 12th-grade students from Cao Ba Quat High School in Nui Thanh went to Phu Ninh Lake for a swim, early reports said. The body of water they swam in belongs to a larger lake system situated in Tam Xuan 1 Commune that borders Tam Xuan 2 Commune in the district. While they were swimming, Truong Van Vuong and Luu Quoc Bao, both aged 18 and residing in Nui Thanh District, drowned. Rescuers and local officials rushed to the scene immediately after being informed of the drownings, said Tran Thanh Xuan, chairman of the Tam Xuan 2 Peoples Committee. Some divers were deployed to look for the victims. At 6:30 pm on the same day, they recovered the two drowning victims bodies. The local government then handed over the bodies to their families for funeral rites, while relevant agencies are investigating the cause of the drownings. Phu Ninh Lake, where two 12th-grade students drowned on May 23, 2020. Photo: L.T. / Tuoi Tre In Vietnam, many such tragic accidents have happened, especially in summer. Young people are the age group most susceptible to drowning. About 2,000 children drown in Vietnam each year, according to an article published on the website of the Vietnamese parliament last year. This death rate is the highest in Southeast Asia and ten times that of developed countries. Drowning is the leading cause of death, around 48.8 percent, in children, the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs said in a report last year. Many Vietnamese schools now offers training courses designed to teach swimming techniques for their students in recent years, hoping to prevent drowning. Some Vietnamese lawmakers have suggested including a swimming course as a required subject in the curriculum. This proposal sparked off a fierce debate in a legislative session two years ago. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Well, thats it. Camp is canceled, or weirdly constrained. (No capture the flag?) July Fourth is virtual. The beach at least, the boardwalk is too packed for comfort. Time to make sure those tablets, smartphones, and computers are up to date on their antivirus software. Were in for the stay-at-home long haul. Before you dive into the latest, greatest, local livestreams and video posts for kids Pops music, dance class, pop-up parties, Barnes art, the Giant Heart do yourself a favor, and listen to Parent Trapped , a new podcast that has nothing to do with Lindsay Lohan or, for us older parents, Hayley Mills. Hosted by Philadelphias own Ann Marie Baldonado, the Common Sense Media production is so timely, so helpful, its become a lifeline for those of us who are taking care of kids, with no end in sight. The family scream is catharsis itself. And now this weeks featured picks: ZoomDance 4 p.m. Monday, 11 a.m. & 4 p.m. Tuesday, 4 p.m. Wednesday, 11 a.m. & 4 p.m. Thursday, register at zoomdance.com (ages 1 -9) More than a decade before we were taking dance (and art, and math, and meetings) via Zoom, ZoomDance was leading little-kid classes at community centers, school gyms, the Beehive at Bok, etc. In March, the group began offering nightly storytimes via Zoom, naturally. In April, they added a roster of playful dance classes. Popular pay-if-you-wish open sessions revolve around a theme: sneaky monsters, superheroes, a unicorn search, the sun, and, this week, the giants castle. Fifteen- to 20-minute ($5) boost sessions give toddler caregivers movement play ideas. Age-based ballet (from $10) keeps plies and chaines fresh. Barnes Art Adventures 11noon Wednesdays at twitch.tv/barnesfoundation (ages 9 and up, or younger, with parents) For two months, the Barnes Foundation has been crushing quarantine culture for adults with Barnes Takeout, a daily YouTube playlist of succinct, accessible videos, each focused on a single artwork in the museums collection. Two Wednesdays ago, the Barnes education department launched a highly interactive, more broadly themed circus, murals, Henri Rousseau version for kids on Twitch.tv. Hosts give their young viewers the same respect afforded to grown-ups. The result: A juxtaposition of fine painting and emote-filled chats, art animations and art history. The future of art is here. Its weird, but its beautiful. And this week theyre making puppets. The Giant Heart: An Interactive Tour 11 a.m. Thursday sign up at www.fi.edu type zoom in the search field to find the registration page. How many school trips to the Franklin Institute got canceled this spring? Theyre not saying. Still, its safe to assume thousands of kids missed out on exploring (and possibly getting stuck inside) the most iconic exhibit the Giant Heart at the regions most-visited museum. A live, interactive, scientist-led Zoom tour isnt exactly the same as walking through the beating muscle. But lets face it: Its probably more educational. (Zoom tour full? Theres a self-guided Facebook version archived at fi.edu/franklin-at-home.) READ MORE: A rescue, canoodling, and that smell: Phillys tales from the Franklin Institutes Giant Heart, which just got a makeover Mandy Gonzalez Reads Welcome to My Neighborhood: A Barrio ABC 9 a.m. Friday on the POPS In Schools@Home web page, at phillypops.org/pops-schoolshome (ages 5-11) The Philly Pops have been keeping their young people students in the Pops in Schools program, co-op participants, staffers busy making YouTube videos. Some are performing from home. Others are leading joyful modern music history workshops. Adorably bow-tied education director Gilberto Vega is teaching DIY percussion instruments in English and Spanish. This weeks Friday morning Pops in Schools@HOME post will include most of above, plus story time with Broadways Mandy Gonzalez, a frequent Pops guest, reading Welcome to My Neighborhood: A Barrio ABC, by Kensington native and In the Heights script and screenwriter Quiara Alegria Hudes. Vega will read the book in Spanish. READ MORE: Philly Pops Christmas show stuffs a whole lot of joy into its Santa sack Virtual Sundays with PopUpPlay 11:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. Sunday on the Cherry Street Pier website (ages 611) This popular play party is led by Jen Brevoort of PopUp Play, the group that would be offering kids activities at Spruce Street Harbor Park, Summerfest, or Cherry Street Pier, if, well, you know Instead, shes hosting 30 or so lucky kids a week some from as far away as Washington state or Pakistan in a Zoom meeting where they learn to use stuff they have at home to create slime (May 31), a kite (June 7), a Rube Goldberg machine (June 14), an obstacle course (June 21), and a song, along with accompanying musical instrument (June 28). Panaji, May 24 : The Goa unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), here on Sunday, demanded disciplinary action against the person who prepared English language question paper for this year's SSC examination, conducted on Saturday. The grammar-related question implies that it's difficult to get job in Goa without money or influence, which makes the Portuguese passport a viable option for youngsters. Leader of Opposition in the Goa Assembly Digambar Kamat (Congress) said the question was a "reflection of the current situation in Goa" under the BJP-led coalition government. Nearly 11,000 students appeared in the examination, he added. "This question in English paper of SSC examination is a reflection of current situation in Goa under @BJP4Goa. No job opportunities here & then step motherly treatment to those who go abroad for earning bread & butter & contribute to our economy. Hope @goacm takes note. @INCGoa," Kamat tweeted. Goa BJP General Secretary Narendra Sawaikar said the question was objectionable and intended to influence the mind of youngsters through motivated agenda. "It's apparent the question and it's presentation are intentional attempt by the paper-setter and the scrutiniser to influence the young minds with a motivated agenda," Sawaikar said. "Such mindset should not be tolerated in the education system," Sawaikar said and urged the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education to take "disciplinary action" and also ban the paper-setter and the scrutiniser and others associated with it from setting papers in future. The said question, which appears on page 10 of English language question paper, under part (D) is: "Report what was said by Rayson and Kedan by using appropriate reporting verbs: "What are your future plans my friend," (Rayson to Kedan). I have applied for a Portuguese passport as there are few job opportunities in Goa," (Kedan to Rayson). "You have taken the right decision. Without influence and money, it's very difficult for Goans to get jobs in Goa" (Rayson to Kedan). Goa gained independence from the Portuguese rule in 1961 after being a colony for over 450 years. The departing Portuguese, however, offered Goan natives option of the Portuguese citizenship. The privilege was later granted to Goans who had lived in Portuguese-ruled Goa, as well as their children up to three generations. Thousands of Goans have used it to migrate to Portugal and subsequently to the UK, thanks to the easy access across countries under the aegis of the European Union. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 21:08:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese work team members pose for group photos with Chinese Ambassador to Tajikistan Liu Bin (8th R) and Tajik First Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection Umarzoda Saida (7th R) at Dushanbe International Airport, Tajikistan, May 24, 2020. A group of Chinese medical experts arrived in the capital of Tajikistan early Sunday to help the country fight its COVID-19 epidemic. Invited by the Tajik government, the team from China's northwestern Shaanxi Province comprises 14 experts and doctors specializing in respiratory diseases, intensive care, nursing, traditional Chinese medicine, and infectious diseases prevention and control. (Chinese Embassy in Tajikistan/Handout via Xinhua) DUSHANBE, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A group of Chinese medical experts arrived in the capital of Tajikistan early Sunday to help the country fight its COVID-19 epidemic. Invited by the Tajik government, the team from China's northwestern Shaanxi Province comprises 14 experts and doctors specializing in respiratory diseases, intensive care, nursing, traditional Chinese medicine, and infectious diseases prevention and control. During the nine-day visit to the Central Asian country, the team will share with local health authorities China's experience fighting the disease and train local doctors on identification, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients. Upon the group's arrival at the Dushanbe airport, Chinese Ambassador to Tajikistan Liu Bin said the Chinese experts come as Tajikistan is grappling with the virus, a demonstration of the brotherhood and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two neighbors. The plane also brought a third batch of medical aid, including testing kits, personal protective equipment and ventilators that totaled 9.3 tons. Tajik First Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection Umarzoda Saida welcomed the Chinese team and expressed appreciation for their help. Saida said that Tajikistan highly values China's experience and is ready to boost medical cooperation between the two countries. Tajikistan has reported 2,551 confirmed cases and 44 deaths as of Saturday. "We will share Chinese experience with our Tajik counterparts to improve prevention and control of COVID-19," said Dr. Yi Zhi, deputy head of the work team. Enditem North Korea discussed new policies for increasing its nuclear war deterrence during a military meeting presided over by leader Kim Jong Un, state news agency KCNA reported Sunday. The report did not specify what the nuclear deterrence entailed, but said that crucial measures were taken at the meeting for considerably increasing the firepower strike ability of the artillery pieces of the Korean Peoples Army. Set forth at the meeting were new policies for further increasing the nuclear war deterrence of the country, KCNA said. Discussions at the Central Military Commission meeting also centred on putting the strategic armed forces on a high alert operation in line with the building and development of the armed forces of the country. If the meeting, the date of which was not given, occurred in the last several days, it marks Kims first public appearance in almost three weeks, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap. In April, rumours swirled about Kims health after he was conspicuously absent from a mid-month celebration for the birthday of his grandfather, only to turn up weeks later at the opening of a fertiliser factory. News of North Koreas nuclear discussions came after a report Friday in The Washington Post that US President Donald Trumps administration had discussed holding the first US nuclear test since 1992 as a potential warning to Russia and China. Daryl Kimball, executive director of the US-based Arms Control Association, told the paper that such a decision would likely disrupt negotiations with Kim, who may no longer feel compelled to honour his moratorium on nuclear testing. Union minister Smriti Irani on Sunday praised actor Sonu Sood for helping migrant workers go back home amid the ongoing Covid-19-induced lockdown. She tweeted about him on Sunday. The actor has arranged several buses for the migrants after obtaining special permissions from different state governments. Tagging a tweet by Sood in which he asked a migrant to share his number so that he can arrange for his travel back home, Smriti said: Ive had the privilege of knowing you as a professional colleague for over 2 decades now @SonuSood and celebrated your rise as an actor ;but the kindness you have displayed in these challenging times makes me prouder still thank you for helping those in need. Ive had the privilege of knowing you as a professional colleague for over 2 decades now @SonuSood & celebrated your rise as an actor ;but the kindness you have displayed in these challenging times makes me prouder still thank you for helping those in need https://t.co/JcpoZRIr8M Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) May 24, 2020 In his tweet, Sonu had written in Hindi: Paedal kyun jaaoge dost, number bhejo (why will you walk back home? send your number). He was responding to a person who had tweeted to him, asking for help. He wanted to reach Uttar Pradesh and from there, he would walk back to his village, the person said. Prior to Smriti, NCP leader and minister in the Government of Maharashtra Jayant Patil too had praised Sonu for arranging buses for migrant workers desirous of returning to their homes. Noting that Sood has played a villain in some of his films, the water resources minister termed the actor as an inspiring hero in reality. Sonu Sood is arranging buses for migrants who want to go back to their homes. He is trying to help as many migrants as he can. The on screen villain is an inspiring hero in reality! God bless him @SonuSood #SonuSood pic.twitter.com/cokoowzjhU Jayant Patil (@Jayant_R_Patil) May 23, 2020 Also read: When Dharmendra broke down during Esha Deols vidaai, mother Hema Malini hugged her goodbye. Watch video Sonu Sood is arranging buses for migrants who want to go back to their homes. He is trying to help as many migrants as he can. The on screen villain is an inspiring hero in reality! God bless him @SonuSood, tweeted Patil, who heads the state NCP unit. He also shared a picture of Sood standing near the buses reportedly arranged by him to ferry migrant workers. (With HT inputs) Follow @htshowbiz for more Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday that the U.S. should stop its "wishful thinking" of trying to change China, accusing the Trump administration of taking actions that are pushing the two nations toward a "new Cold War," Bloomberg reports. Why it matters: U.S.-China relations have grown increasingly sour during the coronavirus pandemic. President Trump and many of his Republican allies directly blame the Communist Party's cover-up in the early days of the Wuhan outbreak for allowing the virus to spread throughout the world. Tensions could further spiral if China moves forward with a sweeping national security law for Hong Kong that could dramatically constrain the city's autonomy. White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien said on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday that the U.S. government will likely impose economic sanctions if Beijing follows through. What they're saying: Wang said that "some U.S. political forces are taking hostage of China-U.S. relations" and that "this is dangerous and will endanger global peace." "China has no intention to change the U.S., nor to replace the U.S. It is also wishful thinking for the U.S. to change China," Wang argued. Wang also warned U.S. officials "not to challenge Chinas red line" on Taiwan, after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took the rare step of congratulating Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on her second-term inauguration. China considers the island of Taiwan a province, and Beijing threatened action against the U.S. last week for Pompeo's alleged "interference" in domestic affairs. "Reunification between the two sides of the Strait is an inevitable trend of history, no one and no force can stop it," Wang said. The big picture: It's unlikely that the Trump administration will ease up on its hawkish rhetoric against China, whose authoritarian turn has caused Americans' views of the country to darken dramatically. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo opened a press conference last week by saying, "The medias focus on the current pandemic risks missing the bigger picture of the challenge thats presented by the Chinese Communist Party. Go deeper: The "new Cold War" started in Beijing A MAN who is accused of having a significant amount of drugs and cash at his home has been refused bail. Warren Hehir, 29, of The Path, Garryowen, Limerick faces a number of charges arising from a search of his home on January 18, last. Opposing bail, Garda Sinead Galvin of Henry Street garda station said it will be alleged that various quantities of cannabis, worth an estimated 3,000, were located during the pre-planned search. It is the State case that paraphernalia, associated with drug dealing, was also recovered during the intelligence-led operation. Mr Hehir is also charged under money laundering legislation in connection with 2,100 in cash which was seized at the house by gardai. Solicitor John Herbert said his client a father-of-two had cooperated with gardai and was willing to abide by any bail conditions imposed by the court. He said his client has a work history and he submitted the value of the drugs seized was small in the scale of things. Judge Carol Anne Coolican refused bail and adjourned the matter to later this month to facilitate preparation of a book of evidence. Vietnam supports the building of a safe, friendly, open and stable cyberspace, meeting legitimate needs and interests of countries and people, and contributing to maintaining international peace and security, said Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese mission to the United Nations. Speaking at an online meeting on cyber stability and responsible state behaviour in cyberspace on May 22, Quy stressed that international law, including basic principles applied in cyberspace, and cooperation among countries and between countries and the private sector are necessary, but it should be based on the needs and requirements of relevant countries. Cyber security, cooperation in building capacity and coping with cyber incidents are among ASEAN's operational priorities, Quy said, adding that Vietnam as the ASEAN Chair 2020 successfully organised the two special ASEAN and ASEAN +3 summits on COVID-19. Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, expressed her concern about the increase of attacks on IT platform-based systems and services, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. She urged governments to coordinate closely, promote common understanding, share experiences, and properly coordinate resources in the work. Meanwhile, David Koh, CEO of Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, said strengthening cyber security capacity is Singapore's priority in ASEAN cooperation as well as collaboration with other countries. Participants emphasised the necessity to build a cyberspace of peace, safety, security and stability, in compliance with international law, including the UN Charter. They called for strengthening measures to build capacity on cyberspace use and management, promoting international cooperation and sharing national experience in this field./.VNA Chhindwara, May 24 : Head constable Krishna Dongre and constable Ashish were suspended on Sunday after a video of them brutally caning a man went viral yesterday. The incident took place on May 10 in Piplanarayanwar village of Lodhikheda police station of Saunsar tehsil of Chhindwara District in the constituency of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath. After the video went viral on social media, Additional Superintendent of Police Shashank Garg ordered an inquiry into the matter. Sub divisional officer of police S.P. Singh was asked to conduct the investigation. According to preliminary information, the man was drunk and was creating nuisance near a bank branch and the staff had complained to the police. No case was registered against the man for violating lockdown. Even as bystanders tried to stop the constables, they went on beating the victim. The man who was allegedly beaten up was taken to the district hospital for medical examination after which he was dropped at his residence. His condition is better, said police. When asked about injuries caused to the man, Garg said, "No serious injury was found in medical examination. However, since the incident is old, he might have recovered partially." This is the second incident of police atrocity in the region. Last week, Deepak Bundele, a lawyer, was beaten up by police sub-inspector B.S. Patel in the neighbouring Betul district. Bundele claimed that the police stopped him while he was going to the district hospital in Betul on March 23 shortly after movements were restricted to contain coronavirus. Bundele alleged that police thrashed him mercilessly before he informed them about his visit to the hospital for treatment. Bundele filed complaints with several authorities, seeking registration of a first information report against the policemen who attacked him. Bundele also filed a Right to Information application to retrieve the CCTV footage of the incident. However, two months later, he was neither given the CCTV footage nor was an FIR filed. Patel visited Bundele's house on May 17 to record his statement. "The cops mistook you as a member of the minority community due to your beard," Patel allegedly told Bundele. Bundele then shared an audio clip of the conversation with the local media. Superintendent of Police D.S. Bhadoriya suspended Patel after the clip was shared widely on social media. "He allegedly made a comment which should not have been part of the police investigation," Additional Superintendent of Police Shraddha Joshi said. When the United States and the Taliban signed their peace deal, U.S. officials said it would reduce bloodshed. But violence has only intensified and civilian casualties have increased. The U.S. withdrawal from the country is continuing on schedule, according to the U.S. military command in Kabul, despite U.S. and Taliban officials trading accusations that the other side has violated the agreement. The Australian government insists the $60 (US $39.2) billion reporting error in its Jobkeeper scheme is very good news, but is showing little sign of wanting to use the unspent money to extend or broaden the program. The government admitted on May 22 its JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme to assist businesses and workers through the pandemic caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, the novel coronavirus, will now be $70 billion rather than $130 billion and will now only cover 3.5 million people rather than 6.5 million that had been forecast. It means that businesses are in better shape than we might have anticipated when those original forecasts were put in place. It does mean that were in a better position as we work our way towards recovery, federal minister for energy Angus Taylor told Sky News on Sunday. Labor has been calling for the JobKeeper payment to be broadened to casuals and other work groups that missed out, but the government has repeatedly rejected the idea, even with the program now much smaller. Liberal backbencher Julian Leeser said the six-month JobKeeper program is due to be reviewed at the end of June and any changes to the program will be part of that discussion. I think its important to remember here that this is all borrowed money, Leeser told ABC TV. So instead of paying back $130 billion of borrowed money, were paying back $70 billion of borrowed money. Thats still a very large amount of money that taxpayers of the current generation and future generations will need to pay back. President Higgins has sent his best wishes to Ireland's 60,000 strong Muslim community as it celebrates the festival of Eid this weekend. It marks the conclusion of the annual period of prayer and fasting, Ramadan. In a statement, the President thanked Muslims for transcending the difficulties of Covid-19 during Ramadan and for their contribution to society. This year, celebrations have been scaled back due to coronavirus. Dr Nooh al Kaddo of the Islamic Cultural Centre says it is a very strange time for Muslims. He said: "All the families will gather, but in a very small group, which is very strange for us, very unusual for us. "It is a very, very difficult and hard time. It's a time for a celebration, so you can just imagine it's a time to enjoy the company of the people, that you cannot do." President Michael D Higgins' statement At the conclusion of the holy month of Ramadan, and as Muslims in Ireland and around the world come together in celebration of Eid al-Fitr, may I send my best wishes to Islamic communities wherever they may be for health, happiness and peace in the coming year. With the impact of Covid-19 all of our lives have been affected. I know that Islamic communities have thus faced additional challenges in observing the holy month of Ramadan. I wish to congratulate you on how you have transcended these difficulties in this particular year, and may I thank you for the invaluable contribution you make to Irish and global society. Eid Mubarak. As India is set to resume its domestic passengers flights from Monday after a gap of two months, the Himachal Pradesh government has decided to put people coming from red zones under institutional quarantine. It is mandatory to quarantine people coming from red zones and those with influenza like illness symptoms, hence the same rule will apply on air passengers, Kangra Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Prajapati said. Paid quarantine facilities are also available in Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) hotels in Kangra district, he added. The deputy commissioner said air passengers will be tested for coronavirus. A district official said only Himachal Pradesh residents having valid address proof should book flights coming to Dharamshala's Gaggal airport from Monday. Tourists will not be allowed to enter the district, he said, adding that they will be immediately put in a quarantine facility and sent back on their own expenses. People coming to the state on flights will have to obtain an entry pass from district magistrate concerned and show it after deboarding at Gaggal airport, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An iconic Italian restaurant in Sydney has shamed a 'disgraceful' group of six who failed to show up to their dinner booking amid the coronavirus pandemic. Lockdown restrictions banning Australians from dining at cafes and restaurants were lifted on Friday in New South Wales and replaced with a ten-person limit. While many places remained shut due to high overhead costs outweighing profits brought in by the limited number of patrons, Beppi's Italian Restaurant in Darlinghurst, Sydney, was one of the few to allow customers inside. The restaurant, which has been running for almost 64 years and can seat more than 50 people at a time, had an overwhelming response by their loyal customer base who immediately started making bookings. Beppi's Italian Restaurant in Sydney was only open for takeaway during the COVID-19 lockdown But on Thursday night the owners were shocked when a group of six people did not show up to their booking - cutting their nightly profits by more than half. '60 per cent of our revenue gone,' read a post on the restaurant's Facebook page. 'No call to cancel - phone just goes to message bank. Disgraceful behaviour.' The managers were particularly disappointed because they had made the decision to trust customers who book in advance instead of taking credit card details. 'The overwhelming majority of our customers have been fantastic,' the post read. 'The selfish few spoil it for others and inflict further financial pain of an industry already decimated by the pandemic.' The restaurant can seat more than 50 people at a time, but has been limited to ten amid the pandemic The managers were so shocked by the group's lack of consideration they considered releasing the name and number of the customer who made the booking, but decided against it. Instead, they thanked everyone who had supported them during the financially difficult time and condemned the group. 'We have had an overwhelming response from the lifting of restrictions on in house dining from zero to ten customers. It has been great to hear the sounds of diners back in our restaurant.' Social media users blasted the group of six in the comments. Beppi's is the oldest family-run restaurant in Sydney and was opened by a man named Beppi and his girlfriend in 1956 (pictured at the restaurant with their infant son in the early '60s) 'Hard to operate under those conditions. How thoughtless,' one person wrote on Twitter. 'Just when I thought rona would make people nice and respectable again instead their showing their true colours,' wrote another. Beppi's is the oldest family-run restaurant in Sydney. It has served Mick Jagger, Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel and Rihanna since it was opened by a young couple in 1956. The state government will allow up to 50 people to enter restaurants, cafes and pubs after June 1. At the start pf the pandemic, coronavirus testing involved driving to one of a handful of testing sites across the state, and having a doctor or nurse place a swab far up your nostril. Then, youd wait up to a week for results. Now, you can do it yourself, at a familiar place, right in the parking lot of your favorite superstore. Information is taken from a driver at the Burlington Walmart.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com As of Friday, Walmart has 180 active testing sites in 27 states, including seven in New Jersey. Friday morning, the process went smoothly as the first cars began arriving at a sectioned-off area of the parking lot at the Burlington Walmart. Participants had appointments and wore masks as they drove through checkpoints to verify their ID and eligibility, pressing their paperwork against closed car windows and reading instructions held by technicians on the other side. A self-administered nasal swab COVID-19 test kit is passed to a driver in Burlington Walmart.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com At the next stop, they rolled down their windows enough to receive their test packet from someone standing at a safe distance using a pick-up grabber tool. A Walmart pharmacist made sure the test was taken correctly. A self-administered nasal swab COVID-19 test kit is passed to a driver.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Friday, May 22, 2020 - Cars line up in a sectioned off part of a parking lot. Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Then, they drove off to drop the sealed sample into a container on their way out of the drive-thru site. In a press release, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy expressed gratitude for the partnership with Walmart and Quest Diagnostics. A strong testing program is one of the foundational principles for New Jerseys road back to restart and recovery, Murphy said in the release. The sites are open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays weekly from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., weather permitting. The sites will be closed for Memorial Day, Monday, but will open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and resume its regular schedule on Wednesday. In New Jersey, Walmart drive-thru testing sites will be open in the parking lots of Garfield, North Bergen, Kearny, Flemington, Burlington, Howell, and Mount Laurel Walmart stores located at: - 174 Passaic Street, Garfield - 2100 88th Street, North Bergen - 150 Harrison Avenue, Kearny - 152 NJ-31 North, Flemington - 2106 Mt Holly Road, Burlington Township - 4900 U.S. Highway #9, Howell Township - 934 NJ-73, Mt Laurel Township Walmart is donating parking lot space, site supplies and materials, and associates time. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Michael Mancuso may be reached at mmancuso@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @michaelmancuso. Find NJ.com on Facebook. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala's Covid-19 graph continues to be up on the third consecutive day with 53 cases being recorded on Sunday. Twelve of the new patients are in Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur, five each in Malappuram and Kasaragod, four each in Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Palakkad, three in Kollam, two in Pathanamthitta and one in Kozhikode. A Tamil Nadu native was also among those who tested positive. ALSO READ: Kerala registers 5th coronavirus death as 53-year-old cancer patient succumbs in Kozhikode Eighteen of the new patients are those who returned from foreign countries - eleven from UAE, three each from Saudi Arabia and Oman, and one from Kuwait. Twenty-nine persons were Malayalees who returned from other states - nineteen from Maharashtra, five from Gujarat, three from Tamil Nadu, one each from Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. A woman health worker in Palakkad was infected by contact. Five persons recovered from the pandemic on the day. A total of 322 persons are under treatment in various hospitals at present. Eighteen new hotspots have been announced. The number of hotspots in the state stands at 55. : COVID-19 cases in Karnataka breached the 2,000 mark on Sunday with the detection of 97 cases, most of them returnees to the state from Maharashtra, the health department said. It said the total number of positive cases was now 2,056, including 634 discharges, 1,378 active cases and 42 deaths Of the total number of cases, 73 had returned from Maharashtra and 41 among them were women. Giving the break up of cases, it said 26 patients were from Chikkaballapura, 18 from Udupi, 15 from Mandya, 14 from Hassan, six each from Kalaburagi and Yadagiri, four from Davangere, two each from Tumakuru and Uttara Kannada and one each from Kodagu, Vijayapura, Dakshina Kannada and Dharwad. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The first case of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Tihar prison complex was reported on Saturday. An assistant superintendent of Jail Number 7 tested positive for the virus on Saturday, prison officials said. The official had got himself tested on Friday. The prisons director-general Sandeep Goel said, His test results arrived Saturday. He was asymptomatic but the test results showed he had the virus. The official lives in the staff residential complex near the prison. Contact tracing at his workplace (Jail No.7) and residence is complete. It has revealed one member of the jail staff as a close contact and five others as casual contacts. The five casual contacts include two prison officials and three jail inmates, Goel said. At least nine residents (all prison officials) of the residential complex where the officer lives have also been told to quarantine themselves at home. Jail officials said that after the contact tracing process was over, the close contact was tested for Covid-19. His result is awaited. He is quarantined at home. The two casual contacts (members of the jail staff) are also quarantined at home. Meanwhile, the three inmates (casual contacts) have been kept in the isolation barrack. The prison department has turned single cells inside the prison into isolation wards. According to jail authorities, new prisoners are lodged in a separate sub-jail (number 2) for 14 days. They are shifted to other parts of the jail and allowed to lodge with other prisoners after completing the 14-day quarantine period. Goel said that all the contacts are presently asymptomatic and their medical condition will be monitored. This is the first case inside the Tihar prison complex, which is also the most crowded prison in the country. Until the nationwide lockdown, implemented on March 25, Tihar had around 13,000 prisoners. Currently, there are around 9,500 prisoners. As part of the measures to decongest the prison, the government released around 3,000 prisoners on interim bail and parole. The prison department has also cancelled the biweekly visit of inmates families to contain the spread of the virus. With the lower courts closed, the prisoners hearings are held via video conferencing from prison. Rohini jail, which has around 1,200 prisoners, has reported 18 Covid-19 cases, while Mandoli jail, where around 3,000 prisoners are lodged, has one case so far. In all the 20 Covid-19 cases found in the three jails, all the patients remain asymptomatic, according to jail authorities. All jail superintendents are on high alert after learning how the virus spread rapidly inside Mumbai Arthur Road jail, leading to at least 180 officials testing positive within a week, even though the jail houses less than 4,000 prisoners. Taking a swipe at the Centre over the plight of migrant labourers amidst the coronavirus-induced lockdown, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said the humanity shown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by washing the feet of conservatory workers seems to have vanished now. In his weekly column published in the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Raut said, "Prime Minister Modi had washed the feet of four conservatory workers in Varanasi and showed us the humanity. It seems this humanity has vanished in the last three months". The PM had washed the feet of safai karamcharis (sanitation workers) during Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj last February as a mark of respect for their work. Raut, who is the executive editor of the 'Saamana' and chief whip of the Sena in Parliament, also sought to draw parallels between "politicisation" of displacement of Kashmiri Pandits and the plight of migrant labourers, who are bearing the brunt of the lockdown. "The issue of Kashmiri Pandits being forced to leave their homes and living as refugees in their own country has been politicised frequently. Today, some six crore migrant workers are forced to live the similar way," he said. "Those who get angry with Adolf Hitler's cruelty and treatment to Jews should tell us what have they done for these migrant workers. If the ruling government is not moved by the sufferings of migrant workers in all states then this Coronavirus has ended the humanity," he said. Raut also targeted BJP leaders from Maharashtra over their "frequent" meeting with state governor B S Koshyari instead of interacting with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena. "The Opposition in Maharashtra is consistently claiming that the Thackeray-led government has failed. They should not forget that governments of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat are actually the biggest failures in containing COVID-19 cases. "And since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah hail from Gujarat, they cannot escape this responsibility," he said. Raut said that everybody is sailing in the same boat as far as the current COVID crisis and its adverse impact on the economy are concerned. "We have to work together to contain the outbreak," he added. Raut also slammed former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP who had criticised NCP chief Sharad Pawar for questionning the "Atma Nirbhar" package in the latter's recent letter to the prime minister. "Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis is getting agitated with letters of Sharad Pawar. Who has stopped him from writing letters to Prime Minister Modi?" he asked. Raut said the only agenda of Fadnavis is to dissolve the Sena-led tripartite government with the help of the governor. "If the Opposition keeps patients their lockdown will also end soon," Raut said cryptically. He also said that Opposition party (read BJP) is ridiculed the most on social media "which is not a good sign". Raut also asked Fadnavis to meet the CM and Sharad Pawar once. Egypt gives legal status to 70 more churches, but threats to Christian houses of worship remain Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As a government committee headed by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly gave legal status to 70 churches this week, the number of Christian houses of worship that have been legalized in the country came to 1,638. However, the threat to churches in this Muslim-majority country remains. Formed in January 2017, the Committee for the Legalization of Unlicensed Churches comprises the ministers of justice, parliamentary affairs, and local development and housing, as well as representatives of local authorities and Christian communities, according to Egypt Independent. Since 2017, the committee has legalized 1,638 churches. However, as recently as Wednesday, local authorities in the Koum Al-Farag area of Al-Behera governorate demolished a church building after sectarian protests, the U.K.-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported. The church had been holding worship services in its one-story building for 15 years until local Muslims constructed a mosque next to it a few years ago. As per the countrys common law, churches cannot be formally recognized or allowed to display Christian symbols if a mosque is built next to them. Since the church grew, it went on to add two more floors to the building, which led to sectarian tension in the area. As a result, local authorities demolished both the church building and the mosque next to it, CSW said, adding that 14 Christians, including the priest and four female members, were arrested for trying to stop the authorities from demolishing the building. CSW welcomes the legalization of more churches in Egypt, and we encourage the administration to continue on the path of reforming legislation and addressing societal attitudes and practices that restrict the right to freedom of religion or belief, CSWs Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said. (But) we remain concerned by the destruction of both the church and mosque in Koum Al-Farag, which is not an effective way of addressing sectarian tensions. The government must work with local authorities to formulate civic interventions that address and transform the societal attitudes underpinning sectarian tensions. Last year, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern reported the legalization of 127 congregations. However, critics of the committee, including ICC, have argued that it's moving too slowly in its granting of approval for the church buildings still on the list awaiting legalization. The 2016 law (based on which the committee was created) was supposed to make it easier for new churches to go through the legalization process, said ICC at the time. However, President [Abdel Fattah] Sisis government has a worse record than his predecessors when it comes to approving new church buildings. According to the Christian persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA, Egypt holds the rank of the 16th worst persecutor of Christians in the world. Many Egyptian Christians encounter substantial roadblocks to living out their faith, it notes. There are violent attacks that make news headlines around the world, but there are also quieter, more subtle forms of duress that burden Egyptian believers. Particularly in rural areas in northern Egypt, Christians have been chased from villages, and subject to mob violence and intense familial and community pressure. This is even more pronounced for Christians who are converts from Islam. The United States space agency NASA has announced that two astronauts will take off next week on board a private SpaceX vessel, the first crewed space flight to leave from US soil in nine years. Space X founder Elon Musk has been meeting with top officials at the US space agency since Thursday ahead of the 27 May mission which comes after years of preparation and planning. The space vehicule known as Crew Dragon, will be launched by a Falcon 9 rocket carrying US astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station where an American and two Russians are already based. US President Donald Trump will be among the spectators at Kennedy Space Center in Florida to witness the launch at 4:33 pm local time (2033 GMT) on Wednesday, while ordinary citizens can follow on livestream. There is however a chance that weather conditions may delay the launch until the next opportunity on 30 May. "All the systems have been checked and checked again," said Jim Bridenstine, head of Nasa at a virtual press conference on Friday. Question of pride for the USA It's the first time American astronauts have taken off from the United States since the national space shuttle service stopped in 2011. Since then, Nasa has been paying Russia millions of dollars to launch its astronauts on the Soyuz space shuttle, from Kazakhstan. In 2014, SpaceX and aerospace giant Boeing both won Nasa contracts for crew transport services worth billions of dollars. Founded in 2002, SpaceX has been regularly providing cargo services on its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets since 2012, but this is the first time it will carry passengers. Ripley the test dummy In March 2019, SpaceX successfully tested the Crew Dragon, manned by a dummy called Ripley. A technical set back in June meant the manned craft flight had to be postponed several months. The Crew Dragon is designed to carry a maximum of seven passengers, but Nasa flights will carry four, with the rest of the space taken up by supplies. It is equipped with touch screens instead of buttons and is designed to dock automatically when it reaches the ISS. Story continues Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are both experienced pilots who have spent 29 days and 28 days respectively in space. They will conduct a series of tests on the Crew Dragon vehicule during their time in space, and if successful, the Dragon will go on to complete a series of crew transport missions. Colony on Mars? SpaceX also prides itself on being the first private company to routinely return rocket stages to Earth under propulsive power so they could be re-used rather than being discarded. Musk's space launches to date have drawn much hype and publicity, in particular, the launch of his red electric Tesla sportscar in 2018. SpaceX is also developing a bigger spacecraft to carry humans - called Starship - which could begin the process of settling Mars. Actress Shannen Doherty and Marc Ching at a March 2019 fundraising gala for the Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation, the nonprofit organization founded by Ching. (Broadimage/Shutterstock) Four years after the Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation's launch in 2012, donations to the charity skyrocketed, fueled by the well-publicized efforts of founder Marc Ching to rescue dogs and cats from Asian meat markets. Contributions to the Sherman Oaks-based foundation ballooned from about $110,000 in 2015 to nearly $4 million over the next two years. And as the money rolled in, much of it rolled out in cash. In early June 2016, $25,000 in cash was withdrawn from the foundation. Five days later, a $40,000 withdrawal was made. Then came one for $12,000 and another for $25,000. Altogether, from January 2016 to March 2018, cash withdrawals totaled more than $350,000, a Times investigation has found. According to interviews and an examination of the organization's financial records, the cash outlays are among a number of spending practices and fundraising methods employed by the foundation that nonprofit watchdogs say are troubling for a charity. Most of those practices and methods were the subject of an anonymous complaint that former foundation director Valarie Ianniello said she filed early last year with the California attorney general's office. Ianniello told The Times she was fired in 2018 after repeatedly complaining about the lack of financial controls at the charity. The complaint, a copy of which was reviewed by The Times, raised concerns about the cash withdrawals and purchases the foundation made from Chings for-profit pet nutrition business, the Petstaurant. The charitys tax returns show it paid the Petstaurant at least $59,000 for food and other products. In her complaint, Ianniello also alleged that Ching lost nearly $250,000 of the foundations money on an investment in a for-profit pet food company that soon went bankrupt and that he appealed to donors using deceptive solicitations. Ianniello said she never received a response to the complaint, which included her name and phone number along with those of other current and former employees. In December, the attorney generals office declined to discuss Ianniellos allegations with The Times. Days later, the office notified the foundation that it would conduct an audit. Story continues In emails to The Times, and through statements by the foundations attorneys, the organization said Ching never misused funds and has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in goods, services and cash to the charity since 2014. The foundation also said Ching did not mislead donors and has never taken a salary. While Mr. Ching admittedly could have done a better job early on keeping receipts and financial records to be in compliance with the statutes governing non-profits, the notion that he is personally making money off the foundation is a fallacy, attorney Russell M. Selmont wrote. The charitys bookkeeper, Meredith Freeman, said that Ching used the cash on his international trips and that some expenses are accounted for in receipts. The foundation would not provide additional details or documentation. Speaking as chair of the foundation's board of directors, Dr. Barbara Gitlitz, a Los Angeles oncologist, said vendors at some of Chings destinations did not accept credit cards and did not always give receipts. Valarie Ianniello said she was fired as executive director of the Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation in 2018 after repeatedly complaining about the lack of financial controls at the nonprofit. (Valarie Ianniello) Ianniello, who was executive director when most of the cash withdrawals were made, said she never saw receipts for how that cash was spent. In a subsequent statement to The Times, Selmont said the foundation conducted an "independent investigation" and concluded "no AHWF money was stolen, embezzled or otherwise improperly used for non-AHWF benefits or purposes." In reference to the attorney general's office, Selmont said, "Our review of the DOJ audit is consistent with this belief and we are confident that there is no evidence of any financial wrongdoing. "The money spent by Mr. Ching and the AHWF for trips to Asia has been documented and we have conferred with guides and resources in Asia who have corroborated Mr. Chings and the Foundations documentation of monies and use of funds spent on rescue, related projects, and other operations." Selmont did not respond to The Times' request for a copy of the audit and for more information about the foundation's investigation, including who conducted it. Ianniello joined the foundation as a volunteer in early 2016. She said that within a year, she was named executive director, paid a salary and given access to the charitys bank account, although Ching still controlled the outlays. Ianniello showed The Times numerous text exchanges in which she challenged Ching over spending, including for thousands of dollars in food from his store. She also provided emails in which she urges the bookkeeper to review a range of expenses by Ching. In a text, Ianniello said, Ching told her a $2,500 payment from the foundation to a Petstaurant worker had been for the mans help in finding Pepper, Chings lost puppy. And really I am sure supporters would be fine with that, he wrote. :) but shes your dog, Ianniello wrote back. Elena Roberto, the foundations current executive director, said in an email that Ching gave the organization discounts on the products from the Petstaurant, which sits around the corner from the charitys office. Ianniello said it wasnt until she insisted that Ching began to give the discounts. The foundation said Ianniello, not Ching, directed the charity to buy from the Petstaurant. The foundation's tax documents show the organization bought nearly $19,000 in products from Ching's business in 2015, the year before Ianniello joined the charity. Daniel Borochoff, the founder of CharityWatch, a Chicago nonprofit organization that rates charities for sound financial practices, said that a foundation purchasing products from its chief executive is problematic and that it should seek competitive bids before doing so. Ching's foundation did not respond directly to a Times query on whether it sought competitive bids. Ianniello said she knew of no such effort. After learning that Ianniello was speaking to The Times, the foundation filed a lawsuit against her, alleging she took money and property from the organization and violated a separation agreement she signed when she was fired. The lawsuit contended that Ianniello kept the signed agreement as well, so the foundation had no copy. Ianniello said she never signed the agreement. Freeman, the foundations bookkeeper, told The Times she knew of no evidence that Ianniello stole from the organization or engaged in any other kind of dishonest behavior. In her complaint to the attorney general, Ianniello alleged that, in an effort to draw more donations, the foundation exaggerated its efforts on social media and used videos that had been staged and/or falsely described. State law prohibits charities from engaging in deceptive fundraising practices. Ianniello told The Times that a foundation initiative to microchip 100,000 pet dogs in China as a way to protect them from the meat trade was soon abandoned after just a handful of dogs were microchipped. Even so, she said, Ching continued to promote the campaign in social media posts. In a May 2017 text exchange, Ianniello told Ching she had a problem with him lying to his supporters about the existence of the microchip program. It feels wrong, she wrote. Ianniello said Ching staged a video on the foundation's Facebook page in which a foundation employee finds a microchip in a dog recently rescued from the meat trade in China. She said Ching told her ahead of time that he was going to inject the chip in the dog before recording the video. Later, in a text exchange with Ianniello, Ching asked her, "does the micro chip part look fake. In an email to The Times, Selmont, the foundations attorney, said, "Separate and apart from the money the Foundation sought to raise for that program, Mr. Ching himself directed a few dogs in China be implanted with microchips and made a subsequent social media post attempting to raise money for those rescued dogs' medical care." He added that "this was not done with the intent to deceive the public." The Facebook video was paired with a donation tab and a caption claiming four rescued dogs had microchips. The post said the foundation would try to reunite them with their families. A donation tracker accompanying the video said the post generated nearly $29,000 in contributions. By PTI NEW DELHI: Mamta Yadav boarded a Shramik Special train on May 8 at Gujarat's Jamnagar. She was travelling single. But, by the time her destination station in Bihar arrived she had a companion in her arms. Since Shramik Special trains started operating, they have witnessed births of 21 babies onboard, officials say. Mamta had decided to board the train in very difficult times: everybody was battling a coronavirus outbreak, her husband had lost his job as a factory worker in Jamnagar due to the lockdown, she was in advance stage of pregnancy and the home was hundreds of kilometers away. But she made the tough choice, and on May 8 decided to take the Jamnagar-Muzaffarpur Shramik Special train to be with her mother at her village in Chhapra district of Bihar for the birth of the baby. Officials say the train left the Jamnagar stations at 8 pm. Mamta, 35, began to experience the labour pain around the midnight. Though the Railways had said that Shramik Special would be non-stop, this train was stopped at the Agra Fort station so that she could get the medical attention she needed. Officials said that doctors were alerted by the onboard staff as the train approached Agra Fort station around 4.30 am. Mamta's compartment was turned into a labour room of sorts with other passengers moving out. A team of doctors along with railway staff supervised Mamta's condition as she delivered a healthy baby girl, the official said. "We have a well-oiled system to deal with medical emergencies," said railway spokesperson RD Bajpai. "Whenever a passenger needs help, our onboard staff alerts the station where medical aid is available next to and the doctors who live in railway colonies around the station are always there to deal with any emergency," he said. "We are happy that we managed to provide help in time every time and in each case the baby and the mother have been healthy," Mamta and her little one were allowed to continue their journey, officials said. On May 13, the 20-something Pinky Yadav gave birth to a baby boy on board the Ahmedabad-Faizabad Shramik Special train with the help of RPF personnel. She got the medical attention at the Kanpur station. But she had to be shifted to a district hospital for treatment. The 23-year old Ishwari Devi gave birth to a baby boy onboard the Habibganj-Bilaspur migrant special train on May 17 with the help of onboard staff and other women passengers. The Railways not only provided her the necessary medicines but also arranged for her admission to the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences when she needed further care. "We try to provide as much help as we can," said Bajpai. "At times these people are so keen to go home. We also advise them the dos and don'ts, give them medicines and allow them to continue their journeys." "We also provide them ambulance to ferry them to the nearest district hospital. However, one thing must be told. The mother nature takes care of most of it. We are just glad our staffers were there to help,". So far, the railways has run around 2,050 Shramik Special trains and these births, many officials said, provided a ray of hope to all in these difficult times. The West Central Railway has seen most of these births, welcoming seven newborns, followed by three each in the South East Central Railway and the North Central Railway, they said. The Central Railway has seen two such births, while the East Central Railway, the Northern Railway, the Northeast Frontier Railway, the South Central Railway, the North Eastern Railway and the Western Railway one each. The co-passengers, onboard staff and fellow travellers clapped, cheered and whistled to welcome the newborn into the world, officials recall. Seventeen members of a far-right group have been detained for attacking the headquarters of Ukraines largest pro-Russia political party in Kyiv. Police said on May 23 that members of the far-right National Corps were arrested for hooliganism after they clashed with security guards and threw smoke bombs, fireworks, and paint cans at the headquarters of the Opposition Platform - For Life. The party is led by Viktor Medvedchuk, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is godfather to one of the Ukrainian politicians daughters. The National Corps is the political wing of the far-right Azov movement that emerged during fighting with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The National Corps have demanded authorities file charges of treason against Opposition Platform - For Life and its leaders. On March 10, a delegation of Ukrainian lawmakers from the Opposition Platform - For Life met with deputies from the Russian State Duma in Moscow. The party said the two sides were discussing the creation of a inter-parliamentary element of the Normandy Format, a diplomatic process involving Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France to end fighting in eastern Ukraine. Medvedchuk reportedly discussed the initiative with Putin. THE former Speaker of Parliament and MDC national chairperson, Lovemore Moyo, has warned brawling MDC officials that they risked losing their relevance unless they urgently heal their rift. Speaking to the Daily News on Sunday yesterday, Moyo described the mindless bloodletting as a useless power struggle. This comes as the two groups loyal to Nelson Chamisa and Thokozani Khupe are involved in what has variously also been described as a zero-sum game for control of the countrys largest opposition party. Breaking his silence over the damaging infighting, the respected Moyo said pointedly that the feud had absolutely nothing to do with serving the long-suffering people of Zimbabwe. The fight between the two formations is purely a power struggle. Its about fighting for control of the soul of the MDC and (the late) President Morgan Tsvangirais political legacy. More importantly, its about who is who in the MDC leadership, the now leader of the United Movement for Devolution (UMD) said. Unfortunately, there is no winner in the on-going political fight as the two parties will significantly lose the opposition vote, supporters and credibility. Actually, Zanu PF will emerge the biggest winner as it stands from a divided and uncoordinated opposition come the 2023 general elections. Remember, the 2005 MDC split set a wrong precedent that one can disregard the party constitution, regulations and rules and still remain in charge of the party, Moyo further told the Daily News On Sunday. In this regard, weak party structures capitulated and supported Tsvangirai in defying the national council decision on the Senate participation. However, it must be noted that Tsvangirai went on to build a strong and vibrant MDC that performed exceptionally well in elections, the soft spoken former Matobo legislator said. My advice is very simple. Put the interests of the people of Zimbabwe first. Your personal egos and interests will always be accommodated if you deliver electoral victory in plebiscites. What you are doing to yourselves, tearing each other apart, especially on social media, makes Zanu PF smile. Focus on the ball. None of the two parties is holding the ball. Its Zanu PF that is currently holding and playing the ball, Moyo added. Turning to his own party, he said he was happy with the pace of things. Turning to his own party, he said he was happy with the pace of things. I am extremely happy to be part of a devolutionist movement. Our political ideology, mission and vision differ fundamentally from the ones pursued by the MDCs. Also, our political approach is based on the concept of provincialism, guided by the principle of supremacy of the provinces. Our political approach centres on empowerment of communities. Remember, the factors that led to my resignation from the MDC still exist like tribalism, marginalisation, inequality, violence and constitutionalism, Moyo said. Readers of Joan E. Berishs new memoir, Fire and Fauna Tales of a Life Untamed, may readily conclude that the fire in the title refers to her early work as a wildland firefighter in New Mexico. In the spring and summer of 1977 Berish was a seasonal helitack crew member based at the U.S. Forest Services Mount Taylor Ranger District in Grants. Helitack means helicopter-delivered resources used to initially fight forest fires. It gave her the physically demanding field experience she would need in wildlife biology. (The job) was pivotal. Had I not done the firefighting, Im not sure I would have gotten into Auburn (for a graduate wildlife program), Berish said in a phone interview from her home in Sandia Park. Most of the schools were male bastions. I needed the field cred particularly as a woman to prove to whoever hired me that I could withstand the rigors of fieldwork. That wasnt her only connection to fire-related activity in Berishs 33-plus-year career as a wildlife research biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. A second reference to the prescribed burns, or fires, which she said is the premier management tool to benefit the high, dry pineland habitats of the burrowing gopher tortoise. The gopher tortoise was Berishs primary research subject for the commission. This tortoise, a threatened keynote species, is found in the southeastern United States. She believes her memoir contains a third, though not so literal, association to the word fire. Its about her career-long ardor to understand the gopher tortoise. If you want to understand a long-lived species, you need to study it over time. They live from 40 to 60 years. I absolutely loved the research, and I always, always had more questions, Berish said. To try to understand the animals, thats what fed my fire, the fire of working on these enigmatic reptiles. Growing up in Fairland, Maryland, Berish developed a lifelong affinity for animals. She sometimes tagged along with her two older brothers and their friends to a nearby island where she caught frogs, toads and box turtles. At home were dogs, a cat and occasionally rabbits. In her preteen years, she sketched African wildlife, thinking she would be the next Jane Goodall. The young Berish took riding lessons, and that led to her wanting her own horse. Her horse obsession resulted in 35 weeks of secretly saving school lunch money to help buy one. After graduating with a B.S. in biology from Murray State University, in Kentucky, Berish moved to Albuquerque. In search of work with animals, she took a job cleaning cages and waiting on customers at a small pet store. Then she worked as a cocktail waitress, a gift shop clerk and a substitute teacher before moving on to a nuclear medicine research technician, a position that was part of a UNM School of Medicine project at the Veterans Affairs hospital. From there, she was a veterinary technician with varied tasks. And then came the job as a helitack firefighter. In graduate school, she intensively studied the distribution of the threatened eastern indigo snake in southern Georgia. It is one of the largest nonvenomous snakes in North America, Berish writes, and penetrates the deep gopher tortoise burrows and other underground refuges. The memoir brims with humorous moments and colorful characters. In one misadventure, her truck broke down in a small town. She told the cops she could sleep in her truck but the snake needed warmth. She and the snake ended up in an abandoned jail. The former jail was decrepit but it had a heater and would be warm. So I reclined on the bottom bunk in one of the cells, while the snake resided in his sack on the top bunk, Berish wrote. Berish has been on a three-pronged lifelong quest to work with animals in nature, to have mostly outdoor adventures, and to satisfy her curiosity for knowledge. She seems to have accomplished those goals. Seven West Media is in negotiations to offload parts of the in-house production business that makes Home and Away and My Kitchen Rules to Beyond Productions. The broadcaster was working with Morgan Stanley to sell Seven Studios before the COVID-19 pandemic began and was in discussions with productions companies including ITV Studios, Disney and Comcast's NBC Universal about a potential sale. Home and Away is one of a number of programs that Seven Studios creates. Credit:Seven Network Seven had been hoping to sell the division or secure a joint venture with an international partner to reduce a half a billion dollar debt pile, but the talks are on hold because of the crisis. Beyond, which produces MythBusters, Selling Houses Australia and Netflix's White Rabbit Project, is led by John Luscombe, the husband of long-time Seven Studios boss Therese Hegarty who stepped down from the business two weeks ago. The company already runs a joint venture with Seven Studios, known as 7Beyond, in the US. Television sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Seven was trying to offload Seven Studios UK, Slim TV in London, GSTV in New Zealand and the 50 per cent stake in its US joint venture, to Beyond. But the local production house that produces Home and Away, Better Homes and Gardens and House Rules and sales distribution parts of the business will remain with Seven. It is unclear whether Beyond was hoping to acquire the local production division or whether the offer will be substantial enough for Seven to accept. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has said his government has written to various countries which want to shift their business out of China and assured them of all possible support for setting up facilities in the state. Singh said his government is moving aggressively to reach out to embassies of various nations and that they have set up four industrial parks for giving them land for their projects. We have written to Japan, Korean and Taiwanese embassies in India and we are in talks with them and offering them all possible support, in terms of land, infrastructure and other facilities, Singh said during his Facebook Live programme #AskCaptain on Saturday. This comes in the midst of reports that a number of global giants, including Japanese and American companies, are looking to shift their manufacturing facilities to other countries from China in the wake of the pandemic. India is also looking to lure US businesses, including medical devices giant Abbott Laboratories, to relocate from China as President Donald Trumps administration stepped up efforts to blame Beijing for its role in the coronavirus pandemic. India in April reached out to more than 1,000 companies in the US and through overseas missions to offer incentives for manufacturers seeking to move out of China, Bloomberg reported earlier in May, citing government officials. India is prioritising medical equipment suppliers, food processing units, textiles, leather and auto part makers among more than 550 products covered in the discussions, according to officials who asked not to be identified, citing rules on speaking with the media. India expects to win over US companies involved in healthcare products and devices, and is in talks with Medtronic Plc and Abbott Laboratories on relocating their units to the country, an official said. India last month made prior clearance mandatory for foreign investments from countries that share a land border with India, in a move aimed at curbing opportunistic takeovers of Indian companies by Chinese firms following fall in their valuation due to the coronavirus-induced economic downturn. China criticised India for the new policy and called it discriminatory and demanded its review. Before Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have offered concessions for those planning to move. Maharashtra has ensured that supply chains for foreign manufacturers remained functional through Indias national virus lockdown. (With agency inputs) The Indian Army has said agressive local incidents on the Line of Actual Control are resolved through local meetings of New Delhi: The stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh appeared to be turning serious with some reports suggesting that China is building bunkers at two places to prevent Indian troops from patrolling the disputed areas. The two places are in the Galwan region and Pangong Tso, 110 km apart. The Chinese army, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), is reported to have erected 100 tents in the Galwan Valley in the past two weeks and brought in heavy equipment to build bunkers. According to reports, a large number of Chinese troops entered territory claimed by India at four locations including Patrol Point 14 (PP14) and Gogra post. The Indian Army has rushed additional troops to the area. This is not a usual confrontation between patrolling parties from two sides who usually disengage after short face-offs. In Pangong Tso too, the Chinese army is reported to be building bunkers in a disputed area around finger 3 to stop Indian troops from patrolling the area. In Pangong, Indian troops patrol way ahead till the finger 8 area. The Chinese army has also brought in additional boats to patrol the Pangong Tso river to build pressure on the Indian troops. Indian Army also is using boats to patrol the river. Indias Army Chief Gen MM Naravane visited Leh on Friday to review the situation with the field commanders. However, he didn't visit forward areas. The top military field commanders in Leh including the Northern Army commander Lt Gen YK Joshi, 14 Corps Chief Lt Gen Harinder Singh and other senior officers briefed the Army Chief on the LAC situation. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is monitoring the situation along with top military leadership. Earlier this month in two separate incidents, Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in fist fights and stone-pelting in Sikkim and the northern bank of the Pangong Tso. However, India downplayed these two faceoffs, saying that incidents of aggressive behaviour occur on the LAC and patrols normally disengage after local interaction and dialogue. In fact you are coming to know only about areas where face-offs have occurred but on a daily basis we are meeting at 10 other places where there is absolutely business as normal. It is only at one or two places this has happened, Gen Naravane had said last week. There were reports that last week Chinese troops detained and released Indian soldiers in Ladakh. However, the Indian Army denied that any patrol party was detained by the Chinese soldiers in Ladakh. With all major pre-Eid shopping hubs staying shut here, the people on Sunday appeared to be readying themselves for a subdued and somber celebration of the festival, striving to connect hearts instead of embracing each other. The people here are set to celebrate Eid on Monday amid prominent Muslim clerics' appeals to observe it at home and avoid embracing each other and shaking hands to rule out the chances of contracting coronavirus infection. All major Eid-Ul-Fitr eve shopping destinations here in the city, including those at Aminabad, Nazirabad, Fatehganj, La Touche Road and Kaisarbagh wore deserted looks with shops staying shut on Lucknow district administration orders. Whether it be dry fruit stores and hand-made papad shops at Aminabad Road or clothes showrooms at Nazirabad, they all had their shutters down. There were no different stories at markets at Fatehganj, La Touche Road and Kaisarbagh. They all stayed closed due to their proximity to COVID cantonment zones. Despite the missing tell-tale signs of a boisterous festivity, people did not appear to be complaining and seem headed to celebrate the Eid in a new light and spirit. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show Speaking to PTI, Lucknow's prominent Muslim cleric Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali, while asking people to celebrate Eid while staying at home, appealed to them to spend half of their celebration budget with the poor and needy. Celebrate Eid at your homes. Only four-five persons, staying in mosques, will offer prayers there. Greet people through social media. Do not shake hands or embrace or hug anyone. Apart from this, 50 per cent of Eid budget should be given to the poor," he said. Shia cleric Maulana Yasoob Abbas too echoed Maulana Mahali's sentiments. Ibaadat (prayers) can be done at home too. We are telling everyone to celebrate Eid at homes. This will be in the greater interest of our family and the country, he said. Gale milne ki jagah is baar hamen dil milane par jor dena chahiya . (We should strive to connect hearts this time instead of hugging each other), he said. These noble sentiments of Muslim spiritual gurus also appeared to have touched chords of common citizens. "The best Ramzan ever: Limited delicacies, no iftaar parties and no Eid shopping. Wow...isn't this the right way to rejoice this holy month every year? We all should feel blessed that for the first time, we got the opportunity to actually celebrate Ramzan and not indulge in distractions to show off on Eid," said Uzma Talha, a Lucknow-based freelance writer in a post. We should not feel that this pandemic has dampened the spirit of Eid, she said, adding we must thank this month of Ramzan for imparting us a spiritual experience in a difficult phase making us all to strive to become more humane, compassionate, kinder & selfless. Gudhiya, a domestic worker at Lucknow's Thakuganj, said she would be celebrating Eid from home. I have asked all my relative to do the same and pray for each other while staying at home and exchange greeting on phone, she added. Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel extended her Eid greetings to the people of the state. "Greetings to all the people of the state especially the Muslim brothers and sisters on Eid-ul-Fitr, she said. Eid gives us the message of love, unity and brotherhood. Sharing happiness increases them. Extending help to the poor and needy will also usher happiness in their lives. In view of COVID-19 pandemic, exercise caution, and offer Namaaz from homes," she said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 20:57:19|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- It is sheer nonsense to claim that China is using COVID-19 to expand its presence in the South China Sea, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday. Wang refuted the accusation at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual national legislative session. "China has been focusing on anti-epidemic cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries recently," Wang said, noting that both sides have supported and helped each other with their mutual trust further enhanced. With ships and planes carrying anti-virus supplies sailing across and flying over the South China Sea, the region is witnessing mutual assistance and cooperation between China and the ASEAN countries in epidemic fight, he said. A few countries outside the region, in contrast, are flexing their muscles by sending military aircraft and vessels to the South China Sea, Wang noted. "Their ill-intentioned and despicable moves are meant to sow discords between China and the ASEAN countries and undermine the hard-won stability in the region." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 21:06:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Hong Kong residents sign in a street campaign in support of the national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, May 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu) Residents from all walks of social life voice support for the national security legislation for Hong Kong. The number of participators quickly amounted to tens of thousands. HONG KONG, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A petition activity was launched here on Sunday in support of national security legislation for Hong Kong, with the number of participators quickly amounting to tens of thousands. More than 1,000 street stands were set up across Hong Kong to collect public signatures for the petition. At a street stand in Sheung Wan area on Hong Kong Island, a total of 456 signatures were collected in only two hours on Sunday. Piana He, a volunteer at the street stand, told Xinhua that the petition was welcomed and supported by many Hong Kong residents as they believed that national security legislation at the state level will provide crucial support for maintaining Hong Kong's prosperity and stability and safeguarding Hong Kong residents' well-being. The petition activity was launched by a newly established organization jointly initiated by thousands of people and hundreds of groups representing various sectors in the Hong Kong community. The petition, to be held for one week starting from Sunday, was also launched online. As of Sunday evening, more than 100,000 people had participated in the online petition. After a draft decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security was submitted to the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) for deliberation, many Hong Kong residents have voiced support for the legislation. Chung Pui-lan, a retired kindergarten teacher who participated in the petition, said she supports the legislation and hopes that it will help protect Hong Kong from scourge caused by external forces and restore its prosperity and stability. The prolonged disturbance has dealt a serious blow to Hong Kong's economy and people's livelihood, and many innocent residents were brutally assaulted by rioters just for holding different views, a Hong Kong resident surnamed Lau said, adding that she hopes national security legislation will help protect Hong Kong residents' freedoms and safety from being threatened by violence. Suen Ming-fung, a retired civil servant, agreed that it is necessary for the central authorities to take action since Hong Kong failed to enact laws for safeguarding national security on its own. Suen said he believes the legislation will help Hong Kong restore prosperity. "Only when its security is ensured can Hong Kong attract more foreign investment and develop more vigorously." Fung Kuen-kwok, a doctor living in Yau Ma Tei area in Kowloon, said since the social unrest started in June 2019, many of his neighbors and clients have been worried about their own safety due to rampant violence. Many countries around the world have relatively complete legal systems to safeguard national security, Fung pointed out, adding that it is the duty of every citizen to safeguard national security, but Hong Kong as a special administrative region of China has been slow in completing national security legislation "We have been looking forward to this (national security legislation) for a long time," he said. "I believe that after the completion of the legislation, it will have a deterrent effect on violent elements and help the residents to resume normal life and work." Texas schools that reopen with in-person classes for the 2020-21 school year could start conducting daily temperature checks on students and staff, stagger pick-up and drop-off times and have students eat in classrooms to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. These are just some of the new recommendations released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week for school systems to consider implementing. The CDC states on its website these guidelines are not required but should be considered and tailored for what is feasible for each school. TEA UPDATE: Here's what the 2020-21 school year calendar may look like The CDC recommends staff and students wear cloth face coverings, excluding children younger than 2 years, those with breathing issues and those who are unable to remove a covering without assistance. Other notable guidelines include spacing desks at least 6 feet apart and facing students in one direction, installing physical barriers between bathroom sinks, spacing bus riders six feet apart and closing off playgrounds and cafeterias. Field trips are not recommended at this time, and school-wide parent meetings, performances and student assemblies should be held virtually instead of in-person. Schools should reevaluate sick leave and absenteeism policies and consider not having perfect attendance awards so employees and students are not penalized for staying home if they come into contact with the virus or have to care for someone who has it. Teachers should discourage sharing items among students and keep children's belongings separated in labeled containers. High-touch surfaces, buses and playground equipment should be routinely cleaned and disinfected. RELATED: Texas schools can re-open for summer classes under safe distancing practices The CDC says broadcasting regular COVID-19 announcements on PA systems and posting signs that promote personal hygiene and frequent handwashing are important to keep students up to date on the virus, but also recommends encouraging students and staff to take breaks from the COVID-19 news cycle. Texas schools may resume in-person summer classes starting June 1 as part of Gov. Greg Abbott's phased reopening plan. But many area school districts have yet to announce plans on when they may resume in-person classes and are in the process of considering calendar changes after the Texas Education Agency released a new year-round calendar. That calendar adjustment calls for longer breaks, earlier start and later end dates and would help plan for a possible spike in COVID-19 cases. Find a complete and detailed list of the new school guidelines on the CDC's website. Rebecca Hennes covers community news. Read her on our breaking news site, MySA.com, and on our subscriber site, expressnews.com. | rebecca.hennes@chron.com India has joined countries such as the US, Germany and Iran in welcoming a three-day ceasefire in Afghanistan, saying it hopes the truce will be further extended in order to address the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country. The Taliban announced the ceasefire for Eid-ul-Fitr on Saturday evening. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed it and extended an offer of peace from his government. He instructed Afghan security forces to comply with the three-day ceasefire and to defend only if attacked. The external affairs ministry said in a statement on Sunday: India welcomes the understanding reached for a ceasefire in Afghanistan for three days during the Eid. We hope that this ceasefire would extend further and become permanent to address the dire humanitarian situation resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and pave the way for durable peace and stability for the people of Afghanistan. The statement added, India stands with the people of Afghanistan in their quest for enduring peace, security, sovereignty, and prosperity. On Sunday, Ghani announced his government will release up to 2,000 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture in response to the ceasefire, and take further steps in the peace process. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo welcomed the announcement of the truce . We worked hard to achieve this moment, and I hope that this respite from conflict gives Afghan people the space and security they deserve to celebrate Eid, while allowing the Taliban and the government the opportunity to take additional steps toward a peaceful future, he said. The Taliban had last called for a ceasefire during Eid in June 2018. However, violence has significantly increased in Afghanistan since the US and the Taliban signed a deal in February. The world community has been calling for a reduction in violence so that the fraying peace process can be taken forward. Police officer urges male victims of domestic abuse to speak out as helpline sees spike in calls This article is old - Published: Sunday, May 24th, 2020 Calls to a helpline designed to help men who have fallen victim to domestic abuse have shot up by 35 per cent during the coronavirus pandemic. The Mankind Initiative, which gives men a voice by working with police forces and other organisations, has also seen the amount of visitors to its website jump by 150 per cent Of those that call, for 60 per cent it is the first time they have told anyone and 70 per cent only call because the helpline is anonymous. The website is also a repository for statistics and research into male victims. A North Wales Police officer has stressed the importance for men to seek help if they feel they are being subjected to abuse. Strategic Domestic Abuse Officer PC Mike Taggart said: I think its important that we dont forget that men too can be victims of domestic abuse and we need to ensure that platforms to support men are equally and readily available. We urge any men who feel that they are being subjected to domestic abuse to call Mankind on the information below if they feel they want emotional support, but if they wish to report domestic abuse, to contact us on 101 or 999 in an emergency. Chairman for Mankind Mark Brooks said: The main issues men face, is that they dont understand that what they are going through is domestic abuse. This is why it is important that services dont disregard men in their awareness campaigns. Men dont often know that there are specialist services for them and for many they fear they will not be believed when they do go. This is what we have to get across in these awareness campaigns. We advise men who are in this situation call us. The helpline can be contacted on 01823 334244 and is available 10am-4pm Monday to Friday. For information into the services they provide visit www.mankind.org.uk Minn. allows all churches to reopen after Catholics, Lutherans threaten to defy orders Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Days after Minnesotas Catholic and Lutheran churches publicly declared they would defy Gov. Tim Walzs order restricting in-person services to not more than 10 people, the state has announced it's lifting that limitation to let larger groups gather for worship beginning Wednesday. At a press briefing Saturday, Gov. Walz announced that churches will be able to hold services starting Wednesday if they follow social distancing guidelines and limit the gatherings to not more than 25% of a buildings capacity, MinnPost reported. The governor has recognized that churches can reopen safely and carefully in the same way as malls and other business operations, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which along with Sidley Austin LLP had written to Waltz about his pervious order violating the First Amendment, said in a statement Saturday. Last Wednesday, The Minnesota Catholic Conference and The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod had also sent separate letters to the governor saying they would defy the reopening order. We were disappointed to find that instead, you allowed retail and other non-critical businesses to open, setting a plan in place for bars and restaurants to reopen while limiting churches to meetings of [10] people or fewer, the Lutheran body wrote in the letter. In the absence of a timeline or any other assurances that churches will soon be able to reopen, we find that we must move forward with our religious exercise in a safe manner. After the governors change of mind following a meeting with church leaders, Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis expressed gratitude. We are grateful that Governor Walz entered into respectful dialogue with us, recognized the spiritual needs of our faithful, and agreed that it is possible to resume worship services safely and responsibly, Hebda said. Hopefully, our experience of constructive dialogue can serve as a roadmap for churches across the country suffering from similar inequities, whether intended or unintended, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rev. Dr. Lucas Woodford, president of the Minnesota South District of The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, said the ability to meet responsibly in person to worship God and support one another is invaluable to our community of faith. He continued: We cherish the churchs stewardship of the gospel and sacraments that enables Christians to live out their daily vocations as citizens contributing to the public good and serving their neighbors in love. We are grateful that Minnesota decided to reopen churches, without needing to resort to legal action. We will remain prayerful and watchful, so that this agreement is just the beginning of a return to full, safe and responsible, in-person worship. On Friday, President Trump spoke to the Center for Disease Control about releasing guidance for reopening houses of worship as essential operations. At a press conference, Trump said, At my direction, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is issuing guidance for communities of faith. Im identifying houses of worship churches, synagogues and mosques as essential places that provide essential services. Trump also said he plans to override governors who are not allowing churches to reopen. Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential, but have left out churches and other houses of worship thats not right. So Im correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential. Research reveals that over one in every 10 small business owners get sued by their employees or customers. A study from the U.S. Chamber Institute of Legal Reform also showed 43% of small businesses were either threatened with a lawsuit or battled with one. Lawsuits can do tremendous financial and emotional damage, but there are smart ways to handle employee lawsuits to ensure that you protect your company and its finances, and are able to focus on business cash flow, sales and your other employees. Why employees sue a company Irrespective of the level of care, concern, great pay, and good working environment you provide your employees, there may still be unsatisfied workers who feel they've been treated unjustly. And if that's the case, these workers may take extra steps to show their displeasure, and that may be evident in litigation. More so, employees who believe they are unfairly treated may sue for retribution. A lawsuit may also be filed just to make up for the finance that will be lost as a result of the job termination. Accordingly, there are different reasons for employee lawsuits and some of these are: Wrongful termination Wage and salary violations Injury due to negligence on the part of the employer Violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) EEOC federal workplace discrimination laws violations Harassment at the work or uncomfortable working conditions Fired for bad performance even after being applauded for good performance How to reduce the level of threat from an employee lawsuit The best ways to reduce the level of threat to your small business: 1. Expect the lawsuit Even before a business lawsuit is filed, you'll be sent a legal demand letter that is either written by the employee in question, their attorney, or another entity. This letter often requires that your company takes corrective steps. The letter may also threaten to sue your business if the demands are not met. Accordingly, send the demand letters to an attorney with the right level of expertise. They'll be able to examine the content of the letter and determine its credibility. 2. Seek legal help The next move, if you do get sued, is to seek legal help or advice from a professional defense attorney or law firm. You may already have a lawyer that handles your company's legal cases, but it is better to resort to an attorney that specializes in handling a particular lawsuit. For instance, whether your company is faced with a criminal case, civil case or an employee lawsuit, it's best you seek an attorney who understands the basic phases of criminal lawsuits, civil lawsuits or employee lawsuits respectively and on time. Strategically, this is to ensure that they can handle every complex nature of the case. More so, It will prevent you from attracting more legal issues to your company. Much more, you'll have more understanding of what you're dealing with and what could potentially come out of the lawsuit. 3. Do not contact the plaintiff directly Do not contact the plaintiff directly, given that you may say or do things that may implicate you in the law court. Communication will be established with the employee by your attorney and that of the plaintiffs. And lest we forget, you need to respond to the lawsuit within the stipulated time frame you were given. 4. Safeguard your finance At this point, you need to protect your finances be it those from the business or your personal income. If there's the slightest chance that there will be a trial, you need to protect your finances from being claimed legally. In this case, you can get good business insurance that will protect your finances. There is liability insurance which helps save your business from any potential claim that may be laid on it. 5. Contact your insurance provider If you already have an insurance provider, you also need to reach out to them. There are business insurance policies that cover small businesses when lawsuits of this nature arise. However, do not automatically assume that your insurance will cover you. This is because the circumstances of the suit may make it non-coverable by the policy. Nonetheless, an employer's liability insurance will help to cover lawsuits from your employees. 6. Remain calm While this may sound like a difficult thing to do especially if you're angry or feeling frustrated about the lawsuit, it is better to stay calm and be optimistic that things will work out. You also need to ensure that your business processes are running smoothly and not affected by the legal action. 7. Protect yourself from future lawsuits Unarguably, the lawsuit you may be facing now may not be the last of its kind. Other employees may want to take the same path, which is why you need to create a solid HR foundation that will involve updating the employee handbook. Also, employees can be offered anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training and a well-detailed procedure on how complaints should be filed. Be smart about protecting yourself Getting sued by an employee does not mean you'll run into an insurmountable loss. For the latter not to happen, you need to smartly plan how to handle these threats. It'll ensure at the end of the day, you do not draw more legal problems while trying to handle the one at hand. Much more, it will not be at the expense of your small business. Related: What to Do If an Employee Sues You or Your Company TikTok Accused of Putting Children at Risk (Again) The Real Reason Behind ABBA's Crazy Outfits Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved A total of 21 out of 73 people who arrived from the USA on May 19 have tested positive for Covid-19, according to officials. All of them are not residents of Panchkula but belong to various districts. 2 reports were inconclusive and rest were negative, said Dr Jasjit Kaur, Chief Medical Officer, Panchkula. According to the latest data available on the website of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the number of coronavirus cases in Haryana has risen to 1067 with 706 cured/migrated/discharged and 16 deaths. India has so far recorded 1,25,101 Covid-19 cases out of which 69,597 are active cases. 3,720 people have lost their lives to coronavirus. If nothing else, sheltering in place these past two months has allowed us to get to know our neighborhoods very well close encounters of the strolling kind, day after day after day. Which means that I can now state emphatically, without reservation, that the black house craze has gone too far. As happens with any fashion trend, from padded shoulders in the 1980s to man buns of more recent vintage, houses cloaked in dark gray or jet black have crossed the line from sexy and stylish to been there-done that. In and of themselves, some look great they pop, to use a word favored by color consultants. En masse, youd think tar was being poured from airplanes onto random homes for no particular reason. Its enough to make one long for sheepish beige. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle The dark trend is nothing new: In 2014, I wrote that it was becoming as ubiquitous as food trucks in parts of San Francisco. Sergio De La Torre, a fine arts professor at the University of San Francisco, has researched gray houses in the Mission District as signals of gentrification. Phaidon published Black: Architecture in Monochrome in 2018, a monograph focused on you know what. But until I began to walk and bicycle in ever-varying routes to get fresh air as a break from our small Berkeley home, I hadnt realized how pernicious the embrace of ebony has become. It spreads across all neighborhoods, blanketing whatever type of house is determined to be in need of a new look. Spanish revival in funereal garb? It happened on Monterey Avenue. A perky Tudor befogged from bottom to top? Up the block on the left. Classic Berkeley wood shingle, perched behind redwoods and rugged natural boulders but now with an onyx hue? Around the corner on Sierra Street. Modest stucco bungalows in varying shades of gray-or-is-it-black? Too numerous to mention. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle The more you look the more you see, whether you want to or not (a black ranch house, protruding garage and all? Huh?). Dont be surprised if the street number is in mid-century sans serif, or if the front yard has new vegetation amid dark mulch. The trend is often disparaged as gentrification gray or flipper gray by observers who equate such homes with economic displacement. No question that there can be a marketing angle Visio Lending, a company that bills itself on its website as the Nations Leader in Rental Loans, last year placed Gray Paint at the top of its list of House Flipper Trends to Steal. Gray is the new beige, Visio enthused. Spoiler alert: Its not! Beige is all about fading into the background, being contextual often to a fault. Bad enough when the innocuous coat of beige cream? peach? is fresh. With a few years of weathering, politeness blurs into a tired blah. Black has a different mission to stand out. Turn heads. Its a quick way to class up a house, a real estate broker told The Chronicles Annie Vainshtein last year. Its almost like wearing a tuxedo or a nice evening dress. Thats fine if the outfit complements the subject. And make no mistake, some of my Goth neighbors carry off the look. Im even a fan of the Tudor, if only for the resolute incongruity. A now-black stucco bungalow around the corner, meanwhile, uses a discreet red stripe to accent the curve above the front window. Suave. 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 annoyance comes when you encounter one blunt bid for attention after the next. In demographically turbulent neighborhoods like the Mission or West Berkeley, the brash look can seem to say that the newcomers are determined to make the place their own. But when black paint slathers a posh old home near the Presidio in San Francisco, or in long-settled neighborhoods from Russian Hill to Noe Valley and beyond, the effect is just plain odd. As much as I might complain about North Berkeleys monochromatic melancholia and yes, in the context of a pandemic, my aesthetic exasperation is the very definition of a first world problem theres something to be said for feeling vexed. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle The past two months have been a dull churn of uncertainty and fear, no matter how fortunate you or I might be in terms of good health or financial stability. Our senses are dulled. Time drifts. In this context, the repetitive routine of stepping out offers a sharpening. Were not on errands, were in the moment. Each stitch in the urban fabric has the potential to reward a closer look the informal cluster of cottages amid single-family homes, or narrow mid-block public passages. The odd sprinkle of low brick fences that meet the sidewalk with a cartoonish Colonial air, a brief fad that until now came and went without a second glance. So if black houses make me roll my eyes while ambling, they also add focus, if only to determine whether the newest offender is dark gray or saturated blue or a very deep forested green. More than once, my intent gaze has led to bemused conversations with other socially distanced passers-by. In a sense, such walks prod us to get to know our community better. And these days, every extra connection helps. John King is The San Francisco Chronicles urban design critic. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat has decided to contribute Rs 6 lakh to the PM CARES fund for COVID-19 over a period of one year with a monthly contribution of Rs 50,000, officials said on Sunday. Gen Rawat has already started making the contribution from April and will continue it till March next year, they said. "The monthly contribution is 20 per cent of his total salary. In total, he will donate Rs 6 lakh to the PM-CARES fund," a military official said. Gen Rawat, India's first Chief of Defence Staff, had donated one day's salary to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES) in March as part of a collective decision by the Defence Ministry and three services. In March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced setting up of the PM CARES fund to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Political leaders, corporates, defence personnel, employees of Railways and PSUs, and Bollywood personalities were among a cross-section of organisations and people making their contribution to the fund. Earlier this month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a proposal providing for voluntary monthly contribution of one day's salary for next 11 months to the PM CARES fund for COVID-19 by nearly 1.5 million-strong armed forces and all other employees of the Defence Ministry. The total estimated contribution would be around Rs 5,500 crore if a majority of the armed forces personnel and the employees of the ministry including from the defence public sector undertakings decide to go for it. According to an official note, the contribution to the PM CARES fund will start from May and will continue till March 2021. The defence minister as well as all senior officials of the ministry and three services are making their contributing to the fund. MUMBAI: A day before domestic flights services are set to resume, Maharashtras Home Minister Anil Maharashtra has opposed reopening of airports in red zones in view of the coronavirus pandemic. In a series of tweets, Deshmukh said, "It's extremely ill-advised to reopen airports in the red zone..." Its extremely ill-advised to reopen airports in red zone. Mere thermal scanning of passengers inadequate w/o swabs. Impossible to have autos/cabs/buses ply in current circumstances. Adding positive passenger will add Covid stress to red zone. Its extremely ill-advised to reopen airports in red zone. Mere thermal scanning of passengers inadequate w/o swabs. Impossible to have autos/cabs/buses ply in current circumstances. Adding positive passenger will add Covid stress to red zone.#MaharashtraGovtCares ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) May 23, 2020 In another tweet, he said, ''Getting passengers to come from a green zone to a red one putting them to risk of exposure doesn't make sense. Keeping a busy airport up & running with all COVID-19 safety measures will need huge staff presence and compound risk in the red zone.'' Getting passengers to come from a green zone to a red one putting them to risk of exposure doesn't make sense. Keeping a busy airport up & running with all Covid-safety measures will need huge staff presence and compound risk in the red zone.#PlanningOverAdHocism ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) May 23, 2020 Maharashtra, which is the worst coronavirus-hit state, has not yet amended its May 19 lockdown order which allowed only special flights. Under the present circumstances, the state does not look too keen on accepting an influx of people. Tamil Nadu, with the second-highest number of cases, has also expressed similar concerns and urged the Civil Aviation Ministry to delay the plans till May 31. Importantly, Deshmukhs comments came a day after Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri asserted that India will resume domestic flight services as part of the Centre's gradual reboot of air travel that was halted two months ago on account of a lockdown imposed to stop the spread of the COVID-19. Puri said, ''There's no contradiction between domestic flights beginning from May 25 and lockdown in India being imposed till May 31.'' The Minister also said that the Centre is planning to bring back Indian citizens from Sri Lanka either by ship or flights. Discussions are at an advanced stage, the Aviation Minister said. He also recommended ''Aarogya Setu app for everyone'' saying, ''it's an excellent contact-tracing device." Puri further asserted that India will try to start a good percentage of international flights before August, if not the entire civil aviation. According to the announcement, the first domestic flight will take off from Terminal 3 of Delhi airport around 4.30 early morning. In the first phase, 28 domestic flights will take off from Delhi for various destinations across the country. The air travellers have been advised to carry their boarding passes along with them. It has also been made mandatory for the air travellers to upload the Aarogya Setu App in the mobile phones failing which they will have to sign an undertaking that they are free from Coronavirus infection. SPRINGFIELD With the state now just five days away from the potential Phase 3 of reopening under Gov. J.B. Pritzkers Restore Illinois plan, the percentage of COVID-19 test results that are positive is important. With a reported 25,674 tests reported during the past 24 hours, the rate of positive results was 9.77 percent, the second consecutive day below 10 percent. The statewide seven-day rolling positivity rate is now 12 percent, the IDPH reported. One of the benchmarks for Illinois being able to enter a loosened Phase 3 of reopening on Friday is for the positivity rate to be below 20 percent for 14 consecutive days. That continues to be the case for all four regions in the Restore Illinois plan. So, while the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,508 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease in the past 24 hours Sunday, that the percentage of tests recorded as positive was again below 10 percent is critical. The IDPH also reported 67 additional deaths related to COVID-19 in the past day. That brings Illinois totals to 110,304 cases in 100 of the states 102 counties, with 4,856 deaths. There have been 747,921 tests reported in Illinois. Bosses give underperforming female employees more positive but less honest feedback than men. The gender divide was revealed by psychologists at Cornell University, New York, who asked almost 66 volunteers, including 39 women, to mark essays before revealing the name of the author. Participants were then asked to re-mark the work, by either 'Sarah' or 'Andrew', based on quality, writing criteria and willingness to recommend as exemplary. The results, published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, found 'Sarah' had her grades inflated by nearly a full letter and received more positive feedback than her colleague. In a separate experiment 182 participants were handed feedback and asked to guess whether the recipient was male or female. They said women were more likely to receive 'white lies' Gender divide was revealed in a study by psychologists at Cornell University, New York 'Accurate feedback should be made available to anyone needing improvement, regardless of his or her social group,' said authors Lily Jampol, PhD, and Vivian Zayas, associate professor of psychology at the university. 'Here we have exposed one factor that may, to a certain degree, impede access - being a woman. 'Developmental performance feedback is a ubiquitous and important process in most workplaces and of many people's working lives.' In a separate experiment published in the same paper 185 participants, including 113 females, were handed two manager assessments of an employees poor performance and asked to guess the worker's gender. The statements ranged from harsh but honest to kind but not very honest. 'Participants overwhelmingly guessed that an underperforming employee who had been told a white lie was a woman,' said Jampol. 'This finding suggests that participants believe that this is a likely occurrence in giving feedback.' Pictured above is Cornell University's campus. The psychologists said women may be told more white lies in order to preserve relationships and avoid harming others Jampol, who also works as a diversity, equity and inclusion strategist at California-based consulting firm ReadySet, suggested the truth was watered-down in order to preserve relationships, avoid harming the other person and to present oneself positively. She said that although this usually reflects benign intentions, in some contexts it may be problematic. Previous research has also demonstrated a gender divide, with women being described more warmly and with more positive words than men. Studies have also suggested women receive less negative feedback than the opposite gender and are praised for their work while being allocated fewer resources. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 24) Mall-goers may have to get used to the new shopping norm, as limited physical contact and other safety protocols in the establishments are not going away soon, the Department of Trade and Industry said Sunday. "Malls are encouraged to continue these strict protocols. We cannot afford to be lax. Probably in the next year, in the next two years, ito pa rin dapat yung practice natin (this should still be our practice)," DTI Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said during a Department of Health virtual forum. "Kung ano yung protocols (Whatevever protocols) that they implement should be the same.....even in December, even in the next year, even probably the years after," Castelo added. The forum tackled the "new normal" in malls amid the pandemic, including health protocols set to protect customers and workers once they resume operations under easier quarantine rules. Under DTI Memorandum Circular 20-21, malls, shopping centers, and establishments under general community quarantine are required to strictly monitor foot traffic and enforce safe distancing among customers. Under the guidelines, mall entrances and the number of people allowed inside establishments will be reduced to better manage foot traffic. There will be an increase in police visibility, while elevators will only be accessible to senior citizens, pregnant women and persons with disability. A centralized pick-up location for stores with delivery or pick-up services will also be designated. To reduce crowds, free Wi-Fi will be turned off for customers and the conduct of sale events, marketing events, and other promotional activities requiring physical contact will remain suspended. Meanwhile, mall operators said they will continue to monitor and communicate proper "safe malling" within their premises in compliance with the guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. They also said they will invest in new technology to ensure safety among shoppers. "We are in the process of acquiring disinfection chambers in our malls. We just have to continue dealing with the distancing. As long as there is no cure or vaccine, this will be the new normal in our operations," New City Commercial Corporation President Lafayette Lim said during the briefing. "Regardless of category, there will be no close contact. For [sampling of] make-up products, for example, there will be digital sampling to simulate what the make-up will look like," SM Supermalls Vice President for Business Development Gino Borromeo said. The DTI also announced that it is eyeing the possibility of allowing hair salons and barbershops to reopen, with adherence to basic infection control measures, social distancing, and temperature checks. There have been talks regarding a proposal to downgrade Metro Manila's lockdown category by June 1. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Saturday that Metro Manila will likely be placed under general community quarantine, shifting from a "high-risk" to a "low-risk" area for COVID-19 infection. The region was placed under a "modified" enhanced community quarantine MECQ since May 16, with certain sectors such as construction and food manufacturing already allowed to resume operations after two months of work stoppage. The Philippines has recorded 13,777 COVID-19 cases to date, with 3,177 recoveries and 863 deaths. Locals stage latest fight against Papua New Guinea mine dumping waste into sea by IAN MORSE May 24,2020 | Source: Mongabay A coalition of more than 5,000 villagers and a provincial government in Papua New Guinea has built a legal challenge against the worlds most productive battery nickel plant. The company, Ramu NiCo, has been dumping millions of tons of mine waste into the ocean since 2012, and evidence for environmental and health impacts is accumulating. In February, the coalition sued Ramu NiCo, demanding not only that its Chinese owners pay restitution totaling 18 billion kina ($5.2 billion), but also that it stop dumping mine waste into the ocean and remediate the allegedly contaminated waters. Half a million people rely on the local fisheries in the Coral Triangle biodiversity hotspot, and the plaintiffs argue that their lives and food supply are at stake. The lawsuit appears to seek the highest environmental damages in the countrys history, and it relies on some of the biggest studies on the ocean dumping of mine waste ever conducted. If its successful, it will be a landmark case, especially because no one has shot for environmental damages on such a big scale, Ben Lomai, the lawyer representing plaintiffs in the case, told Mongabay in an interview. Getting the tailings out of the sea and cleaning up the ocean are the most important goals, he added: At the end of the day, thats all that matters. Ramu NiCo, majority owned by the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC), has been operating a mine and processing plant in Madang province since 2012. A pipeline channels ore from possibly the richest nickel site in the New Guinea highlands to a processing plant on the coast. After the plant extracts nickel and cobalt from the ore, another pipeline pumps the waste, called tailings, into Basamuk Bay. Released just 450 meters (1,480 feet) from shore at a depth of 150 meters (490 feet), the tailings are expected to sink to depths of 1,500 meters (4,900 feet). Ramu NiCo is one of dozens of mines in the world that have used the practice, called deep-sea tailings disposal (DSTD), but little is understood about its impacts on marine life. The tipping point for the lawsuit was an August 2019 slurry spill that caught the eye of the international press as photos of crimson-red ocean waters circulated. Dead fish and a poisoned baby dolphin washed up on shore, and a man died from a cocktail of heavy metals, the lawsuit alleges. Madang Governor Peter Yama, who has opposed the Ramu project for years, reportedly called the spill the worst environmental disaster in Papua New Guinea history. But the August spill released only 200,000 tons of waste from the coast. For years, Ramu NiCo has been pumping millions of tons of the same waste into the ocean, said Alex Mojon, a geologist and president of the Swiss Association for Quality and Environmental Management (SVQ), a consulting firm assessing the environmental impacts of Ramu NiCos DSTD at the Madang governments request. The slurry spill was like pouring a cup of coffee into a sport hall filled with water, Mojon said in an interview. But the spill came from the tank before they pump it out to sea. Locals sued Ramu NiCo before, in 2010, demanding a nationwide ban on ocean dumping. The Supreme Court eventually allowed the project to continue, ruling that there was not enough evidence that DSTD would damage ecosystems. Thats the main difference with our case, Lomai said. We have evidence. 2020 Copyright Conservation news Theme(s): Others. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-25 01:18:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TUNIS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian President Kais Saied on Sunday said many difficulties could be overcome thanks to everyone's belief in the solidarity of the Tunisian people at home and abroad. "The ultimate goal is to ensure decent living conditions for all citizens, while the wealth looted from the people must be returned to them," President Saied stressed in a televised address to the nation on the occasion of the Eid al-Fitr holiday. "Whoever prepares for anarchy and sets fire to the property of the Tunisian people here and there will certainly be the first to suffer the repercussions of the flames," Saied said. Enditem Twenty high-achieving graduates from schools across the country have attended a special commencement ceremony held by the President and First Lady. The prestigious event took place Friday at the White House, with the graduates ranging in age and education level. Some were attaining a high school diploma, while others were receiving undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Attendees sat spaced out from each other during the event and were required to take a coronavirus test before being admitted into the East Room, where the ceremony was held. On Saturday, First Lady Melania Trump took to Twitter to share snaps from the day and to send out a message to all graduates from the class of 2020. 'Graduation is a pivotal moment for students of all education levels. @POTUS & I were proud to recognize & celebrate the class of 2020 with a few graduates at the @WhiteHouse yesterday. Keep chasing your dreams & striving to be your best self!' she wrote. 20 high-achieving graduates from schools across the country have attended a special commencement ceremony held by the President and First Lady. Melania Trump is pictured speaking to the students Both the FLOTUS and POTUS addressed the attendees at the special ceremony held in The White House's East Room The White House also shared video of the First Lady's address to the students, in which she urged them not to lose sight of their dreams amid the COVID-19 pandemic currently crippling the country. 'You, our next generation, already possess the strength and resilience of the American spirit,' she said, remarking on their ability to adapt to changing circumstances while completing their studies. 'My hope for each of you is that will you always focus on what you want in life. You will be overwhelmed sometimes and there will be bumps in the road ahead, but continue to strive for greatness,' she implored. 'Believe in yourself and don't ever give up.' FLOTUS ended her address with a quote from 'one of her favorite authors - Dr. Seuss'. 'You're off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!' she read from the writer's book Oh, The Places You'll Go! Students sat spaced out from other at the ceremony. Each of them was required to take a coronavirus test before President Trump also spoke to the graduates, with whom he has a personal connection. His daughter, Tiffany, is also a member of the class of 2020 having just attained her law degree from Georgetown University. The Commander-in-chief congratulated his daughter on her achievements in a post on Twitter Wednesday, which read: 'Congratulations to my daughter, Tiffany, on graduating from Georgetown Law. Great student, great school. Just what I need is a lawyer in the family. Proud of you Tiff!' Meanwhile, one graduate who attended Friday's ceremony gushed about the day during an interview with local media. 'Getting to see other members of the Class of 2020, whether it be college, graduate school, thats really interesting, University of Virginia graduate Anna Wasserman told KRQE. First Lady Melania Trump is pictured watching on as her husband addresses the graduates Five vessels carrying Iranian fuel heading to Venezuela amid rising tensions over a possible US move to halt delivery. The first of five Iranian oil tankers heading to Venezuela to help ease fuel shortages entered the countrys waters, encountering no immediate signs of US interference amid a diplomatic standoff. Amid heightened tensions over what Venezuelan authorities described as threats from the United States, the oil vessel Fortune officially entered Venezuelas Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) at about 7:30pm local time (11:30 GMT) on Saturday, according to the shipping tracker TankerTracker. The first Iranian tanker reached the Venezuelan coasts, the Iranian embassy in Venezuela said in a Twitter post. Grateful to the Bolivarian Armed Forces for escorting them. https://twitter.com/Eiranencaracas/status/1264362134009511942?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Venezuelan state television showed images of a navy ship and aircraft preparing to meet it. The government of President Nicolas Maduro had pledged the military would escort the tankers once they reached the EEZ. Fortune was heading to the El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello in northern Carabobo state, according to state television. The rest of the Iranian ships the Forest, Petunia, Faxon and Clavel are expected to arrive in the coming days. The shipments have caused a diplomatic standoff between the US, Iran and Venezuela, which are both under harsh US economic sanctions. Washington was reportedly considering measures in response. This [the shipment] would be an example of how the Iranian regime taking the wealth of the Iranian people and wasting in Venezuela on Maduro, said Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iran. The US recently beefed up its naval presence in the Caribbean for what it said was an expanded anti-drug operation. Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said on Thursday he was not aware of any operations related to the Iranian vessels. Defiance to US hegemony Mohammad Marandi, a professor at the University of Tehran, said the United States has no right to dictate how two nations conduct their business. What is important is that these are trade ties between two sovereign countries, and the regime in Washington is in no position to dictate terms to the international community, Marandi told Al Jazeera. Iran is not a weak country like countries within the EU that bow down to the United States when it makes it mad. Sending five ships is a big message it wasnt just one or two so the Iranians did that both to give support to the Venezuelan people to prevent them from suffering, and also in an act of defiance to US hegemony. Venezuela has been locked in a political crisis for more than a year, with the US and more than 50 other countries recognising opposition leader Juan Guaido as the countrys rightful leader and accusing Maduro of rigging elections in 2018. Maduro has accused the opposition of stirring up violence and of attempting a coup with the help of the US. Chronic shortages Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had on Saturday warned the US against disrupting the shipments as the oil tankers passed through the Caribbean Sea on their way to Venezuela. If the Americans cause problems for our oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea, we will also cause problems for them, Rouhani said in a telephone call with Qatars Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Rouhani stressed that Iran did not want a new conflict with the US, but his country would reserve the right to defend its interests. We therefore hope that the Americans will not make a mistake in this regard, said the president, according to comments published on his offices web portal. The tanker flotilla is reportedly carrying about 1.53 million barrels of gasoline and alkylate to Venezuela. The fuel from Iran comes at a time when the shortage of gasoline in Venezuela, chronic for years in some parts of the country, has worsened during the coronavirus pandemic. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, but its production is in freefall, a collapse that experts attribute to failed policies, lack of investment and corruption. The two nations held a close relationship since late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took power in 1999. In time for the International Day for Biological Diversity 2020, the date (22 May) set by the United Nations to recognise biodiversity as "the pillars upon which we build civilizations," a new study, published in the peer-reviewed open-access journal ZooKeys, describes two new to science species and one subspecies of crocodile newts from northern Vietnam. However, this manifestation of the incredible diversity of life hosted on our planet comes as an essential reminder of how fragile Earth's biodiversity really is. Until recently, the Black knobby newt (Tylototriton asperrimus) was known to be a common species inhabiting a large area stretching all the way from central and southern China to Vietnam. Much like most of the other members of the genus Tylototriton, colloquially referred to as crocodile newts or knobby newts, it has been increasingly popular amongst exotic pet owners and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. Meanwhile, authorities would not show much concern about the long-term survival of the Black knobby newt, exactly because it was found at so many diverse localities. In fact, it is still regarded as Near Threatened, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List. However, over the past decade, the increasing amount of research conducted in the region revealed that there are, in fact, many previously unknown to science species, most of which would have been assumed to be yet another population of Black knobby newts. As a result, today, the crocodile newts represent the most species-rich genus within the whole family of salamanders and newts (Salamandridae). Even though this might sound like great news for Earth's biodiversity, unfortunately, it also means that each of those newly discovered species has a much narrower distributional range, making them particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and overcollection. In fact, the actual Black knobby newt turns out to only exist within a small area in China. Coupled with the high demand of crocodile newts for the traditional Chinese medicine markets and the exotic pet trade, this knowledge spells a worrying threat of extinction for the charming 12 to 15-centimetre amphibians. In order to help with the answer of the question of exactly how many Vietnamese species are still being mistakenly called Black knobby newt, the German-Vietnamese research team of the Cologne Zoo (Germany), the universities of Hanoi (Vietnam), Cologne and Bonn (Germany), and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology analysed a combination of molecular and detailed morphological characters from specimens collected from northern Vietnam. Then, they compared them with the Black knobby newt specimen from China used to originally describe the species back in 1930. Thus, the scientists identified two species (Tylototriton pasmansi and Tylototriton sparreboomi) and one subspecies (Tylototriton pasmansi obsti) previously unknown to science, bringing the total of crocodile newt taxa known from Vietnam to seven. According to the team, their discovery also confirms northern Vietnam to be one of the regions with the highest diversity of crocodile newts. "The taxonomic separation of a single widespread species into multiple small-ranged taxa (...) has important implications for the conservation status of the original species," comment the researchers. The newly discovered crocodile newts were named in honour of the specialist on salamander chytrid fungi and co-discoverer Prof. Dr. Frank Pasmans and, sadly, the recently deceased salamander enthusiasts and experts Prof. Fritz-Jurgen Obst and Prof. Dr. Max Sparreboom. In light of their findings, the authors conclude that the current and "outdated" Near Threatened status of the Black knobby newt needs to be reassessed to reflect the continuous emergence of new species in recent years, as well as the "severe threats from international trade and habitat loss, which have taken place over the last decade." Meanwhile, thanks to the commitment to biodiversity conservation of Marta Bernardes, lead author of the study and a PhD Candidate at the University of Cologne under the supervision of senior author Prof Dr Thomas Ziegler, all crocodile newts were included in the list of internationally protected species by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) last year. Today, some of the threatened crocodile newt species from Vietnam are already kept at the Cologne Zoo as part of conservation breeding projects. Such is the case for the Ziegler's crocodile newt (Tylototriton ziegleri), currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and the Vietnamese crocodile newt (Tylototriton vietnamensis), currently considered as Endangered. Fortunately, the latter has been successfully bred at Cologne Zoo and an offspring from Cologne was recently repatriated. The Angolan Parliament unanimously approved on Friday, the Civil Protection Law that aims, among other measures, to prevent the occurrence of collective risks, resulting from serious accidents, disasters or public calamities. With this step, according to the Minister of State and Head of the Civil House of the President of the Republic, Adao de Almeida, the country gains a system of civil protection with new tools, which facilitate the adoption of measures in situations of public calamity. The government official, who was speaking to the press, on the sidelines of the final approval of the diploma, recalled that Angola lived a period of about two months, in which the main measure was the State of Emergency, with suspension of certain fundamental rights. According to the Minister of State, the fact that the diploma was approved by consensus represents the union and the sense of prudence of all in relation to the life of the population in cases of occurrence of phenomena, such as those that are currently occurring and future events of calamity or disaster. He said that the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic that the country is experiencing can be done through the State of Emergency, or other mechanisms, always maintaining the spirit of responsibility, prudence and safeguarding the lives of citizens. He stressed that the declaration of a state of emergency, its extension or the declaration of a situation of public calamity or catastrophe depends on the Head of State, after assessing the situation, with a view to taking the best measures. Source: allafrica.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 The Civil Aviation Ministry on May 20 announced the resumption of domestic flight services in a calibrated manner from May 25. Following the announcement, several states, in a bid to prevent a surge in coronavirus cases, mandated quarantine. Although the Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, has said that mandating quarantine for air passengers is not necessary, several states have said that flyers returning to the respective states will have to undergo mandatory institutional or home quarantine. Here is a full list of states that have made quarantine compulsory: Karnataka The Karnataka government on May 22 said that flyers from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh will be kept in institutional quarantine for seven days. After the returnees test negative for the disease in pool testing, they will be sent for home quarantine for another seven days, it added. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show Moreover, the returnees from other states will be asked to follow 14 days of home quarantine. Assam The Assam government has made it mandatory for all air passengers to stay in quarantine for 14 days. However, the 14-day period may be equally distributed between government/institutional quarantine and home quarantine. Goa In addition to testing all incoming passengers, Goa has mandated home quarantine for domestic flyers and institutional quarantine for international flyers. Kerala Those travelling to Kerala will be home quarantined for 14 days. If any of them show symptoms of novel coronavirus then they will be immediately sent to a hospital. Delhi All returnees will have to undergo a mandatory 14-day paid quarantine facility even if one doesn't show symptoms of coronavirus. Although earlier the government had allowed home quarantine for asymptomatic passengers, they soon revised the guidelines to mitigate any undue risk. Mizoram Passengers flying to Mizoram will have to obtain prior permission from the state government for air travel. They also have to undergo a COVID-19 test and mandatory quarantine for 14 days. Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates of the novel coronavirus pandemic Jammu & Kashmir Jammu & Kashmir government will require incoming passengers by road, rail and air to undergo a COVID-19 test and put in administrative quarantine till the test result is negative, in which case, they will be released for home quarantine. If found positive, they will be sent to COVID-19 hospital for treatment. Punjab Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on May 23 said all those coming to the state, whether on domestic flights or trains or buses, will have to compulsorily undergo home quarantine for 14 days. Those found symptomatic would be put in institutional quarantine, while others would have to undergo mandatory two-week home quarantine. West Bengal West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said people returning to the state will have to home quarantine for 14 days but urged them to cooperate with the government and follow the protocols. Manipur People returning to Manipur from various parts of the country and abroad will have to undergo mandatory quarantine, failing which they will be arrested and put xfmah jail, Chief Minister N Biren Singh has said. He said returnees testing negative for the novel coronavirus will be allowed to be home quarantined. Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on May 23 called for a mandatory 14-day institutional quarantine for air travellers upon arrival. "14-day quarantine for passengers only at state-operated or paid quarantine facilities will be made mandatory," the CM said. Himachal Pradesh The administration has said only persons with valid address proof of Himachal Pradesh should book air tickets and the flyer will have to obtain a district entry-pass. "HP residents coming from red zone areas and those with ILI symptoms shall be put in institutional quarantine. Non-residents/Tourists shall not be allowed entry. They shall immediately be put in institutional quarantine before sending them back on their own expenses," DC Kangra Rakesh Prajapati said. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Both state governments have prescribed a mandatory 14-day quarantine for people returning via any means of transport. In a bid to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, the central government had suspended all passenger flights services since March 25. (With PTI inputs) Government homelessness investment is being fast-tracked to ensure more than 3,000 new homes for rough sleepers aided during the coronavirus pandemic. The investment will be available in the next 12 months and will see 160million of a 433million four-year pot brought forward to be spent this year. It aims to prevent those taken off the streets during the pandemic to return to homelessness once it is over. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick described the cash injection which was first announced in March's Budget as 'unprecedented'. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick (pictured) described the cash injection which was first announced in March's Budget as 'unprecedented' Of the 6,000 planned 'housing units' due to be built using the money, 3,300 of those are due to become available in the next 12 months due to a fiscal advance, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The announcement comes after MPs on the housing, communities and local government committee warned this week that a golden opportunity to end rough sleeping would be lost if the Government did not commit at least 100million per year to the cause. More than 5,400 homeless people were offered safe accommodation in April to protect them during the outbreak, according to Government figures. This number is said to be around 90 per cent of those living on the streets. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, along with the party's metro mayors, including Greater Manchester leader Andy Burnham, also urged ministers to act this week. The political figures spoke out after fears were raised that funding to support homeless people was about to be withdrawn. More than 5,400 homeless people were offered safe accommodation in April to protect them during the outbreak, according to Government figures A report from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), leaked to the Manchester Evening News, claimed the Government had 'drawn a line' under the Everyone In scheme and would no longer stump up the money to house rough sleepers. But Mr Jenrick said his department would 'continue to fund' efforts started since the outbreak hit UK shores, with the new cash to be used to help move those currently in temporary accommodation into more sustainable, long-term housing. He said: 'This Government wants to end rough sleeping for good, and we now have a real opportunity to deliver on this moral mission. 'I'm backing this effort with 160million to fast-track the longer-term and safe accommodation needed to ensure as few rough sleepers as possible return to the streets. 'This is an unprecedented commitment - the most ambitious of its kind and the single biggest injection of specialist accommodation since the rough sleepers initiative began.' A MHCLG spokesman said the Government is also set to increase the revenue support of the total programme by 37 per cent to make sure rough sleepers 'have the support they need to stay off the streets for good'. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (pictured), along with the party's metro mayors, including Greater Manchester leader Andy Burnham, also urged ministers to act this week It will see funding increase by an additional 50million to 433million. Once in their new home, rough sleepers will be supported by specialist staff to access the help, such as support for mental health or substance abuse problems, they need to rebuild their lives, undergo training and take up work. The plans are being put together by the rough sleeping Covid-19 response taskforce, led by Dame Louise Casey, which has brought together local government, charities, faith groups, public sector partners and businesses. Dame Casey said: 'The goal is ambitious. Together, we want to do everything possible to ensure that vulnerable people who were sleeping rough and have come inside during this pandemic, some for the first time in a very long time, do not go back to the streets.' Home England's chief executive Nick Walkley added: 'The steps taken to reduce homelessness have been one of the few silver linings in recent months. 'We look forward to working closely with MHCLG and our partners to support the taskforce.' Ministers have also announced a further 6million for frontline homeless charities. The Department for Education will be providing more than 700,000 for councils to support care leavers at risk of homelessness and rough sleeping. Shelter's chief executive Polly Neate said: 'It's encouraging that the Government is taking homelessness seriously, and any accommodation to support rough sleepers is welcome. 'But this pandemic has highlighted the extent of our housing emergency, from people sleeping on the streets, to families living in grim temporary accommodation, to struggling renters facing mounting debt and rent arrears having lost their jobs due to coronavirus. 'If Government truly wants to keep people off the streets during this pandemic, it must give judges the power to ensure thousands of renters aren't made homeless when the eviction freeze ends in June. 'And ultimately, we won't solve homelessness without building the new generation of genuinely affordable social homes that this country desperately needs.' In mid-April, more than 1,000 homeless people in London began self-isolating in hotels after being taken off the streets. The Intercontinental Hotel Group, Travelodge, Best Western and Accor are all giving up rooms to make sure homeless Londoners were protected. 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. Zara Phillips's husband said he was keen for their eldest to return to the classroom. (Getty Images) Many parents have been struggling to give their restless children an education while juggling other responsibilities during the coronavirus lockdown. This includes Mike Tindall, who has admitted that home-schooling his young daughter Mia has been frustrating. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, the former rugby star, 41, revealed that he and wife Zara Phillips the Queens granddaughter were keen for their eldest, aged six, to return to the classroom when schools are expected to reopen next month. Acknowledging the controversy surrounding the governments guidelines, which will see teachers and pupils back together from 1 June, he suggested that while there is no "ideal situation" it is important for children to have "some independence". Mike Tindall also shares daughter Lena with the Queen's granddaughter (Getty Images) Read more: Princess Charlotte may stay home with brother George when schools reopen Mike who also shares one-year-old daughter Lena with the royal said: Zara still has hopes that the horses will get back, they still need training and working on, so I get to be a teacher in the mornings which is sometimes really nice, sometimes really frustrating. I don't think any child is a great home-schooler because they definitely listen to other people better than they listen to their parents." He added: "Mia enjoyed it the first week because it was different being around mum and dad all the time. But then ultimately it's the same people who are telling her off or telling her what to do and I think she gets bored of that." Read more: Prince William admits 'hardest time is dinner time' with three children at home When asked if they would be sending her back to school at the first opportunity, the ex-sportsman replied: The plan is, at the moment, that she would go back but obviously thats still up in the air. Every day you read different things... well just have to wait. There is no ideal situation. As long as theyre doing everything they can to make it as safe as possible. It comes as it was revealed that Princess Charlotte may stay at home with Prince George when schools reopen. Story continues Read more: Zara Tindall complains about husband Mike's favourite new pastime in lockdown She attends Thomass Battersea in south-west London, which is likely to follow official guidance in welcoming back first reception, year 1 and year 6 pupils. Despite this, The Sunday Times has reported that Prince William and Kate Middleton are considering keeping the five-year-old who is in reception with her six-year-old brother, who is in year 2. With their eldest child not among those intended to return to the classroom, the royal parents are keen to maintain the routine they have established during the pandemic. As schools continue to remain shut due to the coronavirus situation, Himachal Pradesh state cabinet on Saturday allowed schools to charge only tuition fees from the students. This comes after the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that all educational institutions, including schools and colleges, will continue to remain closed, as the nationwide coronavirus lockdown was extended till May 31. However, online and distance learning will continue to be permitted in the institutions. New Delhi, May 24 : As all the L-12 and L-12F liquor licenses expired on March 31, the Delhi Excise Department has asked the departmental stores to submit by May 30 the details of the stock lying in their premises. In an order, the Delhi Excise Department has warned of action for possession of liquor without authorisation after the deadline. The L-12 licence is for the retail vend of beer and wine in the departmental stores and L-12F is for the retail vend of imported foreign wine and beer in the departmental stores to holders of L-12 licence in the national capital. In the order, issued last week, the Excise Department said that all the L-12 and L-12F licence holders have to furnish their request for disposal of their existing stock in possession, failing which the licence holders can attract penal action under Section 33 and other relevant provisions of the Delhi Excise Act 2009 for possession of liquor without authorization. The Section 33 of the Delhi Excise Act 2009 is penalty for unlawful import, export, transport, manufacture, possession, sale of the liquor which says that the offender will be punishable with imprisonment for a term between six months and three years and with fine between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh. According to the order, a copy of which is with IANS, all L-12 and L-12F licenses renewed for the year 2019-20 have expired on March 31. "The stock in possession lying with the ex-licensees holding L-12/L-12F licenses is subject to disposal under Rule 56 of the Delhi Excise Rules, 2010 specifying guidelines with the procedure dealing with left over stock," the order said. In the order, the Deputy Commissioner (Excise), directed all the ex-license holders of L-12 and L-12F to submit the stock details lying in the premises by May 30 and also to furnish their request for disposal of their existing stock in possession. As per the order, the Delhi Cabinet had decided to withdraw all L-12 and L-12F Licenses with effect from December 20, 2019, following which the Excise Department had issued an order for the same. At least 113 licensees filed a writ petition in the High Court which granted a stay on the operation of the impugned order in respect to the petitioners subject to the condition that the petitioners strictly comply with the terms and conditions of their license. After the court order, "the Department de-sealed the liquor stock and allowed the Departmental Stores to operate as Excise Department's licensees". With the sudden announcement of the lockdown in March, the sale of liquor was barred across the city and country till May 4. After May 4, the Delhi government allowed standalone liquor shops in the city and also imposed a 'special corona fee' on the liquor sale from May 5. Since May 18, the liquor sale was also allowed to the shops in the market, however, they can only operate on alternate days. Actor Sonu Sood has received praise for his initiative to help migrant workers from Union Minister Smriti Irani. Sood, who has appeared in films like Dabbang, has been arranging transport for migrant workers who have been trying to go home in the lockdown. "Ive had the privilege of knowing you as a professional colleague for over 2 decades now @SonuSood & celebrated your rise as an actor ;but the kindness you have displayed in these challenging times makes me prouder still. thank you for helping those in need," Irani wrote in a tweet. Ive had the privilege of knowing you as a professional colleague for over 2 decades now @SonuSood & celebrated your rise as an actor ;but the kindness you have displayed in these challenging times makes me prouder still thank you for helping those in need https://t.co/JcpoZRIr8M Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) May 24, 2020 The actor is working actively to help migrant workers stranded in different Maharashtra to reach their homes in different parts of India. We often see Sonu Sood replying on Twitter to those approaching him for help, with the words: "Pack your bags" or "get ready to hug your mom". Netizens have praised him for his compassionate gesture in times crisis. "Not all superheroes wear capes, one is known as #SonuSood. He is a fantastic samaritan who has touched millions of hearts with immediate act of care and charity, and has also provided a system of sustained care. #sonusood @SonuSood salute u brother," shared a user. "Sonu Sood Sir is the Vaccine for Migrant Workers. He is not less than God for the workers & peoples who want to go home & meet their family. Love you 3000 sir, you're doing a remarkable job. Real Hero #SonuSood," tweeted a fan. The actor also mentioned during the interview that he cannot sleep peacefully until every migrant worker reaches home. "I will leave no stone unturned day and night to be with them and make sure that every migrant reaches their destination. To the best of my abilities I will make sure it happens," he further said. To honour the actor for his exemplary work, chef Vikas Khanna even prepared a special dish and named it "Moga" after the town in Punjab where actor Sonu Sood was born. GARDAI are reviewing social media footage after residents of a Cork housing estate expressed horror as up to 70 teens ignored the Covid-19 lockdown and gathered for a mass fight on Saturday evening. Shocked residents posted video clips as gangs of teens gathered in the Mt Oval area of Rochestown for what appears to have been a planned brawl. It was the second such incident in the area over recent weeks though the largest such group ever to gather in the plush estate. Groups of male teens were seen gathered in groups - and then dashed forward to clash with teens in other rival groups. A large number of teenage girls were visible watching the proceedings from a distance, some of whom appeared to be recording the clashes on their mobile phones. None of the youngsters are believed to be from Mt Oval which ranks as one of Cork's most upmarket estates. Mt Oval residents expressed disgust at the mass brawl - and queried what the parents of the teens involved were doing in respect of social-distancing. "It is absolutely shocking - how on earth can this be allowed in the middle of a national pandemic lockdown?" one local said. Gardai are now investigating the incident and will be reviewing video footage of the matter harvested from social media. It is suspected the Mt Oval incident may be linked to similar gatherings in other parts of Douglas and Rochestown last weekend. Gardai attended the scene on Saturday evening following receipt of a number of complaints from concerned local residents including elderly people who are 'cocooning'. However, the gathered teens immediately ran away when officers arrived. Gardai confirmed that no arrests were made and no reports of any injuries were subsequently received. It is suspected that the large teen gathering was organised via social media. "Anyone who may have information in relation to these incidents is asked to contact Togher Garda Station on (021_ 494 7120 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111," a garda spokesperson said. Gardai said they viewed the incident as "very serious" given the pandemic controls currently in place. Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has said that Nepal has unique and close relations with India and he was confident that the Kalapani issue between the two neighbours will be resolved through talks. "We have always said that the only way to resolve this issue is by negotiating in good faith. Without impulse or unnecessary excitement, and without prejudice, Nepal wants to resolve the border issues via dialogues, Gyawali told Republica, an English daily, during an interview. "We are confident that this issue will be resolved via bilateral talks," he added. He, however, did not mention about Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh - the two areas Nepal claimed belonged to it. The ties between the two countries came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a 80-KM-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8. Nepal reacted sharply to the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through Nepalese territory. India rejected the claim asserting that the road lies completely within its territory. The Nepal government on Wednesday released a revised political and administrative map showing Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani under its territory, angering India which bluntly asked Kathmandu not to resort to any "artificial enlargement" of its territorial claim and refrain from such "unjustified cartographic assertion". "This unilateral act is not based on historical facts and evidence. It is contrary to the bilateral understanding to resolve the outstanding boundary issues through diplomatic dialogue. Such artificial enlargement of territorial claims will not be accepted by India," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. Srivastava also asked Nepal to respect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity, hoping that the Nepalese leadership will create a positive atmosphere for diplomatic dialogue to resolve the outstanding boundary issues. In his interview to the Nepalese daily, Gyawali said this border dispute is not new. "This is history's unresolved, pending and outstanding issue that we inherited. This is a baggage, and the sooner we resolve this, the quicker we can set our sights to the future," he said. "Nepal wants to have a relationship based on trust and free of ups and downs, predictable friendly relations. We know that we do not have an alternative to this. So, all our efforts have been to conclude the history's baggage. We are confident that the only way to resolve the issue is via diplomatic talks and negotiations," he added. Responding to a question, he said, "We have been trying to hold talks in the matter. However, formal talks and conversations have not taken place yet." "We are hopeful that our formal and informal channels of communication will yield something positive," he added. Gyawali expressed the view that "the Indian side is also deeply concerned and feels the responsibility to address the issue." To another question, he said, "when India and China decided to open that road in 2015, we objected to the decision. We had objected to that bilateral agreement to use the Nepali soil without our consent.""When India published its new political map on November 2, 2019 showing Nepali land on its map we protested the decision, we requested for talks multiple times. We even sent two sets of possible dates for talks to New Delhi, but there was no response," Gyawali said. "We then sent a diplomatic note to both India and China in 2015 and to India in 2019, protesting their decisions to use Nepali soil without our consent," the minister said. To a question, he said, "We have two neighbours, and we cannot and will not close doors to one to open to another. This has been our established position since the ages. For us, both the neighbours are of equal importance." Indian Army chief Gen MM Naravane has said that there were reasons to believe that Nepal objected to the road at the behest of "someone else", in an apparent reference to a possible role by China on the matter. "I totally reject the idea of dragging other countries in border disputes between Nepal and India. We had disputes with China on Lipu Lekh, and the issue is still pending," Gyawali said. "This is a bilateral issue, and Nepal and India should resolve this," he said. But at some point, the three countries will have to sit for talks, he added. "After we settle the Nepal-India border issue, then we have to work on finalizing the tri-junction point. But that comes at a later date," he said. "We have told them to accept, and respect the historical facts. The only treaty to determine Nepal-India border is the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli. And the three supplementary treaties of 1860 and 1875 and a small change in 1920 during the construction of Sharada Barrage where we swapped lands. But none of these treaties change the fact that Nepal's western border is the Kali river. "First there was no dispute over the origin of the Kali river, which actually originates from Limpiyadhura. Any other interpretation of the origin of the river is the manipulation of facts, and it does not have any legal justification," Gyawali said. "We are confident that India will accept the historical facts. I want to tell our Indian friends that this is a baggage left by history. And so I request them to be not so possessive about this," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The senior pastor of Living faith church also known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo has described as welcome developments the move by churches and mosques across the nation to re-open after many weeks under lockdown as a result of the novel coronavirus. Speaking via a new statement on Saturday, the popular cleric further assured that very soon, the whole world would be free from the terrible disease. 21 states are open to worship, the other ones have no choice. They should just know that they have no choice. Trump had declared places of worship open across the US. That is how God has been humiliating this noisome pestilence, he said. Read Also: Eid-el-Fitri: Kaduna Police To Enforce Lockdown, Deploy More Men Advertisement Watch out, very shortly, every part of the world will be totally free. The fear of this noisome pestilence will go into oblivion. In one hour, all the bragging of Babylon was done. Judgment has come down on Coronavirus, its threat is over. The fear of it is off the sons of men. Every victim of this noisome pestilence is declared liberated today, Nigeria is free from the fear and torment of Coronavirus, he said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 24) -- The Novaliches District Hospital will undergo disinfection for three days as hospital employees test positive for COVID-19, the Quezon City government said on Sunday. On May 26 to 28, the Novaliches District Hospital (NDH) will undergo thorough disinfection due to the number of employees who have tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019, the local government said in an advisory. It said critical areas like wards, the emergency room, and admitting areas will undergo wall-to-wall disinfection, curtailing hospital operations. Meanwhile, employees who had close contact with COVID-19 positive patients will continue their self-quarantine period during the shutdown. The hospitals emergency room will also remain operational for patients who would need immediate attention. The city government assured that the Quezon City General Hospital and the Rosario Maclang-Bautista General Hospital are ready to provide outpatient services and other medical needs during the three-day period. As of May 24, Quezon City has recorded the most COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila with 1,920 cases, data from the Health Department showed. Of these, 159 have died, while 578 have recovered. Nationwide, a total of 2,369 medical frontliners have been infected as of May 23. Recoveries reached 1,118, while deaths were at 31. President Donald Trump on Sunday expanded sweeping travel restrictions on countries hit hard by the coronavirus, suspending entry to the United States for foreigners who have been in Brazil within 14 days before seeking admittance. The move comes as Brazil reports more than 300,000 confirmed cases of the virus and becomes a raging hot spot still struggling to enact social distancing measures. "The potential for undetected transmission of the virus by infected individuals seeking to enter the United States from the Federative Republic of Brazil threatens the security of our transportation system and infrastructure and the national security," the White House said in a statement. Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany called the new rules a "decisive action to protect our country." The Trump administration had restricted travel from China, Iran and much of Europe, citing concerns that incoming travelers will bring the virus. The Europe travel ban produced side effects, The Washington Post reported last week, with a policy intended to block the pathogen's entry into the United States instead delivering one more viral infusion. As exposed travelers rushed home to clogged airports and then fanned out into U.S. cities and suburbs, they became part of an influx from Europe. Earlier Sunday, White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien had said on CBS News's "Face the Nation" that the United States could soon restrict travel from Brazil. "We hope that'll be temporary," he said. Meanwhile, as health experts warned reopening could bring a resurgence of coronavirus cases across the country, the governor of Arkansas said over the weekend that his state was facing a "second peak" in infections after a cluster emerged at a pool party. "A high school swim party that I'm sure everybody thought was harmless," Asa Hutchinson said during a briefing. "They're young, they're swimming, they're just having activity, and positive cases resulted from that." Hutchinson, a Republican, didn't specify the number of cases linked to the party, and the state's health department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post. He also didn't say how residents in his state should ensure they don't spread the virus, but in a morning interview on Fox News Sunday, Hutchinson didn't stress staying home. "We have to manage the risk," he said." "We take the virus very seriously, it's a risk, it causes death, but you can't cloister yourself at home, that is just contrary to the American spirit." Hutchinson never issued a statewide stay-home directive, and at a White House meeting with Trump on Wednesday, the governor emphasized Arkansas is "at work" and businesses are open. But on Saturday, he warned people celebrating the holiday weekend to "be safe." "During this Memorial (Day) weekend, we want to be out and we want to enjoy ourselves, we want to remember this holiday and those that have served our country and given their lives in service of our country," he continued, "but let's be safe and let's be disciplined at the same time." Earlier in the week, the state had logged its highest single-day count of new cases: 455. Then, on Saturday, Arkansas added 163 confirmed cases and two deaths. To date, 115 people in the state have died of covid-19, the illness caused by the virus. "It's clear and evident to me that we had one peak and then we had a deep dip and then we're having a second peak right now," Hutchinson said Saturday. Even as the death toll in the United States climbed toward 100,000, the warm weather and holiday festivities drew large crowds to some of the country's outdoor attractions. People flocked to beaches in Maryland and New Jersey, and video of vacationers flouting social distancing guidelines in Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks was shared widely on social media. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Sunday shared the New York Times front page memorializing people who died of covid-19, faulting the Trump administration for the rising U.S. death toll. "Instead of taking fact-based action, Trump blames others for his chaotic failures and erratic response; undermines scientists; and ignores Americans' hardship," she wrote. "Our lives are at stake in this election. Vote." The political foes have long traded barbs, with Pelosi saying Trump shouldn't take hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug he has championed as a game-changing treatment for the coronavirus, as protection against the virus because he's "morbidly obese." The president has said Pelosi and other Democrats are exaggerating the scale of the pandemic to score political points. The Times' front page on Sunday pays tribute to 1,000 people who died of the disease caused by the coronavirus, as the country's toll nears 100,000. Other Democratic politicians also shared the front page, including governors of hard-hit states such as California and New Jersey. "While there are no words we can offer equal to the magnitude of this loss, let us come together to honor their lives by ensuring no one else needlessly dies from this virus," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, tweeted. While Pelosi named Trump explicitly, other Democrats were less direct, suggesting only that the deaths were a consequence of a lack of leadership. "Elections have consequences," Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., tweeted. The United States could move as soon as Sunday to restrict entry from Brazil, a country with a rapidly rising number of coronavirus cases and deaths, White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien said Sunday morning. "I think that we'll have a 212(f) decision today with respect to Brazil and just like we did with the U.K. and - and Europe and China," O'Brien said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" with Margaret Brennan. "And we hope that'll be temporary. But because of the situation in Brazil, we're going to take every step necessary to protect the American people." The designation 212(f) refers to a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that Trump used in March to temporarily suspend travel from some countries in Europe because of the coronavirus pandemic Brazil has recorded 347,398 coronavirus cases and 22,013 deaths. The numbers put Brazil second in the world for coronavirus case numbers, trailing only the United States. Brazil's president, Jair Bolsonaro, has called the virus a "little cold." Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the White House may support some aid for state and local governments in an additional coronavirus relief bill being considered in Congress. But he accused House Democrats of pushing for aid that far outstrips the money that state and local governments actually need. "I don't think there's ever going to be an analysis that supports the massive figures coming out of the House," he said on CNN's "State of the Union." Hassert also warned the United States might still be looking at double-digit unemployment in November. But, he said, "I think that all the signs of economic recovery are going to be raging everywhere. And the only thing we're going to really be debating, as economists, is, are we going to get back to where we were, or is it going to be kind of a long haul to get there?" In the interview, Hassett also said he has consulted his doctor about taking hydroxychloroquine but was told the drug would interact badly with other medicines he takes. Trump has said he's taking the drug to protect against the coronavirus despite studies showing it may be unsafe. "I think there's a lot of evidence in the lab this could work," Hassett said. As California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, considers whether to ease restrictions on in-person religious gatherings, new clusters of coronavirus cases have emerged in northern California that appear connected to church services. Health officials in Mendocino County confirmed over the weekend that the county's six newest infections were linked to the Redwood Valley Assembly of God, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The county reported last week that the church's pastor and two other people were infected after they participated in a live-streamed Mother's Day service that featured singing. "When we have an outbreak of such a large magnitude, it's very concerning because we know that these individuals have had other contacts since contracting the disease," County Health Officer Noemi Doohan said in a video update Friday. "We now have to do the very time consuming and difficult work of the case investigation contact tracing." In Butte County, at least two people have fallen ill with covid-19 after attending a Mother's Day service held by a local church in violation of the state's prohibitions on large gatherings, as the Chico Enterprise-Record reported last week. County health officials have told the more than 180 people who attended the service to self-quarantine. "At this time, organizations that hold in-person services or gatherings are putting the health and safety of their congregations, the general public and our local ability to open up at great risk," County Health Director Danette York said in a statement. Facing mounting pressure from religious groups to loosen restrictions on churches, Newsom said last week he would issue new guidance on in-person worship by Monday. Trump has called on the nation's governors to allow churches to open amid the pandemic, threatening to take unspecified action against them if they refuse. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., defended the president's call for churches and other houses of worship to open during the Memorial Day holiday, saying he believes people will attend safely. "I trust the American public. I think they're going to make the right decision," he said Sunday morning on "State of the Union." Scott declined to say whether Trump could or should override governors who keep churches closed, saying he believes the Bill of Rights guarantees people the right to attend services. "Do I believe the government can tell us not to worship? I don't believe they can," he said. But New Jersey's Gov. Murphy pushed back against the president's urging to open houses of worship during the Memorial Day weekend, saying it's not yet safe in his state for more than 25 people to gather indoors. "We'll get there on houses of worship," he said. Murphy also urged more federal aid for state and local governments. New Jersey may have to lay off state employees, including teachers, firefighters and health-care workers, if the state doesn't get significant aid, he said, the result of billions of dollars in lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tenants nationwide are facing the possibility of getting kicked out of their homes as officials lift bans on evictions intended to protect renters amid the mounting economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Even with tens of millions of people out of work and the United States recording job losses not seen since the Great Depression, major metropolitan areas are allowing eviction restrictions to expire, threatening tenants who have been unable to pay rent because of reduced income or job loss on account of the public health emergency. In Houston, eviction hearings resumed last week after the Texas Supreme Court lifted the state's moratorium, as Houston Public Media reported. Renters could start getting forced out of their homes and businesses as early as May 26. Evictions are also looming over renters in Kansas City, Missouri, where proceedings are set to resume at the beginning of June. Tenants are rallying to persuade officials to extend protections that were put in place along with the city's stay-at-home order. "After this pandemic hit, both of my main jobs ended. And to be honest, I'm quite scared," Ashley Johnson of the organization KC Tenants told KMBC last week. "I'm scared for my children and I." In Florida, the Tampa Bay Times reported hundreds of eviction cases are awaiting action in Florida courts, having piled up during Gov. Ron DeSantis' stay. It's unclear what will happen to the pending cases when the order expires June 2. Further complicating the process for renters and homeowners is the patchwork of policies that differ from county to county and state to state and include the eviction moratorium granted under the Cares Act, which prevents evictions of tenants in federal rental housing or those with federally backed mortgages for missing payments. - - - The Washington Post's Candace Buckner, Chris Mooney and Joseph Marks contributed to this report. Two members of the womens right collective Pinjra Tod were arrested by the Delhi Police on Saturday in connection with the protests against the amended Citizenship Act in Jafrabad held in February Two members of the womens rights collective Pinjra Tod were arrested by the Delhi Police on Saturday evening in connection with the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Jafrabad held in February. Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, the Jawaharlal Nehru students who were arrested, founded Pinjra Tod, which seeks to make regulations for hostel and paying guest (PG) accommodation less restrictive for women students. An FIR regarding the Jafrabad sit-in protest had been registered earlier. The women have been arrested under Indian Penal Code Sections 186 [obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions] and 353 [assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty], a police official told Indian Express. The report added that officers from the New Delhi Range of Special Cell were questioning Narwal when local police from Jafrabad station came and arrested her. In a post on Facebook, Pinjra Tod said, The police did not give reasons to their family members for their arrest. Many students and activists have been arrested by the Delhi Police in the last couple of months. We strongly condemn this hounding of democratic activists and students being carried out by the state and appeal to the student community and all democratic minded citizens to remain vigilant and strong in our struggles in face of this repression. The arrested members are scheduled to appear in court on Sunday, India Today reported. While Kalita is an MPhil student at the Centre for Womens Studies, Narwal is a PhD student at the Centre for Historical Studies. Police had also arrested Jamia Millia Islamia student Safoora Zargar in connection with the Jafrabad sit-in. Zargar, who is pregnant, is currently in jail after being booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Earlier this week, Delhi Police arrested Jamia Millia Islamia University student Asif Iqbal Tanha in connection with the Delhi riots. Several others were also arrested in connection with the protests and violence after home minister Amit Shah told the Parliament in March that those responsible will not go scot-free. Pinjra Tod has been accused of organising anti-CAA protests outside the Jafrabad metro station, in which around 500 people had participated. BJP leader Kapil Mishra had given a three-day ultimatum to the Delhi Police on 23 February to clear the protest. A day later, communal clashes erupted in north east Delhi, leaving 53 people dead and over 200 injured. The police made more than 800 arrests by 13 April in connection with the violence, according to Indian Express. Meanwhile, Mishra, who had held a pro-CAA rally and had faced punitive action ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections owing to his communally insensitive statements, has not faced any action. His supporters too have not undergone the police scanner. The widespread protests against the citizenship law were cleared as the coronavirus cases continued to increase. The Shaheen Bagh protest, considered the anti-CAA movements epicentre, were cleared after 101 days on 24 March. It might be one of the poorest places in the UK, but this small town is taking coronavirus in its stride. While towns and cities across the United Kingdom struggle with the effect of the new coronavirus, one of the poorest places is coping with the pandemic. Jaywick made international headlines when the United Nations highlighted it as an example of how the British government has failed to deal with poverty. Al Jazeeras Laurence Lee reports from Jaywick in the UK. Two Pinjra Tod women activists, who were granted bail on Sunday in a case related to the northeast Delhi communal violence, were sent to two days of police custody moments later in a separate murder case linked to the riots. When Metropolitan Magistrate Ajeet Narayan granted bail to Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita in a rioting case, a Delhi Police crime branch investigating officer moved an application for their interrogation and arrest in a separate case of alleged murder of a local during the riots. The two members of Pinjra Tod, a collective of women students and alumni of colleges across Delhi, were arrested on Saturday in connection with a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Jaffrabad area in February. The judge granted them relief in the rioting case on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 20,000. "Facts of the case reveal that the accused were merely protesting against the NRC and CAA, and the accused did not indulge into any violence," the court said. "Also, the accused have strong roots in the society and they are well educated. Accused are ready to cooperate with the police regarding the investigation." Considering the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the court was not inclined to give police remand of the accused and declined the application seeking custody. It said both the accused shall cooperate and join the further investigation as and when required by the investigating officer. "They shall not commit an offence similar to the offence which he has committed. The accused shall not make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquaintance with the facts of the case," it said. During the hearing, the police had sought two days of custody of the accused, saying it was necessary for interrogation as they are "active in anti-national activities" and also for arrest of co-accused in the rioting case. The counsel for the accused opposed the application, saying police had pressed charges with mala fide intent and are "not maintainable". The lawyer had said the FIR was filed on February 24, subsequent to which Narwal and Kalita had cooperated with the investigative authorities and orally prayed for grant of bail. The case, in which they were arrested on Saturday, was registered under sections 147 (rioting), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 188 (disobedience of order by public servant), 283 (danger or obstruction in public way), 109 (abetment), 341 (wrongful restraint), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code. Moments after the court pronounced its order in the case, the investigating officer of the Crime Branch moved an application before it for their interrogation and formal arrest in the murder case. The police told the court that both the accused have disclosed their involvement in the second case and are named in the disclosure statement of the co-accused. After interrogating them for 15 minutes, the police moved an application seeking 14 days custody in the murder case, saying accused have to be thoroughly interrogated at length to know the conspiracy behind the incident and the identity of other accused has to be established, and police remand was necessary to arrest the co-accused. The counsel for the accused opposed it, saying that Narwal and Kalita were implicated in the case with "mala fide" intent. This time, the court granted two days custody of the accused to the police, saying the investigation was at its initial stage. The case was registered under sections 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 283 (danger or obstruction in public way), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 332 (causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 307 (attempt to murder), 302 (murder), 427, 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 188 (disobedience of public servant's order) of the IPC. The case was also registered under relevant sections of the Arms Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The White House announced that beginning at 11:59 pm ET on Thursday, President Trump would suspend entry of non-U.S. citizens who have been in Brazil in the past 14 days in an effort to stop the imported spread of the coronavirus. Why it matters: Brazil has reported nearly 350,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus the second-most in the world behind the U.S. and has emerged as a Southern Hemisphere hotspot as other heavily affected countries in Asia and Europe have managed to get their outbreaks under control. However, there continues to be significant community spread of the virus within the U.S., which will not be curbed by further outside travel restrictions. The big picture: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has come under fire for dismissing the virus as a "little flu" and aggressively pushing to reopen the economy, which is heading for its worst recession ever. On Sunday, a mask-less Bolsonaro attended a rally in Brasilia, shaking hands, embracing supporters and ignoring social distancing measures as coronavirus cases continued to surge. What they're saying: Today, the President has taken decisive action to protect our country by suspending the entry of aliens who have been in Brazil during the 14-day period before seeking admittance to the United States. As of May 23, 2020, Brazil had 310,087 confirmed cases of COVID-19, which is the third highest number of confirmed cases in the world. Todays action will help ensure foreign nationals who have been in Brazil do not become a source of additional infections in our country. These new restrictions do not apply to the flow of commerce between the United States and Brazil. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany Still, many Texans took advantage of being allowed to again frequent businesses they hadn't visited for several weeks as establishments closed to stop the spread of the virus. Photographers Jordan Vonderhaar and Sergio Flores carefully ventured out, masked and mindful of social distance, to get a sense of how that looked on Friday and Saturday. Here are some of their photos. Five foreign nationals have been arrested for entering the country through an unapproved route at Hamile in the Lambussie District of the Upper West Region. The Upper West Regional command of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) told the GNA in that the migrants, who were all Burkina Faso nationals aged between 15 and 27 were arrested at the weekend on two motorbikes with registration numbers 32-UJ-6586 and 32-JW-5633 at Beat 2 unapproved route bordering Burkina Faso. Mr Ibn Yussif Duranah Abdul-Mumin Seidu, the Upper West Regional Public Relations Officer for the Service said Preliminary investigations revealed that they were travelling to Kumasi and Techiman for farming purposes, he said. Mr Seidu explained that the illegal migrants were screened by the Port Health Personnel and handed over to the Burkina Faso authorities on the other side of the border, while the motorbikes had been impounded. As far as our operational functions are concerned, coupled with the President's directive on the closure of our borders as part of the measures to halt cross border infection of COVID-19, the Ghana Immigration Service is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that undocumented, prohibited and irregular migrants are not allowed entry into Ghana through unapproved routes, he explained. Mr Seidu, therefore, entreated the general public, particularly, the border residents to collaborate with Ghana Immigration Service and to volunteer information on illegal migration to the GIS to help end the menace. The service wishes to remind the Ghanaian citizens who are complicit in the exodus migration of other ECOWAS nationals into Ghana through unapproved routes to either desist from the illegal act or be prepared to face the wrath of the law he warned. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Prime Minister Scott Morrison has accepted ultimate responsibility for a $60 billion bungle in the government's JobKeeper program, while likening it to the cost of building a house coming in much cheaper than expected. Mr Morrison said on Sunday that the "administrative error" that led to the $130 billion JobKeeper program going to half the number of expected workers was not a green light for the government to borrow more money and spend it on extra programs. Scott Morrison said JobKeeper was created and estimates about its spread made at a time of "incredible uncertainty". Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Late on Friday, Treasury revealed a "significant error" in its estimates meant JobKeeper a subsidy that pays $1500 a fortnight towards the wages of enrolled workers would go to only 3.5 million people and cost $70 billion over a six-month period. When it was announced in late March, the government said it would cost $130 billion and cover more than 6 million workers. (Natural News) The U.K. plans to implement a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all international travelers, which has received backlash from businesses, including the aviation sector, who are fearful that this will devastate their industry. Some business groups have even branded the policy as isolationist. The policy was introduced by British Home Secretary Priti Patel, who said that travelers who violate quarantine can face a fine of 1,000 pounds (approximately $1,200). I fully expect the majority of people will do the right thing and abide by these measures, said Patel. But we will take enforcement action against the minority of people who endanger the safety of others. Policy is isolationist and will further ruin British economy, said business groups Critics from the U.K.s business sector have questioned why, among other things, the quarantine measures were introduced so late into the pandemic. At the beginning of the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus across the U.K., only travelers coming from China and northern Italy were told to isolate for 14 days. Michael OLeary, CEO of Ryanair, an Irish low-cost carrier, said that the 14-day quarantine would be unenforceable and unpoliceable and that most international travelers will probably ignore it. (Related: UKs scientific adviser orders people to go back to work, says people will get the virus no matter what.) Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, the trade body for all of the countrys registered airlines, said that introducing a quarantine this late into the pandemic makes no sense and will greatly affect the amount of international travel coming into Britain. The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), a group that represents travel agents and tour operators in the U.K., an industry that has already been devastated by the pandemic, said that a mandatory 14-day quarantine may deter a lot of potential tourists from visiting the country. This, in turn, will have an extremely damaging effect on industries that are dependent on tourism, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of jobs employed by these businesses. Instead of a mandatory quarantine, business groups are insisting that the government should seek international agreements with different nations. The government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not ruled this out. Transport secretary Grant Shapps has championed the idea of creating air bridges, which would allow the U.K. to seek out bilateral agreements with countries that have a low incidence of COVID-19, so that any quarantine restrictions for travelers coming into Britain from those countries may be waived. This idea has been met positively by France. Patel, for her part, has not ruled out this idea and said that the government will look at all options. When asked about the backlash and the label of isolationist at a press conference Friday, Patel defended the measures by saying We are not closing our borders, and I think people should recognize that. Listen to the Health Ranger Report with Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he talks about how different reopening plans and experiments can tell the world what works. How the U.K.s new mandatory quarantine works The mandatory quarantine policy will begin on June 8. It will affect anybody coming into the U.K. by plane, ferry or train. Upon a travelers arrival into the country, they will be asked to fill out a form where they have to put down their contact information and an address where they will be staying for the remainder of their two-week quarantine. If the aforementioned traveler has nowhere to stay, accommodation will be provided by the government, which has self-isolation facilities prepared for this occasion. Government health officials will be tasked with performing spot checks to make sure the traveler is complying with the directive. The new arrivals will also be encouraged to download a contact tracing app that Johnsons government is developing, once it becomes available. Currently, exemptions to the quarantine are granted for freight drivers, agricultural workers who will be asked to self-isolate on the property they are working, health professionals and travelers from Ireland the only other sovereign country that shares a land border with the U.K. the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Prime Minister Johnsons government will also be reviewing the mandatory quarantines effects every three weeks. Head over to Pandemic.news for the latest updates on lockdown measures in the U.K. and the rest of the world. Sources include: ABC.net.au TheGuardian.com 1 News.Sky.com TheGuardian.com 2 Maun Lorato House Rescue Centre in Maun is grappling with inadequate resources and overstaying of children. The centre catered for children aged 0 to 5 years, who were either abandoned or in need of protection. It also has a special wing for children living with disabilities. The centre's coordinator, Ms Tshepiso Mebe, said government partly funded them and this assistance only covered the children's basic needs. Ms Mebe also noted that overstaying of children in the centre was worrisome, explaining that expectation was that at the age of five, children should be reunited with their families. Most of the children, she said, were brought through a court order, adding that the centre worked hand in hand with social workers. She appealed for support in kind to ensure the centre continued impacting positively on the lives of the innocent children. Ms Mebe stated that currently, the centre accommodated 24 children and since COVID-19 pandemic started, they ensured 24 care givers stayed with the children round the clock in an effort to prevent the spread of the corona-virus. Since its inception, she said 50 children had graduated and reunited with their families of which two went for foster care and appreciated that they lived happily. Love Botswana programmes and resource mobilisations manager, Mr Billy Kgosikwena, concurred that overstaying of children and inadequate funding were major challenges faced by the centre. Despite the challenges, he appreciated that the centre kept on going and taking good care of the childre. He appealed to the public and business community to support the centre. Lorato House is a project established by Love Botswana and the programme was designed specifically to secure resources for children who needed support. Source : BOPA The Maharashtra government has asked the forest department to carry out a study on the feasibility of shifting tigers from Chandrapur to other parts of the state to reduce cases of man-animal conflict, forest minister Sanjay Rathod said. There are nearly 312 tigers in the state, of which 160 are in Chandrapur alone. Besides, 12 striped animals are in five-km radius around the district, located around 250 km from here, Rathod said on Saturday. "To reduce man-animal conflict, I have asked forest officials to carry out a study to check the feasibility of shifting tigers from Chandrapur to other areas," he said. The minister held a review meeting with forest officials in Nagpur on Friday. The number of tigers has increased in Chandrapur and the number of human deaths due to attacks by the big cats has also gone up, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Nitin Kakodakar told PTI. Therefore the forest department is thinking of "conservation translocation", he said. "At present, there are nearly 200 tigers in Chandrapur. Another 60 cubs will be added to the population in the next year. We have to think in terms of managing their population, so there is a proposal in consideration to shift some of them," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived at a Jerusalem court for the start of his long-delayed corruption trial, rejecting the 'ludicrous' charges against him and declaring he was facing the hearing 'with my head held high.' The veteran premier, who has just forged a unity government after over a year of political turmoil, now faces the next challenge - being the country's first premier to face criminal charges while in office. Flanked by ministers and bodyguards, Netanyahu addressed reporters before entering the Jerusalem District Court on Sunday where he was to face charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement before entering the district court room where he is facing a trial for alleged corruption crimes on Sunday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wearing a face mask, stands inside the court room on the first day of his trial for alleged corruption crimes in Salah El-Din, East Jerusalem, Israel on Sunday A convoy transporting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to the district court of Jerusalem for a long-delayed corruption trial, on May 24 He condemned the 'fabricated and ludicrous' allegations and declared: 'I'm here with a straight back and my head held high.' The longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history has long claimed to be the victim of a witch-hunt and again suggested the charges were trumped up to stop him continuing in office. 'When you need to take me down, a strong prime minister from the right, everything is possible,' he said. Netanyahu delivers a statement before entering the district court room Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing a face mask in line with public health restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, right, stands inside the court room with his lawyer as his corruption trial opens at the Jerusalem District Court, Sunday, May 24 Israeli supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold flags and placards during a rally outside the district court of Jerusalem on May 24 Netanyahu also requested 'for everything to be broadcast live and uncensored so that the public will know'. The 70-year-old was indicted in January for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in a series of cases. Among the charges he faces is seeking to illegally trade favours in exchange for positive media coverage. He is also accused of accepting cigars, champagne and jewellery worth 700,000 shekels (180,000 euros) from wealthy personalities in exchange for favours. During Sunday's court session he was expected only to confirm his identity. His lawyers began the court session by arguing for a delay to the trial, which is expected to last months if not years. A live TV broadcast shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his attorneys entering the district court where he is facing a trial for alleged corruption crimes Netanyahu has been charged with counts of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, becoming the first Israeli leader to be tried for alleged corruption while still in office Small demonstrations of both supporters and opponents gathered in Jerusalem. 'I came to demonstrate against the accused prime minister who uses his power to destroy the foundations of democracy,' said Yoav Eitan, 39, at a rally of around 800 people outside Netanyahu's residence. Elsewhere, Mali, an elderly woman in a pro-Netanyanu protest of more than 200 people, said 'Benjamin Netanyahu is pure and clean. We will fight to ensure a just trial.' Israeli supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold flags and placards during a rally outside the district court of Jerusalem on May 24 Supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wave Israeli flags during a rally as Netanyahu's corruption trial opens Israeli police secure the area surrounding the district court where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a trial for alleged corruption crimes in Salah El-Din, East Jerusalem Among the most serious allegations against Netanyahu is the claim that he offered media mogul Shaul Elovitch regulatory changes worth millions of dollars to his telecom giant Bezeq in exchange for favourable reporting on the Walla! news website. That charge is also the most complex, said Amir Fuchs, a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute, who argued it differs from 'classic' bribery cases where money changes hands. In this case, Fuchs said, the allegation is that Netanyahu 'is getting only media coverage,' rather than cash. 'It is unprecedented,' he told reporters. But in the Bezeq case, Fuchs added, Netanyahu is accused of doing far more than to seek flattering write-ups. 'It was actually complete editorial control of this site even on the specifics of which posts to make, or which pictures'. After months of suspense and repeated police questioning of Netanyahu, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in January filed charges against the premier. Many commentators considered this the premier's political death warrant. But Netanyahu retained the Likud party leadership and after three inconclusive general elections managed to hammer out a power-sharing deal with his chief election rival Benny Gantz. Under the agreement, Netanyahu will continue to lead the government for 18 months before handing over the premiership to Gantz. Netanyahu's trial had been due to open in mid-March, but the COVID-19 pandemic led to a postponement to May 24, and the proceedings will be marked by social distancing and other hygiene measures. A supporter of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves flags outside his residence in Jerusalem, Sunday, May 24 The premier's lawyers unsuccessfully requested that he be excused from appearing in person at the opening of the trial. They argued that his attendance, to hear the formal reading of the charges against him and confirm that he has read and understood them, was merely technical. Under Israeli law, a sitting prime minister does not have automatic immunity from prosecution but also is not obliged to resign when charged, only when convicted and after all avenues of appeal have been exhausted. Yuval Shany, law professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, argued that there is 'a basic incompatibility' between Netanyahu's role as head of the government and his status as a criminal defendant. In the latter role, Shany said, the premier will be 'fighting very aggressively and maybe effectively to weaken the government authorities that are prosecuting him'. 'There is a very serious conflict of interest situation,' he said. A Texas mother killed her nine-year-old daughter then herself in a shocking murder-suicide during an intense nine-hour standoff with police. On Monday, police responded to a domestic violence call at the 500 block of Highcrest Drive in Red Bird, Dallas around 12.30am where they found a man who said he had been in an argument with his wife. The man said he escaped the home when his wife, 34-year-old Alexica Stevenson-Gates, started shooting and 'chased him out of the house', barricading herself inside with her nine-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son, Dallas police say. SWAT officers were able to negotiate for her to release the boy from the home. Mother Alexica Stevenson-Gates, 34, (left in 2014 mugshot) killed her daughter Miloni Metoyer, nine, (right) in a tragic murder-suicide on Monday during a standoff with police in Dallas, Texas Cops responded to a domestic violence call in Red Bird around 12.30am. Alexica's husband said she chased him out of the house with a gun and barricaded herself inside with her 12-year-old son and daughter, but the boy was able to escape. Scene of shooting above The Red Bird home where the murder-suicide took place pictured above Armed SWAT officers pictured at the scene where they engaged in a standoff with Stevenson-Gates from midnight to around 9am when she was found dead Officers made several failed attempts to persuade Stevenson-Gates from exiting the home. SWAT forced entry at 6.30am, prompting the mother to barricade in a closet with the girl. She opened fire and hit two SWAT officers, but officers did not shoot back. Officers entered again around 9am and found the woman and girl Miloni Metoyer dead in the closet in an apparent murder-suicide, according to the Dallas Morning News. Milonis father Noland Metoyer, who is not the same man as Stevenson-Gates husband, has been left heartbroken by the death of his daughter. 'I just cant believe it. I dont even want to think about the last thing Miloni was thinking,' he said to the paper. He paid tribute to his young daughter in a touching Facebook post saying: 'R.I.P. to my beautiful daughter Miloni Metoyer...12/06/10 to 5/18/20.... Thank you for the best years of my life.' Milonis father Noland Metoyer, who is not the same man as Stevenson-Gates husband, has been left heartbroken by the death of his daughter saying: 'I just cant believe it. I dont even want to think about the last thing Miloni was thinking' He paid tribute to his young daughter in a touching Facebook post saying: 'R.I.P. to my beautiful daughter Miloni Metoyer...12/06/10 to 5/18/20.... Thank you for the best years of my life' Child Protective Services said there had been no history of child abuse allegations involving the two children in the home. Miloni Metoyer pictured above A family members shared this tribute to Miloni and Stevenson-Gates saying 'Tears won't stop' Child Protective Services said there had been no history of child abuse allegations involving the two children in the home. Now Child Protective Investigations is working to review the girls death, and the boy will be placed in the custody of a family member. Noland Metoyer said that Stevenson-Gates had longstanding issues with family violence. In 2005, she faced an assault charge and was required to attend anger management classes, according to court documents. Then in 2014 she was charged with assault causing injury to a family member after a fight with her boyfriend of two years ended with bloody scratches on his face and neck, according to an affidavit. Metoyer, who lives in Louisiana, says he and Stevenson-Gates separated shortly after Miloni was born in 2010 but he was in contact with her for his daughter's sake. Cops descended upon the 500 block of Highcrest Drive in Red Bird following a domestic violence call by Stevenson-Gates' husband He last saw Miloni about four months ago, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and talked to her every two to three days via video chat. 'Miloni was always happy to see me, and she always smiled. Some days Id talk to her for a little while and shed be playing with her toys, and Id just let her play with her toys,' he said. Metoyer credited Stevenson-Gates as a mother who raised her kids to be educated and well-mannered. 'That was one thing she did. She educated them,' he said. 'We are fighting a pandemic. We are trying to stay alive, but then we kill each other. Its absurdAnd I want the community to be more outraged about that,' Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall said on the case. Vietjet flies Vietnamese citizens home from Myanmar Passengers flown home from Myanmar by Vietjet Vietjet coordinated with the Embassy of Vietnam in Myanmar and the two countries authorities to operate a special flight bringing 240 Vietnamese citizens from Myanmar back home safely on May 21 in line with the decisions of the two governments. The flight is an exceptional repatriation effort to bring back Vietnamese stranded abroad home after the suspension of international flights due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Passengers on this special flight are Vietnamese citizens with difficulties and wishes to return home, including under-18-year old children, the elderly, sick people, pregnant women, monks and religious groups required to go home after the closure of meditation centers, stranded tourists, workers with expried visas or contracts and students who completed their studies. The flight also brought some Myanmar citizens home on the departure leg from Vietnam. All passengers have received the maximum support in all aspects as well as medical care during the flights. To ensure the safety of all impacted citizens and prevent the spread of the epidemic, Vietjet has intensively conducted several security and safety measures before, during and after the flights. Following its safe landing at Da Nang International Airport, all passengers were medically examined and then escorted to mandatory quarantine centers in accordance with the governements policy. The aircraft has been disinfected following global standards. All Vietjet flights are in alignment with all global supreme standards and guidelines from the local authorities, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). All of its passengers, flight crew, aircraft have been safe up to now. Previously, Vietjet has carried out many flights, evacuating thousands of passengers out of the pandemic-impacted areas; transporting thousands of tonnes of essentials, medical supplies and equipment; offering free transportation for doctors and medical staff. A lot of non-commercial flights have been operated, many of those are one-way ferry flight bringing Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Thai and other nationalities back home safely. Vietjet has also operated repatriation flights to bring Vietnamese citizens home from India, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan in response to humanity mission and the social responsibility to the people and community. The new-age carrier Vietjet has not only revolutionized the aviation industry in Vietnam but also been a pioneering airline across the region and around the world. With a focus on cost management ability, effective operations and performance, Vietjet offers flying opportunities with cost-saving and flexible fares as well as diversified services to meet customers demands. Vietjet is a fully-fledged member of International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate. As Vietnams largest private carrier, the airline was awarded the highest ranking for safety with 7 stars in 2018 and 2019 by the worlds only safety and product rating website airlineratings.com and listed as one of the worlds 50 best airlines for healthy financing and operations by Airfinance Journal in 2018 and 2019. The airline has also been named as Best Low-Cost Carrier by renowned organizations such as Skytrax, CAPA, Airline Ratings, and many others. Vietnam reports one new imported COVID-19 case A 34-year-old Vietnamese woman who flew home from Russia on May 13 is the latest person to test positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. She is the 32nd person from one single flight who has contracted coronavirus, including two members of the cabin crew. The woman who lives in Gia Vien district, Ninh Binh province, tested positive for COVID-19 in Russia but had made a full recovery before flying home. After being quarantined immediately after landing at Van Don airport in Quang Ninh province, she tested negative. But results from a second test carried out on May 22 came back positive and she is currently being treated Hai Duong citys Hospital for Tropical Diseases. All passengers from the plane, which flew from Moscow to the Van Don airport were immediately quarantined on arrival, posing no risk to the community. Since the first case was recorded in Vietnam on January 23, there have been a total of 325 people tested positive with 185 imported cases from other countries. A total of 267, around 82 percent, have made a full recovery. Right now there are 15,412 people are in quarantine across the country, including 58 at hospitals, 8,523 at concentrated quarantine establishments and 6,831 at home. Vietnam records no new COVID-19 cases in community for 37 days Vietnam reported no new COVID-19 cases on May 23 evening, marking it 37 straight days without new infections in the community. Of the total 324 confirmed cases, 184 are imported ones who were quarantined upon their arrival in the country. A total of 267 cases have recovered, accounting for 82 percent of the accumulative caseload, while the 57 active cases are being treated at different medical facilities across the country. Six have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, while three others have tested negative for the virus at least twice. More than 14,700 people are under quarantine at hospitals, medical stations and at home./. Amcham donates automated DNA extraction system to Centre for Disease Control Mary Tarnowka, executive director of AmCham Vietnam - HCMC, with the director of the HCM City Centre for Disease Control, Nguyen Chi Dung, while gifting an automated protein and nucleic acid purification system on Friday. Photo courtesy of AmCham Vietnam - HCMC The American Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam HCM City on Friday (May 22) donated an automated protein and nucleic acid purification system to the HCM City Centre for Disease Control to support its response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. KingFisher Flex from Thermo Fisher Scientific is a benchtop automated extraction instrument. Mary Tarnowka, executive director of AmCham Vietnam- HCMC, said: I want to convey the deep appreciation of AmCham Vietnam - HCMC for the effectiveness of actions taken by Vietnamese Government leaders and the incredible dedication of Vietnamese officials, including representatives of the HCM City Department of Health and Centre for Disease Control, in controlling the spread of COVID-19 and keeping those of us who live in Viet Nam safe and healthy. Viet Nams successful management of COVID-19 is now recognised globally. It paved the way for Viet Nam to reopen, and to be one of the first economies in the world to begin its economic recovery. This automated DNA extraction system will not only support Viet Nams ongoing management of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also will increase the capability of Viet Nam in general and HCM City specifically in terms of surveillance, detection, and control of infectious diseases. Vietnamese citizens repatriated from US test negative for COVID-19 A total of 80 Vietnamese citizens who had recently returned to the country from the United States have tested negative for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and successfully completed their isolation period in the northern province of Hoa Binh on May 23. Each of the 80 citizens spent a total of 14 days in quarantine and twice tested negative for the virus. The group had originally been admitted to the site on May 9 and have had their health checked each day. After being permitted to leave the quarantine facility, each person will now be placed into isolation at home as they undergo a further mandatory 14-day observation period as a means of ensuring that there is no possibility of the virus occurring. As of the afternoon of May 23, a total of 267 people out of 324 COVID-19 cases nationwide have gone on to make a full recovery from the virus, with no deaths being caused as a result of the COVID-19. Health authority in HCMC issues warning on COVID-19 prevention in hospitals The Department of Health in Ho Chi Minh City has just issued a warning on preventive measures against Coronavirus in hospitals. In its warning, the Department proposed directors of public and non-public hospitals to continue maintaining and implementing preventive activities in the past in a bid to thwart COVID-19 outbreak in hospitals and cross-infection of other contagious diseases. Infirmaries must keep screening and checking all people in. Isolation wards must be located in a separate place from screening ward and other wards. More people should be screened and tested as per the city Center of Disease Controls plan. The Department also requested medical institutions to undertake SARS-CoV-2 tests on foreign patients or overseas Vietnamese patients who were transferred for treatment of other illnesses and isolate them according to the regulation. Hospitals were encouraged to increase examination following prior appointment to stop gathering of people in the examination wards. Furthermore, hospitals must train and re-train infection controlling and procedures to receive suspected people amongst staffs as well as monitor on medical workers who suffer cold and respiratory diseases. When did you first hear about the new coronavirus? It probably crept into your consciousness, and then, in what seems like overnight, it changed your life. I heard about it during the first week in January. Scientists in China reported on a new coronavirus that was causing an illness that looked like a respiratory disease we'd seen before called SARS. It belonged to the coronavirus family, which includes four members that cause the common cold, and two others that are more dangerous but rare - SARS and MERS. I didn't think much of it other than a vague sense of unease, because this was a new virus, related to SARS, which I knew had killed people back in 2003. I then went to a meeting in Rotterdam of virologists and immunologists. This was part of an EU-funded programme training PhD students across Europe at the interface between immunology and virology. An area that now seems so important, but which at the time was just another scientific gathering. There were SARS experts there, and one of them, Frank van Kuppeveld from Utrecht, said this new virus was definitely one to watch, because it was new, and we didn't know much about it at all. Expand Close January: A man wears a mask while walking in the street in Wuhan. Photo: Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp January: A man wears a mask while walking in the street in Wuhan. Photo: Getty Images Read More He reminded us it came from a family with two members that were real bad asses - SARS and MERS. We didn't talk about it for very long. My mind increasingly turned back to when I first became interested in immunology. It was in the 1980s and all the talk was of a mystery illness called Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) that attacked the immune system. It took four years to find the virus that causes AIDS, named HIV. It took a matter of weeks to find the virus that causes Covid-19, named SARS-CoV2, which illustrates how far science has advanced since the 1980s. Let's hope it advances us all the way to the finish line against SARs-CoV2. First impressions Expand Close May: The Wuhan acrobatic troupe rehearse for a live online performance this week, as life with the virus goes on. Photo: Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp May: The Wuhan acrobatic troupe rehearse for a live online performance this week, as life with the virus goes on. Photo: Getty Images In February, many hoped it would be like its relative SARS. SARS was quickly contained, with around 8,000 cases and 774 deaths. But the number of cases of Covid-19 began to grow in China, and it began to rapidly spread outside China. But still, some said it looked somewhat like the flu, and so nothing to be especially frightened of. Then in March, at another gathering of immunologists, this time in the US, a group of us were having a post-conference drink. A lot of our conversation was now about this new virus. Another of my scientific collaborators, Eicke Latz from Bonn, said he'd been talking to a colleague of his - someone who had actually discovered SARS. He'd told him that 70pc of the world's population would become infected. We all stopped talking and I said: "Can you say that again?" The mortality rate from SARS was around 10pc. So if it was like that, 7pc of the world's population might die. This would be over 300,000 Irish people. I gulped. I hoped it was just exaggerated bar talk. The reality It began to spread around the world. It quickly became clear that this wasn't like the flu. It was more contagious, and probably dangerous because we had limited, if any, immunity to it. Another reason to die. We now know a lot about this virus. Eminent virologists are calling it "extraordinarily unusual" and "something I have never seen in my 20 years of studying viruses" and that's from a flu expert. Probably the most important thing is people without symptoms can be infectious. Unlike in SARS, which mainly affects the lungs, SARS-CoV2 can infect the nose and throat as well. So, here was a difference. If SARS-CoV2 doesn't make it to your lungs it causes a mild disease, like the common cold or even show no symptoms at all. If it gets into your lungs, it causes a more severe disease and the symptoms become obvious. SARS-CoV2 is, therefore, a bit like a common cold coronavirus having a baby with the SARS virus. That baby can be like one if its parents and cause a cold, or can be like the other parent and cause lung disease, which might actually kill you. New to science. But a very important finding, because if you have the mild form, you can still spread it. Expand Close May: The Wuhan acrobatic troupe in rehearsal. Photo: Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp May: The Wuhan acrobatic troupe in rehearsal. Photo: Getty Images How do you identify a murderer if there are no clues? How do you stop a disease spreading when many of those with it (as high as 50pc) can spread it without knowing it? This is one reason why it spread like wildfire. Because we had no immunity, we were like lambs to the slaughter. The main way to contain it is to test, test, test. Everyone should wear masks in public. This is why the instructions on masks had to change. The previous advice was to wear a mask if you had a cough, because the cough droplets containing the virus would be trapped in the mask. But when we learnt that you can spread the virus without symptoms, and even by just speaking, it made sense for everyone to wear a mask, and it still does. The science worked: it changed our view on masks (although disturbingly many in Ireland still aren't wearing them). Clusters of infection happen in confined spaces where people shout a lot. This is a reason why meat factories are especially problematic. They are noisy places and the workers all live together. Same for choirs and pubs - crowds together, singing or shouting. More discoveries Other features began to be noticed. Covid-19 makes you feel exhausted. Flu does, too, but Covid-19 might be worse. And viral fatigue syndrome, which means you have symptoms like fatigue for weeks after clearing the virus, is also a prominent feature of Covid-19. Even patients with mild disease can suffer with this. Doctors also noticed another troubling symptom. Blood clotting. Again, other viruses will do this, but it might be more common in Covid-19. This can be lethal and cause organs to fail, leading to death. Doctors, therefore, watch for this closely. Clotting can also cause 'Covid Toe' which is where a clot occurs in the feet, cutting off blood supply to the toes which look like they have had frost bite. In very rare cases, children can suffer from a related problem that looks like something called Kawasaki syndrome, where blood vessels become badly damaged. Again, doctors are now on the lookout for that. Finally, patients have something called 'Happy Hypoxia' where their blood isn't able to carry the right amount of oxygen, effectively suffocating them. Doctors are learning new things every day about Covid-19, and trying to treat their patients as best they can. Mysteries remain There are still things we don't know. Can you become reinfected? Possibly not, but we need more evidence. Will it be possible to vaccinate against Covid-19? Again, we don't know, but there are hopeful signs. Will there be an anti-viral drug? One called Remdesivir looks promising, but again we wait for the trials. Will we manage symptoms with powerful anti-inflammatory drugs? Again, several are being tested, including in my own lab. In March, Frank van Kuppeveld contacted me and said we should collaborate, as he remembered my talk in Rotterdam about a new anti-inflammatory chemical our own bodies make which had also been shown to kill viruses. I said 'yes' immediately, and my lab is now back in action working on it. A long shot as our work is only beginning, but worth a try. Collaboration is everything when it comes to good science, since two heads are better than one. It is now the month of May, a lifetime since the meeting I was at in Rotterdam. And we stand in awe of this virus. Like all viruses, it is very smart. This means there are, as American politician Donald Rumsfeld famously said, unknown unknowns. No one imagined happy hypoxia or Kawasaki Syndrome. Rumsfeld also said: "You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might wish to have." We have an army of scientists and healthcare workers fighting this virus with all their might. And if every one of us plays our part, together we will win. That's one thing I definitely know. Luke O'Neill is professor of biochemistry in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity College Dublin Warning against "revenge pornography", setting limits to online friendships, valuing consent and reporting to elders if faced with a problem, are among lessons the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) wants teenagers to learn to ensure their safety in the virtual world. While the digital exposure of students has increased due to teaching activities moving completely online during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, concerns about the potential threats have been brought to the forefront with the recent "Bois locker room" controversy. The CBSE has shared a Cyber Safety handbook with schools for class 9 to 12 students. The handbook also details guidelines for students as well as parents, listing the do's and dont's and activities to understand the sensitivity of the issue. "Students must learn to set limits to their online friendships as well as online communication with real life friends. There has to be a limit to what they share or exchange in terms of written words, photographs or videos. They must remember that, once online, they may not be able to control who will actually see it, prevent breach of trust and misuse and potential risk and harm to their person and reputation," a senior board official said. "Teenagers need to understand gender relations. Boys must learn to interact with girls on equal terms and respect them and their desires as those of human beings, not simply as objects of respect or desires," the official said. "Consent must be an important part of relationships. Pictures, videos and other material shared in confidence cannot be published on social media without the permission of the person just because the other person does not want to continue in a relationship. Youngsters must learn to cope with rejection as it is a part of life but not the end of the world," the official added. The board has advised parents to empower children to decide for themselves how others collect and use their information by requiring their consent. "As of now, there is no minimum age of digital consent in India. If there are people offline who you would be uncomfortable talking to about your physical or sexual experiences, chances are, you would be uncomfortable doing this with strangers online too. Cyber Groomers create fake accounts to befriend people, for the purpose of harming them whether physically, sexually or emotionally," the official said. "Students must be cautious when their chat partner gives them many compliments regarding their appearance within a short span of their acquaintance. Do not talk to people who ask you to share your sexually explicit photographs or videos. Never accept a friend request from someone you have never met in person. If you share your sexually explicit photos or videos with someone, the person can share those photos with others or post them on social media. They can also blackmail you," the official added. The handbook warns against falling into the trap of revenge pornography. "Teenagers in the age-group of 14 to 18 years are the worst victims of revenge porn as well as the perpetrators themselves, which is a matter of concern. Some teenage students who have been in a relationship and end it find their explicit photographs circulated on social media platforms. When such images go viral, students are often harassed and bullied by their peers branded with insult and in the end, isolated," the handbook states. "A teenager may be targeted by her jealous classmates, her ex-boyfriend or even an unknown friend on social media who may be victimising her because she stopped communicating with him when she realised the dangers of online relationships," says the handbook. Earlier this month, a massive outrage erupted online after it emerged that an Instagram group named ''bois locker room'' was being used by some persons to share objectionable pictures of minor girls and discuss illegal acts including rape. People posted purported screenshots of crude conversations among members of the group believed to be students of some top schools in Delhi and some allegedly as young as 13. It is alleged that they shared photos of teenage girls and made explicit comments about their looks. However, during its investigation into the 'Bois Locker Room' case, the Delhi police has stumbled upon a conversation on Snapchat where a girl, posing as a male, suggested a "sexual assault plan" to a boy just to test his "values and character". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress MLA from Jharkhand, Rajendra Prasad Singh died at a private hospital in New Delhi on Sunday following a brief illness, family sources said. He was 75. The former Jharkhand minister is survived by four daughters and two sons, they said. Singh was suffering from a lung infection and died at 12.30 in the hospital in New Delhi, his personal assistant Mithilesh Kumar Tiwari said. Condoling Singh's death, Chief Minister Hemant Soren tweeted: "I am saddened at the passing away of Rajendra Singh ji. Jharkhand has lost a hard-working and 'sachha sevak'." Several political and trade union leaders expressed grief at Singh's death. The four-time MLA from Bermo constituency began his political career in 1963 and went on to become INTUC's national general secretary, president of the Rastriya Colliery Mazdoor Sangh and an AICC member. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fed up with staying at home on lockdown, some folks have evidently decided its time to get back out and resume what they used to know as their normal lives. Not so fast, say the experts who have been tracking the spread of COVID-19 and following related developments in the medical field. While some non-essential businesses are reopening and incautious individuals have opted to ignore distancing and masking recommendations, the rest of us are being far more careful, hoping to avoid infection by the novel coronavirus and help flatten the graphed curve that measures its spread within the population. Among the businesses that remain closed are art museums and galleries the venues whose exhibitions I normally review in this column. As long as this is the case, Ill continue devoting this space to other aspects of visual art, including art that can be seen online. Iranians celebrated Eid al-Fitr in the capital Tehran and rest of the country on Sunday while only some designated mosques were permitted to host the Eid's communal prayers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Every year, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would lead the Eid prayers at the end of fasting month of Ramadan attended by thousands of worshippers in Tehran's great Musalla prayer ground. But this year in an attempt to curb the spread of contagion the big Eid event was cancelled. A mosque in west of Tehran arranged for worshippers to attend the congregational prayers on a street adjacent to it as a precaution to ensure their safety. Most of the praying men and women wore face masks and gloves during the prayers. The highly contagious virus has infected more than 133,000 and killed than 7,300 people in the country, according to health officials. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older adults and people with health problems, it can cause severe symptoms like pneumonia and lead to death. Since Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency on March 10 due to the coronavirus pandemic, she has issued more than 70 executive orders restricting business and social activity. Michigan businesses have been hit hard by pandemic and by the orders intended to flatten the curve of transmission of the virus. Nearly a quarter of small businesses in the United States could close permanently because of coronavirus, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimated in early April. Now, MLive Media Group is launching an initiative to help them recover, by doubling the value of their advertising and marketing dollars. The organization, which handles advertising sales for MLive.com and its eight affiliated newspapers, will match advertising buys from $1,500 to $50,000 with a total of $10 million available for the program to help kick-start business for local companies as Michigan slowly moves toward reopening. Some northern Michigan counties were allowed to reopen retail establishments last week. MLive Media Groups program will help businesses reset and move forward, said company President Tim Gruber. Its times like these that we all need to work together and build businesses back up to a new norm, Gruber said. MLive truly cares about this state and all that is going on. We wanted to find a way to give back and help businesses thrive again. Businesses can apply for the matching program through Monday, June 15. It applies to advertising on MLive.com or in The Ann Arbor News, The Bay City Times, The Flint Journal, The Grand Rapids Press, Jackson Citizen Patriot, Kalamazoo Gazette, Muskegon Chronicle, and The Saginaw News. We wanted to use our audience reach and help out as much as possible across the state, Gruber said. We wanted to partner with our neighboring businesses from around the state and provide them an opportunity to maximize their exposure as they re-enter back into opening their doors. Applications will be processed through an online portal; to apply, click here. Once submitted, a member of the MLive Media Group team will reach out within 48 hours to offer guidance through the process. Those who participate can run advertisements in June, July or August. Officially, Connecticut has yet to recover fully from the Great Recession. The number of private-sector jobs in the state just in the past year surpassed prerecession totals, but the public sector, which includes jobs at the two casinos in the states southeastern corner, held back the overall totals. Dont look for that official recovery to arrive anytime soon. Numbers released in recent days verify that the coronavirus pandemic has hit the state labor market like an explosion, with jobless figures unprecedented in decades. Though the official unemployment rate stands at 7.9 percent, the effective rate is closer to 17.5 percent, state Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby said. The jobless rate stood at just 3.7 percent in March. These are levels of economic pain that many people alive today have never experienced. Connecticut lost 288,000 jobs in March and April, more than doubling the 120,000 positions shed in the Great Recession. Connecticut is hardly alone. Federal officials reported last week the nation had lost 20.5 million jobs in April as the U.S. unemployment rate climbed to 14.7 percent. The economic impact is immense. Even with federal and state assistance programs, people who have lost jobs are already being stretched thin, and the effect is felt across the economy. When one person cant pay bills, it affects someone elses income on the other end. Already Washington is fighting about the size and scope of future relief packages, as though a temporary fix were sufficient and the rest would take care of itself. It isnt working out that way. Beyond the bare numbers is the psychological impact. Peoples identities are often closely tied to their work, and a sudden loss of employment, even at a time when many others are out of the office due to social-distancing requirements, can be deeply felt. People need income, but they also need some empathy for being caught in a crisis that is beyond their control and losing every shred of normalcy along the way. The good news is that Connecticut has started reopening businesses, though Phase 1 shows that even with governmental approval the reopening will be a painstaking process. Many people dont feel safe returning to their old habits, and understandably so. The coronavirus has not been beaten, despite encouraging signs on hospitalizations and new cases. Phase 2 and beyond are likely to follow similar paths, which will be difficult on businesses that are counting on new and returning customers to keep them afloat and allow them to rehire employees let go when the pandemic hit. Much as wed like to believe otherwise, the chances of a quick economic turnaround, the so-called V-shaped recovery, could be slim. It could be months or years before businesses can support previous levels of employment. Syracuse, N.Y. A man was shot and a residence was hit by gunfire Saturday night on Syracuses Near West Side. Police were called to the 200 block of Niagara Street around 11:46 p.m. There officers discovered several spent shell casings and evidence that a residence had been struck by gunfire. A short time later, a 32-year-old man arrived at Upstate University Hospital with a gunshot wound, said Sgt. Matt Malinowski, a department spokesman. The man is expected to survive, Malinowski said. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Syracuse Police Department at 315-442-5222. Contact Jacob Pucci at jpucci@syracuse.com or find him on Twitter at @JacobPucci. Kanye Kanye Muslim Community (KMC) has donated food items worth P30 000 to Southern District Council (SDC). When receiving the donation recently, SDC chairperson, Mr Thamiso Chabalala applauded the Muslim community for their love towards Kanye residents. "We are proud to call you brothers, friends for the many things you have done for the people of Kanye. We understand that when you give it is not like you have so much that you want to give away, you give out of love," he said. Mr Chabalala said the donation would complement government efforts to provide food relief to residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that some members of KMC had earlier on donated as individuals and now coming back as a collective. Mr Chabalala said he would engage with KMC further on issues of community development. On behalf of KMC, Mr Ali Mwimbe said the donation was motivated by the fact that every little show of kindness could help. He shared a story of a boy who stumbled on fish that was washed out to the sea shore. "The boy picked one fish and threw it back into the water thinking the act was as good as nothing given the number that also needed help but little did he know how much of a difference he had made in the life of the one fish," he said. Likewise, he said the gesture might look small but could make a world of a difference in the lives of those it was intended for. Meanwhile, Kanye Administrative Authority chairperson, Mr Simon Ramaphoi urged the Kanye business community to come to the party because there was need to help. Source : BOPA By AFP WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's administration has discussed holding the first US nuclear test since 1992 as a potential warning to Russia and China, the Washington Post reported Friday. Such a test would be a significant departure from US defense policy and dramatically up the ante for other nuclear-armed nations. One analyst told the newspaper that if it were to go ahead it would be seen as the "starting gun to an unprecedented nuclear arms race". The report, citing one senior administration official and two former officials, all who spoke anonymously, said the discussion had taken place at a meeting on May 15. It came after some US officials reportedly claimed that Russia and China were conducting their own low-yield tests. Moscow and Beijing have denied the claims, and the US has not offered evidence for them. The senior administration official said that demonstrating Washington's ability to "rapid test" would be a useful negotiating tactic as the US seeks a trilateral agreement with Russia and China over nuclear weapons. The meeting did not conclude with any agreement, and the sources were divided over whether discussions were still ongoing. Nuclear non-proliferation activists were quick to condemn the idea. "It would be the starting gun to an unprecedented nuclear arms race," Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, told the Post. He added that it would also likely "disrupt" negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, "who may no longer feel compelled to honor his moratorium on nuclear testing." Beatrice Fihn of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the group that won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, warned a Trump nuclear test could "plunge us back into a new Cold War". "It would also blow up any chance of avoiding a dangerous new nuclear arms race. It would complete the erosion of the global arms control framework," she said in a statement. The Trump administration has repeatedly shaken up US defense policy. The Washington Post report came one day after Trump announced that he plans to withdraw from the Open Skies treaty with Russia, which was designed to improve military transparency and confidence between the superpowers. It is the third arms control pact Trump has abrogated since coming to office. Russia has insisted it will abide by the 18-year-old agreement, which seeks to lower the risk of war by permitting each signatory country's military to conduct a certain number of surveillance flights over another member country each year on short notice. European nations have also urged Trump to reconsider. Facing re-election in November, Trump has also significantly hardened his rhetoric against China in recent weeks, repeatedly criticizing Beijing's handling of the coronavirus pandemic which first emerged there. He has made repeated but vague threats of retaliation against the chief US economic rival, which has denied all his accusations. Earlier this month Trump called for involving China in new arms control talks with Russia, telling his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin they need to avoid a "costly arms race". It is not the first time Trump's defense policy has raised concerns the administration is elevating the risk of nuclear war. In February the Pentagon announced it had deployed a submarine carrying a new long-range missile with a relatively small nuclear warhead, saying it was in response to Russian tests of similar weapons. Critics worry that small nukes would be more likely to be used because they cause less damage, thereby lowering the threshold for nuclear conflict. But the Pentagon says it is crucial to deterring rivals like Moscow who might assume that, with only large, massively destructive nuclear weapons in its arsenal, the US would not respond to another country's first use of a small, "tactical" nuclear bomb. A crowd of roughly 2,000 gathered Saturday for "Liberty Fest" outside the closed California Capitol in Sacramento. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) On Saturday afternoon, Pastor John DeBow watched with pride as his daughter defied social distancing edicts at the state Capitol by giving free haircuts to some of the people from across California who had gathered again to protest remaining restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus. He was unaware that, a few yards away, a contingent of Proud Boys, an alt-right organization, had set up a tent attached to the stage. Some members were walking through the crowd in camouflage tactical vests and their trademark black-and-yellow Fred Perry polo shirts. But the Napa religious leader, who has taken to online preaching and plans to continue to honor the state's ban on in-person church services, said he was unbothered by their presence, though they have been deemed an extremist group. "You are always going to have some radical people in any group whatsoever," DeBow said. "But because you have a few crazies, you don't have to get rid of the whole barrel of apples." Pastor John DeBow, left, watches with his wife, Ruth, as daughter Sheri gives free haircuts at an anti-lockdown rally in Sacramento. (Anita Chabria) In California and across the country, lockdown protests have drawn a melting pot of participants, including peaceful activists such as the DeBows and militias such as the Boogaloo Boys, who have credos that call for civil war, said Brian Levin, professor of criminal justice and director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino. It's unclear how large a role extremist groups are playing in protests. The demonstrations have drawn people with a wide array of concerns, including those who feel it's wrong for the stay-at-home orders to cover religious institutions and libertarians who fear the rules are destroying the economy. At many events, there have been numerous signs supporting President Trump. Some people who oppose vaccines have also taken up the cause. It's uncertain to what extent extremist groups are trying to recruit at the events. Saturday's Sacramento gathering, estimated by city police to be the largest yet, with 2,000 in attendance, resembled a family carnival, with an organic-gelato vendor, and music performances sprinkled among political speeches. Story continues Still, Levin said he found the intermingling of hate groups with others to be concerning. A person playing President Trump joins "Liberty Fest," hosted by the Freedom Angels outside California's closed state Capitol. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) "Different people are showing up with different goals, but when they collect together, they influence each other," he said, creating a "petri dish for conspiracy theories and bad information, as well as aggressiveness." That mishmash, Levin said, could make make the events a "recruiting rabbit hole" for groups that struggle to find inroads with mainstream audiences. Devin Burghart, a researcher with the nonprofit Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, has been monitoring reopening groups online and says he sees extremism and conspiracy theories gaining traction in thousands of internet postings that have sprung up in recent weeks. Sacramento police stand guard as people gather for Saturday's rally. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) "These groups, while initially established around reopening, are pivoting to a larger, far-right political project," Burghart said. He said the number of people joining such groups and the speed with which they had grown was "unprecedented" in American social movements. In California, he has found more than 70 such Facebook groups with about 300,000 members, and more than 2 million participants nationwide. Maria Tchijov of women's rights organization UltraViolet said her group believed social media presence was "an engine" for on-the-ground action, including a growing push to defy mask requirements which has emerged as a cultural flashpoint of political affiliation. UltraViolet staged a counterprotest last week at the Michigan Capitol in Lansing, driving a billboard truck around the building with a sign that criticized Facebook for what the group said was a failure to regulate false information in group forums on reopening, including posts that discount the severity of the coronavirus. Facebook, which did not immediately return a request for comment, has in recent weeks removed some postings. Burghart said he had already seen a shift in talking points that he thought would move the focus of some groups from lockdowns to the upcoming election, and said many of those now online had both money and experience in organizing. "You can see a continuing growth of that," he said, "even as the governor has decided to relax some restrictions around the state. Those numbers are continuing to go up." Burghart said that, in the online forums, he had tracked a resurgence of closer-to-mainstream political activist groups such as the Tea Party movement, along with militias and conspiracy theorists such as QAnon and some anti-vaccine activists. Conspiracy theories about the virus are rampant in reopen forums and at rallies. Those that have gained traction include the belief that a coronavirus vaccine will carry a microchip that allows the government to track citizens, or that the virus is a political hoax perpetrated by the Democratic Party to promote voter fraud with mail-in ballots. On Saturday, a young boy waiting in line for a shaved ice at the rally explained to a fellow protester that the virus was less deadly than the flu, while a few feet away, a group of men tried to convince a female passerby that California's rural counties needed to secede to end the exploitation of workers. Nearby, a sign on a pole advertised an upcoming event with Judy Mikovits, the virologist featured in a widely debunked documentary on the novel coronavirus, and protesters waved signs warning of threats posed by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates and gun control advocates. The spread of such views, Levin said, has already led to some extreme reactions. Levin pointed to armed protesters in Michigan and elsewhere, and the recent arrest of a Colorado protester for having a pipe bomb. In Fresno, shutdown protesters followed a City Council member home, leading to a scuffle that ended with misdemeanor charges against the politician. Levin and Burghart said they believed there would be more such incidents. Hate crimes have increased since the pandemic began, Levin said. "You see these different political strains gaining steam and also gaining new followers," Burghart said. "I worry about acts of violence." Levin said that as the "initial grievance" of the stay-at-home order faded from view, he expected the groups to grow online and on the ground and to refocus on new shared concerns. Levin said many groups shared strong support of Trump, and the president's backing of the notion of personal freedom amid the pandemic has resonated with them. "Shortly after the president talked about liberating various states," Levin said, "thats when we saw this really take off, and we went from seeing a few dozens to hundreds of these nationally." Burghart said that although many of the rallies began as grassroots movements, they had quickly been overtaken by groups with funding and organizing savvy and were transitioning from the single issue of lockdowns to broader political causes. Multiple candidates for state and national office spoke at the Sacramento event on Saturday, appealing to potential voters to curb what they see as too much government intervention. Tim Thompson, a pastor who has been active in shutdown protests, said last week he remained unhappy with the current situation in California, even though Riverside County, where his church is located, had rescinded most rules. His church is holding in-person services. Saturday's crowd outside the state Capitol building included peaceful protesters as well as extremist group members. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) "It amazes me how many people are so quick to let the government have so much authority over us," Thompson said. "I think we continue to see a massive government overreach, specifically with the church, but in general." He believes the shutdown protestation "shouldnt be associated with the alt-right; it should be associated with freedom." DeBow agrees. Though he noted that he was at risk for the coronavirus due to health conditions he is currently on chemotherapy and describes himself as overweight he thinks the shutdowns are unwarranted and create more harm than they prevent. He said his community had seen at least two suicides that he believed were related to restrictions. "I can tell you these people have a lot of heart," he said, gesturing at the crowd. "It's our conviction that the cure is worse than the disease." Government has been urged to give preference to Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in the disbursement of the GH1Billion stimulus package to Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMSEs) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Government should also roll-out more disability friendly policies that will ensure that PWDs had equal access to facilities, jobs and financial support to grow their businesses. Of the total projected amount, GH600 million is coming from government coffers, while commercial banks in the country also put together GH 400 million. Dr Eric Ekow Ghansah, a Lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) made the call in an interview with the media at Assin-Fosu on the Governments stimulus package for businesses and its commitment to protect as many jobs as possible as the COVID-19 rages. The President gave the assurance when he launched a GH1 billion Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP) Business Support Scheme to help MSMSEs impacted negatively by the coronavirus pandemic. The GIMPA Lecturer however, praised government for the great intervention for businesses in to thrive in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic to enable them survive, grow and expand to create employment. He said "the intervention is not only timely, but also appropriate in the sense that the issue is not only of health but also of serious adverse effect on every sphere of life; leaving the entire global community in an atmosphere of uncertainty. He indicated that the stimulus package was the surest way to end the protracted issues of unemployment and its attending socio-economic and political ramfications. On the banking sector, he expressed the hope that the move will strengthen banks to stand on their feet to avert any crisis and inspire confidence in the people and businesses. To avoid the often abuse of such funds, he suggested that the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) the institution that will oversee the distribution of funds, publishes all beneficiaries and the qualification procedure to promote transparency, probity and accountability. In addition to that, the distribution of the funds must be devoid of partisan political considerations that had permeated every facet of the Ghanaian society, where such funds were seen as party freebies for their contribution to party members. That, he acknowledged would be detrimental to its intended purposes and may affect other policies to boost the MSMSEs sector. He charged prospective beneficiaries to make judicious use of the funds. 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 What just happened? Earlier this month, the Senate passed the USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act to reinstate the expired powers of the PATRIOT Act. Absent from the new bill is a crucial amendment that would require law enforcement to obtain a warrant before accessing private browsing data recorded by internet service providers. As it stands, the bill grants agencies like the FBI complete access to the internet history of all Americans. The amendment was proposed by Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana. Neither party opposes the amendment at all. When the Senate voted, a number of the amendments supporters were absent, and it failed to reach a 60-vote threshold by only one vote. Quite frankly, the failure of the Senate to codify the amendment is an embarrassment. Subsequently, several tech companies including Mozilla, Reddit, Twitter, and Patreon have co-signed a letter asking the House of Representatives to tidy up this mess. The House still needs to pass the bill for it to become law, and they can force the inclusion of the amendment. They vote this week. Our users demand that we serve as responsible stewards of their private information, and our industry is predicated on that trust, says the letter. Americans deserve to have their online searches and browsing kept private, and only available to the government pursuant to a warrant. The amendment has also received support from dozens of civil rights and liberties groups, including the NAACP, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Human Rights Watch. They co-signed a separate letter last week, which intriguingly points out that this reform is precisely designed to stave off the kind of scandals that led to a dramatic loss of trust in United States intelligence agencies over the past two decades. I think very few people trust the American governments internet privacy protections these days. Image Credit: Etienne Girardet, Primakov The Bachelor's Anna Heinrich and Tim Robards announced they're expecting their first child together in an Instagram post on May 2. And on Sunday, the expectant parents treated themselves to brunch in Sydney. A glowing Anna, 33, covered her burgeoning baby bump in a designer black ensemble, as she walked arm-in-arm with Tim, 37. She's glowing! Pregnant Anna Heinrich, 33, stepped out for brunch with husband Tim Robards, 37, in Sydney on Sunday. Both pictured Anna braved the chilly weather in a ribbed Camilla and Marc turtleneck sweater, teamed with cropped wet look jeans. She kept light on her feet with pristine white sneakers, and added an extra layer of warmth in the form of a chic black overcoat. The criminal lawyer accessorised with a chunky gold chain necklace by Manning Cartell, a crossover Oroton bag and dark sunglasses. Bumping along nicely: The expectant mother covered her burgeoning baby bump in a black designer ensemble Chic: Anna wore a Camilla and Marc turtleneck sweater, teamed with wet look jeans Looking good: The criminal lawyer added an extra layer of warmth in the form of an overcoat Details: Anna kept light on her feet with pristine white sneakers and added a touch of bling in the form of a chunky gold Manning Cartell necklace Anna allowed her signature blonde locks to flow freely, and her complexion was bronzed and radiant, looking every inch the glowing mother-to-be. The TV personality couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she headed back to the car with husband Tim. Tim showed off his muscular physique in a form-fitting green polo shirt, teamed with faded jeans and white lace-up sneakers. The couple, who wed in 2018, shared the news they're expecting their first child in an Instagram post on their respective accounts on May 2. Beauty: Anna styled her signature blonde locks out, framing a radiant makeup palette Content: Anna couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she walked arm-in-arm with Tim Buff: Tim showed off his muscular frame in a form-fitting green polo top and faded jeans All smiles: Tim also couldn't wipe the smile off his face on the outing Anna excitedly told her friends and fans online: 'It's been so hard to keep this a secret, over the past few months, but I can now finally shout... I'M PREGNANT!!! 'With everything that's going on in the world we feel incredibly lucky and grateful to be starting a family together, and we're so looking forward to this next chapter in our lives.' Tim echoed a similar sentiment on his own page, writing: 'We've been keeping busy in lockdown ... I can't wait to be a Dad!!! Matching: Tim added pristine white sneakers to the look, coordinating with his ladylove Happy news: The couple announced the happy news they're expecting their first child earlier this month Creative: The couple accompanied the news with a sweet maternity photoshoot Well wishes: Celebrity pals including former politician Julie Bishop and AFL WAG Rebecca Judd were quick to congratulate the couple 'The giddy feelings in my stomach show there must be a few nerves, but I know Anna's going to be an absolutely amazing mother and I couldn't be more excited to start a family with her!' They accompanied the joyous announcement with a cute maternity shoot. Tim and Anna fell in love on the inaugural season of The Bachelor Australia in 2013. Despite stiff competition from 24 other women vying for Tim's heart, Anna bowled him over with her 'beautiful looks, humility and self-assurance'. Memories: The couple shared this sweet photoshoot to their respective Instagram accounts How adorable! Tim and Anna could not hide their delight as they shared an ultrasound image The fitness fanatic presented Anna with the final rose in a moving ceremony filmed in Thailand, leaving runner-up Rochelle Emanuel-Smith broken hearted. After almost four years of dating, they took to Instagram to announce their engagement in May 2017, with a picture of Anna showing off her massive diamond sparkler. Tim captioned his post: 'On the weekend in a little dinghy floating on a secluded river I asked this amazing woman to marry me she said YES!!! Woohoo!!' The couple wed in a lavish ceremony at the Masseria Potenti hotel in Puglia, southern Italy, in June 2018. Less than one-third of Arizonas preschools and child care centers are open as the industry struggles to survive the coronavirus pandemic. Thats terrifying to Michelle Saint Hilarie, whose job with the statewide Child & Family Resources agency now involves ongoing conversations about how to keep child care alive during the pandemic and still operating afterward. Although Gov. Doug Ducey has called for Arizona to gradually reopen after the March 17 shutdown, requests for child care remain low. Hilarie, the agencys senior program director, worries that as the weeks keep passing, more centers and schools will collapse. There are approximately 2,500 licensed child care centers, preschools and in-home providers in Arizona, and roughly 800 are open. In Pima County, 352 are open, and 255 are still closed. Those that are operating and following the Centers for Disease Control guidelines are limiting classroom groupings to no more than 10, including teachers, which means they are operating far below their previous capacity. Thats not a business model that can last for long, since costs for many of Arizonas schools and centers are largely covered by tuition. Long-term closure became Emily McCreas nightmare within weeks of the March shutdown, when Ducey ordered the closure of all-but-essential businesses and urged people to stay home to stop the spread of COVID-19. McCreas Downtown Community School, which she opened in 2012, had 27 children and six employees at the time. Her plan for 2021 was to move her popular school to a larger space, or combine efforts with another school. (Newser) Well-spaced faithful have gathered in St. Peters Square for the first time in months for the traditional Sunday papal blessing, reports the AP. They cast their gaze at the window where the pope normally addresses the faithful. Pope Francis has been delivering the blessing from inside the Apostolic library during the pandemic. Francis recalled his scheduled visit on Sunday to the Naples area to draw attention to environmental damage caused by toxic-waste dumping by the mob. The visitcanceled during the pandemicwas timed to mark the fifth anniversary of his ecological manifesto, and the pope announced a year of reflection on his 2015 environmental encyclical, "Praised Be." story continues below Francis came to the window and waved to the people in the piazza at the end of the blessing. St. Peter's has been closed to the public since March, and Romans have been taking advantage since its reopening, per Rome Reports. "There was hardly anyone," says one person. "It was so weird. When we saw we could go inside the basilica, we went in. As a Roman, nothing like this has ever happened." (Read more St. Peter's Square stories.) Sure, it might be warm Wednesday, but what about the rest of the week? local Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. By Online Desk Domestic passenger flights resumed in India after a gap of two months and the country will see around 600 services on Monday, officials said. The Delhi airport saw its first departure at 4.45 am to Pune while Mumbai airport's first departure was at 6.45 am to Patna, the officials said. Meanwhile, India continued to witness a rise in its COVID-19 tally on Monday as it recorded the highest ever spike of 6977 cases and 154 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases in the country now at 1,38,845 including 77103 active cases, 57720 cured/discharged and 4021 deaths, as per the latest Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data. The World Bank has restored Pakistan's budgetary support after four years and approved a policy loan of $500 million to help the cash-strapped country mitigate adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a media report. The World Bank's board of executive directors on Friday approved a $500-million programme to help Pakistan improve access to quality healthcare and education, support economic opportunities for women and strengthen social safety nets as the country braces to limit the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Express Tribune reported, citing a statement by the local office of the Washington-based lending agency. "Political risks are high because Covid-19 response adds uncertainty to the relations among the federating units," said the World Bank documents. The lender warned that elite capture would continue to be challenging with more demand placed for concessions that could erode fiscal space. However, it delayed the approval of another $500-million loan due to a lack of consensus on the conditions regarding restructuring of Pakistan's Debt Policy Coordination Office, reforms in state-owned enterprises and enforcement of a new national fiscal framework. The World Bank country office did not send the second $500-million loan request for the Resilient Institutions for Sustainable Economy (RISE) programme for board approval. The Securing Human Investments to Foster Transformation (SHIFT) programme worth USD 500 million is the first budget support since February 2016. The World Bank had suspended Pakistan's budget support loans due to the deterioration in macroeconomic indicators in 2017. Initially, the size of SHIFT was $250 million, which the World Bank decided to double after the Covid-19 outbreak. Pakistan will repay the $500-million loan in 30 years and it is financed by the World Bank's concessionary arm, the International Development Association. Historically, project loans have remained more effective than policy loans as successive governments have failed to fully implement reforms after the disbursement of policy loans, the daily said. SHIFT would improve the targeted safety net programmes that would benefit 12 million people impacted by the Covid-19 crisis, both at the federal and provincial levels, said the World Bank. "The global Covid-19 pandemic is impacting day-to-day life in Pakistan, not solely from economic disruptions but also additional stress on public services that jeopardise human capital accumulation," said World Bank Country Director for Pakistan Illango Patchamuthu. This programme underscored the criticality of universal healthcare and social protection services that were durable to exogenous shocks such as that Pakistan was facing now, he added. The World Bank said the SHIFT programme would support three policy reforms aimed at building Pakistan's workforce and improving social safety net programmes. "Pakistan's ability to mitigate the socio-economic impact of Covid-19 depends on how quickly and efficiently social safety net programmes can reach those most in need," said Cristina Panasco Santos, Task Team Leader for the SHIFT programme. Owing to the disagreement over certain policy actions, the World Bank once again delayed the approval of RISE loan. The $500-million RISE programme is expected to go to the World Bank board next month, subject to certain amendments to various laws in the budget. The $500-million RISE loan will be aimed at enhancing the policy and institutional framework to improve fiscal management and improve the regulatory framework to foster growth and competitiveness. As part of the conditions, the World Bank has asked Pakistan to restructure the existing Debt Policy Coordination Office into a single Debt Management Office. The proposed structure will not just be a coordinating entity like the Debt Policy Coordination Office that only advises the finance minister. Pakistan's public debt-to-GDP ratio, which stood at 85 per cent at the end of last fiscal year, is now projected to deteriorate further to 90 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) due to poor performance of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and adverse implications of Covid-19. The existing Debt Office had been set up under the Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation (FRDL) Act 2005, but its role was largely restricted to coordination and advising the government. "Macroeconomic risk is high, as the impact of Covid-19 will weaken ongoing stabilisation efforts and medium-term structural reforms and add additional Covid-19-related shocks," said the SHIFT programme documents. The World Bank documents underlined that the government had committed to staying the course and would be supported by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) to ensure that. The conflict has taken on a new dimension with the emergence of the novel coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The Trump administration, reeling from more than 96,000 deaths in the United States, is trying to heap blame for the pandemic entirely on Chinas Communist Party. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Sunday that his country will give "a befitting response" to India in case of "any misadventure" against it. "Pakistan wants peace and its policy of restraint should not be taken as weakness, Qureshi told the media in his native town of Multan after offering Eid prayers. "A befitting response will be given to India if it goes for any misadventure against Pakistan," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Radio Pakistan. Qureshi said he has contacted General Secretaries of the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, drawing their attention towards the alleged human rights violations in Kashmir. The minister said he has also informed the chiefs of the two world bodies that India may launch a false flag operation against Pakistan to divert world attention from its own internal situation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind in his address to the nation on the eve od Eid-ul-Fitr urged citizens to reaffirm their belief in sharing and caring for the most vulnerable sections of society as India battles the threat of novel coronavirus COVID-19. "This festival is an expression of love, peace, brotherhood, and harmony. On this occasion, we reaffirm our belief in sharing with and caring for the most vulnerable sections of the society," Kovind said. The president greeted citizens both in India and abroad, on Eid-ul-Fitr that comes in wake of prayers and fasting during the holy month of Ramzan, in a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday. Kovind said, "May this Id-ul-Fitr usher in universal values of mercy, charity and hope in the world!" In his message to fellow citizens, he also asked people to resolve to adhere to social distancing norms and all other precautions to stay safe and overcome the coronavirus challenge soon. "Let us carry the spirit of giving (Zakaat) more vigorously at a time when we are faced with an unprecedented crisis created by COVID-19 virus. Let us also resolve to adhere to social distancing norms and all other precautions to stay safe and overcome this challenge soon," he said. Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated in the country on Monday (May 25) as the moon could not be sighted on Saturday except Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala who are celebrating it on Sunday. By PTI LUCKNOW: Questioning the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to prohibit coronavirus patients from using mobile phones inside isolation wards of COVID-19 hospitals, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said the ban was put in place to hide the "poor condition" of hospitals in the state. In a tweet in hindi, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said: "If infection spreads through mobile phones, then they should be banned across the country. Mobile phones provide mental support and help cope with loneliness. In fact, the ban has been put in place, so that the truth about the poor condition of hospitals does reach the common public. The need is to sanitise mobile phones and not impose a ban on them," he said. FOLLOW COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES HERE Director General Medical Education K K Gupta has directed all the medical universities, institutes, private and government hospitals to ban the use of mobile phones by COVID-19 patients admitted in L-2 and L-3 COVID-19 hospitals. He also directed in-charge of COVID-19 hospitals be provided two mobile phones, so that patients admitted there could speak to there family members and vice-versa. A young couple with a sick toddler could be torn apart after both parents lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic, destroying their chances of being able to save enough for a partner visa. Regia De Morais Silva may be deported from Perth to Brazil on July 8 when her student visa runs out, leaving her partner Adam Curtis and daughter Lara behind in Perth. The couple have no family to turn to in either country and spent their life savings on food and housing while their daughter underwent open heart surgery for congenital heart block in 2018. Lara was diagnosed with the rare and potentially fatal condition that interferes with the way the heart beats before she was born. Regia De Morais Silva may be deported from Perth to Brazil on July 8 when her student visa runs out, leaving her partner Adam Curtis and daughter Lara behind in Perth When she was a newborn, Lara had a pacemaker put in her chest to regulate her heartbeat at Perth Children's Hospital. She was in the intensive care unit for four months, during which time her parents did not leave her side. The couple had no financial help while their daughter had life-saving surgery, forcing Mr Curtis to sell his car during the ordeal so he could afford to put food on the table. They managed to find work after Lara was discharged from hospital and made a plan to raise their daughter in Australia to ensure she would continue to receive the best health care. When she was a newborn, Lara had a pacemaker put in her chest to regulate her heartbeat at Perth Children's Hospital She was in the intensive care unit for four months, during which time her parents did not leave her side The new parents were saving to pay $7,700 for a partner visa before they were both made redundant when the COVID-19 crisis hit. The couple are now desperate to keep their family together and have pleaded with the public for help. 'We are both hardworking people and never thought it would come to this,' they wrote on Go Fund Me. 'But we are desperate to stop Lara's mother from being returned to Brazil during a pandemic with no health insurance and a child with heart disease.' The couple are now desperate to keep their family together and have pleaded with the public for help Mr Curtis and Ms De Morais Silva will need to pay for a new pacemaker battery every five years and get the electrical leads keeping Lara alive replaced in 12 years. 'The last thing Lara needs after all the trauma she's been through, is to be separated,' Mr Curtis told 7 News. On Friday, South America was labelled the new epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been 21,048 fatalities in Brazil so far, with 1,188 people dying over a 24-hour period on Friday. (Newser) The Memorial Day weekend marking the unofficial start of summer in the US meant big crowds at beaches and warnings from authorities Sunday about people disregarding the coronavirus social-distancing rules and risking a resurgence of the scourge that has killed nearly 100,000 Americans, the AP reports. Sheriff's deputies and beach patrols tried to make sure people kept their distance from others as they soaked up the rays on the sand and at parks and other recreation sites around the country. Among the Memorial Day scenes and warnings: In the Tampa area along Florida's Gulf Coast, the crowds were so big that authorities took the extraordinary step of closing parking lots because they were full. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said about 300 deputies were patrolling the beaches to ensure people didn't get too close. story continues below In Missouri, people packed bars and restaurants at the Lake of the Ozarks, a vacation hot spot popular with Chicagoans, over the weekend. One video showed a crammed pool where vacationers lounged close together without masks, St. Louis station KMOV-TV reported. In West Virginia, ATV riders jammed the vast, 700-mile Hatfield-McCoy network of all-terrain vehicle trails on the first weekend it was allowed to reopen since the outbreak took hold. Campgrounds and cabins were opened as well. At New York's Orchard Beach in the Bronx, kids played with toys and people sat in folding chairs. Some wore winter coats on a cool and breezy day in which temperatures struggled to reach 60 degrees. Many wore masks and sat apart from others. Meanwhile, President Trump went golfing for the second day in a row at his private club in Virginia. Trump had not played for weeks before this weekend. On the Sunday talk shows, Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, said she was "very concerned" about scenes of people crowding together over the weekend. "We really want to be clear all the time that social distancing is absolutely critical," she said on ABC's This Week. "And if you can't social distance and you're outside, you must wear a mask." Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, who has been targeted by protesters opposed to masks and social distancing, insisted the precautions should not be a partisan issue. "This is not about politics," the Republican said on NBC's Meet the Press. "It's been very clear what the studies have shown, you wear the mask not to protect yourself so much as to protect others." (Read more Memorial Day stories.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 20:35:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial opened on Sunday in Jerusalem, marking the first time a sitting prime minister in Israel stands a criminal trial. As he arrived at the Jerusalem District Court, Netanyahu launched an all-out attack against the justice system, charging the trial is a conspiracy by media, police, prosecution, and leftists to oust him. With his right-wing Likud party ministers standing around him, Netanyahu accused the justice system of carrying out "an attempt to eliminate the will of the people" and an "attempt to depose a strong right-wing leader." Hundreds have rallied outside the court, protesting in support of Netanyahu and against him. The first session of the unprecedented trial, in which Netanyahu is facing charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, opened a week after Israel's longest-serving leader was sworn in for a fifth term. Enditem As tensions simmer between India and China in the Ladakh sector that has seen a worrying troop build-up and military reinforcements from both sides after a nasty border brawl in early May, the army on Sunday strongly denied reports in some sections of the media that an Indian patrol party was detained by Chinese forces last week and later released. There has been no detention of Indian soldiers at the borders. We categorically deny this. It only hurts national interests when media outlets publish unsubstantiated news, army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand said. Union minister Jitendra Singh shared the armys statement on his Twitter handle and described the reports as dangerously fake news. The detention of a border patrol by an adversary is seen as a provocative act that can bring rival forces perilously close to conflict, experts said. The standoff along the line of actual control (LAC) is not confined to a small area, has triggered an increase in troop numbers on both sides at multiple locations and seems to suggest a greater design rather than adventurism by local Chinese commanders, as reported by HT on Sunday. Indian and Chinese soldiers are eyeball-to-eyeball at four different locations in the sensitive sector and the total number of soldiers on both sides at these flashpoints is estimated to be around 3,000. Wherever the Chinese have sent more troops, we have matched their numbers by beefing up our deployment. Some structures have come up on both sides to support the troops on the ground, officials said. Chinese soldiers are said to have constructed bunkers and other structures to support their deployments in some disputed areas. The Chinese side has also deployed troops, vehicles and heavy equipment, involved in a military exercise in the area, to the Ladakh sector --- satellite images showing the military build-up have been doing the rounds on social media. Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane made a low-key visit to Ladakh on Friday for a security review as tensions grew between India and China near Pangong Tso and three pockets in the Galwan Valley region where Chinese troops have pitched close to 100 tents and erected temporary structures to establish a presence. Chinas state-run media has described the latest tensions as the worst since the 2017 Doklam standoff, which lasted 73 days. Soldiers on both sides are showing restraint and local commanders are meeting almost daily to de-escalate. However, experts said ending the stalemate would require political direction and diplomatic intervention. India on Thursday rejected Chinas allegation that Indian troops initiated tensions and crossed the LAC in the Ladakh and Sikkim sectors and accused the Chinese army of hindering patrols on the Indian side. Chinas foreign ministry first accused Indian troops of trespassing across the LAC in a statement last week, saying Beijing had to take necessary countermeasures after the Indian Army allegedly obstructed normal patrols by Chinese troops. HT was the first to report on May 10 about tensions flaring between India and China in north Sikkim where 150 soldiers were involved in a tense standoff a day earlier. Four Indian and seven Chinese soldiers were injured at Naku La during the confrontation. Scores of soldiers from the two countries clashed near Pangong Tso on the night of May 5-6 and several of them were injured in the scuffle that involved around 250 men. While a flare-up was avoided as both armies stuck to protocols to resolve the situation, tension spread to other parts of eastern Ladakh, including the Galwan Valley area. ... SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON By PTI NEW DELHI: Amid concerns over changes in labour laws in various states, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Sunday said reforms do not mean complete abolition of labour laws and that the central government is committed to protecting the interests of workers. In recent weeks, various state governments, including Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, have either made amendments or proposed changes to existing labour laws as part of larger efforts to help businesses that have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. "I have just noticed that the Union Ministry of Labour is firming up its stance to tell the states that they cannot abolish labour laws because India is a signatory to the International Labour Organization (ILO)," Kumar told PTI in an interview. READ| Jobs lost due to lockdown, houses destroyed by cyclone: Migrant labourers stare at uncertainty "Therefore, it is clear that the Union government does not believe that the reform of labour laws implies complete lack of labour laws. The government is committed to protecting the interest of workers," he said. He was replying to a query on whether labour reforms by states like Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat can be done without creating some kind of social safety net for wokers. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government approved an ordinance to exempt various industries from certain labour laws for three years to revive the state's economic activities. Madhya Pradesh has also tweaked some labour laws amid the nationwide lockdown to spur economic activities. Some other states are also likely to follow suit. About the country's macroeconomic situation, Kumar said that just like the rest of the world, India is also suffering from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has resulted in serious loss of economic activities in the first two months of the first quarter of fiscal 2020-21, he said. Referring to RBI saying that the country's growth is likely to remain in the negative territory in the current fiscal, Kumar said, "the extent of that (negative growth) cannot be forecast at this point of time because there are too many unknowns, both in the domestic scene and in the global scene". On Friday, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said the impact of COVID-19 is more severe than anticipated and the GDP growth during 2020-21 is likely to remain in the negative territory. According to Kumar, the objective of the Rs 20 lakh crore-economic stimulus package announced by the government was to revive aggregate demand and not just consumer demand. "Huge amount of liquidity has been infused by the RBI and the Finance Minister's encouragement to all the banks to improve their credit flows means that it will help revive aggregate demand in the economy. "So, the key therefore is that the financial sector and especially banking sector now becomes less risk averse and improves the credit flow to the MSMEs as well other segments of economy. If that happens, then the demand will revive and we will see the revival of economic activities in the country," Kumar emphasised. On whether there should be monetisation of deficit by RBI, the Niti Aayog Vice Chairman said the government is looking at all possible options to finance the stimulus package. When asked about the possibility of companies shifting their operations from China to India, Kumar said, "if we get our act together and we get the right policies to target companies which are making plans to move out of China, I think there is no reason to believe that they will not shift to India". To curb spreading of coronavirus infections, India and many other countries have imposed lockdowns, which have also impacted economic activities. Kumar said coronavirus induced-lockdowns have impacted different sectors of the economy as well as the entire global economic and trade situation. The lockdown in India was imposed on March 25 and it has been extended thrice. The lockdown is to end on May 31. Beijing: Myanmars leader Aung San Suu Kyis visit to China ahead of India shows her wish to strike a balance among major powers, state-run Chinese media today said and called on the Communist nation to broad base ties with Myanmar, not relying on military alone. Referring to Japanese media reports that Indias position in Myanmars diplomacy will outweigh China, an article in the state-run Global Times said Suu Kyis visit to China last week shows that China seems to be more significant than India in Myanmars diplomacy. Yet in June, (State Counsellor and Foreign Minister) Suu Kyi expressed her wish to visit India during her meeting with V K Singh, India Minister of State for External Affairs, it said. Suu Kyi has chosen China for her first overseas trip outside ASEAN probably not because she is emotionally close to Beijing, but out of Myanmars domestic politics and national interests. She will lead the country to seek a balance among major powers, the article co-inciding with the just-concluded visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to Myanmar said. While China laid the red carpet for her, making a strong push for Myanmar to revive the stalled USD 3.6 billion Myitsone dam, Suu Kyi during the five-day visit sought Chinas help for Myanmars peace process with a number of rebel groups, some of whom are ethnic Chinese outfits who received support from across the border. The article, written by a state-run think tank said, like China, India is one of few countries that kept a close relationship with the Myanmese government during the military rule. Yet Suu Kyi was never a fan of New Delhis dual-track policy - supporting democratic forces and meanwhile having close ties with the military junta. She believes that India, the largest democratic country in the world, should not have kept a distance from Myanmars democratic forces during the latters democratisation. The ties between Myanmar and India are full of peculiarity, complexity, and versatility due to historical connections, as they face problems including border disputes, cross-border ethnic minorities and Indians in Myanmar, their relations have been far from smooth, it said. But for Myanmar, enhancing ties with India can help counterbalance Chinas influence in Myanmar and also develop its economy by using Indian investment, it said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. (Natural News) One Canadian nurse who caught coronavirus a few months ago has now tested positive for the disease eight times in the past 50 days, raising questions about just how long the disease can linger in the human body and how long a patient who appears to be recovered remains contagious. When 49-year-old Tracy Schofield first experienced symptoms like shortness of breath, fever and chills on March 30, she was given a test for COVID-19, which came back positive. She then spent two weeks self-isolating. She had a fever that got as high as 104.1 degrees, and Tylenol wouldnt bring it down. She also said she lost her senses of taste and smell, reporting that she was unable to taste salt and vinegar potato chips or smell the strong scent of Vicks VapoRub. After she started feeling better and two weeks had passed, a second test came back positive, and six others she has taken in the meantime have also come back with the same result, even though her symptoms have largely disappeared, apart from some breathing difficulty. When her eighth test overall came back negative, she was quite excited, but it takes two negative results in a 24-hour period to be considered recovered. When she took her ninth test less than 24 hours later, it came back positive much to her surprise and dismay. She told CTV News: Whenever I get the test result, its like somebody punches me in the stomach. Although her doctors dont think she is still contagious, they cannot explain why her tests keep coming back positive. The mother of three is now worried that shell have the disease forever. She said she did not have any pre-existing conditions, but the ongoing positive test results have her worried that shell suffer long-term complications from coronavirus. In fact, shes been cleared to return to her job as a registered practical nurse but is afraid that she will infect other people. She works in long-term care and is concerned about putting patients at risk. Lots of questions about coronavirus still unanswered Speaking to CBS News, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Senior Scholar Dr. Amesh A. Adalja said that persistent positive COVID-19 tests dont necessarily mean a person still has the active virus; it could be detecting genetic material from the virus. He said that patients might cough up and excrete viral debris for some time afterward, and it may not necessarily indicate they are contagious. He added that this is why the CDC has two different ways to determine if a person who was infected with coronavirus previously can leave isolation. The first is two consecutive negative results within 24 hours, and the second is passing seven days without symptoms and three days without a fever or fever medication. As for the ongoing breathing trouble shes experiencing, he said it could be due to the damage caused to her body by the virus when she had it rather than an ongoing infection. According to the CDC, the virus might be detectable in the lower or upper respiratory tract for several weeks after becoming ill with the disease, and the actual duration of viral shedding and infectiousness period arent yet known. Thats why it remains incredibly important to proceed with caution, treating everyone you encounter as potential carriers of the disease. Given that a large percentage of people with the virus wont display any symptoms at all, there really is no way of telling. Thats why wearing a mask in public and washing your hands frequently is absolutely vital now that places are opening up again and lives are starting to return to normal. Sources for this article include: DailyMail.co.uk CBSNews.com CALHOUN COUNTY, MI Acting on a tip from a member of the public, sheriffs deputies were able to successfully locate the driver responsible for a hit-and-run that hospitalized a 66-year-old motorcyclist Saturday afternoon. The responsible party, a 24-year-old Battle Creek woman confessed to the incident Saturday night, according to a news release from the Calhoun County Sheriffs Office. Charges are being sought against the woman for leaving the scene of a personal-injury accident. Authorities were dispatched to the scene of the crash at 1:21 p.m. Saturday, May 23, at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and VanBuren Street in Springfield, according to an earlier news release from the sheriffs office. The motorcyclist, a 66-year-old Albion man, was westbound on Michigan Avenue when he stopped at a stop sign and was rear-ended by a Nissan Sentra being driven by the Battle Creek woman, deputies said. The driver of the Sentra stopped for about a minute and then fled the scene, according to deputies. The vehicle was also occupied by a male passenger and female passenger. The motorcyclist was taken to Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo to be treated for multiple non-life-threatening injuries, deputies said. Also on MLive: Motorcyclist injured in hit-and-run in southwest Michigan Michigan man arrested in Indiana for potential kidnapping of wife, child Kalamazoo police seize 200 ecstasy pills and firearm during traffic stop Uncle-nephew duo sentenced to prison for Kalamazoo bank robbery The Morrison government is being urged to overhaul its JobKeeper program to focus on jobs in the tourism and recreation sectors when the wage subsidy scheme ends as questions grow over how Treasury overestimated its cost by $60 billion. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday likened the massive miscalculation of the cost of the policy centrepiece of the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic to a builder delivering a new house well under budget while saying responsibility for the problem ultimately rested with him. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has likened a $60 billion miscalculation in the cost of the JobKeeper program to a builder delivering a new home way under budget. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Late on Friday, Treasury revealed a "significant error" in its estimates meant JobKeeper a subsidy that pays $1500 a fortnight towards the wages of enrolled workers would go to only 3.5 million people and cost $70 billion over a six-month period. When announced in late March, the government said it would cost $130 billion and cover more than 6 million workers. By PTI NEW DELHI: Tihar Jail reported its first coronavirus case after a 45-year assistant superintendent tested positive for the infection on Sunday, jail officials said. The assistant superintendent, posted at Central Jail No 7, is a resident of Staff Residential Complex of Tihar Jail, they said. Director General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel said the assistant superintendent had taken leave on Friday as he wanted to go home and meet his family but he did not show any symptoms. However, before leaving, he got himself tested for COVID-19 on May 22 in Amrapali Hospital and his results came positive on Sunday, he said. According to the jail officials, as the official was tested positive his contact tracing was done by jail authorities and it was found that one jail staffer, who is said to have been in close contact with the infected jail staffer, has been tested for COVID-19 but his results are awaited and he was sent for home quarantine. While five others, including two other jail staffers, who also came in contact, have been sent on home quarantine while three inmates have been kept in an isolation barrack, senior jail officials said. As a precautionary measure, the infected official's nine neighbours, who also work at different Delhi jails, have been asked to quarantine themselves and not to attend duties even though none of them came in contact with him, they said. All the men are presently asymptomatic and authorities will keep a check on their medical condition, they added. Till date, 18 people from Rohini Jail have tested positive for COVID-19 while another case was also reported from Mandoli Jail after a deputy superintendent tested positive last week. Kim Jong-Un made his first public appearance in three weeks by holding a meeting to discuss how North Korea can improve its nuclear capabilities. The North Korea leader, 36, was last seen at the opening of a fertilizer plant on May 1 but had not appeared in the public eye since then. The Seventh Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea also saw Kim reveal intentions to increase the strength of the standing army and place the country's strategic armed forces on high alert. Kim Jong-Un (pictured) made his first public appearance in over three weeks in a military meeting to discuss the country's military strength Kim mentioned the need to create a stronger nuclear deterrent in North Korea as well as fixing unreasonable machinery to protect the country against foreign forces The Korean Central News Agency said: 'Set forth at the meeting were new policies for further increasing the nuclear war deterrence of the country and putting the strategic armed forces on a high alert operation.' KCNA also revealed Kim mentioned the need to mend 'unreasonable machinery and compositional defects' of the military so it could be better prepared when the country needs to defend against 'foreign forces'. Photos from the meeting also show Kim in front of a presentation board and using a long white stick to make a point. The North Korea leader was photographed using a long white stick to make a point in front of a presentation board His appearance at the fertilizer plant on May 1 was his first appearance in 20 days, leaving many concerned over the North Korea leader's health during the last week of April. Unconfirmed reports then emerged that the North Korea leader had died following heart surgery. Ji Seong-Ho, a North Korean defector, told South Korean media that he was '99 per cent sure' Kim had died after the cardiovascular procedure and that an announcement regarding his passing was imminent. However, cold water was swiftly poured on those rumours, with a South Korean official stating that Kim was 'alive and well'. Kim's last public appearance before the military meeting came on May 1 where he opened a new plant fertilizer. It was the first time he had been seen in 20 days - a period where rumours circulated about his ill-health South Korean parliament member Kim Byung-Kee even said that there were no original health concerns surrounding the North Korea leader's health to begin with. He told reporters on May 6: 'The National Intelligence Service (NIS) assesses that at least he did not get any heart-related procedure or surgery. 'He was normally performing his duties when he was out of the public eye. At least there's no heart-related health problem.' The longest period Kim Jong-Un has spent away from public eye is 40 days, when he received treatment for a damaged ankle in 2014. Meanwhile, North Korea have yet to confirm a single coronavirus case or death in the country. Steve Alexander, a well-known broadcast reporter with FOX10 in Mobile, was arrested on 6:59 a.m. on Sunday, May 24, on charges of driving under the influence, the station confirmed. A Facebook post about the arrest was released on the page, Busted in Mobile. Its been shared over 1,000 times since it was posted Sunday morning. In response, FOX10 released a statement saying, We are aware that Steven Alexander Ozenovich was arrested Sunday morning for DUI. We are currently reviewing the situation and have no further comment at this time. Alexanders court date is set for Aug. 8. Britain's Got Talent act The Noise Next Door reportedly already had history with the show before their audition aired on Saturday. The group reportedly penned an opening song for spin-off series More Talent in 2014, though at the time they were made up of different members. The Noise Next Door impressed the judges with their audition consisting of an improvised song based around show hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly. Scroll down for video Past works: Britain's Got Talent act The Noise Next Door reportedly already had history with the show before their audition aired on Saturday According to The Sun, the group originally worked on the song for More Talent six years earlier, before the spin-off show was axed last year. They took to the stage determined to wow the judges with an improvised performance, explaining they were no stranger to the gigging circuit. Speaking on the show they said: 'We've done Live at The Palladium on ITV. We've done the Edinburgh Festival several times and headline the Comedy Store regularly, but nothing is as big as Britain's Got Talent. 'We may have had some success in comedy clubs but nothing of this scale. Britain's Got Talent viewers aren't necessarily comedy club goers and this gives us a chance to bring what we do to a much bigger audience. Showmen: The group reportedly penned an opening song for spin-off series More Talent in 2014, though at the time they were made up of different members 'Also, improv comedy over here isn't as big as in the States and we really want to champion that in the UK.' MailOnline has contacted representatives for Britain's Got Talent for comment. During their audition, The Noise Next Door took to the stage asking the audience and judges to help with suggestions for song ideas. The group launched into an impromptu song about Ant and Dec forming a wellington boots business. The audition went down a storm with the judges who awarded them four yeses and a spot in the next round, but some viewers weren't so convinced. Energetic: The Noise Next Door impressed the judges with their audition consisting of an improvised song based around show hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly We have questions: Some viewers weren't convinced, taking to Twitter to claim their audition must have been pre-planned Some fans took to Twitter to claim their audition must have been pre-planned, knowing their performance would have been about one of the judges or hosts Ant and Dec. One wrote: 'No way they'd just made that song up. Obvious the celebrity would have been one of the judges or presenters and the song would have been rehearsed with each one of them picked in case.' Another wrote: 'Enjoyed the improv' but I am suspicious as to how they all know which word to sing at the same?' A third also claimed: 'Remember seeing NOISE NEXT DOOR at Butlins. Same act, just changed the song slightly depending on audience choice. Not completely improvised as suggested.' Amazing: However others were quick to praise the audition, with one even recalling seeing them in a past performance However others were quick to praise the audition, with one writing: '@Noisenextdoor sooooo good!! Well done!!!' Another wrote: '@NoiseNextDoor The best act on tonight's show. Well done guys.' A third also revealed she'd seen the group perform live, writing: 'Wow what a throwback memory, @NoiseNextDoor had my sister on stage at a comedy club in 2011 on her hen do, so glad to see they are still going strong.' Next week sees the final round of BGT auditions air before what was supposed to be the live shows, which ha been postponed until later this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Britain's Got Talent continues on Saturday at 7pm on ITV. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reappeared in public following his second consecutive three-week absence amid rumors about his health, Voice of America reports. State media on Sunday said Kim presided over a meeting that discussed, among other things, expanding the countrys nuclear war deterrence. Pictures showed Kim signing documents, making a speech and pointing to a television screen that had been blurred by censors. The pictures, published in the official Korean Central News Agency, revealed no obvious signs of new health problems. It was Kims first public appearance since May 1, when he showed up at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a fertilizer factory, following an earlier three-week absence from state media. A wave of unconfirmed reports in April suggested Kim had experienced a serious health problem, such as a heart procedure. Some reports said he had died. Since the beginning of the year, Kim has disappeared from public view for about three weeks on three separate occasions. North Korea has not explained the reason for Kims absences. Agartala, May 24 : The Kuwait government would deport 136 Indians belonging to Assam and Tripura and they would reach Guwahati by June 4, a Tripura Minister said on Sunday night. Tripura's Law and Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath said that all the 136 Indians now in Kuwait jail for violation of law of that country. He said that the External Affairs Ministry has informed this to the Tripura government. Nath, spokesman of the Tripura government, said that 105 Indians, stranded in Bangladesh, would return to Tripura by bus on May 28. "After arrival of the people from Kuwait and Bangladesh, their swab samples would be tested. If they tested positive for COVID-19, all the people would remain in the institutional quarantine center," the minister said. Gov. Ralph Northam, slammed on social media over the weekend after he was photographed maskless and mingling with visitors in Virginia Beach, acknowledged Sunday that he should have been carrying a face mask in case he ended up in a crowd. Northam has encouraged Virginians to wear masks in public and indicated on Friday that he planned to issue a mandate for masks on Tuesday, although it is not clear if that would apply to outdoor public spaces, such as parks or beaches. Northam, a physician, has also urged "social distancing," specifically, to stay at least six feet apart from others in public. In photos that appeared on Twitter and Facebook, Northam stands elbow-to-elbow with a group of three people as they pose for a picture at the shore. In another, he takes a selfie with a woman. In another he appears to be on the crowded beach boardwalk. Northam's office initially noted that the governor was outside and was not expecting to get close to anyone, but people recognized him and wanted to take pictures. A spokeswoman later sent an updated statement acknowledging that the governor could have been better prepared for the crowd. "The Governor has repeatedly encouraged wearing face coverings inside or when social distancing is impossible," spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said Sunday. "He was outside yesterday and not expecting to be within six feet of anyone. This is an important reminder to always have face coverings in case situations change - we are all learning how to operate in this new normal, and it's important to be prepared." Republicans seized on the opportunity to criticize Northam, a Democrat, who has been under pressure from some to ease restrictions in the state. "Physician, heal thyself," House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, tweeted. Northam, who allowed rules on beaches to ease Friday in time for the Memorial Day holiday, had traveled to the beach "to make sure beach rules were being enforced," Yarmosky said. New Delhi: IITs have decided to increase the number of seats in various courses for admitting "non-resident students" with an aim to take their total intake to one lakh by 2020. According to senior officials, in a meeting of the IIT Council headed by HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday, "in-principle" approval was given to the proposal for admitting non-resident students. The authorities of different IITs will now undertake an exercise to fix the number of additional students they can accommodate. "At present, the IITs have around 72,000 students in their undergraduate, postgraduate or doctorate courses which are residential. However, it is now planned that students, who will not stay in hostels, should be admitted to these institutes," an official said. The plan is to increase the number by 10,000 per year so that the number of IITians touches 1 lakh by 2020, the official said, suggesting that ideally there would be an increase of 4,000 seats in undergraduate courses and 6,000 seats in postgraduate and Ph.D seats, an official said. Speaking after the meeting, Javadekar announced that the IIT Council has also approved a proposal to introduce the Prime Minister's Research Fellowships. The move aims at encouraging IITians passing out of B.Tech to enroll in Ph.D courses straightaway. Another decision taken by the council is to introduce an induction course to help new students adjust as they join these institutes after a rigorous competitive examination. The IIT Council has also given its nod to a "pilot" run of an aptitude test, the officials said, adding that the modalities will be worked out. They said that this test would not have a bearing on admissions. Another scheme which was approved the Council is 'Vishwajeet' which will help IITs to secure top ranks globally. On the new education policy, Javadekar said that the government has received inputs from various quarters a workshop would soon be organised in this regard. He said education is a subject beyond politics and the government is willing to listen to all views on the issue. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Elon Musk is about to face his biggest test after almost two decades as a space entrepreneur: launching human beings into orbit. If the weather holds and there are no technical issues, a SpaceX Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket will blast off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 4:33 p.m. on May 27. Two NASA astronauts -- Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley -- will be on board, with a docking at the International Space Station scheduled for 19 hours later. The history of spaceflight is made up of moments etched into humanitys collective memory, including Yuri Gagarins orbit of the Earth in 1961, Neil Armstrongs one small step onto the moon in 1969 and the loss of Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. While SpaceXs upcoming launch may not end up ranking with those events, it will mark the first-ever ride to orbit on a privately owned vehicle -- and the first time astronauts have flown from U.S. soil since the shuttle program ended in 2011. We havent had two humans shoot up into space on a commercial spacecraft ever. Thats an absolute first. Its an epic moment, said Luigi Peluso, an aerospace analyst with AlixPartners. Space is still a dangerous game, and when you launch with people on board its a whole different level of intensity. And its not just about getting them there safely -- its also about bringing them back. Surpassing Boeing Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp. in 2002 with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been a key partner and customer every step of the way for the Hawthorne, California-based company. A cargo-only version of SpaceXs Dragon capsule already makes regular runs to the space station. In 2014, NASA awarded SpaceX and entrenched rival Boeing Co. a combined $6.8 billion in contracts to revive Americas ability to fly to the orbiting lab without buying seats on Russian Soyuz capsules. By crossing the finish line ahead of a company with Apollo-era roots, SpaceX will underscore its metamorphosis from upstart to power player. Its definitely a bit of a black eye to Boeing, said George Ferguson, analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. He said the hit is less to the aerospace titans pocketbook and more to its reputation for engineering prowess, which has already been badly sullied by two deadly crashes of its best-selling jet, the 737 Max. For a nation scarred by the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus and slowly emerging from stay-home orders, the SpaceX launch will be a chance to look skyward. For NASA, the event will also be a distraction from intrigue surrounding the abrupt departure earlier this week of its human spaceflight chief, Douglas Loverro. The shuffle placed more responsibility on officials such as Steve Jurczyk, NASAs associate administrator and highest-ranking civil servant, who stepped in for Loverro to make the final decision to proceed with the mission. NASA is a very resilient organization. Theres nobody in the organization thats irreplaceable, said Wayne Hale, a former space shuttle program manager and an architect of NASAs commercial space foray. Its unfortunate that this happens and he had to leave, but people are already stepping up. Real Breakthrough While NASA has discouraged people from mobbing Cape Canaveral because of the coronavirus pandemic, the agency is planning hours of programming around the #LaunchAmerica event. Vice President Mike Pence said he plans to attend the launch. President Donald Trump also plans to travel to Florida to watch, Bloomberg News reported Friday. But the weather forecast -- clouds, rainstorms and isolated thunderstorms -- could delay the big event. If the May 27 launch is scrubbed for weather, the back-up date and time is Saturday, May 30, at 3:22 p.m. Florida time. Adding to the excitement is SpaceXs knack for milking big events, as it did when it sent a cherry-red Tesla Roadster to deep space with its largest rocket. The voyage will usher in a new era of commercial space flight. This is a real breakthrough for space development, said Lori Garver, a former NASA deputy administrator and current CEO of the Earthrise Alliance. This plan has been in the works for a decade. Youve turned over the keys to the private sector for low-earth orbit, which frees up NASA to do other things. And it will open up space, ultimately, for paying tourists. There were plenty of skeptics -- including Armstrong and other spaceflight pioneers -- who thought this day would never come. When then-President Barack Obama decided in 2010 to turn space-station treks over to private contractors, SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket hadnt yet flown and few could have predicted it would dominate commercial satellite launches within a matter of years. Soyuz Seats Still, the milestone crewed flight is years behind schedule, and NASA has paid $3.5 billion to purchase 52 rides to space from Russia since 2011, including a seat on a Soyuz rocket later this year. The agency is confident that U.S. commercial spacecraft will take over the missions this year and next. Boeing is still working through dozens of corrective actions that NASA recommended after the companys Starliner capsule missed a rendezvous with the station in December. The company hasnt yet scheduled a do-over, or its first flight with humans. Regaining crew launch capability and having two American crew launch providers is vital to achieving our countrys goals in space, said Chris Ferguson, a Starliner astronaut and former NASA astronaut who commanded the final space shuttle mission. Im excited to see my friends and former colleagues, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, take this important next step. The extensive testing that contributed to the Boeing and SpaceX delays is a contrast to the space shuttle, which flew humans without any practice runs for its orbital vehicle or rockets, said Hale, the retired NASA official. Next Stage The May 27 launch, known as Demo-2, will serve as a final test of SpaceXs entire system for transporting people to orbit, the last step to winning NASAs approval for regular crewed flights to the space station. Behnken and Hurley are slated to dock with the station on Thursday and meet with the Expedition 63 crew members already in residence aboard the orbiting lab. A press conference from the space station is slated for May 29. Its a culmination, Hurley told reporters after arriving at Cape Canaveral on May 20. Its that next stage of human space flight. Former astronaut Garrett Reisman, a professor of astronautics at the University of Southern California and an adviser to SpaceX, knows Benkhen and Hurley personally. He was a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology with Behnken and was on the space station with astronaut Karen Nyberg, who is Hurleys wife. Reisman is elated about what Wednesdays launch means: that American taxpayers will no longer have to pay for seats on a Russian Soyuz. It could be the dawn of a new golden age of space flight. Reisman is considering flying his own single-engine propeller plane from California to Florida so he can avoid flying commercially during the coronavirus pandemic. It changes everything when you know the people, Reisman said of the nerve-wracking anxiety around the launch. But NASA put SpaceX through excruciating scrutiny, as they do with everyone. It makes me feel more comfortable and more confident. Employees chat on the patio of a startup office in San Francisco in 2019. Katie Canales/Business Insider Some surveys suggest there may be an exodus of tech workers from the San Francisco Bay Area due to the COVID-19 pandemic. City-dwellers may relocate to less dense and more affordable locales as work from home policies become the norm. But a new study places San Jose, in the heart of the tech region, as one of the best-positioned cities in the US to benefit from the post-pandemic future. San Jose is much less dense, with only 5,300 residents per square mile compared to the 17,000 residing in San Francisco. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. An "urban flight" could take off from the San Francisco Bay Area due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But some tech workers rooted in San Francisco may not be headed too far, according to one new study. Data analytics firm Moody found that San Jose, about 50 miles to the south, is among the best-poised cities in the US to welcome an influx of residents fleeing crowded areas in a post-coronavirus future as The Mercury News reports. The firm analyzed the top 100 metro areas in the US that have well-educated and widely distributed populations. Joining San Jose on the list is Durham and Raleigh in North Carolina, Salt Lake City, and Boise, Idaho. The pandemic has caused many to rethink their urban lifestyles in expensive cities as employers increasingly embrace work from home policies. Some are also skittish about remaining in dense environments that have proven to be the perfect breeding ground for the spread of an infectious disease such as COVID-19. The researchers behind the Moody study suggest that less dense areas with established professional sectors could benefit from the expected exodus away from crowded cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, as The Mercury News points out. It's worth noting that many of the same issues that have plagued San Francisco such as a housing shortage and a subsequent rise in living costs are also present in San Jose. But the South Bay city is much less dense than its cousin to the north. Story continues About 881,000 residents live in San Francisco's 49 square miles, compared to a little over 1 million in San Jose's 180 square miles. More than 17,000 residents live in each square mile of San Francisco compared to 5,300 in San Jose, as The Mercury News notes. San Francisco is a city of walkers and cyclists. San Jose is more suburban-like and car-friendly. "Silicon Valley is nobody's idea of an up-and-coming area," the study's author, Adam Kamins, told Forbes. "But there is a notable contrast between the San Jose metro area, with its sprawling tech campuses, and tightly packed San Francisco." Many who work in the South Bay have opted for apartments in San Francisco to be closer to the city's desirable amenities like museums and a colorful restaurant scene. Tech companies have turned to private shuttles to ferry employees from their urban apartments to the sprawling corporate campuses in the heart of the Valley. The Twitter building in San Francisco on March 16, 2020. Katie Canales/Business Insider Some firms have looked past the Valley and into San Francisco to set up shop to cater to a young workforce. Salesforce, with its 61-floor, gleaming glass skyscraper, is an example of that. Twitter and Uber did the same, leading the charge on big tech's foray into San Francisco by planting their headquarters in the city's mid-Market neighborhood around 2011. San Jose, according to the study, may be a desirable city to relocate to, but other surveys suggest that tech workers want to leave the Bay Area altogether. As Business Insider's Rob Price reports, social networking site Blind conducted a survey of thousands of techies in the region, two-thirds of which said they would consider leaving the Bay Area if their employer allowed them to permanently work remotely. Tech employees were already growing weary of life in the expensive region, and droves of workers had begun taking off for cheaper cities, including Austin, Texas. Fast-growing cities with burgeoning tech hubs will also likely continue to grow moving forward, as Forbes reports. Read the original article on Business Insider British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given his backing to his de facto chief-of-staff Dominic Cummings, despite growing calls from his backbenches to sack the aide following allegations he breached lockdown restrictions. Mr Johnson, speaking at the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing, said Mr Cummings had "acted responsibly, legally and with integrity". Conservative MPs had been baying for Mr Johnson to dispense with Mr Cummings after it emerged he had travelled 260 miles to County Durham in March to self-isolate with his family while official guidelines warned against long-distance journeys. Further reports also suggested he took a second trip to the North East in April, having already returned to London. Expand Close Dominic Cummings outside his north London home on Sunday (Victoria Jones/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dominic Cummings outside his north London home on Sunday (Victoria Jones/PA) Read More Mr Cummings denied the fresh allegations, which were reported by the Observer and the Sunday Mirror, and Mr Johnson announced he would be standing by his most senior aide. Leading the Government press conference for the third time since being discharged from hospital on April 12, Mr Johnson said he could "not mark down" Mr Cummings for the way he acted. The PM said: "I have had extensive face-to-face conversations with Dominic Cummings and I have concluded that in travelling to find the right kind of childcare, at the moment when both he and his wife were about to be incapacitated by coronavirus - and when he had no alternative - I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent. "And I do not mark him down for that. "Though there have been many other allegations about what happened when he was in self-isolation and thereafter, some of them palpably false, I believe that in every respect he has acted responsibly and legally and with integrity and with the overwhelming aim of stopping the spread of the virus and saving lives." Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, during an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme on Sunday, had denied that Mr Cummings was going to resign. Expand Close Ben holds a sign as he protests outside the house of Dominic Cummings in London, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London REUTERS/Simon Dawson / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ben holds a sign as he protests outside the house of Dominic Cummings in London, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London REUTERS/Simon Dawson Clamour grew on Sunday for the PM to dispense with the adviser he credited with helping him to win a landslide at the general election last year. A host of Tory MPs piled in to claim the 48-year-old's position had become "untenable" after it was confirmed he journeyed to stay in a family property in Durham when Government advice was to stay home. Over the weekend, Number 10 admitted Mr Cummings had driven from his London home to the North East in March after his wife started displaying Covid-19 symptoms, becoming fearful there would be no-one to look after his four-year-old child if he also took ill. But according to reports, the former Vote Leave campaign co-ordinator made a second trip to Durham and was seen there on April 19 - five days after being photographed on his return to Westminster. A second witness told the papers they saw him a week earlier in Barnard Castle on Easter Sunday, a popular tourist location 30 miles from Durham, during the period he was believed to be self-isolating. The reports convinced Tory MP and former minister Steve Baker to break ranks and call for Mr Cummings to be dismissed. The prominent figure in the Brexit campaign told the Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: "I'm afraid I just think this is the end of the road." Other senior Tories, including Peter Bone and ex-immigration minister Caroline Nokes, also spoke out against Mr Cummings. Craig Whittaker, MP for Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, said Mr Cummings' position was "untenable". "You cannot advise the nation one thing then do the opposite," he added. Scotland's leader, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, had also encouraged Mr Johnson to dismiss Mr Cummings before the press conference, having had experience herself of having to fire a close aide for breaking lockdown rules. Catherine Calderwood resigned as Scotland's chief medical officer after pictures emerged of her twice visiting her holiday home after restrictions had been put in place. Ms Sturgeon tweeted: "I know it is tough to lose a trusted adviser at the height of crisis, but when it's a choice of that or integrity of vital public health advice, the latter must come first." But Downing Street, despite the calls for Mr Cummings to be removed from his post, has continued to back the beleaguered aide. Mr Johnson said he deemed his actions "sensible and defensible". Mr Cummings, speaking outside his London home on Sunday before travelling to see the PM at No 10, denied allegations he journeyed a second time to Durham after his return to work on April 14. After one journalist asked if he had travelled back to Durham in April, he replied: "No, I did not." Mr Johnson also said at the briefing that the intention was for primary schools in England to open more widely on June 1, but acknowledged it "may not be possible" for all schools. When she saw the thief walk into her restaurant on Tuesday afternoon, Thao Pham says she greeted him. The owner of the renowned Vietnamese chain Turtle Tower had been preparing orders for takeout and delivery, and assumed he was there to pick up his lunch. Instead, she said, the man stole a fistful of cash from the tip jar, knocking over everything on the counter. He threatened Pham, stole the remainder of tips from her cash register drawer, and took off without a trace. "It happened extremely fast. I was in shock," Pham told SFGATE, recounting the incident. "I was alone at the time, so I felt helpless." Sobbing, she immediately called the police, but more than two hours had passed before they arrived at Turtle Tower's Tenderloin location on 545 Larkin St. When they did, officers told Pham she should have locked the doors she intentionally left open as a safety precaution for her customers and herself to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. Things were already tough going for her family's restaurant, which runs two other locations in SoMa and the Outer Richmond. Business has gone down 50% since the beginning of the pandemic, and every day, Pham has been finding new ways to stay afloat. This particular incident "added insult to injury," she said, but it was fear for the state of her neighborhood that made her feel inclined to speak out. In a statement shared to Instagram on Sunday morning, Pham described the robbery as "a terrifying experience at a time when we are just trying to survive as a small business," adding, "The police response to this situation has been equally disappointing. We need to do better for our small businesses and vulnerable populations in the Tenderloin if any of us are to survive." Police told SFGATE they had been informed the incident was a petty theft, rather than a robbery, classifying the incident as a "B priority" call that warranted a non-emergency response. The Tenderloin Police Station will continue to investigate the crime. Though the monetary damage was minimal about $20 or $30 was stolen in total Pham said she recognized the man who robbed her and thinks he lives in a neighboring encampment on Willow St. A member of the Tenderloin Merchants Association, she called the organization's director to warn other business owners of the theft. "Once I shared the story with the other merchants, a lot of responses were, 'This happens to me every other week,'" she said. "I think weve been protecting this beautiful image of San Francisco and dont want to air out our dirty laundry, but I no longer feel safe in my own restaurant my own neighborhood." Now, Pham is urging city residents and proprietors alike to join in support of their efforts to improve the Tenderloin's commercial corridors. She's also encouraging people to speak up to ensure crimes are accurately reported in their own neighborhoods. "This shouldnt be what we have to deal with to run a business in SF. Enough is enough," she said. "Thankfully no one was harmed, but we are saddened that our city has allow our neighborhood to slip into this." Read the full statement here. MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here. Amanda Bartlett is an SFGATE associate digital reporter. Email: amanda.bartlett@sfgate.com | Twitter: @byabartlett The UK government has announced three more charter flights to transport Britons from Nigeria. The British government has already airlifted 1,700 Britons from Nigeria since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an official statement from the British High Commission in Nigeria. Nigeria has also airlifted hundreds of its citizens from the UK, U.S., Saudi Arabia and others due to the pandemic which has caused over 300,000 deaths globally. The charter flights for Britons in Nigeria will be available from May 29 to June 6. Read the official statement from the UK government below. UK Government announces three more charter flights for British travellers Hundreds more British travellers are set to return home from Nigeria on three flights chartered by the UK Government. More than 1,700 British travellers have already returned to the UK on special charter flights in April and May from Lagos and Abuja. Details of the new flights are: Friday 29 May: Lagos London Monday 1 June: Lagos London Saturday 6 June: Abuja London A UK organised special internal charter flight will travel from Port Harcourt to Abuja on Saturday 6 June to enable British nationals based in, or near, Port Harcourt to join the 6 June flight from Abuja to London. Minister of State for Africa, James Duddridge, said: Brits in Nigeria will now have access to additional repatriation flights, meaning hundreds more will be able to fly home. Weve already arranged for around 1,700 people to return home to their friends and family and continue to support British nationals who remain in the country. Catriona Laing, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, said: I am delighted to announce a third wave of flights to take more of our British travellers home from Nigeria adding to the 1,700 people weve already helped since airports closed on 23 April. If you are eligible and wish to return to the UK, Id urge you to book seats on these flights as they are likely to be the last charter flights available. For further information and to book a ticket, British travellers should visit the Nigeria Travel Advice pages: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/nigeria/return-to-the-uk The UK Government is working with the airline industry and host governments across the world to bring British travellers home as part of the plan announced by the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on 30 March with up to 75 million available for special charter flights to priority countries, focused on helping the most vulnerable travellers. So far, charter flights have returned British travellers from countries including India, the Philippines, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nepal, Ghana, Tunisia, Algeria and Peru. Sunday, May 24, 2020 at 8:06AM Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the government is "working closely" with Apple and Google when it comes to the development of a COVID-19 contact-tracing app. The two companies have partnered to develop an interoperable Exposure Notification System and API to assist with contact-tracing efforts. Apple and Google have started rolling the system publicly through software updates on May 20. Trudeau claimed the system the companies are working on would serve as an essential base for effective contact tracing or exposure notification app. He said the government is working with different partners to develop the app, suggesting that they are collaborating with other organizations and companies. "We're working closely with Apple and Google on the update that they will be bringing forward, and it is our expectation that when the time comes for that to be released, we will be able to recommend strongly to Canadians a particular app that will help us manage the spread of COVID-19," he said. The prime minister didn't give a timeline regarding when the app might be released, but we're hoping it will come out sooner. Source: MobileSyrup Astronauts Douglas Hurley, left, and Robert Behnken - AFP It will be the greatest game of "capture the flag" ever played. When Nasa astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken set foot on the International Space Station they will collect a small US flag that has acquired mythical status in space lore. The 12 inch by 8 inch banner will be brought back to Earth and presented to SpaceX as the prize for being the first commercial company to launch humans into orbit, winning a decade-long race with rivals including Boeing. Hurley, 53 and Behnken,49, are due to blast off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, watched by President Donald Trump. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule will lift off from launchpad 39A, the same one from which Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins departed to the moon on Apollo 11. It will be the first time astronauts have been launched into orbit from US soil since the end of the space shuttle programme in 2011, and the first time by the private sector. Launch Pad 39A is seen as NASA prepares for the launch of the SpaceX/Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon spacecraft - MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES The flag they will bring back flew on the first orbital space shuttle mission in 1981. In 2011 it was left behind on the space station in a ceremony. Hurley piloted that final space shuttle mission. At the time President Barack Obama said the flag would "reside on the ISS until an American commercial space company launches astronauts to the station". Mr Obama added: "I understand it will be kind of like a capture-the-flag moment for commercial spaceflight. So good luck to whoever grabs that flag." No-one thought it would take a decade. "I think we will probably grab it [the flag] from Chris [Cassidy, current commander of the ISS] and put it in a safe place while we do our work on the space station," said Hurley, a retired Marine colonel. "Then we'll bring it back when we come back later this summer." The historic flight will be a milestone in the effort to commercialise space, and a key step in ending US dependence on Russian rockets. Story continues Hurley and Behnken have been quarantining with their families in the lead up to the mission. Behnken, who has done six spacewalks, said: Its probably a dream of every test pilot school student to have the opportunity to fly on a brand new spaceship, and Im lucky enough to get that opportunity with my good friend." Hurley said he considers the SpaceX capsule a safe, "pretty tried and true" design. The veteran astronaut said he particularly liked the Crew Dragon capsule's "launch pad-to-orbit abort capability" to save a crew in an emergency. THE Zonta Club of Cebu 2, led by its president Marilou Canizares, celebrated Women's Month last March with activities highlighting some of the clubs advocacies. The organization is based in Cebu City and it is part of Zonta International, which was founded in Buffalo, New York in 1919. Zonta International is a global organization of executives and professionals working together to advance the status of women worldwide through service and advocacy. Role models During its March general membership meeting, Zonta Club of Cebu 2 honored three Women of Inspiration awardeesRosie Abenasa, Maria Rosario Canet Chua and Joy Lamfor their acts of extraordinary courage, innovative work and commitment to community service. Women empowerment At the finale of the play Vagina Monologues, which was presented at Seda Hotel in Cebu City, Zonta Club of Cebu 2 joined the cast and crew in performing One Billion Rising Campaign's song Break the Chain, which was choreographed by Debbie Allen, as part of the One Billion Rising Campaign's aim to end violence against women. The "billion" refers to the United Nations statistic that one in three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime, or about one billion, according to Wikipedia. Zonta Club of Cebu 2 is in solidarity with the global community in its campaign to end abuse of women. In partnership with Fight Like a Girl PH, Zonta Club of Cebu 2 launched the "Raise The VibrationRise for Revolution" at Ayala Malls Central Bloc in Cebu City. The event aimed to raise awareness on abuses towards women through art. During the event, 180 victims of violence and human trafficking under the protection of the Bidlisiw Foundation were present and around 500 mall goers witnessed it. Highlights of the event were the poetry reading conducted by members of The Womens Prayer and I Got Flowers Today, the interpretative dance performed by Zontian Mary Rose Villacastin and culminating event, the with One Billion Rising Campaign's Break the Chain performance with audience participation. Yellow roses then were distributed to the audience as a sign of Zontas commitment to end violence against women and girls. Story continues Gender equity During the Mandaue City Hall's flag raising ceremony, Zonta Club of Cebu 2 members joined the workforce of the City Hall and its womens group that promotes equality among men and women in the community. The activity was attended by 3,000 City Hall workers and public servants, including Mayor Jonas Cortes, Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede and the councilors. Teenage pregnancy In partnership with the University of Southern Philippines Foundation and the school's Golden Z Club, Zonta Club of Cebu 2 invited Dr. Hans Matthew Lua of Cebu Velez General Hospital (CVGH)-Department of Family and Community Medicine to talk about the adverse effects of teenage pregnancy. Lua presented an actual case of a 15-year-old pregnant girl that jump-started the discussion on the medical and psychosocial issues of teenage pregnancy in general. A learning point from the presentation was the intervention module created by the CVGH entitled Crescenza, which gave importance to values formation. The program ended with a speech by Zontian Petite Garcia about the significance of the Billion Rising Campaign. Zontians performed on stage the Break the Chain, eliciting rousing applause from the students. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: One Malappuram native, who arrived Tiruvananthapuram International Airport in the Bahrain flight on Friday night, was shifted to hospital. The passenger showed Covid-related symptoms while screening at the airport and immediately shifted to the general hospital. Among the 182 passengers, including five infants, 102 people are placed under home quarantine and 79 under institutional quarantine. The passengers include 175 people from Kerala, six from Tamil Nadu and one from Maharashtra. Elderly people, pregnant women and children under the age of 10 are placed under home quarantine while the rest under institutional quarantine. Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the country's nearly 40,000 grocery stores have been classified by officials as "essential" businesses that must remain open, putting the stores at the front lines of the crisis. At least 100 grocery workers nationwide have died of covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, since late March, and at least 5,500 others have tested positive, according to a Washington Post review of data from the nation's largest grocery workers union, other workers' rights coalitions and media reports. Below are comments provided by supermarket chains about their operations during the pandemic. - - - - Walmart Our associates are playing a critical role in helping people have access to fresh food, medicine and critical supplies during this crisis, and their safety is our highest priority. In areas experiencing community-wide outbreaks like Quincy and Worcester, our associates also felt the impact as members of those communities. We work closely with public health and medical experts and follow their guidance in implementing safety and health measures for our associates and customers. Since the start of this pandemic we've been following the evolving guidance of health and medical experts, working diligently to ensure our response is appropriate to scale in how we protect our customers and associates, while also taking into account the complexities that surround each location and the varying dynamics at play in working with state and local authorities. With stores, clubs and other facilities located within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population, the health of our associates tends to track with the health of the country as a whole. Given the significant differences in reporting criteria and standards in the different jurisdictions where we operate we are unable to confidently provide a specific number of cases at this time with a degree of certainty. However, we believe the number of associates that have contracted COVID-19 is better than the current U.S. trend. It may be impossible to track the source of anyone's infection, especially in some of the communities that have felt the devastating impact of the virus. As part of our response we have a clear protocol in place for how we are cleaning and sanitizing stores, and have provided guidance for managers to work through each confirmed case. Part of this overall process also involves reiterating to our associates the leave options available to them specific to this crisis, and administered by Sedgwick. We've seen a high adoption of those benefits, which is a strong indicator that our associates are hearing that their health is the most important factor. Additionally, we've sourced PPE and made those resources available for all associates. While we are looking into Mr. Quiros' claims we have not been provided with enough information to substantiate them. Ms. Quiros was separated for performance reasons unrelated to any request for time off due to the Pandemic. These claims are not consistent with the experiences of the more than 235,000 people recently employed by Walmart or the countless other associates that have been able to utilize our emergency leave policy to stay home and keep their jobs protected. - Lorenzo Lopez, Walmart spokesman - - - - Kroger (owner of Ralph's and QFC) Our most urgent priority throughout this pandemic has been to provide a safe environment for our associates and customers while meeting our societal obligation to also provide open stores, ecommerce solutions and an efficiently operating supply chain so that our communities have access to fresh, affordable food and essentials. Since mid-March, we have invested $700 million to reward our associates and safeguard associates, customers and our communities. On May 15 we announced a special Thank You Pay for hourly frontline associates - $400 for qualified full-time associates and $200 for qualified part-time associates, totaling an additional $130 million - to acknowledge their dedication to maintaining safe, clean and stocked stores. The new Thank You Pay bookends an Appreciation Pay first provided to frontline associates for their efforts at the start of the pandemic in March. It also follows multiple Hero Bonuses that were paid in April through mid-May, with associates receiving their final payment by May 23. In addition to these investments, we have recently provided new career opportunities to more than 100,000 workers nationwide, including those from the hardest-hit sectors like restaurants, hotels and food service distributors, to support our retail, ecommerce, manufacturing and logistics operations. Kroger employs one of the largest unionized populations in the U.S. And prior to the crisis, our workforce topped 460,000 associates. Ralph's outbreak: We decided early on to be transparent, ensuring our associates and customers feel valued and safe. This includes making sure our associates are informed. Once we're notified of associates who have a confirmed diagnosis, have symptoms, may have been exposed to the virus or have been asked to quarantine by a healthcare provider due to a health-related reason, a member of our HR team contacts the employee to offer support and gather additional information, such as when the symptoms began, when they were last at work and other relevant details. This process immediately ensures the manager is well informed and notifies all co-workers and encourages others to self-quarantine, if appropriate. Our guidance is always to communicate with integrity - openly and transparently - while protecting the privacy of any affected associate. We are thankful to report 12 of the associates at the Hollywood store that we treated as if testing positive for COVID-19 have already fully recovered and returned to work. A total of 10 associates out of the store's total 158 associates are still self-isolating due to exposure, per the company's paid COVID-19 Emergency Leave guidelines. We have identified this location as a hot spot and are offering free testing to those symptomatic and asymptomatic. Customer counting software: During this national pandemic, we committed to adopting preventive measures to help protect the safety and health of our associates, customers and communities. As an illustration, the standard building capacity for a grocery store is 1 person per 60 square feet. Under Kroger's reduced capacity limits, the number is 1 person per 120 square feet. By leveraging QueVision, our preexisting technology system that uses sensors and predictive analytics, we can more efficiently support capacity limits. Our management team also verifies limits, creating a safer environment. Thermometer errors: We are unaware of any mass calibration thermometer errors. We also encourage our associates to monitor their own health and check their temperature at home before every shift. Store closings/cleaning: Our practice is to perform a thorough deep cleaning by a third party with a focus on common and high-touch areas once we're notified of a confirmed case. In many cases, a store will close earlier than its scheduled time for this step to happen overnight. Below are the measures we have implemented and continue to execute to protect the safety of our associates, customers and communities: - Offering COVID-19 testing to associates based on symptoms and medical need. - Providing COVID-19 Emergency Leave to associates most directly affected by the virus or experiencing related symptoms and providing paid time off. - Supplying masks for all associates and encouraging them to stay home if they are sick. - Encouraging customers to wear masks in stores, or alternatively, use ecommerce services. - Providing comprehensive benefits packages, including healthcare coverage and retirement benefits. - Offering $5 million through the organization's Helping Hands fund to provide financial support to certain associates experiencing hardships due to COVID-19, including childcare costs. - Making mental health resources readily available. - Continuing implementation of customer capacity limits and special shopping hour for senior shoppers and higher-risk customers. - Continuing the use of plexiglass partitions and physical distancing floor decals. - Expanding contact-free payment solutions like Scan, Bag, Go and Kroger Pay. - Offering a no-contact delivery option, low-contact pickup service and ship-to-home orders. Reporting to health departments: Our stores coordinate with local health departments when we learn of a positive COVID-19 case in our workforce and take immediate action to support and safeguard our associates and customers. We are acutely aware and responding to the safety needs of our associates across our family of companies. We continue to work closely with federal, state and local public health authorities as they coordinate our country's response to flatten the curve and slow the spread of COVID-19. Number of employees who tested positive for covid-19/died from the virus: The cumulative effect of Kroger's safety efforts has contributed to our case rate being below that of the surrounding communities where we operate, and significantly below the national case rate. That doesn't mean there aren't hotspots; this is a pandemic and there are areas of the country where we have individual locations with higher rates of illness. In those areas, we're responding with additional safety measures, including associate testing. - Kristal Howard, Kroger spokeswoman - - - - Whole Foods Market Whole Foods Market is providing an essential service in our communities and like all businesses operating in this climate, we continue to balance that responsibility with our responsibility as an employer to ensure the health, safety and privacy of our Team Members. Any notification of a diagnosis in our stores is met with swift and comprehensive action and communication, and stores continue to diligently follow all guidance from local health and food safety authorities. Along with enhanced daily cleaning protocols, social distancing and crowd control measures, we require temperature screenings and face masks for in-store workers, and in addition to providing face masks, we offer gloves and personal face shields for added protection. We are auditing all of these practices on a daily basis to help protect the health and safety of our Team Members and customers, which remains our highest priority. We do notify health departments of confirmed cases in our stores and diligently follow the guidance of local health and foody safety authorities. Like most grocery retailers, we have Team Members who have been affected by COVID-19, and are supporting any Team Member diagnosed or placed in quarantine so they can prioritize their health and stay home. Our priority is ensuring safety in our stores, which is why we address any confirmed diagnosis in our stores or facilities with a comprehensive action plan that includes enhanced cleaning and contact tracing, as well as communicating directly with our Team Members. If a customer has a question about a specific location, they are encouraged to reach out to our customer care team for information. Because of the thorough nature of our daily enhanced cleaning procedures and our escalated safety protocols, our stores remain open to serve our communities under the guidance of health officials. We made the decision to temporarily close our Lynnfield location out of an abundance of caution. The store has had multiple professional deep cleanings and disinfections throughout the facility, and we are following the guidance of health and food safety authorities. - Rachel Malish, Whole Foods Market spokeswoman - - - - BJ's Wholesale Club The safety of our team members, members and communities is our top priority. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, we have taken aggressive actions and implemented extensive safety and sanitation measures across all our facilities; and we always encourage our team members to provide feedback and voice concerns. We're fully focused on supporting our team members and operating our clubs with the highest safety standards. Some of our safety measures include, but are not limited to: - Significantly increased sanitation and deep cleaning protocols on top of our already high standards. - Continuous communication reinforcing social distancing protocols and using signage, floor decals and overhead announcements to enforce. - Limiting the number of members to no more than 20% of a club's capacity at any given time. - Providing masks and gloves to all team members, and face shields for certain positions. - Mandating that customers wear masks while in our clubs where required by state or local authorities and requesting it in all other locations. - Additional training on safety and sanitation practices and procedures. - Temperature checks of all team members and on-site vendors upon arrival. - Mobile and fixed sneeze-guard barriers placed in checkout lanes, at the membership desk and at our exit for the receipt-checking process to maintain social distancing protocols. - Waived absenteeism policy. - Provide standard pay for up to 14 days for team members under mandated quarantine or who have tested positive for COVID-19. - Notifying all team members, regardless of shift, when there is a confirmed diagnosis in their club. - Immediately bring in a third-party industrial cleaning vendor to thoroughly sanitize and clean the club after any notification of a confirmed diagnosis. - Covering the cost of testing and COVID-related treatment for those enrolled in our health plans. - Donating more than $1 million to support relief funds, hunger relief programs and hospitals throughout our footprint. - Ensuring team members have access to financial assistance through our employee relief fund. - Requiring any vendor employee to wear a mask while in our clubs. - Going above and beyond CDC guidelines and recommendations in our safety and sanitation protocols and communicate with local health officials. - Kristy Houston, BJ's Wholesale Club spokeswoman - - - - Best Market/Lidl We are taking significant steps to protect the health and safety of our team members during this public health emergency. Across our entire store network, we are providing paid leave for all employees over the age of 65 or with documented health conditions that put them at higher risk of complications related to COVID-19. We also modified our attendance policy to allow all employees to stay home with full pay if they are sickened by the virus or placed under quarantine. When any team member tests positive for COVID-19, we immediately place that person on paid leave for 14 days and put all associates who may have had close contact with that person on paid leave out of an abundance of caution. To date, more than 150 employees without any symptoms have been put on paid administrative under this policy. At all our stores, we have enhanced our cleaning regimen to meet or exceed guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We are limiting the number of customers in our stores to encourage social distancing, equipping our team members with masks and gloves, and installed protective barriers at checkout lanes. We take our responsibility to protect our team members seriously. Confirmed Case of Covid-19 at Franklin Square Store: We follow the latest guidelines established by the CDC at all our stores which stipulates the incubation period for COVID-19 is 14 days. When we learn of a confirmed employee case, we conduct a close contact trace and put any employee who may have had close contact with an infected employee on paid administrative leave for the period of time that extends to 14 days from exposure. Prior to returning to work, our HR team screens those employees to ensure that they have not developed symptoms. In the case you cited at Franklin Square, the employee who tested positive had not been at work for nine days when we learned of the diagnosis. At that point, we immediately contacted the employee you mention. We determined that she was last in contact with the infected employee nine days prior. Despite having no symptoms, we placed her on paid administrative leave for five days to fully cover the 14-day period since possible exposure. Prior to returning to work, per our policy, our HR team contacted her to ensure no symptoms had developed before returning to the store. Passing of Gladys Cortes: We were saddened when we learned of her passing. Gladys was a valued member of our team for many years and brought enthusiasm and passion to work every day. Gladys last worked at the store in Islip on March 30th, and we have no reports indicating that she was sick while working. Our policy is clear that employees who are sick should stay home. We reiterate this policy to our team and our store management regularly. We first learned of Glady's positive diagnosis and of her passing on April 9th. As soon as we were informed, we immediately briefed employees at the store on the same day through in-person meetings. We also issued a letter the following morning to all team members at the store on their paycheck. In the letter to employees, we pointed out that we thoroughly clean all our stores every day throughout the day. When an employee with confirmed case of COVID-19 worked in the store within a five-day period, we will also have a third-party company specializing in sanitization conduct an additional deep cleaning of the store. According to CDC guidance, five days is the maximum time the virus can live on surfaces. In this case, Gladys was not in the store for nine days. We reported the case to the appropriate regulatory authorities, who investigated and closed the case. - William Harwood, Lidl spokesman - - - - Target At Target, our priority has always been the safety and well-being of our team, and that's the approach we've taken throughout the coronavirus. Since early March, we've introduced dozens of safety, social distancing and rigorous cleaning measures at our stores across the country. The number of confirmed cases we're seeing across our team is lower than the percent being reported for the U.S population. But even a single case gets our attention, which is why you see us working so hard to do everything we can to protect our team and our guests. We're informing team members who work at a location where a case of the coronavirus is confirmed and we'll continue to be transparent in the process, along with the measures we put in place to address it. While being transparent, we're also careful to keep team member privacy from being compromised with the information we share. There are some details we do not provide, as it increases the likelihood of a team member's privacy being compromised. We're following health expert guidance and we're providing information that any health department requests of us. We want all team members to feel comfortable sharing their concerns. We provide opportunities for team members to share feedback, either through team leaders or through anonymous reporting. While I can't provide company-by-company detail, what I can share is our high-level approach. Partners who operate in our stores receive updated information regarding our policies and expectations as we monitor and address the evolving situation pertaining to the coronavirus. Additionally, we routinely communicate CDC guidance in and around stores to reinforce these important measures. - Danielle Schumann, Target spokeswoman - - - - Trader Joe's Trader Joe's has long been known as an employer of choice because of our industry-leading compensation and benefits we provide our Crew Members, as well as our caring culture and the communication we maintain with our Crew Members. This has held true as we have addressed the COVID-19 coronavirus. Since the beginning, we've looked to the CDC and local and state health officials for guidance on best health and safety practices, meeting and exceeding all recommendations and guidelines on everything from the implementation of proper cleaning and safety measures to the proper handling, tracking and reporting of positive cases. Upon notification of any possible exposure to COVID-19 in any of our stores, we follow practices that meet or exceed CDC and other health official requirements. Our actions vary by situation, and depending on the date range of potential exposure, can include notifying the public and Crew Members, and closing our stores for additional, thorough cleaning and sanitization. We take a hyper careful approach by closing stores in these instances, and we do not reopen a store until we are satisfied that further intense cleaning and sanitation has been completed. Any time someone at one of our stores tests positive and they were recently in the store, we close the store for an additional, thorough cleaning and post the closure on our website, in addition to posting a notice on the door of the store. We stay in touch with local and state health officials and comply with all reporting requirements for COVID-19. In fact health officials consistently tell us that we go above and beyond. The CDC recommends there be an additional cleaning if someone who is sick has been in a facility within the last 7 days, however that additional cleaning is something Trader Joe's does in our stores every day. This thorough cleaning is done in addition to the cleaning that takes place throughout the day, every day. At Trader Joe's we pride ourselves on operating our business with integrity and adhering to the law at all times. We also listen to our Crew Members and customers, appreciate and often implement their ideas and input, and take all concerns seriously. From the beginning, we have made it clear that Mr. King's employment at Trader Joe's did not end because of desire to set up a social media page or because he expressed concerns. When asked further about that, I have been clear that due to for privacy reasons I am not at liberty to say more. As this unprecedented situation continues to evolve, so has our approach to doing all we can to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our Crew Members and customers. Every day, we're listening to Crew Members and customers and re-evaluating what we're doing and what we can do better. Our Crew Members are the heart of the company, every day going above and beyond to take care of customers and their communities. We want to do everything we can to take care of them. Their safety and wellbeing have been at the center of every decision we've made, throughout this situation. Over the months, we have provided safety and sanitation guidelines and protocols for our stores and reinforced these new measures with regular reminders and updates. We were one of the first grocery stores to reduce store hours, regulate the number of customers in our stores, and implement social distancing protocol in all stores. Examples of additional measures we've taken: - Early on we instituted enhanced cleaning and sanitization efforts at all of our stores, especially in high-touch areas, as we know this is the best way to combat any potential virus. - All of our stores are conducting Crew Member Wellness Checks with all Crew Members, prior to the start of each shift. The Wellness Checks screen for potential exposure to COVID-19, as well as symptoms consistent with a COVID-19 infection. They are an extra precaution we are taking to reduce the possibility of any Crew Members inadvertently exposing their fellow crew or our customers to illness. - Any Crew Member who had health insurance before the pandemic will keep that insurance, no matter how many hours they work. This allows Crew Members the opportunity to take a couple of days or a couple of weeks off without repercussions to their jobs or the benefits they've come to enjoy. - We implemented bonus pay as well as $2/hour increases of thank you pay on top of already industry-leading pay that is $15/hour starting pay. The average tends to be much higher because Crew Members have the potential to receive a 7%-10% annual increase. - We have increased Crew Members' store discount to 20%. - Even before the CDC changed it's guidance on masks, at the start of April, we had masks made for all of our Crew Members and we had plexiglass shields installed at registers at all of our stores, starting with stores located in areas that have higher COVID-19 cases. - We've reduced store hours to support our Crew Members in taking care of one another and our customers. - We were one of the first grocery stores to limit the amount of customers in our stores at one time, and implement social distancing measures in all stores, to help ensure all Crew Members and customers are able to maintain the recommended 6-foot distance when working or shopping. - We've dedicated a special shopping hour for only our senior customers over the age of 60 and other vulnerable customers who may need extra assistance while shopping. - Kenya Friend-Daniel, Trader Joe's spokeswoman Muslims around the world began marking a sombre Eid al-Fitr Sunday, many under coronavirus lockdown, but lax restrictions offered respite to worshippers in some countries despite fears of skyrocketing infections. The three-day festival, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, is traditionally celebrated with mosque prayers, family feasts and shopping for new clothes, gifts and sweet treats. But this year, the celebration is overshadowed by the fast-spreading coronavirus, with many countries tightening lockdown restrictions after a partial easing during Ramadan led to a sharp spike in infections. Further dampening the festive spirit, many countries -- from Saudi Arabia to Egypt, Turkey and Syria -- have banned mass prayer gatherings to limit the spread of the disease. Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites, began a five-day round-the-clock curfew from Saturday after infections more than quadrupled since the start of Ramadan to over 72,000 -- the highest in the Gulf. Mecca's Grand Mosque has been almost devoid of worshippers since March, with a stunning emptiness enveloping the sacred Kaaba -- the large cube-shaped structure towards which Muslims around the world pray. But on Sunday, an imam stood on a podium while Saudi security forces, some wearing masks, positioned themselves between rows of worshippers who gathered before the Kaaba for Eid prayers. - Scuffles in Jerusalem - At Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina, prayers were not permitted inside, although the site is expected to reopen after the Eid holiday. Small scuffles broke out between Israeli security forces and worshippers gathering around the mosque at dawn, although prayers eventually went ahead outside, an AFP photographer said. In Gaza, Hamas authorities allowed prayers in mosques despite the enclave's first coronavirus death on Saturday, but worshippers mostly wore masks and placed their prayer mats far apart. "Eid is not Eid with the atmosphere of coronavirus -- people feel a sense of fear," worshipper Akram Taher said. In Afghanistan, the Taliban announced a three-day ceasefire to mark Eid al-Fitr in a surprise move following months of bloody fighting with Afghan forces after the signing of a landmark agreement with the United States. The streets of Kabul were mostly empty as part of a strict lockdown, but some people did venture out and greet each other -- some from a distance and others hugging and shaking hands despite calls for social distancing. In Somalia, at least five people were killed and more than 20 wounded in a blast during Eid festivities, police said. The blast occurred as a crowd of people were dancing and singing, a witness said, but the cause of the explosion was unclear. In Indian-administered Kashmir, another troublespot, Eid celebrations were muted under the coronavirus restrictions and as authorities tightened the screws after a spate of clashes between government forces and rebels. - Fears of 'new peak' - Ahead of the holiday, Muslims across Asia -- from Indonesia to Pakistan, Malaysia and Afghanistan -- had thronged markets to shop, flouting coronavirus guidelines and sometimes even police attempts to disperse large crowds. "For over two months my children were homebound," said mother of four Ishrat Jahan at a bustling market in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi. "This feast is for the kids, and if they can't celebrate it with new garments, there is no point in us working so hard throughout the year." The holiday began on a sombre note after a Pakistan International Airline flight crashed Friday in the southern city of Karachi, killing 97 people including many who were travelling to see family for the holiday. The English daily Dawn said the crash, along with the pandemic, had robbed Pakistan of "whatever little joy had been left at the prospect of Eid festivities". In Indonesia -- the world's most populous Muslim nation -- people turned to smugglers and fake travel documents to get around bans on the annual end-of-Ramadan travel that could send infections soaring. In the conservative province of Aceh, large groups prayed together with few masks and little social distancing as Eid began, and the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in the provincial capital was packed. "I did feel worried but as a Muslim, I still had to perform mass Eid prayers as a form of gratitude to Allah," one worshipper, Arsi, said. COVID-19 death tolls across the Middle East and Asia have been lower than in Europe and the United States, but numbers are rising steadily, sparking fears the virus may overwhelm often underfunded healthcare systems. - Frugal celebrations - Iran, which has experienced the Middle East's deadliest outbreak, called on its citizens to avoid travel during Eid as it battles to control the virus. Health Minister Saeed Namaki said Iran was focusing hard on avoiding "new peaks of the disease" caused by people "not respecting health regulations". The United Arab Emirates has tightened its lockdown which had been relaxed during Ramadan, but that did not stop some families from planning getaways to luxury beachfront hotels. But in many countries, Muslims steeled themselves for frugal celebrations amid growing financial distress, including falling oil prices that plunged the Gulf region into its worst economic crisis in decades. In the Syrian capital Damascus, Eid shoppers rummaged through flea markets for clothes at bargain prices as the war-ravaged and sanctions-hit country grappled with a much more entrenched economic crisis. "The flea market is the only place I can buy something new to wear for the Eid holidays," 28-year-old Sham Alloush said. "Had it not been for this place, I wouldn't have been able to buy new clothes at all." burs-ac/sls/hkb/dwo Worshippers observe social distancing as they gather for Eid al-Fitr holiday prayers at the Grand Mosque in the holy Saudi city of Mecca Israeli security forces wearing masks look on as Palestinian worshippers perform Eid prayers outside Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, which has been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic A deserted beach in Egypt's northern Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria, empty due to the coronavirus pandemic, on the first day of Eid-al-Fitr on Sunday The Eid holiday in Pakistan began on a sombre note after a plane crash in Karachi on Friday killed 97 people A Tunisian imam wearing a protective facemask leads prayers while adhering to social distancing rules, at Malek Ibn Anas mosque in Carthage, east of Tunis, on Sunday Muslim women take part in collective Eid prayers in the Iranian capital Tehran, a city hit hard by coronavirus Syrian children play at a makeshift amusement park on Sunday as they celebrate the Eid al-Fitr feast, in Syria's northwestern city of Idlib In todays tech realm it's no longer enough to just make phones - brands need to have an entire ecosystem where their devices integrate seamlessly and augment each others' functionality. Huawei's "accessory" devices are of even higher importance seeing how the Shenzhen-based company needs to give people more reasons to stick with its platform as it builds up viable alternatives to the Google suite and find alternative revenue streams to make up for its shrinking overseas smartphone sales. We are now about to review the Huawei Watch GT 2e, initially unveiled back in late March alongside the Huawei P40 flagship family. It is a sportier and more affordable version of the Huawei Watch GT 2, and we spent enough time with the wearable to tell you all about it. Huawei Watch GT 2e specs Body : 46mm watchface, 53 x 46.8 x 10.8 mm, 43 g weight (without the strap), 5 ATM water resistance, Metal + Plastic materials : 46mm watchface, 53 x 46.8 x 10.8 mm, 43 g weight (without the strap), 5 ATM water resistance, Metal + Plastic materials Display : 1.39" OLED, Resolution 454x454, 326 ppi : 1.39" OLED, Resolution 454x454, 326 ppi OS: Huawei Lite OS Huawei Lite OS Memory: 2GB RAM + 4GB storage (2.2GB user available) 2GB RAM + 4GB storage (2.2GB user available) Battery: 455mAh, 5W charging through designated magnetic base 455mAh, 5W charging through designated magnetic base Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 + BLE; GPS+GLONASS; NFC (China-only) The Watch GT 2e is the same as the Watch GT 2 on the inside. The outside is where the changes are, but we'll also be examining how the software progressed since we reviewed the GT 2. Design The Huawei Watch GT 2e arrives in only one version - 46mm - and there is no smaller variant. It is quite big on small hands and wrists but is extremely comfortable - the metallic curvatures on the top and bottom, complementing the rubbery straps, add to the aesthetics and looks exactly in place, when on the hand. Instead of using buttons that mimic rotating crowns, Huawei decided to go with plain ones. The top button opens the menu, while the bottom one is programmable - we set it up for trail running since there is one running junkie in our office that was willing to test that sporting mode the most. The 22mm standard rubber straps are easily replaceable, but the black ones we had perfectly complemented the black metallic body. The smartwatch is also offered in White, Green, and Red that give it a bit more flashiness, but in the end, even if it's slightly boring you cant go wrong with the classic black look. Battery Life The Kirin A1 SoC was designed specifically for wearables - it is seen in the Watch GT 2 and in the Honor MagicWatch 2 (another smartwatch with identical internals). The chipsets job is to support all the features without wasting too much power, so the watch can go up to two weeks on a single charge. In the multitude of different use cases we tested we managed to achieve the advertised battery life only once - when the Always-On display was turned off, the heart rate sensor was set to Smart, while notifications and alarms were disabled. If you decide to keep the Always-On display, all the heart rate tracking, the Huawei TruSleep feature, the Automatic Stress Test, and the daily alarm or two - then you can expect six to seven days between charges. In even more active use, a 30-kilometer run with all the sensors turned on took about half the battery. That's actually impressive considering that the whole experiment lasted more than 6 hours. The GPS did its job and provided real-time data. Compared with smartphone GPS, there was practically no difference in the recorded tracks. User Interface Huawei's interface is everything you need from a sports-oriented smartwatch. Yes, it is a bit dull and stripped of features, and you can't export your data. However, it is designed to work in the Huawei ecosystem and it does a great job when we tested it with a Huawei smartphone. There are heart rate sensors, activity trackers, and with an update arriving after you set up the watch, there is an SpO2 meter that calculates the oxygen in the blood - everything over 95% is healthy. The same sensors also measure the VO2Max where higher readings mean better capacity of the lungs, therefore better endurance. Since the Watch GT 2e is made to be your assistant and not the primary device, it has no Wi-Fi or LTE connectivity. Bluetooth is the only way to go, although you can link earphones for music that can be stored in the watch. Huawei hasn't fixed the issue with a lack of third-party app support. While Huawei says that this is done mostly to protect your data, we would have appreciated the option to use a different companion app. Huawei Health Since there is no support for external sports-related software, all you're left with is Huawei Health. The most important thing to know before purchasing this device is that Huawei does not allow you to simply download the app from Google Play or App Store. In order to run properly, you need to have Huawei's own AppGallery for updates and you have to install the HMS Core unless you're using a Huawei device, where these are all preinstalled. Pre-installing Huawei AppGallery on a non-Huawei phone If you don't want to download all this stuff, you're left with a smartwatch that can't be used to its full potential. Everything will be stored in the smartwatch's memory, but since you can't link it with Garmin or Strava, you can't export anything. Huawei Health interface And this isn't exclusive for the Watch GT 2e - if you want to use any Huawei or Honor wearable, you must go through the whole ordeal, or the app simply won't start. Also, Huawei Health's step tracker cannot be turned off. You can hide it from the Android menu, but it will always count the steps on your phone. On the upside, when the Watch GT 2e (or any other Huawei wearable) is linked, the platform goes through an elaborate algorithm to provide a more accurate step count. Verdict The Watch GT 2e is definitely a great smartwatch to have if you are already using a Huawei smartphone or at least willing to give its ecosystem a chance. It is quick, good-looking, easy to navigate - it covers all the essential features. Having another ecosystem on the phone might be troublesome for a certain group of users, but with so many modern phones arriving with 128GB (or more) internal storage, this is far less of an issue. The initial setup is tricky on a non-Huawei phone, but once the process is over and you've spent a day or two with the watch, all the initial anxiety will be over and you'll be glad to have spent just 149 for this amazing-looking Huawei Watch GT 2e, even if it doesn't have a loudspeaker or a microphone. The Commissioner for Health, Cross River State, Betta Edu, joined Muslim Faithful in the state to celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Mrs Edu, a medical doctor, visited the Muslim community in Bogobiri, Calabar, on Sunday, to celebrate with the Muslims and also used the opportunity to do sensitisation on the novel coronavirus. Mrs Edu called on the Muslims to remain steadfast to the inherent lessons and ideals of the month. She appealed to the Muslims in Cross River State to continue to exhibit the virtues of godliness, philanthropy, good neighbourliness, contentment and righteousness, which the Ramadan stands for. She charged them to pray for the elimination of the coronavirus in the country and to also pray for the peace and unity of Nigeria. It is our belief that, with our collective efforts, Cross River State and beyond will witness phenomenal growth and development, she said. The commissioner, who is the head of COVID-19 Taskforce in Cross River State, advised the Muslim communities in the state to adhere to all the health directives given by the government, like frequent hand washing, use of nose mask, and the avoidance of public gathering. They must avoid crowding in the mosque as places of worship open in the state, she said. There is no confirmed case of the coronavirus in Cross River State. Cookbooks by big name chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater lost out in the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards. The ceremony, which moved online for the first time this year, recognises the very best in food writing and broadcast. The Vinegar Cupboard by Angela Clutton won Debut Cookery Book of the Year, which offered a guide on how to cook with vinegar, as well as gives a detailed account of the condiment's history. Angela Clutton's The Vinegar Cupboard, left, won Best Debut Cookery Book, and The Food of Sichuan by Fuschia Dunlop, which was named Best Cookery Book of the Year (right) Winners of the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2020 FOOD BOOK: The Way We Eat Now by Bee Wilson (4th Estate) DEBUT FOOD BOOK: A Half Baked Idea by Olivia Potts (Fig Tree) COOKERY BOOK: The Food of Sichuan by Fuchsia Dunlop (Bloomsbury Publishing) DEBUT COOKERY BOOK: The Vinegar Cupboard by Angela Clutton (Bloomsbury Absolute) DRINK BOOK: Infused: Adventures in Tea by Henrietta Lovell (Faber) DEBUT DRINK BOOK: Just the Tonic by Kim Walker & Mark Nesbitt (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) FOOD WRITER: Wendell Steavenson for work in The Economist 1843 Magazine and the Guardian COOKERY WRITER: Rachel Roddy for work in the Guardian Feast DRINK WRITER: Dave Broom for work on thewhiskymanual.uk RESTAURANT WRITER: Tom Parker Bowles for work in EVENT, The Mail on Sunday PROGRAMME: The Amber Light by 52 Films RADIO OR PODCAST: The Kitchen Cabinet by Somethin' Else, BBC R4 PHOTOGRAPHER: Elena Heatherwick PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR: Matt Tebbutt DIGITAL CREATOR OF THE YEAR: Miguel Barclay Advertisement Fuschia Dunlop won Best Cookery Book of the Year with 'The Food of Sichuan,' an updated and revisited version of her best-seller, where she revisited the region at the centre of her culinary influences and shared 50 new recipes. The 13 winners were determined by an independent panel of experts including in food, drinks, food writing and hospitality, which was chaired by Ewan Venters, CEO of Fortnum & Mason. The public were also invited to vote for two of the 15 awards, Food Personality and Digital Creator of the Year, for the first time. Tom Parker-Bowles, son of the Duchess of Cornwall, was named restaurant writer of the year for his work in EVENT and the Mail On Sunday. Food writer Bee Wilson, won Food Book of the year for 'The Way We Eat Now,' which examines how the food industry and how we eat has transformed our lives. Olivia Potts won the Debut Food Book of the Year award for 'A Half Baked Idea', left. Right: Henrietta Lovell won the Drink Book of the year for Infused: Adventures in Tea Olivia Potts won the Debut Food Book of the Year award for 'A Half Baked Idea,' which tells the story of how she left her high-flying career as a lawyer to study cooking at the Le Cordon Bleu after the death of her mother in spite of having no cooking training. British chef Matt Tebbutt was voted Food personality of the year while Miguel Barclay won digital creator of the year, a new category which was created this year. Meanwhile when it comes to drinks, Infused: Adventures in Tea by Henrietta Lovell was awarded for it's look at the country's favourite hot drink. Strictly Come Dancing presenter Claudia Winkleman hosted this year's Fortnum and Mason Food and Drinks award from home, due to the coronavirus And The Amber Light by 52 Films, which follows spirits writer Dave Broom as he explores the origins of whiskey, won the award for Food Programme of the year. The event was co-hosted remotely by Mr Venters and Claudia Winkleman, who virtually presented the awards from their respective homes. Mr Venters said: 'We take great pride in recognising the very best communicators in food and drink not only the writers, programmers and photographers, but also the judges who give their time and experience to champion the best skills in the country.' Parents have been told to stay away from school grounds, workers are being urged to drive or walk to work, and the city is on high alert with marshalls patrolling the public transport network as Sydneysiders prepare for life with COVID-19. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Sunday reported one new infection and an unconfirmed case involving a female high school student who had developed mild symptoms. The confirmed infection was detected in a person who had recently returned from the UK. The case brought the state's total number of cases to 3087 as of 4pm Sunday. There were four new cases nationwide, taking the tally to 7109 with 102 deaths. The 6809 people who tested for coronavirus in NSW on Saturday were fewer than Mr Hazzard "would have liked" and fewer than the 8995 tests done on Friday. Villagers surrounding North Mara Gold Mine will soon be compensated to pave the way for the implementation of a planned project. It is more than 10 years since Nyamongo villagers in Mara Region were asked to relocate after valuation in 2012, but finally village governments and the mine have settled the matter. The update was given by the Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Minerals, Prof Simon Msanjila, during his tour of the area accompanied by a team of ministers. He said that more than 1,600 villagers had been valued and would soon be paid 33bn/-. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Mary Makondo said the valuation process had been successful thanks to collaboration between the Ministry of Minerals and the government. He said the valuation was repeated in March 2019 in villages surrounding North Mara Gold Mine and was completed in September the same year to avoid complaints from the villagers. "The villagers will be compensated as stipulated in the law," he said. National Environment Management Council (NEMC), Director General Samuel Gwamaka, commented that the mine had put more efforts into conservation of the environment. "Barrick Gold Mine investors have put much efforts in environmental conservation; a proof of this is a tailings storage facility (TSF), pool that stores toxic mud from contaminating the environment together with all-around areas that reduce environmental contamination in Nyamongo." Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Tanzania Mining By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. The Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Ms Angeline Mabula, said the Nyamongo community was probably to blame for the delays in compensation. "Speaking the truth will simplify the valuation process. There are claims that some residents were not honest and so this delayed the valuation exercise." "The government always listens, follows up and acts on any promises and this promise is being fulfilled today because the residents together with the regional government and the mine management have cooperated well," she said, as she commended President John Magufuli for his sterling leadership. "I urge Tanzanians that whenever there is a provision of land for development projects, they should cooperate so that they may get their rights. We know land is wealth and capital Ms Mabula remarked." 24.05.2020 LISTEN Former President John Mahama has prayed for Allah's protection over Ghanaians from the scourge of COVID-19 as Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr today, Sunday, 24 May. We thank Allah for seeing us through Ramadan successfully. May Allah accept our fasting. We ask Allah to forgive us our sins and we pray to Allah to see us through to the next Ramadan, Mr Mahama said in a Facebook video to wish Muslims well. He advised Muslims to adhere to health protocols to help stop the coronavirus from spreading. He requested that: We ask Allah to grant us good health. May Allah accept our prayers. Eid al-Fitr also called the Festival of Breaking the Fast, is a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. Traditionally, Eid al-Fitr begins at sunset on the night of the first sighting of the crescent moon. If the moon is not observed immediately after the 29th day of the previous lunar month (either because clouds block its view or because the western sky is still too bright when the moon sets), then the holiday is celebrated the following day. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated for one to three days, depending on the country. ---classfmonline STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The local Muslim community assembled at the Islamic Center of Staten Island in Charleston for a two-hour drive-thru celebration Sunday afternoon for the feast of Eid-ul Fitr. The feast, which marks the end of the 30-day fast in observance of Ramadan fell this year between sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday as determined by the communitys global moon sighting. More than 50 cars lined up on Veterans Road West joined in at the beginning of the celebration, many of which were adorned in balloons and signs commemorating the event. They were greeted with celebratory music, dancing mascots and were given snacks and coffee as they made their way through the centers parking lot. Muslims worldwide celebrate the holiday annually, which can last from one to three days depending on the tradition. The term Eid Mubarak which is Arabic for Blessed Feast, is the greeting shared on Eid festivals. Dozens of cars adorned in balloons and signs line up outside the Islamic Center of Staten Island in Charleston Sunday afternoon as they celebrated Eid Mubarak with a drive through parade. May 24, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon) Dozens of cars line up outside the Islamic Center of Staten Island in Charleston Sunday afternoon as they celebrated Eid-ul Fitr with a drive through parade. May 24, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon) Dozens of cars line up outside the Islamic Center of Staten Island in Charleston Sunday afternoon as they celebrated Eid-ul Fitr with a drive through parade. May 24, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon) Dozens of cars line up outside the Islamic Center of Staten Island in Charleston Sunday afternoon as they celebrated Eid-ul Fitr with a drive through parade. May 24, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon) Dozens of cars line up outside the Islamic Center of Staten Island in Charleston Sunday afternoon as they celebrated Eid-ul Fitr with a drive through parade. May 24, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon) Dozens of cars line up outside the Islamic Center of Staten Island in Charleston Sunday afternoon as they celebrated Eid-ul Fitr with a drive through parade. May 24, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon) Dozens of cars line up outside the Islamic Center of Staten Island in Charleston Sunday afternoon as they celebrated Eid-ul Fitr with a drive through parade. May 24, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon) The BJP Sunday hit out at the Congress over registration of an FIR in Chhattisgarh against BJP Delhi unit spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga for his remarks against Rajiv Gandhi, and said it will only "expose" the former prime minister. "I have just got to know that the Congress has registered an FIR against Sardar Tajinder Bagga also. These 'Congressi' will drag the name of Rajiv Gandhi through court and expose him. Let's have one more case. Friends, do you believe or not that Gandhi had a hand in the 1984 riots," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra tweeted. He also took a swipe at the Congress, saying the party is now lodging an FIR against Sikhs for speaking the "truth" on the anti-Sikh riots in 1984. Patra's reaction came after the Youth Congress tweeted a copy of the FIR, claiming the "virus of hate" will not be tolerated. Bagga also reacted furiously to the FIR and attacked Gandhi again. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) You wash your hands more than you wash your face maskand new research shows maybe that's not such a good thing. "A new report from an Italian health authority explains that SARS-CoV-2"that's the coronavirus"can survive on the interior of face masks for as long as 4 days, which is an important reminder that masks have to be handled with care, especially if you're handling them for a loved one who is infected," reports BGR. Yes, you read that right: 4 days on the interior. "The ISS says that SARS-CoV-2 particles have been detected on the interior side of the mask as long as 4 days after a mask was worn, and up to 7 days on the exterior," continues the website, quoting a report from HuffPost Italy. "A separate study a few weeks ago also explained that the novel coronavirus can survive up to 7 days on the surface of face masks." Although the CDC recently said the transmission of COVID-19 on surfaces is unlikely, the agency added that there was still more research to do and urged you to clean surfaces you touchincluding your maskto protect yourself and others from catching the virus. How to Clean Your Face Mask The CDC offers comprehensive advice about how to keep your face mask germ free: "Washing Machine You can include your face covering with your regular laundry. Use regular laundry detergent and the warmest appropriate water setting for the cloth used to make the face covering. Washing by Hand Prepare a bleach solution by mixing: 5 tablespoons (1/3rd cup) household bleach per gallon of room temperature water or 4 teaspoons household bleach per quart of room temperature water Check the label to see if your bleach is intended for disinfection. Some bleach products, such as those designed for safe use on colored clothing, may not be suitable for disinfection. Ensure the bleach product is not past its expiration date. Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser. Soak the face covering in the bleach solution for 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with cool or room temperature water. Story continues Make sure to completely dry cloth face covering after washing. How to Dry Dryer Use the highest heat setting and leave in the dryer until completely dry Air Dry Lay flat and allow to completely dry. If possible, place the cloth face covering in direct sunlight." And to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these Things You Should Never Do During the Coronavirus Pandemic. The New Patriotic Party's National Organiser, Sammy Awuku has refuted claims by the NDC that the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Identification Authority (NIA) are in league to rig the elections in favour of the ruling government. To him, it will be nay impossible, even a "miracle" for such an action to succeed. "We have never relied on the Electoral Commission since 1992in todays Ghana, it will be a miracle and an accident in history for the chairperson of the EC and her commissioners to rig the elections for a political party; it will be difficult," he said while contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM morning show 'Kokrokoo', Friday. NDC's Allegations The NDC, at two press conferences this week, said activities being undertaken by the NIA and the EC ahead of the 2020 polls were all geared towards rigging the elections. The oppositon party had earlier posited that the use of the National Identification card and passport as evidence of identification during registration despite the limited number of Ghanaians who have these requirements, was unfortunate. National Chairman of the NDC, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo and NDCs Director of Elections, Mr. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, at two separate media briefings on Tuesday and Thursday respectively, said the EC Chairperson and Executive Director of National Identification Authority (NIA) intended to rig the elections by denying about 11 million Ghanaians - majority of them from the stronghold of the NDC - the Ghana Card which would enable them to take part in the ECs planned compilation of new voters register. They contend that the decision by the EC to use the Ghana Card and passport as the only required documents to get registered as voters was a calculated plan as part of the rigging process as many people would be disenfranchised. As we predicted, the Ghana card registration process by the NIA has been very slow such that till date, the process which commenced with a pilot in late 2017 and was supposed to be completed in one year, has been able to register only 11,062,055 out of about 19 million Ghanaians (15 years and above) who are eligible to be registered. Even more bizarre is the fact that out of this 11 million Ghanaians who have been registered, only 7,074,048 have been issued with cards (per NIAs own website https:nia.gov.gh) as at 2nd May, 2020), Samuel Ofosu Ampofo explained. Rebuttal Sammy Awuku, however, disagrees. He pointed out that under no circumstances would the ruling party even consider the idea. "NDC shouldnt think the EC can rig the election . . . the NPP reject the NDCs accusation that we are in active connivance with the Electoral Commission and the NIA," he said. NDC Did Not Collate Results Sammy Awuku urged the opposition party to rather focus on how to be vigilant at the polling stations instead of making unfounded allegations. This is because the NDC failed to be vigilant in 2016 and that led to their defeat. "NDC, I can confidently tell you; they couldnt collate their results in 2016 they didnt even know where they lost and where they won," Mr Awuku said, adding "you cant blame the EC for your inability to open your eyes". Listen to him in the video below Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/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 Frontline healthcare workers seeking asylum in Ireland have concerns they will be deported when the pandemic ends. There have been calls for the Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan to expedite the asylum claims of workers living in Direct Provision similar to moves that have been made in the British NHS. Around 160 people who are currently living in Direct Provision work in frontline health services, and some are concerned they could be deported post-Covid-19 after risking their lives. These workers have been moved from often overcrowded centres into B&Bs or hotels for the duration of the emergency, but have not yet been told when they can return, or when their asylum claim will be processed. A source inside the Department of Justice says it's likely considerations to speed up these claims would be examined when the current health emergency is over, and "a conversation to be had over the summer", as the minister has "broad discretion" in such matters, and has intervened in other cases of unfair deportations of young children or families. The source added Minister Flanagan was likely to be agreeable to the idea, while Minister for Health Simon Harris publicly thanked the 160 workers in the Dail. The families of NHS workers in England who have died during the Covid-19 pandemic have been given leave to remain by Boris Johnson's government, amid calls for a similar action to be implemented here for the workers themselves. Current asylum and immigration claims have been on pause since the beginning of the pandemic, and are due to resume on July 20. One asylum seeker from Zimbabwe who works in a care home where three people have died of Covid-19, told the Examiner she goes to work every day afraid that she will be deported when the pandemic ends. "The first days of the pandemic were very scary, we were hearing people dying in other countries and I was travelling to work in the nursing home, and back home to the Direct Provision centre," she said. "Residents in direct provision had complained to the manager that the nursing home staff were going to bring the infection back to the centre, and my manager at work was worried I would bring it from Direct Provision, and I was stuck in the middle." The young woman came to Ireland alone four years ago seeking asylum, and has no indication of when her claim will be processed. "They don't have a time scale and they reply when they want to, I've never received any response, everything is quiet," she said. I'm afraid that maybe after the pandemic I'll end up receiving a deportation letter, after risking my life during the crisis. "I'm always worried about it, and when the pandemic started, I thought about just staying at home and not going to work but I thought of the people in the nursing home, they are the family I have in Ireland, that's the reason I had to go back. "I think I should be allowed to remain, I'm doing something to help. I've gone to college, I'm working in a nursing home, willing to give back to the community. "I have my advanced certificate to work with people with disabilities, so I'm looking to go into that field, I would love to do mental health nursing." Brian Killoran, from the Immigrant Council of Ireland says the state should use the pandemic as an opportunity to reexamine how it treats those seeking asylum. "This pandemic has definitely highlighted not just those who are in the asylum process, but a lot of essential workers are from a migrant background in precarious visa situations, in stark contrast to the massive contribution they make to Irish society," he said. "This precarious status doesn't given them an awful lot of rights, and at the very least we should redouble our efforts to reform the immigration system to get people from precarious fragile immigration status to more secure status and greater rights, which doesn't just benefit them, it benefits all of us and betters society. "The pandemic really highlights the disparity between the sacrifices people make and the situation they're in, and that has to be addressed. "When we get into the question of residency we feel consideration should be given to those kinds of actions, any improvement not only benefits them, it benefits employers, and society in general. "The Irish immigraiton system is complex, we definitely feel there should be considerations given to these essential workers and if it were considered, more secure status. "It's been proven since asylum seekers were given the right to work, there is enthusiasm to get out there and contribute and that's never been more acutely seen than the 160 people in the health sector during the pandemic. "Ultimately with asylum applications, the duration of time is very problematic, the root cause of the issues with Direct Provision is because it takes so long, when you get back to immigation reform, the minister has enormous discretion to make decisions on individual cases, the administration processes are very drawn out and beautractraic, and they don't have to be." A Department of Justice spokesman said that asylum claims are processed on a "case by case" basis, however considerations are given to the "common good" and "the character and conduct of the applicant both within and (where relevant and ascertainable) outside the State". By PTI NEW DELHI: There will be no delay in delivery of 36 Rafale jets to India as the timeline finalised for the supply of the fighter jets will be strictly respected, French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain has said. India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore. "The contractual delivery schedule of the Rafale jets has been perfectly respected till now, and, in fact, a new aircraft was handed over to the Indian Air Force in end-April in France, in keeping with the contract," Lenain told PTI. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh received the first Rafale jet at an airbase in France on October 8. "We are helping the Indian Air Force in arranging for the ferry flight of their first four Rafales from France to India as soon as possible. So there's no reason today to speculate that the schedule will not be maintained," the envoy said. France is reeling under swelling cases of coronavirus and has emerged as one of the worst-hit in Europe. Over 1,45,000 people were infected by the virus while the death toll stood at 28,330. There were apprehensions that the delivery of Rafale jets could be delayed due to the pandemic. However, Lenain asserted that the original timeline for delivery of the jets will be adhered to. The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. Meteor is the next generation of BVR air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden. Besides the missile systems, the Rafale jets will come with various India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems. The IAF has already completed preparations, including readying required infrastructure and training of pilots, to welcome the fighter aircraft. The first squadron of the aircraft will be stationed at Ambala air force station, considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF. The Indo-Pak border is around 220 km from there. The second squadron of Rafale will be stationed at Hasimara base in West Bengal. The IAF spent around Rs 400 crore to develop required infrastructure like shelters, hangars and maintenance facilities at the two bases. Out of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater with almost all the features of the fighter jets. The Congress raised questions about the deal, including on rates of the aircraft, and alleged corruption, but the government has rejected the charges. Meiosis is essential to sexual reproduction. For almost 15 years, it has been commonly held that retinoic acid, a molecule derived from vitamin A, triggers meiosis in mammalian germ cells. Yet, in joint articles published in Science Advances ( 22 May 2020 ), french researchers from the Institut de Biologie Valrose (CNRS / INSERM / Universite Cote d'Azur) and the IGBMC (CNRS / INSERM / University of Strasbourg), with their colleagues, demonstrate that meiosis in mice begins and proceeds normally even in the absence of retinoic acid. These findings set the stage for new research in the field of reproductive biology. Meiosis is an essential process that results in novel assortments of chromosomes for the transmission of unique sets of genes to offspring. Beginning with a diploid[1] germ cell (an oogonium in females or a spermatogonium in males), it yields haploid[2] gametes (oocytes in females or spermatozoa in males). The union of an oocyte and a spermatozoon combines both parental haploid genomes in a single diploid cell destined to give rise to an embryo, marking the start of the next generation. In mammals, cells found in developing gonads (ovaries in females or testes in males) provide germ cells with structural support, nourishment, and protection. They also emit molecular signals that determine what will become of the germ cells. One of the signalling molecules is retinoic acid, widely thought to trigger germ cell meiosis. Despite the 2011 publication of findings casting doubt on this assumption, the idea that retinoic acid is a switch for meiosis has risen to the status of dogma. Together with colleagues,[3] scientists from the Institut de Biologie Valrose in Nice and the IGBMC in Strasbourg conducted two complementary studies of the mouse fetal ovary to clarify the role of this molecule, by (i) inhibiting its synthesis and (ii) removing its receptors. Neither approach prevented normal initiation of meiosis in germ cells. Furthermore, viable infant mice were born after fertilization of oocytes lacking retinoic acid receptors, proving that these cells are functionally intact. These twin studies therefore refute the dogma of a retinoic acid trigger for meiosis in germ cells, ending a debate that has lasted nearly a decade and a half. By dismissing a long-held tenet, these findings invite the scientific community to reconsider its working assumptions and investigate new leads in the search for the real signals controlling initiation of germ cell meiosis. Notes When President Donald Trump doesn't like the message, he shoots the messenger. So it was this past week when he took very personally a scientific study that should give pause to anyone thinking of following Trump's lead and ingesting a potentially risky drug for the coronavirus. He branded the study's researchers, financed in part by his own administration, his "enemy." Heading into Memorial Day weekend, Trump then exaggerated some of his accomplishments for veterans' health care. A look at recent rhetoric and reality as the pandemic's death toll approached 100,000 in the U.S.: VIRUS DRUG TRUMP, on why he considers hydroxychloroquine safe for the treatment of Covid-19: "I've received a lot of positive letters and it seems to have an impact. And maybe it does; maybe it doesn't. But if it doesn't, you're not going to get sick or die. This is a pill that's been used for a long time for 30, 40 years on the malaria and on lupus too, and even on arthritis, I guess, from what I understand." remarks Monday. TRUMP: "It doesn't hurt people." remarks Tuesday after a GOP policy lunch. THE FACTS: He's wrong to assert there is no risk of harm if people take the malaria drug to try to prevent a coronavirus infection. Trump's own health agencies have cautioned that taking hydroxychloroquine to stave off the virus could be dangerous due to side effects. If the president is to be believed, he's taking the drug himself. Trump repeatedly has pushed hydroxychloroquine, with or without the antibiotic azithromycin. No large, rigorous studies have found them safe or effective for COVID-19, and they can cause heart rhythm problems and other serious side effects. The Food and Drug Administration has warned against the drug combination and said hydroxychloroquine should only be used for the coronavirus in hospitals and research settings. Two large observational studies, each involving about 1,400 patients in New York, recently found no benefit from hydroxychloroquine. Two new ones in the journal BMJ, one by French researchers and the other from China, reached the same conclusion. On Friday, a study published by the journal Lancet suggested that hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, with or without an antibiotic, did not help hospitalized patients and was tied to a greater risk of death or heart rhythm problems. Although it was observational rather than a rigorous test, it's by far the largest so far to examine these drugs in real-world settings nearly 100,000 patients in 671 hospitals on six continents. Researchers estimated that the death rate attributable to use of the drugs, with or without an antibiotic such as azithromycin, is roughly 13% versus 9% for patients not taking them. The drug has been available for decades to treat the mosquito-borne illness malaria; it is also prescribed for some lupus and arthritis patients. Technically, doctors can already prescribe the drug to patients with Covid-19, a practice known as off-label prescribing. But that is not the same as the FDA approving the drug specifically for the pandemic, which would mean it had met the agency's standards for safety and effectiveness. FDA regulators issued a warning alert last month in part based on increased reports of dangerous side effects called in to US poison control centers. ___ TRUMP: "The only negative I've heard was the study where they gave it was it the VA? With, you know, people that aren't big Trump fans gave it ...they had a report come out." remarks Monday. TRUMP: "It was given by, obviously, not friends of the administration." remarks Tuesday at Cabinet meeting. TRUMP: "And if you look at the one survey, the only bad survey, they were giving it to people that were in very bad shape. They were very old, almost dead. It was a 'Trump enemy statement.'" remarks Tuesday after GOP policy lunch. THE FACTS: There's no evidence of a political plot at the Department of Veterans Affairs or elsewhere to produce a study pointing to poor outcomes for veterans who took hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 in a bid to make Trump look bad. That study was led by independent researchers at the University of Virginia and University of South Carolina and grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Virginia school paid for the work. The study released last month found no benefit from hydroxychloroquine. The analysis, conducted by the researchers with VA approval, was not a rigorous experiment, nor was it peer-reviewed. Still, with 368 patients, it was the largest look at hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 at the time. Researchers stressed a "great and immediate need" to conduct the analysis due to limited scientific evidence on the drug's safety and "increasingly widespread use" both as a way to prevent COVID-19 and to treat it. Researchers analyzed medical records of male veterans hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infection at VA medical centers who died or were discharged by April 11. About 28% of veterans who were given hydroxychloroquine plus usual care died, versus 11% of those getting routine care alone. "These findings highlight the importance of awaiting the results of ongoing prospective, randomized, controlled studies before widespread adoption of these drugs," the researchers wrote. It's also a point that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, has repeatedly made, urging caution on the drug. "Although there is anecdotal evidence that hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin may benefit people with COVID-19, we need solid data," Fauci said. No drug has been approved for treating the disease, although several have "emergency use" authorization. Most people who get COVID-19 recover. ___ TRUMP, on the study of VA hospital data: "If you look at that phony report that was put in, that report on the hydroxyl -- was given to people that were in extraordinarily bad condition -- extraordinarily bad, people that were dying." remarks Monday. TRUMP: "There was a false study done where they gave it to very sick people extremely sick people, people that were ready to die. ... And the study came out. The people were ready to die. Everybody was old, had bad problems with hearts, diabetes, and everything else you can imagine." remarks Tuesday at Cabinet meeting. VA SECRETARY ROBERT WILKIE: "They did not even look at what the president just mentioned the various comorbidities that the patients who were referenced in that study had." Cabinet meeting Tuesday. WILKIE: "The analysis did not adjust for patients' clinical status." letter on April 29 to veterans' groups. THE FACTS: Trump and his VA secretary are incorrect. Researchers did use standard statistical methods to adjust for differences in the groups being compared, including clinical status and the presence of other chronic health conditions. They did not cherry-pick only the oldest or sickest ones who took the drug. Even though the VA hospital patients given the drug tended to be sicker than those in the comparison group, researchers still saw no benefit from the drug after taking that into account. The study included all VA patients treated with the drug. One of the measurements was whether it helped prevent the need for breathing machines. It didn't. Researchers did not track side effects, but noted there was hints hydroxychloroquine might have damaged other organs. The drug has long been known to have potentially serious side effects such as altering the heartbeat in a way that could lead to sudden death. The study noted that the median age of the test group was over 65, meaning half the patients were below that and half above it. The NIH and others have more rigorous tests underway. ___ OBESITY HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI, D-Calif., on Trump's statement that he's taking hydroxychloroquine: "He's our president and I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group morbidly obese, they say." interview Tuesday on CNN. THE FACTS: Trump is not "morbidly" obese. Trump is 73. At his last full checkup in February 2019 he passed the official threshold for being considered obese, with a body mass index of 30.4. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an index of 40 or above is considered "severe" obesity, which some also call "morbid" obesity. Pelosi's statement was not purely or even primarily an expression of concern about the president's health. She said later she was giving him "a dose of his own medicine" for his history of putting down women for their weight. ___ VETERANS TRUMP: "We've done the greatest job maybe of anything in the VA, because I got VA Choice ... approved." remarks Monday. TRUMP: "You know we got the Veterans Choice." remarks Friday at veterans' event. THE FACTS: False. He didn't get Veterans Choice approved; President Barack Obama did in 2014. Trump expanded it, under a 2018 law known as the MISSION Act. ___ TRUMP: "Choice is when they wait for two months to see a doctor ... they go outside, they get themselves a good doctor, we pay the bill, and they get taken care of." remarks Friday at veterans' event. THE FACTS: His suggestion that veterans no longer have waits for care because of the Choice program is also false. Since March, the VA actually has halted the program's key provisions that granted veterans the option to see private doctors if they endured long delays at VA, citing the pandemic. Internal VA emails obtained by The Associated Press reveal that some veterans are being turned away, even when private doctors are available to see them. The program allows veterans to see a private doctor for primary or mental health care if their VA wait is 20 days (28 for specialty care) or their drive to a VA facility is 30 minutes or more. But since the program's expansion in June 2018, the VA has not seen a major increase in veterans seeking private care. Two months ago, after the coronavirus outbreak, the VA also took the step of restricting veterans' access to private doctors, citing the added risks of infection and limited capacity at private hospitals. Under the temporary guidelines, the VA is reviewing referrals for nonemergency care "on a case-by-case basis for immediate clinical need and with regard to the safety of the veteran when being seen in-person, regardless of wait time or drive time eligibility," according to VA spokeswoman Christina Noel. The department has boosted telehealth appointments and says VA referrals for private care will be made where it is "deemed safe" and private doctors are available. Veterans' organizations and internal VA emails suggest the department is painting an overly rosy picture of health care access. "We have community facilities open and able to see patients; however, our Veterans are being denied community care granted under criteria of the MISSION Act," one VA employee wrote in a May 14 email to Tammy Czarnecki, an assistant deputy undersecretary for health operations at VA. The employee works in a rural region that covers Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Oklahoma, where private doctors are often key to filling gaps in VA care. The person said veterans were being told by their local VAs they may need to wait "well past July, August or September" for private care, according to the email, which was provided to the AP on condition the sender not be identified. Czarnecki's office replied by referring the employee to the VA guidance that set forth the restrictions due to a pandemic. The VA on Thursday said referrals had increased in the employee's city during the pandemic. It did not provide figures. The VA, which announced this past week it would start returning to more normal operations, hasn't said when it will remove its temporary restrictions on Choice. Lower Southampton Township Police release this image of the man who they believed was the angry customer. Read more A mask-less man who was asked by an employee to wear a face covering while inside an Acme supermarket in Feasterville, Bucks County, went on a rampage Saturday that included throwing a bottle of hot sauce at the store employee, police said. Southampton Township police said the man went on a destructive spree that involved throwing items around, climaxing with the hot-sauce toss. Police released an image of the man who they believed was the angered customer and asked that anyone with information about him call 215-357-1234. Paris (AFP) - The new coronavirus could kill 150,000 people in Africa in a year unless urgent action is taken, according to a WHO modelling study that says nearly a quarter of a billion people will be infected. Authors of the research, published Friday in the journal BMJ Global Health, predicted a lower infection rate than in other parts of the world like Europe and the US, with fewer severe cases and deaths. But while they said many African nations had been swift to adopt containment measures, they warned that health systems could still quickly become overwhelmed. "Our model points to the scale of the problem for health systems if containment measures fail," said the authors. The study comes amid stark warnings that COVID-19 threatens a health emergency in developing nations where fragile health systems are already struggling with an array of other chronic diseases. Experts at the World Health Organization's Africa office modelled likely rates of exposure to the virus and infection in the 47 countries under its regional remit, which excludes Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia. Some 231 million people, or 22 percent (with a range of 16 to 26 percent) of the one billion people in the region were expected to be infected in the 12 month period -- most of them showing few or no symptoms. But an estimated 4.6 million people would need to be admitted to hospital, while 140,000 would have severe COVID-19 infection and 89,000 would be critically ill. That would lead to some 150,000 deaths (between 83,000 and 190,000) the study suggested. The modelling estimates what would happen for each country over the period of a year from the beginning of widespread and sustained community transmission. - Smaller countries threatened - Researchers warned that surging hospital admissions for COVID-19 would divert already limited resources to tackle major health issues in the region, such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and malnutrition, worsening the impact of coronavirus. Story continues "The region will have fewer deaths, but occurring more in relatively younger age groups, amongst people previously considered healthy - due to undiagnosed non-communicable diseases," the report said, adding that these trends were already emerging. The researchers said they expect the virus would likely circulate within the region for longer than other countries, possibly for several years. Transmission was estimated to be greatest in small nations, with Mauritius found to have the highest risk of exposure. Of the region's large countries, South Africa, Cameroon and Algeria were also in the top ten for exposure risk. The authors calculated this risk by looking at each country's "gathering factor" (including family size and population density), people's likely ease of movement, sanitation and hygiene practices. They also included weather. It is not known if warmer temperatures slow down the spread of COVID-19, though some research has suggested it has that effect on other coronaviruses. Researchers factored in each country's measures to control the spread of the virus, including physical distancing. They also looked at health risk factors -- proportion of the population over 65, HIV prevalence (as a proxy for chronic communicable conditions) and diabetes (as a proxy for non-communicable chronic illness). The report assumed that some 88 percent of people would not know they had the virus, with either mild symptoms or none at all, while four percent would suffer severe or life-threatening illness. They called for countries to rapidly boost healthcare capacity, particularly in primary hospitals. This month the United Nations said the number of deaths from AIDS-related illnesses in sub-Saharan Africa could double if the provision of healthcare to HIV sufferers is disrupted during the coronavirus crisis. (Natural News) Where will the first vaccines for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) be unleashed? In Great Britain, assuming a scheme hatched by the British government to vaccinate half the population by September is a success. Reports indicate that drug giant AstraZeneca has been contracted by the United Kingdom to turn an experimental Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine developed by scientists at the University of Oxford into 30 million commercial doses of the jab before the fall. United Kingdom Business Secretary Alok Sharma recently announced that a global licensing deal worth 130 million ($160 million) has been signed between Oxford and AstraZeneca. And the aim is to vaccinated half of the entire U.K. population by the end of summer. If this test vaccine can be proven to provide protection against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), the plan is to have AstraZeneca produce another 70 million doses of it for a total of 100 million doses. And Sharma wants to see this happen as soon as possible. To help move things along even more quickly, Sharma has allotted another 84 million ($103 million) in taxpayer monies to supply both Oxford and Imperial College London, which is also working on the project, with the funds they require to ramp up production on their groundbreaking potential vaccines. 65.5 million ($80 million) of this has been earmarked for Oxford, while Imperial will receive the remaining 18.5 million ($23 million). This is on top of 47 million ($58 million) that was handed out to other scientists who are all racing for a cure for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). Listen below to The Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks about how mandatory vaccination is a form of medical rape, and that the penalty should be felony assault: Great Britain wants to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the Third World at the lowest cost possible Oxford is just about finished with the first phase of its human trials, while Imperial is on track to begin its trial in June, followed by a second one in October. Before long, there will eventually be a vaccine available for everyone, though it is unclear if all Brits will be forced to receive it. Our scientists are at the forefront of vaccine development, Sharma is quoted as saying. This deal with AstraZeneca means that if the Oxford University vaccine works, people in the U.K. will get the first access to it, helping to protect thousands of lives. He went on to state that 100 million doses of the Oxford Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine will be delivered in total, ensuring that in addition to supporting our own people, we are able to make the vaccines available to developing countries at the lowest cost possible. This all directly coincides with President Trumps efforts here in the U.S. to develop a Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine as part of his Operation Warp Speed initiative. Trump recently hired on Moncef Slaoui of Moderna, the company that has been tasked with developing a U.S. vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), to oversee the mass distribution of jabs here in America once they are ready for commercial release. In other words, it is now a race to see which country can unveil an effective Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine the fastest, and Sharma believes that the U.K. will beat out the U.S. in reaching the finish line first. The U.K. continues to lead the global response to find a vaccine, Sharma is quoted as saying, adding that the British government is backing our scientists to do this as quickly as possible. 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: TheSun.co.uk NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com How can churches navigate 'new cultural reality' post-COVID? Barna highlights key findings Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment New data from Barna show the new cultural reality and spiritual landscape of the United States amid the multi-faceted disruption the global coronavirus pandemic has caused. Barna Group President David Kinnaman noted in a webcast Wednesday that churches and ministries are grappling with a handful of crucial known and unknown factors. "We know that God is for us, that God has not given us a spirit of fear but one of power, love and of a sound mind," he said, referencing 2 Timothy 1:7, praising pastors who have stepped up and served through these challenges. Barna researchers asked in a survey how often in the past seven days people have felt lonely. Millennial respondents were far more likely to report they had experienced loneliness "all the time" or "for at least some of each day" than Generation X or Boomers. The coronavirus crisis seems to be accelerating the mental health problems and relational well-being issues besetting many people, Kinnaman explained, concurrent with the loneliness and isolation many are experiencing. Spiritually speaking, during the pandemic half of all self-identified Christians reported that they were praying more than usual, 17% said they were reading the Bible more, and 6% said they were experiencing spiritual doubt. Some 43% of respondents said none of those things. An interesting data point in the survey was that millennials were more likely to say that they were reading the Bible more than usual than were Boomers, Kinnaman noted. With churches pivoting toward digital meeting formats, among practicing Christians approximately half have been streaming their regular church online. Around one-third have streamed a different church, and the rest have done neither and appear to be taking the time off. "Practicing Christians" were defined in the research as those who, before the COVID-19 outbreak, were attending church once a month or more. "We find that one in four practicing Christians say that they watch multiple church services on any given weekend and three out of 10 say they watch but not on a Sunday," Kinnaman said. Among non-Christians the data show that not many are doing overtly spiritual things such as joining a small group or reading the Bible, but prayer is being explored more, he explained. "We're not going back to normal,'" Kinnaman said, regarding the future of church-based ministry. He reiterated that the COVID-19 pandemic has merely accelerated the disruptions that were already occurring in culture, accentuating a sense of a deep cultural chaos and which is impacting many spheres of society. While many Christians would like to return to church they are uncertain about how safe they're going to be, he added. "I think we're going to see is a really interesting sort of 'new normal,' a lot of deep disruptions that are going to take place over many months and maybe even many years," he said. "The COVID crisis is going to accelerate many needed changes for the church. How is it that we are going to show up in an anxious moment for an anxious generation, for an isolated generation, for people that are struggling with questions but maybe aren't all that hungry for spiritual answers?" he posited. 24.05.2020 LISTEN It is important that every countrys electoral commission is seen as free fair and credible an organisation in order to be trusted well enough to be able to organise effective elections. Ghanas electoral commission has been a mixed bag in the fourth republic for the past 28 years, depending on which side you belong and at what time. The opposition sees the commission as not trustworthy yet the same party in power will do anything to support the same commission. What could the secret behind this be? 1. Is the commission hiding something from a part of the population? 2. Do they go into bed with every incumbent government to achieve a purpose? 3. If they do, what purpose would that be? 4. In this time where the economy is in crisis, are we as a country saying it is ok to spend millions of Cedis to compile a new register simply because we are in the eight-year from the last list? These questions are being asked because the current situation in Ghana with the ECs strong stand not to compromise on their decision on compiling a new register is a concern. Concerned because the timing seems off-limits. With elections, just 7month away, would it not be wise to rather clean the register with a limited registration exercise to add young people who have attained the voting age and also to remove deceased people from the list? How can a voter list which proved effective in the recent district level elections be suddenly not good enough? Remember this is the same voters list that brought the current government into power. Being part of the PPP party, I am aware that the EC provides copies to all parties prior to elections. If this same list was agreed upon as credible in 2016 and used for elections that managed to bring the NPP party from opposition into government then it can be said that it is credible enough. This is not the time to play party politics but rather a time to find an effective way of making the right calls to benefit society at large. I am aware as per the 1992 constitution and the Electoral Commission Act 451 of 1993, the electoral commission must compile a new register every 8yrs to bring the list up to date with the current population growth and dynamics. The last full list compiled was in 2012 at a cost of GH169,730,146.00 which was then updated in 2014/15 at the cost of GH287,559,379. In 2016, there was another limited registration at the cost of GH487,998,714. Four years down the line, we are ready to completely discard the last list and spend another GH390,265.186.44 to complete a new list within a very limited time frame. Does a new voters list really require us to completely discard the existing and recently updated one? Can it not be a case of confirmation of the existing details of persons on the register as correct, coupled with adding on new voters who have attained the right to vote? If we follow the trend of updating the existing, we could save ourselves some costs as and make it credible at the same time. Unless the EC can confirm they have another agenda they are pushing, there is no reason why they must force their will on the nation at all cost bearing in mind the current COVID-19 situation at hand, financial state of the Ghanaian economy and the limited time left before the next general elections. Recommendation It is recommended that the electoral commission must make the voters list continuously open throughout the year within all civic centres across all 16 regions. These civic centres already work all year round, this service can be drafted in as an added responsibility just like the passport office did in the past. People can go to these centres throughout the year to add their names or verify themselves with an appropriate ID. Before every election, the list can then be closed sometime before the elections in order for final verification and approval by parties to be made. If we work on a method as recommended or similar, we can create something good out of the mess of counter accusations that we currently have. The EC must devise a way to make a new register continually reliable at the cheapest cost to the state. Now is not the time to be spending such a huge amount of resources we scarcely have. Conclusion As a country, we need to realise that every service we provide must be for the benefit of all civil society. Every action must be tailored according to the interest of the general population. Some of the laws on the land need to be amended to fit the trends of the time. In an instance like this where a great disruption has occurred due to the COVID-19, we should have the provision to be able to postpone and adjust appropriately. We must choose a productive system for running the civil service rather than an entrenched position without change. The current stance the EC has taken could have been avoided if the system were flexible enough. In all things, lets put Ghana first. David Aikins-Bekoe Youth Organizer Progressive Peoples Party UK [email protected] Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 16:41:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LANZHOU, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A system to predict the spread of COVID-19 globally will be launched online on Monday, Chinese researchers said. The Global COVID-19 Prediction System is established by the collaborative innovation center of western ecological safety led by Lanzhou University in northwest China's Gansu Province. The system will predict the daily numbers of infection cases for 30 consecutive days of over 180 countries around the world, taking into account the impact of climate and environmental conditions, population densities as well as government control measures, said Huang Jianping, director of the center. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers of the center have been working for three months to develop the system on the basis of the existing regional epidemic prediction model, said Huang. According to their findings, the best temperature for the spread of the novel coronavirus is between 5 degrees Celsius and 15 degrees Celsius, with 60 percent of the COVID-19 cases around the world reported within the temperature scope. They also refer to the content of nitrogen dioxide observed by satellites, which they have found can reflect the effect of government measures on the epidemic control. "The nitrogen dioxide comes from the emissions of vehicle exhausts and factories. If its content in the air is drastically reduced, it indicates less traffic with fewer human interactions -- a proof for effective government prevention measures," Huang said. Liu Xingrong, head of the School of Public Health of Lanzhou University, said a worldwide prediction on the COVID-19 pandemic is not only out of the demand for the treatment of the COVID-19 cases but also matters to the social governance. "By creating the prediction model based on authoritative data, researchers will help provide countermeasures to explore the evolution mechanism of the epidemic and contribute to the establishment and improvement of the epidemiological model," he said. According to Huang, the infection and death figures they have used to establish the system are from the Johns Hopkins University of the United States, while the weather data, including the temperatures and humidities, are from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States. Enditem Tourism centres of NSW and Victoria may be opened to travellers from New Zealand before visitors from Queensland as the federal government steps up talks to create a "travel bubble" across the Tasman. In a new warning to Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, the Morrison government said it would not allow state border bans to create an "obstacle to allowing flights to and from New Zealand. The Morrison government said it would not allow state border bans to create an "obstacle to allowing flights to and from New Zealand in a new warning to Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen, AAP The comments raise the possibility that Australians from southern states could ski in New Zealand before they surf in Queensland if Ms Palaszczuk keeps her state border controls in place as late as September, costing her state billions of dollars in lost tourism business. Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said the government wanted the tourism industry to stand on its own two feet "as soon as its safe for tourists to travel again. I grew up in a family of Democrats with parents whose hero was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. During the Great Depression, he reassured them that the only thing they had to fear was fear itself. When eligible to vote, I also enlisted in the ranks of Democrats, greatly inspired by John F. Kennedys call to service on behalf of my country. Although I have since become an Independent, I never dreamt that my choice would be validated to the extent that it has been by the recent comments of our Pennsylvania governor concerning the growing discontent of local officials with the rigidity of state-imposed restrictions. How can any rational individual equate an attempt to foster commerce and free enterprise in the face of a pandemic as cowardly? What then is his definition of courage cowering in place while doing nothing? The new leaders of my old political party seem to have transmuted FDRs message into be afraid; be very afraid. The collective mind further boggles when our states chief executive advises jobless workers to remain unemployed when their old jobs are offered back to them. Doesnt this contradict the very purpose of the massive federal aid package that was intended to preserve the jobs of those who had been employed in the businesses distressed during the quarantine? The political heirs of JFK are now telling us to ask not what we can do for our country but rather seek all that your country can do for you. As we debate the timing of our states reopening, it is crucial to be clear on what it actually means. We can start by understanding that it does not mean we are free to act irresponsibly. Rather, the precautions and procedures that remain in place will now occur within different parameters which hopefully will allow us to revitalize an economy that is currently unable to support even our most basic needs. Reopening does not mandate that anyone go shopping or dine out, or go bar hopping; it only restores the ability to decide such questions to individual choice, rather than a coercive central authority. We know the risks by now. Its time our leaders started to treat us like adults and restored our freedom to decide for ourselves and bear the responsibility for our own acts. Ronald Andidora, Mechanicsburg In a press release, the company states, his last attendance in the plant was on May 15, 2020, with normal health after which his residence area came into a containment zone and he did not join work thereafter. New Delhi [India]: An employee of leading automobile manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India Limited's Manesar plant tested positive for COVID-19 on May 22, 2020. The Company has informed the district administration. The employee has been admitted to a hospital and is stable. The Company is providing all medical help and assistance to him as per Government guidelines. The company has undertaken a contact tracing exercise and out of abundant caution, all employees who possibly could have come in contact have been advised to stay in home isolation. The company has in place a robust and carefully designed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for maximum safety against infection spread at the workplace and transit, which goes well beyond compliance requirement. In addition, there is also a COVID-19 Task Force that closely monitors adherence to the SOP in the Company. There is no impact on the business operations of the Company. There may be a possibility of a second case of infection that has just been reported. More information is being sought. The Company will follow the same detailed procedure as above, Maruti Suzuki India Limited stated. India has joined other countries such as the US, Germany and Iran in welcoming a three-day ceasefire in Afghanistan, saying it hopes the truce will be further extended in order to address the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country. The Taliban announced the ceasefire for Eid-ul-Fitr on Saturday evening. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the ceasefire and extended an offer of peace from his government. He also instructed Afghan security forces to comply with the three-day ceasefire and to defend only if attacked. The external affairs ministry said in a statement on Sunday: India welcomes the understanding reached for a ceasefire in Afghanistan for three days during the Eid. We hope that this ceasefire would extend further and become permanent to address the dire humanitarian situation resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and pave the way for durable peace and stability for the people of Afghanistan. The statement added, India stands with the people of Afghanistan in their quest for enduring peace, security, sovereignty, and prosperity. On Sunday, Ghani announced his government will release up to 2,000 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture in response to the ceasefire, and take further steps in the peace process. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo welcomed the announcement of the truce by the Taliban and the Afghan governments offer to reciprocate. We worked hard to achieve this moment, and I hope that this respite from conflict gives Afghan people the space and security they deserve to celebrate Eid, while allowing the Taliban and the government the opportunity to take additional steps toward a peaceful future for their country, he said in a statement. Iran welcomed the truce and said it hoped the gesture will help build further confidence in the peace process. The Taliban had last called for a ceasefire during Eid in June 2018. However, violence has significantly increased in Afghanistan since the US and the Taliban signed a deal in February and the world community has been calling for a reduction in violence so that the fraying peace process can be taken forward. The Chinese military is fast increasing its troops in areas around Pangong Tso lake and Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, sending a clear signal that it was not ready to end its confrontation with the Indian Army anytime soon, people familiar with the situation in the disputed region said on Saturday. The Chinese side has particularly bolstered its presence in the Galwan Valley, erecting around 100 tents in the last two weeks and bringing in heavy equipment for construction of bunkers, notwithstanding the stiff protest by Indian troops, they said. There have been reports of multiple incidents of transgressions by Chinese troops in several areas in Eastern Ladakh in the last one week, and soldiers from the two sides were involved in scuffles on at least two occasions, authoritative sources said. It is learnt that the Chinese army forcefully stopped movement of Indian troops on several occasions when they were carrying out patrolling in Pangong Tso lake area this week. In the midst of the escalating tension, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane paid a quiet visit to the headquarters of 14 Corps in Leh on Friday and reviewed with the top commanders the overall security scenario in the region including in the disputed areas along the LAC, the de-facto border between India and China. The sources said the Indian Army has been matching up to the Chinese build-up in both Pangong Tso lake and Galwan Valley and that it is in a much advantageous position in certain other sensitive areas in the region. The Indian troops are also resorting to "aggressive patrolling" in several sensitive areas including Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldi, they said. The situation in Eastern Ladakh deteriorated after around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on the evening of May 5 which spilled over to the next day before the two sides agreed to "disengage" following a meeting at the level of local commanders. Over 100 Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in the violence. The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in North Sikkim on May 9. In the last one week, local commanders of both the sides held at least five meetings during which the Indian side took strong note of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) erecting a large numbers of tents in areas in Galwan Valley which India felt belonged to its side of the LAC, the sources said. India on Thursday said the Chinese military was hindering normal patrolling by its troops and asserted that India has always taken a very responsible approach towards border management. At a media briefing, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava also strongly refuted China's contention that the tension was triggered due to trespassing by Indian forces on the Chinese side. India's response came two days after China accused the Indian Army of trespassing into its territory, claiming that it was an "attempt to unilaterally change the status" of the LAC in Sikkim and Ladakh. On May 5, around 250 Indian and Chinese army personnel clashed with iron rods, sticks, and even resorted to stone-pelting in the Pangong Tso lake area in which soldiers on both sides sustained injuries. In a separate incident, nearly 150 Indian and Chinese military personnel were engaged in a face-off near Naku La Pass in the Sikkim sector on May 9. At least 10 soldiers from both sides sustained injuries. The troops of India and China were engaged in a 73-day stand-off in Doklam tri-junction in 2017 which even triggered fears of a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long LAC. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet while India contests it. Both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. China has been critical of India's reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir, and has particularly criticised New Delhi for making Ladakh a union territory. China lays claim over several parts of Ladakh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first informal summit in April 2018 in the Chinese city of Wuhan, months after the Doklam standoff. In the summit, the two leaders decided to issue "strategic guidance" to their militaries to strengthen communications so that they can build trust and understanding. Modi and Xi held their second informal summit in Mamallapuram near Chennai in October last year with a focus on further broadening bilateral ties. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 24) President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to submit to Congress on Monday his ninth report on the special powers granted to him to address the COVID-19 crisis. Among the key updates expected from the report concerns the distribution of the second tranche of financial assistance to poor families and workers in small businesses. In his eighth report, Duterte said nearly 17 million indigent families had already received cash aid ranging from 5,000 to 8,000 from the government. Some 900,000 of the target beneficiaries, however, have yet to receive financial assistance. Some 2.65 million small business employees, meanwhile, had received the first payout of their 5,000 to 8,000 subsidy, Duterte said in his previous report. Malacanang had formally ordered the inclusion of five million more beneficiaries in the second tranche of cash aid for poor families, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 23 million households. The government has walked back on its proposal to give cash aid only to families under enhanced community quarantine. It would instead consider giving financial assistance to families under the more relaxed general community quarantine. Much of the country is under GCQ, while Cebu City and Mandaue City are under ECQ. Metro Manila and the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Zambales are under MECQ considered as a transition phase toward the more relaxed GCQ. Some small business employees qualified to avail of the small business wage subsidy but who have already received the one-time cash aid from the Labor Department may only get up to 3,000, or nothing more, during the second-tranche payout. Duterte is also expected to give updates on his administrations spending on programs to address the ongoing crisis, which is partly funded by realignments from savings within the executive department. Congress granted Duterte additional powers to address the COVID-19 crisis, requiring him to report back to the legislature every week with updates on how his administration is handling the pandemic. New Delhi, May 24 : A survey by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has shown that around 71 per cent people in the country would prefer domestic travel in the coming months, while only 1.4 per cent people wanted to travel abroad. However, the report showed that 27.6 per cent respondents in the survey would like to travel both in India and abroad. Around 33.3 per cent respondents said that they would like to travel within one month of the lockdown restrictions being lifted. Another 30.5 per cent said that they would travel within 3 months. As per the survey which was conducted in north India, around 29 per cent people would like to travel within six months of the curbs being eased and just 7.1 per cent would venture out more than 1 year after the lockdown. Further, business travel and outing with family are the two biggest reasons for travel. The two reasons account for over two-thirds of responses. Star-rated hotels are the most preferred place of stay for respondents, as 45.2 per cent preferring them. Around 21 per cent have shown preference for staying in resorts. Use of protective gear comes across as the most important precaution that tourists would like to take during travel with Aarogya Setu app being the preferred choice of around one-fifth of respondents. Stressing on the impact of the lockdown on the tourism sector and the need for government support, Nikhil Sawhney, Chairman, CII Northern Region, said: "Given the nature of the tourism sector, it is first to be impacted and last to recover. The sector generates mass employment, even in remote areas, and it is critical that the government looks at the package to cover the tourism and hospitality sector under various policies announced". The survey was conducted across seven states and three union territories of north India, including Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit has announced it is delaying the historic first orbital test flight of its LauncherOne vehicle due to equipment problems. The vehicle is supposed to be able to deliver small satellites into orbit and was set to take off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California at 5.30pm BST. But this afternoon the Virgin Orbit team tweeted that they had to delay the launch because a sensor was acting up. They said: 'Everything has been proceeding smoothly: team, aircraft, & rocket are in excellent shape. However, we have one sensor that is acting up. 'Out of an abundance of caution, we are offloading fuel to address.' This afternoon the Virgin Orbit team tweeted that they had to delay the launch because a sensor was acting up The plan was for the company's modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft to release LauncherOne (pictured) from under its wings in mid-air before igniting its own rocket A second tweet said: 'This means we are scrubbed for today. 'Currently, it appears we've got a straightforward path to address this minor sensor issue and recycle quickly.' 'The crew are already hard at work putting that plan into action. 'We'll provide an update on the new launch target later today.' Today would have been the vehicle's first test flight to see that everything works well before starting to operate properly. The plan was for the company's modified Boeing 747 carrier aircraft to release LauncherOne from under its wings in mid-air before igniting its own rocket. If LauncherOne had reached an altitude of 50 miles it would be the first time this system has successfully launched something into space. If LauncherOne had reached an altitude of 50 miles it would be the first time this system has successfully launched something into space. Pictured: Virgin's Richard Branson in 2019 Virgin Orbit's vice-president of special projects Will Pomerantz said on Saturday that, although he was aware that 'about half' of an aerospace company's first full flights fail, he was confident in the work that the team behind the project had done to get to this moment. Mr Pomerantz said: 'You essentially get to a point where you have looked under every rock and verify that there's nothing more for you to do to verify that the system is ready.' 'That's what we have done. 'We've gone through an enormous amount of tests, we've essentially done everything that we can think of that we should do, including fill the rocket up with cryogenics and fuel and pressure and fly it out to the drop.' Representatives of the radical Taliban movement in Afghanistan announced a three-day truce during the celebration of the end of the holy month of Muslims Ramadan, as Reuters reported. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the decision and announced a ceasefire. According to the publication, a representative of the Taliban Zabiullah Mujahid announced a ceasefire. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the Talibans decision. "As commander in chief, I instructed ANDSF (Afghan National Defense and Security Forces) to adhere to a three-day truce and defend itself only in case of attack," the president said. The ceasefire is due to begin May 24. February 29, 2020, the United States signed a peace agreement with the Taliban, which should put an end to the 18-year war in Afghanistan. It provides for the withdrawal of all American troops from Afghanistan. Barely fifteen hours before domestic flight services resume in the country on a staggered basis from Monday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said that the state needed more time from the Civil Aviation Ministry for restarting operations at the Mumbai International Airport. The chief minister also emphasised that the minimum possible domestic flights should be allowed from Maharashtra. I spoke to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today and told him that the Mumbai international airport needs more time to resume domestic flight operations, Uddhav Thackeray said in an online news briefing. ALSO READ | Uddhav Thackeray slams BJP, says wont indulge in politics over Covid-19 Till the time MIAL (Mumbai International Airport Limited) plans and fine-tunes the airport operations, the aviation ministry should initiate minimum possible domestic flights from Maharashtra from May 25, which are purely emergent in nature like for international transfer of passengers, medical emergencies, students, and cases on compassionate grounds, the Maharashtra chief minister said. The Shiv Sena chief also indicated that at least 13 more international flights would be landing at the Mumbai airport by June 7. Earlier this month, the Civil Aviation ministry had announced resumption of domestic flight services from May 25 as part of the Centres efforts to gradually open air travel. Domestic and international flights had been suspended nearly two months ago in March due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus infection. According to Maharashtra government officials, the state has not yet amended its May 19 lockdown order which allowed only certain kinds of flights to ply. The Maharashtra government had only excluded domestic medical services, domestic air ambulance and flights for security purposes from the lockdown as permitted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Maharashtra happens to be the worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with Covid-19 positive cases touching 47,190 on Saturday. At least 1,577 people have succumbed to the deadly coronavirus infection so far in the state. Mumbai alone has over 28,000 coronavirus positive patients with the death toll in the city at 949. U.S. envoy for peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad speaks during a debate at Tolo TV channel in Kabul WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new date for intra-Afghan peace talks is under discussion and the United States has heard positive reports about the formation of an inclusive Afghan government, U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad said on Friday. Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Khalilzad said it would be best if intra-Afghan talks began while there is still a significant U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and that he would soon travel to push for a de-escalation in violence and the release of prisoners. The pace of prisoner releases and disagreements over the Afghan government's composition have helped delay intra-Afghan talks, which were to begin on March 10 under a Feb. 29 U.S.-Taliban agreement for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Two attacks in Afghanistan on Tuesday have raised questions about whether the U.S. peace effort may collapse. One attack, on a Kabul hospital's maternity ward, killed 24 people, including two babies. Another, at a funeral in eastern Afghanistan, killed 32. Khalilzad repeated the U.S. assessment that an affiliate of the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group was responsible for both attacks. Afghan officials, however, have blamed the Taliban for the bloody hospital attack despite the militant group's denials. "There are forces such as the ISIS that doesn't see peace in Afghanistan in its interest and are trying to increase violence to undermine the prospects for peace," Khalilzad told reporters. "We are urging both sides not to fall into that trap but indeed to cooperate against terrorists including ISIS. So, we want this to happen as soon as possible when now, we're still there in a significant way." The key provisions of the Feb. 29 agreement - to which the Afghan government was not a party - involved a U.S. commitment to reduce its military footprint in Afghanistan to 8,600 by mid-July. The Pentagon said on Friday that the United States is continuing its drawdown of troops from Afghanistan and is expected to meet a timeline that had been agreed upon with the Taliban. "That is still going forward. We expect to meet that within the timeline laid out under the agreement with the Taliban," Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said during a press briefing. (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Jonathan Landay; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by David Gregorio and Leslie Adler) BJP Lok Sabha MP from Indore Shankar Lalwani on Sunday said the previous Congress government in Madhya Pradesh was responsible for the region being the worst hit in the state by the coronavirus outbreak. The COVID-19 count in Indore is 3,008, including 114 deaths. Lalwani said the Kamal Nath government was preparing for two International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) events, one in Bhopal and the other in Indore, instead of taking steps to prevent an outbreak. "When the Centre alerted the then MP government about the pandemic, the latter was busy preparing for an IIFA event in Indore scheduled in the end of March. The Indore BJP at the time had asked for adequate number of doctors to fight the virus outbreak," Lalwani told PTI. "However, the Kamal Nath government was busy making hotel arrangements for Bollywood stars who were to attend the IIFA event," Lalwani alleged. Nath stepped down as MP CM on March 20 following a revolt by 22 MLAs. On March 23, a BJP government under Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was formed. Indore reported its first set of COVID-19 cases on March 24, when four people tested positive for the infection. Lockdown was imposed in Indore on March 25. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On the Frontline Against China, the US Coast Guard Is Taking on Missions the US Navy Can't Do Competition with China has drawn more Pentagon resources to the Pacific, but the most visible U.S. military presence there... Phukets Sea Bees Diving steps up for COVID relief PHUKET: The multi-award-winning Phuket dive company Sea Bees Diving headed by Holger Schwab has launched its own campaign to help people left without any income to buy food due to the COVID-19 situation. COVID-19Coronaviruseconomics By The Phuket News Sunday 24 May 2020, 02:22PM The campaign is targeting among the poorest on the island. Photo: Sea Bees Diving The campaign is targeting among the poorest on the island. Photo: Sea Bees Diving The campaign is targeting among the poorest on the island. Photo: Sea Bees Diving The campaign is targeting among the poorest on the island. Photo: Sea Bees Diving The campaign is targeting among the poorest on the island. Photo: Sea Bees Diving The campaign is targeting among the poorest on the island. Photo: Sea Bees Diving The campaign is targeting among the poorest on the island. Photo: Sea Bees Diving The campaign is targeting among the poorest on the island. Photo: Sea Bees Diving The campaign is targeting among the poorest on the island. Photo: Sea Bees Diving The campaign is targeting among the poorest on the island. Photo: Sea Bees Diving The campaign is targeting among the poorest on the island. Photo: Sea Bees Diving The campaign is targeting among the poorest on the island. Photo: Sea Bees Diving The campaign is targeting among the poorest on the island. Photo: Sea Bees Diving The campaign was launched on Wednesday (May 20) and has already received about B65,000 in donations. With this money we bought over one tonne of rice, more than 3.000 eggs, more than 200 litres cooking oil, more than 200 litres of fish sauce and many other helpful things so far, explained Holger. Already on two days this week the team set up three stations where people in need could receive basic food supplies as well as basic necessities. At the first station every family got a 5kg bag of rice, at the second 15 eggs and at the third station a paper bag with 1 litre of cooking oil, 1 litre of fish sauce, one pack of milk, two packs Mama noodles, two tins of fish, one tube of toothpaste, a bar of soap, a pack of washing powder and for the kids one small soft drink and some snacks, Holger noted. Instead of setting up the stations and having people wait to collect the items, the team visits people living in impoverished areas and delivers the essential items to those who need it most, he added. We ask our friends who are in need and drive around by ourselves to find camps with people without jobs. After that we contact them and let them know that we are coming, Holger said. The campaign was inspired simply by the sheer number of people who still need assistance. Some of our friends did this already and we thought that this is a good idea and we also should do something to help the people in need, Holger explained. We try to help people who are in need at most in this difficult period, he added. In a special facebook announcing the launch of the campaign, Sea Bees noted, Dear friends and diving family, it is now official that there will be no international flights until July. Everyone hoped that we could resume our activity sometimes during the summer, but right now the future is quite uncertain and not that bright, honestly. For those of us who live in Phuket, the situation is unprecedented. As you know, the tourism-related activities support almost all the islands inhabitants. Now that everything is shut down for months already, the people living and working here are struggling to find a source of income. There is none and unfortunately the situation doesnt look like it will change anytime soon. We at Sea Bees Diving, do our best to support all of our local staff but there are dozens of thousands of people out there who cant afford to buy food anymore. For Holger, it is vital to keep such campaigns going. Every campaign has its momentum and as we have to rely on the donations of our customers and friends, we try to help now as much as we can and hope that soon no help will be needed when Phuket gets back on its feet, he said. The campaign will continue as long as necessary. We will keep doing this campaign as long as we get donations, Holger assured. Holger gave special praise for the team of volunteers who have stepped up to make the campaign happen. We have a great team at Sea Bees Diving and everybody helps as much as they can with shopping, making packages and deliveries, he said. There are many others out there who help and also deserve the highest appreciation. Klaus Orlik from Poseidon Diving and Bastian Prestele with his team are only two of many who are also helping at the moment, he added. Holger explained that while donations of items are appreciated, monetary donations are preferred simply for logistics and so that donations can be directed at what is needed most at the time. The best is to send money so we can buy food. Any donations in kind are not easy to handle and hard to transport, he added. Please support us if you can. We opened a special bank account and all funds will go into buying food essentials. Well keep everyone updated on progress and each delivery on our social media, Sea Bees explained in their post earlier this week. Every small amount counts enormously for the people living here in this period. Thank you a lot and please dont hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, Sea Bees urged. Donations made locally can made to the following account: Account name: Padee Wathasunthonpong Account number: 766-001044-3 Bank: Bangkok Bank Another account set up in euros in Germany is also available to receive donations: Account holder: Sea Bees Diving IBAN: DE86 7225 0160 1020 2807 47 BIC: BYLADEM1DON Any persons wanting to contact Holger and the team can do so via: Email: info@sea-bees.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seabeesdiving/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seabeesdiving/ Website: https://sea-bees.com/uncategorized/phuket-food-relief-support-for-the-vulnerable-families/ The Phuket News understands that there are many other similar campaigns underway across the island to help people left without any income due to the COVID-19 situation. We commend them all for their wholehearted goodwill and support for the community they live in. Vice President Salous Chilima has assured Malawians that Malawi Congress Party (MCP) presidential hopeful Lazarous Chakwera and the Tonse Alliance will mount a vigorous fight against corruption and nepotism in the country and at Capital Hill once voted into power. Speaking at a rally at Mtakataka in Dedza on Saturday, Chilima said rampant corruption and nepotism in recruitment of staff taking place in the civil service is hampering development. "There is too much corruption and nepotism at Capital Hill, especially recruitmet and promotion of people as Principal Secretaries. "People are being recruited and promoted not on merit but because they have agreed to aid corruption. We will put this to an end," charged Chilima. He said billions of money is being wasted through corruption in government instead of going towards development progress. " Fighting corruption and nepotism will help us save money to build new market here at Matakataka and factories in Salima and Nkhotakota, buy cotton and other produce at good prices," he said. Chilima also assured people that once the Tonse Alliance has takes over government fertilizer will be sold at a cheap price of K4,495 per 50kg bag. He said cheap fertilizer will help improve food security in the country, end corruption and hatred brought about by coupons. Chilima said Chakwera presidency will promote servant leadership under the H5 brand and unite Malawians. " Everyone deserves to live a happy life in this country. Malawi is not for two families only, or for one tribe or region. The Tonse alliance was formed to unite Malawians," he said. He urged people of Mtakakata and the whole country to vote for Chakwera so that the alliance wins with a wide margin. " This time there will be no need to go to the courts. The alliance was formed to attain the 50+1 threshold ordered by the courts. So Let us go and vote in large numbers and protect our votes. Voting for Chakwera is as good as voting for Chilima, Joyce Banda, Khumbo Kachale and all the alliance partners," he assured the people. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Malawi Governance Corruption By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. He said the Tonse alliance will promote servant leadership and change mindset of towards development of the country. " If Malawi is to develop we need to change our mindset. The country has stagnated in terms of development because people, including those in leadership development do not have a positive mindset to development" said the Veep Since Thursday this week, Chilima addressed a total of 24 whistle stops in some parts of Nkhotakota and Salima where he has been campaigning for Chakwera and reminded people of the campaign promises that UTM and alliance partners will implement once in government. Some of the notable places where Chilima stopped over are Dwanga, Luwelezi, Nkhotakota boma, Kaphamtenga, Mvera, Kamuzu road, Senga-bay and Chipoka. A cabinet minister has said Boris Johnson was pretty ill when Dominic Cummings took a 250-mile trip during lockdown, as he dodged questions about what the prime minister knew and when. Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, told the Sophy Ridge on Sunday morning that he did not think the journey would have been high on (his) agenda. "You'll probably remember, the prime minister during exactly the same period was pretty ill and, in fact, eventually in hospital in ICU, so I don't think this would have been high on the prime minister's agenda," he said. He categorically denied Mr Cummings went back to Durham after returning to London in mid-April. But he failed to rule out that Mr Cummings may have made a sightseeing trip 30 miles from his familys home on Easter Sunday. When pressed about whether or not the prime minister knew of Mr Cummings' journey, Mr Shapps responded: "You'll have to forgive me, Sophy, I don't actually know whether the prime minister tracks every single move of Dominic Cummings. I think he knew that Dominic Cummings was ill and was self-isolating, which was exactly what he was doing with his wife and his child. "I don't have all the times and dates for you but I understand he will have travelled up there towards the end of March and stayed there, remained there for 14 days, didn't leave the property and isolation, as per the rules and guidance. On the question of whether the family will have stopped en route to Durham, Shapps said he did not know but he was sure Cummings "took all the necessary precautions." "You'll appreciate I wasn't with them so I can't tell you exactly what that journey was like, but what I do know is that Dominic Cummings I saw a clip yesterday of him asking journalists to be spaced two metres apart, so I know he is a stickler for those rules about what to do to make sure you are following the two-metre rule and the like, so I'm sure that they took all the necessary precautions," he added. Ms Eunice Araba Turkson, an education consultant in the United States, has called on Ghanaian authorities to begin looking into virtual teaching for effective education of children. She said innovation and creativity were crucial as far as education, especially inclusive education, was concerned. Students are more likely to synthesize the information taught, bring more joy, and make their educational experience more meaningful, she said. Ms Turkson, who recently participated in a webinar, dubbed: Inclusive Education: Before, during and after COVID-19, told the Ghana News Agency on Saturday that children were missing out on a lot of things during this COVID-19 period. Children all over the world are missing out on a lot of things including social and emotional interactions. This is because children are not going to school," she said. She suggested that for inclusive education to be effective, classrooms could adopt a co-teaching approach where every classroom would have one general education teacher and a special educator, working collaboratively to achieve a common goal. Co-teaching would enable the teachers to complement each other and serve as positive role models for their students, she said. Children pick on the behaviours of adults around them and in co-teaching, teachers need to be intentional about modelling positive behaviours for children to emulate, she said. This teaching model, as well as others, could be explored in an effort to achieve effective inclusive education in Ghanaian schools, Ms Turkson said. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Around 160 children in an elementary school in Florida would be attending classes. Superintendent in Collier County Public Schools Camela Patton said that social distancing would be at 44%. "Where are we gonna put those other kids?" she said, expressing concern about the rest of the students. At the public school, the student population was at 48,000, and it had a yearly budget of over $1 billion. Students to attend at reduced capacity There was also the issue about who would be wearing masks in the classroom. Patton said that the faculty was still discussing it. The initial plan was that if teachers would wear masks, students would not have to, or it would be the other way around. Patton marked up options for transportation. At the school bus she attempted to visualize the social distancing in the bus, which was supposed to fit 77 kids. She added that 12% of the bus was being used, which meant that only 9 kids at a time could get on the bus. Meanwhile, in the classrooms, desks and chairs were right next to each other. She called these educational desks collaborative spaces. The problem was that these desks were designed for kids to share things like markers and crayons. One possible solution to this would be to space out the desk, but the school was thinking classroom instruction would resume at reduced capacity, with the class size going from 22 to 12 students. Mike Davis School teacher Natasha Walters said on the other hand that elementary students needed support and hugging. "They wanna feel safe and loved when they walk up into the classroom," she said. "At such a young age it's going to be a hard time." Similarly, cafeteria space would cater 122 students instead of over 400. Check these out: Parents want to keep their children home A recent poll done by the National Parents Union showed that two-thirds of parents want schools to remain closed. The week prior, President Donald Trump said he thought schools should open. Similarly, Senator Rand Paul said in a hearing at about the same time that if kids were kept from school for another year, was that the "poor, underprivileged kids" would not be able to learn because their parents would not be able to teach them at home. He added, "It's a huge mistake if we don't open the schools in the fall." School districts in other states were reopening for students with special needs. State officials and educators believed they would face trouble graduating should they neglect to continue their studies this year. Parents have expressed their concern about this, and asked why vulnerable students should be the ones to get back to school after the world's biggest medical threat in recent history. Founding president of the National Parents Union Keri Rodrigues said that authorities were using children of color and children with disabilities as "guinea pigs" for the experiment of reopening the economy. She said this was underserving equally valuable children of color. At the time of writing this article, the number of emaSwati found to be COVID-19 positive, according to official figures, stood at 238 from which there were 119 recoveries and two deaths with the remainder, 117, in isolation and undergoing treatment, a position that apparently has buoyed governments posture of being on top of this pandemic, if Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosis pronouncements in Parliament last week are anything to go by. Responding to questions previously posed by legislators in the House of Assembly, specifically concerning the state of the nation since the country went into partial lockdown, Minister Nkosi said 4 000 potential deaths and between 70 000 to 550 000 cumulative infections had been averted. If the numbers were meant for effect, I am almost certain the lawmakers were staggered even if some, if not a majority of them, may not understand the lingua franca of forecasting and modelling from which these impressive numbers were derived. As I see it, the forecasted numbers came as reality to some legislators without necessarily understanding how they were derived and thus guarantee government unflinching support, which probably was the intention. Indeed 4 000 deaths, whether dressed as a model or forecast, are staggering even to the strong willed as are the massive 70 000 to 550 000 forecasted infections. How these correlate to the plus 4 000 tests we have been told have been performed so far is a matter for conjecture. It would be unfortunate if government used these forecasted figures to not just convince the populace into blindly supporting everything without as much as cursory interrogation. After all governments are known to employ statistics, whether actual or projected, like a drunken man uses a lamppost: more for support than illumination, to borrow from Andrew Lang (Scottish poet, novelist and literary critic - 1844 1912). It could well be that government is throwing these impressive but scary figures at lawmakers to camouflage its lack of innovation since the country woke up to the news of the COVID-19 causing novel coronavirus. After all, no government is fond of acknowledging, let alone admitting, its weaknesses and failures and often use every trick in the book, including statistics which are pliable where facts remain stubborn and obstinate, to pursue its mission. Focused At this stage of the crisis government should be focused on facts and a practical strategy that will be understood by people in order to deal with the COVID-19 crisis and not hide behind forecasts and models that, admittedly, are its working tools. People need to be assured that they will be alive tomorrow and want leadership, strong and decisive leadership at that, and certainly not wobbling as ably demonstrated on the question of increasing the number of parishioners during church services. Why, at this juncture of this national health crisis frontline workers are still without adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), a basic requirement, and continue to endanger their lives every day. This does not augur well or even come close to supporting the notion that government is on top of the situation. From the onset government should have repurposed the budget and prioritised its collective efforts in countering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic but where such decisiveness was required it remained tentative. This makes one wonder where governments priorities lie if not with ensuring the health and lives of the people before everything else. Indeed the excurse of insufficient resources when it comes to this pandemic is criminal since it is imperiling the lives of emaSwati when this should be the centerpiece of governments priorities. As if that was not enough, disturbing rumours are spreading fast that the national cancer corruption - has sunk its tentacles on the procurement processes in relation to the COVID-19 response. It is also astounding that government appears to be playing ball in corruption by agreeing to conceal the identities of 15 facilities being used as quarantine sites. I would say that is tantamount to concealing corruption because it is against every tenet of good governance to which government should not have acquiesced whatever the circumstances. Campaign This has also exposed and indeed rubbished the efficacy of the educational campaign on the novel coronavirus mounted by government as mirrored by this apparent stigmatisation and apparent ignorance of COVID-19. And talking about educating the populace on coronavirus, the subject cannot be tackled outside the peoples socio-economic challenges. The fact of the matter is that the majority of the people are slaves to poverty, meaning they can hardly afford one decent meal a day. With the erratic and delayed distribution of food parcels, this means there are hungry stomachs out there for people to be receptive to what they are being taught and chances are they will be left none the wiser about the COVID-19 causing novel coronavirus and, therefore, what is expected of them. Given the corruption overtones in the procurement arena Parliament must be vigorous in its oversight role. It is to be commended that the lawmakers have already called for a breakdown of how funds, equipment and services have been employed. This should include funds, equipment and services donated either direct or through the National Resource Mobilisation Committee. Otherwise the countrys efforts to contain and turn the tide against the novel coronavirus will be lost in the same way institutional corruption has wrecked the economy. OPINION: "This should be a no-brainer, so whats the problem? Some members of the RTA board are hesitant to change the scope of the First Avenue project. They appear to want Tucson to build a six-lane roadway because it was the project scope promised in the 2006 plan and the RTA must do what was promised no matter the need or the cost. Decisions by the RTA Board should be made based on facts and data, not out of fear of public perceptions and long ago promises," write Tucsonans Ruth Reiman and Jane Evans. LANSING, MI -- A group of independently-owned gyms and fitness centers is suing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the states top health official in a bid to overturn the states stay-at-home order and allow them to reopen. In a lawsuit filed Friday, May 22, in the U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, attorneys representing more than 120 gyms in Michigan argued that Whitmers executive orders to prevent the spread of coronavirus violate their clients rights under the U.S. Constitution and are not allowed under state law. The governors impingement of constitutional rights must be narrowly tailored, and continuing to keep gyms completely shuttered is the exact opposite of that, said attorney Scott M. Erskine, who is representing the League of Independent Fitness Facilities and Trainers and several other fitness facilities in the state, in a Sunday, May 24, press release. The groups are also suing Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon. Erskine, in the press release, went on to argue that the governors broad orders have cost and endangered lives, such as deaths of despair and those that have life-threatening medical problems but are too afraid to go to the hospital. If saving lives is the goal, then all lives should be considered, he said. If reopening businesses safely is the goal, then all businesses -- including gyms -- should be afforded the same opportunity to do so. Gyms and fitness centers in the state have been closed for about 10 weeks, since Whitmer on March 16 ordered they and other businesses deemed nonessential, such as casinos, theaters, bars and dine-in restaurants, close to prevent the spread of coronavirus. As of Sunday, state health officials say there are 54,679 reported cases of COVID-19 in the state and 5,228 related deaths. Michigan has the fourth-highest death toll from COVID-19 in the United States. Whitmer most recently extended the stay-at-home order from May 28 to June 12, with gyms remaining closed during that time. Related: Whitmer extends stay-home order, closures of gyms, salons and other businesses to June 12 Even as Whitmer lessened restrictions on Friday, allowing restaurants, bars and non-essential stores in the Upper Peninsula and much of Northern Michigan to reopen in reduced capacity, gyms in those regions remained shuttered. In the nine-count lawsuit against Whitmer, attorneys argue that Whitmer's stay-at-home orders violate the constitutional rights of the gym owners, are void for vagueness, are above and beyond what Whitmer is allowed to do under state emergency powers law and violate the separation of powers clause in the Michigan Constitution. In light of the alleged violations, attorneys for the gyms want a federal judge to bar Whitmer and Gordon from enforcing the stay-at-home orders and prevent them from issuing any future orders or rules similar to the invalid ones described in the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims that the constitutional rights of gym owners are being violated as they are being barred from interstate commerce, are denied due process and are not allowed to open even as other nearby states reopen their gyms. Among the other arguments, attorneys claim that Whitmer is unlawfully exercising the Emergency Powers Act by implementing "unreasonable" measures akin to mass house arrest. The (executive orders) are objectively unreasonable, the lawsuit alleges. There can be nothing more unreasonable than keeping 10 million people under house arrest because 0.38% of the population has contracted a disease that has killed less than 0.03% of the population. Another argument put forward in the lawsuit is that laws defining criminal conduct, such as the misdemeanor violation of the stay-at-home order, must be clear enough that ordinary people can understand prohibited conduct, otherwise the law is void for vagueness. The executive orders do not provide business owners with any criteria to determine whether their business falls within a sector of the economy allowed to operate, according to the suit. The very fact that the Governor needs a webpage to answer frequently asked questions about the scope of the order shows that its vague, the lawsuit states. Michiganders are smart people. If ordinary people could understand the Lockdown Order, then there would be no need for 927 FAQs on these orders on the States coronavirus webpage. COVID-19 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. Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued an executive order requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while inside enclosed, public spaces. Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. Also on MLive: Michigan to report coronavirus antibody test results separately Sunday, May 24: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Michigan coronavirus recoveries now exceed 33,000 For vacation spots outside of Michigans reopened zone, Memorial Day weekend goes from boom to bust Michigan marijuana industry changed, but thriving amid coronavirus pandemic Merritt Speedway opens 2020 season: We did everything Covid-wise The gradual relaxation of coronavirus restrictions is stoking hopes for an economic rebound, with the biotechnology industry riding a wave of expectations in the hunt for an effective COVID-19 treatment. Vaccines are perceived as key to ending the restraints on work and life that have decimated the global economy, and returning to some sense of normalcy. Worldwide, there are nearly 5 million positive cases and over 300,000 have been killed by the virus. With so much at stake, the global pipeline has become an intense space race for the new era. Nations are locked in an intense effort to demonstrate their biotech capabilities in the worldwide fight against COVID-19. In collaboration with branches of the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) and National Institute of Health (NIH), small and large drug companies have been working on vaccines. For now, the furthest along are Moderna (MRNA) and Pfizer (PFE), both of which are using messenger RNA technology a newer technology that doesnt exist in the current drug market. Both have entered human clinical trials. Abroad, all eyes are on Chinas CanSino, and a project underway at Oxford University in the U.K. Currently, there are at least a hundred horses in the race, and we've got some leaders up front, Marc Poznansky, the director of the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Yahoo Finance recently. He added that it was unprecedented to have that many platforms at play putting a product into testing to try to get to first in human trials. This picture taken on May 23, 2020 shows a laboratory technician holding a dose of a COVID-19 novel coronavirus vaccine candidate ready for trial on monkeys at the National Primate Research Center of Thailand at Chulalongkorn University in Saraburi. - After conclusive results on mice, Thai scientists from the centre have begun testing a COVID-19 novel coronavirus vaccine candidate on monkeys, the phase before human trials. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) (Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images) The World Health Organization is tracking the growing field, where less than a dozen of which have entered clinical trials. Some are being developed in coordination with governments, while others are through industry or academic collaboration. The expectations have placed an unprecedented demand on a pandemic market that could eventually be valued anywhere between $10 to $30 billion, analysts at Morgan Stanley said last week. But an effective treatment is unlikely until the first half of 2021 at the earliest, with many health experts cautioning that aggressive development timelines are aspirational at best. Story continues Still, pharmaceutical companies are repurposing existing drugs and trying to find treatments for those currently sick with the virus, with investors trying to determine the winners and losers of this high stakes race. A Warp Speed race There are over 1.5 million coronavirus cases in the U.S. (Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance) The worlds two largest economies are engaged in fierce competition to find a vaccine. China is moving to bolster its nascent biotech industry and expand its reach globally, while the U.S. is fighting to balance urgency with safety and serving the needs at home first. In order to winnow down the widening field of vaccine candidates, the U.S. has rolled out Operation Warp Speed, using $3 billion appropriated by Congress to fund vaccine development. Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working closely with drug companies to follow expedited timelines for clinical trials, as drug companies aim to produce billions of doses as soon as a candidate is viable. Global collaborations through the WHO, and a concerted effort in the European Union are also at play. WHO officials also recently said they are working with both the public and private sector in India, which has a massive capacity for vaccine production, to produce the vaccines for the world. Private institutions, like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI), are also pursuing candidates. In the U.S., Moderna has received $483 million in funding from HHSs Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and is developing its treatment in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the agency led by Dr. Anthony Fauci. Recently, Moderna has tapped the capital market in an effort to produce a billion vaccine doses per year, which it is doing in partnership with Swiss manufacturer Lonza Group. Separately, Pfizer has partnered with German biotech BioNTech to develop its own vaccine, pivoting from their work together on a flu treatment. Sanofi (SNY) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) are engaged in a joint effort in the race; meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) are among the larger pharmaceutical contenders, and have also gotten BARDA backing. Two smaller biotechs, Inovio (INO) and Novavax (NVAX), have received funding from CEPI and are also working on vaccines. Inovio, which had previously worked on another coronavirus vaccine, was the second company in the U.S. to enter into clinical trials with its candidate. While data on the clinical trials are pending, pre-clinical data showed positive results in animal studies. China and the world China has a young biotech industry, growing significantly in the last few years with government support, that is aggressively trying to prove itself to the world. That includes committing to supporting WHO and plans to share its vaccine with the world. CanSino Biologics, along with partner Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, are leading the world with a vaccine to be approved by fall 2020 in China. The company recently hired a former Sanofi executive to run its international business operations. Two other leading contenders are Sinopharm which is working on clinical trials with both the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products and the Beijing Institute of Biological Products and another from Sinovac. Meanwhile, the U.K. has also invested in a vaccine candidate coming out of Oxford University, which also plans to supply its treatment globally. The university is partnering with the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and the Serum Institute in India to distribute its potential vaccine. The U.K. government is also investing a new production plant to ensure mass-production by next summer. Michael Flynn. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters FBI Director Christopher Wray has ordered an internal review of the bureau's investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The review will examine whether any "current employees engaged in misconduct" while investigating Flynn and identify whether "improvements" need to be made to FBI protocol, the bureau said in a statement. Wray's decision comes as President Donald Trump and his allies double down on a conspiracy theory, dubbed Obamagate, that accuses the Obama administration of masterminding a "deep state" plot to target Flynn and sabotage Trump's presidency. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. FBI Director Christopher Wray has ordered a review of the federal investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, the bureau said in a statement Friday. "FBI Director Christopher Wray today ordered the Bureau's Inspection Division to conduct an after-action review of the Michael Flynn investigation," the statement said. The review will examine whether any "current employees engaged in misconduct" while investigating Flynn and identify whether any "improvements" should be made to FBI protocol. "Although the FBI does not have the prosecutorial authority to bring a criminal case, the Inspection Division can and will evaluate whether any current onboard employees engaged in actions that might warrant disciplinary measures," the statement said. Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI about his conversations with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak regarding US sanctions against Russia. Flynn initially cooperated with prosecutors but later shifted course and hired Sidney Powell, a defense attorney who took a more combative stance, urging the court to dismiss the Justice Department's case against Flynn and accusing the department of prosecutorial misconduct. Story continues Earlier this month, the Justice Department abruptly moved to drop its case against Flynn after Attorney General William Barr tapped an outside prosecutor to reexamine the case. A federal judge is reviewing the request. Late last month, the Justice Department also turned over four pages of records to Flynn's legal team showing how the FBI debated handling his interview in early 2017. "If we're seen as playing games, WH will be furious," one page of the notes said. "Protect our institution by not playing games." There was also some deliberation within the bureau about how to phrase questions to Flynn during the interview. "What is our goal? Truth/admission, or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?" the notes said. Intelligence veterans said the notes depicted the extraordinarily sensitive nature of an investigation into a newly inaugurated president's highest-profile national security aide. But President Donald Trump and Flynn's other defenders characterized the documents as a smoking gun showing that the FBI tried to trap the former national security adviser into pleading guilty. The FBI's decision to review the Flynn investigation also comes as Trump and his allies double down on allegations that the Obama administration masterminded the Russia investigation as part of a "deep-state" plot to sabotage Trump's presidency. The conspiracy theory, dubbed Obamagate, accuses former Vice President Joe Biden and other Obama administration officials of improperly requesting that Flynn's name be "unmasked" in intelligence reports monitoring Kislyak's communications. The conspiracy theory picked up steam last week when Richard Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence, declassified a list of Obama administration officials who made unmasking requests that included Flynn's name between November 30, 2016, and January 12, 2017. Biden was among the names on the list. Trump and his allies seized on the development and said it showed that Biden and others improperly and illegally unmasked the former national security adviser's identity. But a Washington Post report on Wednesday debunked that allegation when it revealed that Flynn's name was never "masked" in the first place. Moreover, the list documented unmasking requests made through the National Security Agency, while transcripts documenting Flynn's conversations with Kislyak were an FBI product, meaning the names on the declassified list Grenell released are unrelated to Flynn's conversations with Kislyak. The US intelligence community also surveils hundreds of thousands of foreign targets per year, and "unmasking" is a routine and legal tool officials use to make more sense of the communications they're monitoring. The intelligence community gets thousands of unmasking requests a year. The Obamagate theory also accuses Obama and Biden of having advance knowledge of the FBI's plans to interview Flynn about his communications with Kislyak during the 2017 presidential transition period. That allegation centers on an Oval Office meeting that took place on January 5, 2017, and included Obama, Biden, then-national security adviser Susan Rice, then-FBI Director James Comey, and then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates. Rice sent herself an email documenting the meeting afterward known as a contemporaneous memo and Trump and his Republican allies have seized on the email as evidence that Obama ordered the FBI to "spy" on the Trump campaign. But the email, which was declassified in full this week (though much of it had already been declassified), appears to indicate otherwise. During the meeting, according to Rice's email, Obama emphasized "his continued commitment to ensuring that every aspect of this issue is handled by the Intelligence and law enforcement communities 'by the book.'" "The President stressed that he is not asking about, initiating or instructing anything from a law enforcement perspective," the email said. "He reiterated that our law enforcement team needs to proceed as it normally would by the book." Obama said, however, that from "a national security perspective," the outgoing administration should be "mindful" when sharing information about Russia with the incoming Trump administration, according to Rice's memo. Comey then affirmed that he was proceeding "by the book" but said he was concerned about Flynn's frequent conversations with Kislyak and that the communications "could be an issue as it relates to sharing sensitive information." Obama asked Comey if he was saying the National Security Council should not share sensitive intelligence about Russia with Flynn, to which Comey replied: "Potentially." He added, however, that he had no information indicating that Flynn had passed any classified information to Kislyak, though their "level of communication" was "unusual," the memo said. Read the original article on Business Insider The chairs were placed at least 1m (3ft) apart - family sat on one side, church officials on the other. Everyone wore a mask. Everyone knew of the strict instructions that the Kenyan government had laid down for funerals during the coronavirus pandemic. Only 15 people could gather for the burial of my cousin, Chris, and everything had to be done by 09:00 local time. By 07:00 the rest of us had gathered, in front of our phones and computers, watching the burial unfold as a friend live-streamed it on Facebook. There were hundreds of us to pay our last respects to Chris. He was a people's person - the life and soul of family parties. His deep laugh reached you even before he set foot in the house - in fact, you could hear it 200m away at the gate. And Chris used to show up for people, be it at funerals or weddings. He was a great mobiliser, rallying people for all occasions. So, on this day, we showed up for him too. But not being there meant it was not the same. 'We couldn't play his favourite songs' Chris was my immediate cousin, but we were raised in the same house and he was more than a brother to me. He died in Kisumu in western Kenya on Easter Sunday, after being unwell for a few weeks with liver cirrhosis. The government gave us the guidelines for his burial. He had to be buried within three days. But with many of his family and friends under lockdown in the capital, Nairobi, not everyone could attend the burial. The sermon was short. The speeches were restricted. And there was very little singing. Chris loved music - he played the drum kit in the Salvation Army church band. So it was painful that nobody could be there to play his favourite songs. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video As tensions rise, India says change in status quo by China at LAC is not acceptable India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, May 24: The People's Liberation Army of China has deployed additional troops along the disputed boundary with India. Even as the military officials of both countries have been in talks, they were unable to diffuse the standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). In response to China's move, India too sent reinforcements. While there have been no skirmishes between the two nations, the tensions were visibly high. Indian Army dismisses reports of detention of Indian soldiers by China The build up started after the PLA personnel attacked the Indian Army soldiers with sticks and stones on May 5. India has maintained that its forces are well within its territory. The Chinese Army in fact had started building a bunker in order to restrict access to an area where Indian soldiers regularly patrol. A top official confirmed to OneIndia that the action was trigged by the Chinese army after the Indian Army built a road a few months back. This road was built to link India's military base at Daulat Beg Oldie with a village close to Pangog Two lake along with a bride over a rivulet near by. This had the Chinese army presuming that the Indian Army was preparing for a military move, the source cited above also said. Meanwhile India's Army Chief General M M Naravane visited the XIV headquarters in Leh and reviewed the situation. It may be recalled that the Ministry of External Affairs had hit back at Beijing over the developments at the LAC. The MEA said that it is the Chinese side that had recently undertaken activity hindering India's normal patrolling patterns. We are deeply committed to ensuring India's sovereignty and security, the Ministry had also said. Sources said that the Chinese soldiers had crossed the LAC at the Hot Springs and in two locations 20 kilometres to the north-west, Patrolling Pint 14 and PP 15. At each of these points, around 800 Chinese soldiers have crossed over to the Indian side of the LAC. Tents have also been pitched by the Chinese soldiers, the source further added. The Indian forces have also been monitoring Chinese helicopters close to the LAC. While the two sides are not technically in a face off, India soldiers in equal numbers have been deployed on the area and are separated by 500 metres. Pak army shells three sectors along LoC India maintains that a distance is being maintained to avoid a situation which erupted on May 5. While maintaining that the situation is unprecedented, India believes that there ought to be a solution soon. The change in the status quo by China is not acceptable, India also maintains. India has also pointed out that there has been a marked increase in the number of Chinese transgressions along the LAC. The Telangana government does not acknowledge that the coronavirus has entered the community transmission stage. (PTI) Hyderabad: Telangana may have been experiencing community transmission of the coronavirus for some time now. This is the phase when the disease spreads easily, with the virus having established itself in the population. While there has never been official word about it, clues to incidence of community transmission can be found in what the daily Covid-19 bulletins released by the Health Department say or, rather, do not say and from information gleaned from other documents dealing with daily monitoring of Covid-19 patients. With the Telangana state government severely cutting back on testing for Covid-19, it is difficult to provide concrete evidence that the disease has taken hold in the community, or at least pockets of it, where asymptomatic carriers or super spreaders could be spreading the disease to more vulnerable individuals. The sero-sensitivity survey, recently taken up in three districts in the state by the National Institute of Nutrition on behalf of ICMR, is expected to throw some light on this issue when its results are made public. It was on April 14 that the daily Covid-19 bulletin issued by the health department last said: Till date there is no evidence of community transmission in Telangana. This phrase was introduced into the bulletins on April 4 following questions at Health Department press meets on whether the state was experiencing community transmission. Since April 15, the phrase was dropped from the daily bulletins and the word others entered the official patient records as the source from which patients began contracting coronavirus. In the days that followed, others as the source of the disease along with others contact as people responsible for spread of the disease began appearing with increasing frequency in patient records. Worryingly, a few hundred of the confirmed Covid-19 cases are listed as having contracted the disease from others contact. Till April 15, since the first case of Covid-19 was diagnosed in the state on March 2, the disease source was listed as foreign traveller, Markaz traveller, foreign traveller contact, or Markaz traveller contact. The two developments, the withdrawal of the daily denial of community transmission in the bulletins that claimed for 11 days that till date there is no evidence of community transmission in Telangana, and the introduction of others as the source from which people were contracting the disease came close on the heels of one another, giving credence to the widespread belief among health professionals that the state long ago began experiencing community transmission. An epidemic progresses in four stages: Stage 1: Disease appears among people with travel history to places with the disease. Stage 2: Infected person spreads the disease to family and friends and close contacts. It is still possible to trace all contacts. Stage 3: Community transmission when disease spreads in public and source of the spread cannot be traced. This is phase is marked by geographically restricted hot zones or containment areas, members of community start developing the disease. Stage 4: Disease containment fails and becomes an epidemic with growing number of infections and deaths. A total of 25 flights will be operated in and out from the Mumbai international airport beginning May 25, when domestic flights resume partial operations in the country, state minorities affairs minister Nawab Malik said on Sunday. IMAGE: Planes parked at Chhatrapati Shivaji Mahraj International Airport in Mumbai. Photograph: PTI Photo Interestingly, this statement of Malik, a senior Nationalist Congress Party leader, came hours after chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said that he had sought more time from the civil aviation ministry to restart the operations at the Mumbai international airport. Earlier in the day, state home minister Anil Deshmukh, also of the NCP, said that it was "extremely ill-advised" to reopen airports in red zone amid the coronavirus pandemic. "The Mumbai International Airport will operate 25 flights in and out on daily basis starting Monday onwards. The number of flights will be increased steadily," Malik told news channels. In an online briefing, Thackeray had said, "I spoke to civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri today and told him that the Mumbai international airport needs more time to resume its operations. "Till the time MIAL (Mumbai International Airport Limited) plans and fine-tunes the airport operations, the aviation ministry should initiate minimum possible domestic flights from Maharashtra from May 25th, which are purely emergent in nature like for international transfer of passengers, medical emergencies, students, and cases on compassionate grounds". Meanwhile, the Kolkata and Bagdogra airports in West Bengal will handle domestic services from May 28, senior government officials said. A day before resumption of domestic commercial passenger flights across India, states expressed their reluctance to deal with so many incoming passengers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, the Hyderabad airport will deal with only 30 domestic flights per day from Monday, and there will be no domestic services at the Vijaywada and the Vizag airports on Monday, they said. "Kolkata and Bagdogra will each handle only 20 flights per day from May 28 onwards," the officials said. Puri had announced resumption of domestic flight services from May 25 as part of the Centre's efforts to gradually open the air travel that was suspended nearly two months ago due to a lockdown imposed to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. We are now more than two months into self-quarantining, and the struggles common across working families in this pandemic have become clear. Our debts are rising as monthly bills eclipse our (CERB) incomes, social isolation is proving harmful to mental health, and home-schooling while home-working is justifying why teachers deserve summers off. But for one group of Canadians, the pitfalls of this uncertain time include a challenge many of us will never encounter: protecting oneself against being shoved to the ground, spat on or even suckerpunched by a right cross while waiting for the bus. I am speaking, of course, of Canadians of Chinese descent. This community has increasingly become the target of hate crimes that have spiked significantly with the spread of the coronavirus. According to the Vancouver Police Department, as of May 1, there has been seven times as many anti-Asian hate crimes reported in the city in the first five months of this year as during the same period in 2019. Earlier this week, the targeting widened to include public monuments, as the lions at the foot of Vancouvers historic Millennial Gate to Chinatown were tagged with racist graffiti. Just as social distancing works to flatten the COVID-19 curve, social proximity to people of different backgrounds tends to have the same deflating effect on the racism curve. Its fair to acknowledge that the very diverse and multicultural Canada of today is a more pluralistic and open country than its 20th century version of head taxes, discriminatory immigration policies, voting laws and residential schools. But the fact remains as evident in these recent hate crimes this social virus has never completely been eradicated. It is in periods of crisis, such as this current coronavirus spell, that our progress as a society gets stress-tested. Are we really all in it together, banging pots and pans while shouldering the burden equally? Well, clearly not. For every mask-wearing Chinese woman being assaulted on a Vancouver city street or glared at on a bus, there is an opposing story of a Karen (an Internet term for a difficult middle-aged white woman) protesting the lockdown in cities such as Toronto or Vancouver or her right to shop mask-free at some local organic grocery. Being an elderly Chinese senior can get you shoved to the ground and denied access to a Vancouver convenience store. But it seems as though being a senior Canadian rock star (such as Bryan Adams) can get you shut out of a series of gigs and inconvenienced enough to dog-whistle on Twitter about wet markets. For every coronavirus bat meme or video shared across our Whatsapp and social networks for boredom relief, there is an opposite and equal reaction as indicated by a poll (by the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice) revealing that one-in-five Canadians do not think its safe to sit next to an Asian or Chinese person on a bus if they dont have a mask. Those one-in-five Canadians likely include people of all ethnic backgrounds. There is also no shortage of Punjabi, Hindi, (and I suspect other language) memes in the Whatsapp ecosystem sharing misinformation and personal opinion about the origins of the virus. In most major Canadians cities, diversity is more an optical reality than a social one. As an immigration-based country, Canada is not a cohesive society but a patchwork of suburban and ethnic clusters that co-exist and co-habitate, but can remain distinctly separate. It is in these cracks that old stereotypes fester, new prejudices take root and misinformation spreads. And it occurs between all communities that jigsaw together to make up the Canadian mosaic. COVID-19 has strained our incomes, routines and patience and in so doing has revealed the threadbare spots in our social fabric. These are too often papered over by drab and empty political phrases such as the default go-to diversity is our strength. What COVID-19 has revealed is that our social fabric isnt a landscape as flat as the Prairies, populated by equals. It includes a vertical dimension, a hierarchy of privilege based on your ethnicity and class. And your degree of exposure to the virus whether as one of the countless immigrant frontline workers delivering your food or tending to our elderly in care homes depends on where you are situated in this order. If you are rolling your eyes at the notion race and class privileges, consider if the coronavirus had originated in Italy rather than in China. Would anyone seriously expect Canadians of Italian descent to be concerned for the safety of their elders to the same degree Chinese Canadians currently need to be? So while the most peril some of us will face during this unprecedented time is to run dangerously short of wine and Netflix serials to binge away the tedium, for other Canadians it will be avoiding being harassed or assaulted while walking down a city street, or having their storefront defaced. Its a reminder that, in this tale of not one but two Canadas, we still have work to do in flattening not one, but two curves. Jagdeesh Mann is a journalist based in Vancouver. Follow him on Twitter @JagdeeshMann. Read more about: Critics say the new law would infringe on Hong Kongs autonomy and the civil liberties of its residents. Chinas proposed national security legislation for Hong Kong could lead to US sanctions and threaten the citys status as a financial hub, the White House has said. Beijing, meanwhile, warned of a new Cold War with the United States, saying the country had been infected by a political virus compelling people there to continually attack China. The two superpowers are in a deepening war of words amid disputes over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and trade deals. It looks like with this national security law theyre going to basically take over Hong Kong and if they do Secretary [of State Mike] Pompeo will likely be unable to certify that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy. And if that happens there will be sanctions that will be imposed on Hong Kong and China, National security adviser Robert OBrien said in an interview with NBC. The statement came as the US continues to scale up its condemnation of the proposed law, with Pompeo on Friday calling Beijings plan to bypass Hong Kongs legislative processes a death knell for the territorys autonomy. The proposed bill, submitted on Friday on the opening day of Chinas largely rubber-stamp national legislative session, would forbid secessionist and subversive activity, as well as foreign interference and terrorism in Hong Kong, which rejoined mainland China from British rule in 1997 under a so-called one country, two systems agreement. Under that agreement, which is set to expire in 2047, Hong Kong maintained some autonomy, including a separate legislature and judicial system, as well as some civil liberties for its residents. The vice chairman of the National Peoples Congress has said Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, which began in June of last year and at times descended into violence, have undermined the agreement that gives Hong Kong its special status and the new legislation would help prevent any behaviour that posed potential security threats. Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a response to growing international condemnation of the move, said Hong Kong affairs were an internal matter for China, and no external interference will be tolerated. New Cold War In November last year, amid weekly protests in Hong Kong, US President Donald Trump signed into law the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which requires the State Department to certify that the city retains enough autonomy to justify favourable US trading terms, which have helped it maintain its position as a world financial centre. On Sunday, Wang accused some political forces in the US of taking China-US relations hostage and pushing our two countries to the brink of a new Cold War. The escalation of tensions intertwines with US officials condemnation of Chinas handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which first appeared in the city of Wuhan in December of last year, Wang said. US officials should focus on the outbreak in the US, which has become the hardest-hit country in the world, he added. Regretfully, in addition to the raging coronavirus, a political virus is also spreading in the United States. This political virus is using every opportunity to attack and smear China, said Wang I want to say here: Dont waste precious time any longer, and dont ignore lives. Trump and members of his administration have said China covered up the emergence of the virus late last year and bungled its initial response. Washingtons criticism has been widely seen in the US as an attempt by Trump to divert attention from the White Houses own COVID-19 failures. While American officials have suggested it may have originated in a laboratory in China, most scientists believe coronavirus jumped from animals to humans, possibly from a market in Wuhan where exotic animals were sold for meat. Pro-democracy advocates have accused Beijing of seizing on coronavirus restrictions in Hong Kong to diminish the inevitable unrest sparked by the new national security legislation. On Sunday, however, thousands again took to the streets of Hong Kong in protest, where they were met with police-fired tear gas and water cannon. China has always advocated that, as the worlds largest developing country and the largest developed country, both of us bear a major responsibility for world peace and development, said Wang. China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation, and lose from confrontation. Kochi (Kerala) [India], May 23 (ANI): A repatriation flight from Muscat, Oman, under Vande Bharat Mission, landed at Cochin International Airport on Saturday with 177 passengers. Indian Embassy in Oman said that the first leg of second phase of Vande Bharat Mission from Oman has been successfully completed. "Phase 2 (first leg) of Vande Bharat Mission from Oman successfully completed. 11 Flight 1970 Passengers 18 States and UTs of India," Indian Embassy in Oman wrote on Twitter. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said during a press conference that more than 20,000 Indian citizens have been brought back to the country under the Vande Bharat mission so far. The second phase of Vande Bharat Mission started from May 16. (ANI) (CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Assistant Secretary General in charge of Human and Social Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, Dr. Douglas Slater, told regional culture stakeholders from government and the artistic community that their input and ideas were crucial to post COVID-19 resilience. He was speaking at the beginning of the First Regional Dialogue on Culture in a COVID-19 Environment which was held virtually on Wednesday. The Region looks to you as an important stakeholder to provide it with your inputs and ideas. If there was ever a time that we need culture and creativity to address our challenges, it is now, Dr. Slater opined. He said the meeting was timely and addressed an issue that was very relevant to the Region. According to him, COVID-19 had upended almost every aspect of CARICOMs economic and social development. He said Member States had a tremendous challenge ahead in addressing the upcoming hurricane season, given existing vulnerabilities. He encouraged the representatives of the creative industries to prepare to demonstrate the importance of culture as an element in the life blood of society, noting that there was a critical role for creatives to play in the rebuilding of a resilient Caribbean Community. In his remarks, Dr. Slater also gave an overview of the actions taken by the CARICOM Secretariat since the advent of COVID-19 in December 2019. He outlined that the CARICOM Secretariat had been monitoring the development of the virus almost daily. He also disclosed that the Secretariat had been working closely with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) along with other Regional stakeholders and partners from the onset. He noted that there had also been significant engagements with the air and cruise line industries. He explained that other sectors were also engaged, through special meetings of the various regional Councils noting that COVID-19 impacted on every aspect of the Regions economic development. Some of the areas that received the attention of special meetings included agriculture, trade, education, security and health. According to Dr. Slater, the focus was on planning for worse case scenarios and the exploration of opportunities to emerge a more resilient Region. It is reasonable to say that we had astute political and technical leadership in CARICOM to handle this. The figures demonstrate this, Dr. Slater stated. He said the Region had been able to manage this first outbreak of COVID-19 well, relative to the international environment and more developed and endowed countries. We recognised very early that we have limitations in our health care systems and that we must heed the advice of our scientists and medical personnel and I want to place on record our gratitude to health care workers as well as the regional universities, he said. He also commended CARPHA and CDEMA for what he referred to as yeoman service to the Region. He revealed that a Regional Public Health Protocol was now being developed to guide the reopening of the Region. According to him, all the components may not be ideal to all Member States and he expected that some may not use it in its entirety. But the idea was to have a baseline to be used. We expect, depending on the situation in particular Member States to have some adaptation of that protocol, he said. During the meeting, participants gave an overview of the situation in their countries as it relates to culture, particularly regarding cancelled events and festivals. Several countries and regional agencies, notably the Caribbean Development Bank and Caribbean Export, indicated that stimulus packages were available or in development to assist artists and cultural workers who are facing economic challenges during this period. The meeting made a number of recommendations for follow-up action including addressing roadblocks to artists monetising online content; strengthening industry associations in all sectors across the Region; establishing content quotas to mandate the use of local music and film on national media platforms; data collection on the impact of the pandemic on the sector; analytics of on-line consumption and increased registration of artists to facilitate support. The meeting acknowledged the increased use of online platforms for performance, festivals and events and recommended that CARIFESTA XV scheduled for 2021 in Antigua and Barbuda, serve as catalyst and game changer in a new approach to presenting festivals in a mixed on and off-line format and to jump start the festival economy. There was also a call by creative practitioners for a harmonised regional incentives regime and a moratorium on duties and charges on inputs to the sector for a specified period. The meeting was attended by representatives from Ministries of Culture from 19 Member States and Associate Members, stakeholders who are industry leaders in a variety of areas, representatives of the Caribbean Development Bank, Caribbean Export and UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean, along with staff of the CARICOM Secretariat. China drew Western condemnation on Friday over plans for a national security law to quash Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement as it opened an annual congress that also laid bare the "immense" economic challenges caused by the coronavirus. The 3,000-member National People's Congress (NPC) began with a minute of silence for China's victims of the coronavirus before Premier Li Keqiang delivered his annual version of the US president's "state of the union" address. "At present, the epidemic has not yet come to an end, while the tasks we face in promoting development are immense," Li told mask-wearing delegates in Beijing's cavernous Great Hall of the People, while also touting China's success in suppressing the contagion. The pandemic forced Beijing to delay its annual parliament by two months and reduce its length to a week. Citing "great uncertainty" ahead, Li took the rare move of refraining from announcing a 2020 growth target for China's pandemic-battered economy, offering only a vague promise to address mounting joblessness and to improve living standards. - Hong Kong under siege - The most controversial move at the NPC opening was the introduction of a proposal to impose a security law in Hong Kong -- immediately denounced by Washington and pro-democracy figures in the financial hub who called it a death sentence for the territory's unique freedoms. China made clear it wanted the law passed after Hong Kong was rocked by seven months of massive and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests last year. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged China to reconsider the "disastrous proposal", saying it would "be a death knell for the high degree of autonomy Beijing promised for Hong Kong." The European Union called for "the preservation of Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy". The foreign ministers of Britain, Australia and Canada said in a joint statement they were "deeply concerned" over the proposal, saying passing such a law without the direct participation of Hong Kong's people or legislature would undermine the principle of "one country, two systems". The motion, which goes to a vote in China's rubber-stamp legislature on Thursday, would authorise Chinese lawmakers to directly enact long-delayed Hong Kong security legislation itself at a future date, rather than leaving it up to the territory's administration. The draft proposal will "guard against, stop and punish any separatism, subversion of the national regime, terrorist group activities and such behaviours that seriously harm national security". City leader Carrie Lam, who attended the session, vowed to "fully cooperate" with Beijing over the national security proposal and complete the legislation "as soon as possible". Lam said national security laws to be drafted later by the NPC seek "to punish 'Hong Kong independence' and violent political elements that seriously harm national security". An initial bid to enact such legislation in 2003 was shelved after half a million people took to the streets in protest. Wang Chen, deputy chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, told delegates Beijing must "take powerful measures to lawfully prevent, stop and punish" anti-China forces in Hong Kong. One of the proposal's articles opens the door for Beijing to increase its presence in the financial hub by allowing the central government to set up, "when needed", agencies in Hong Kong "to fulfill relevant duties to safeguard national security in accordance with the law." China's army already has a garrison in Hong Kong but soldiers have not intervened in the protests, though the city's mini-constitution authorises local officials to request military help to protect public order. "This is the end of Hong Kong, this is the end of 'One Country, Two Systems', make no mistake about it," Civic Party lawmaker Dennis Kwok told reporters, referring to China's description of the territory's status. The system gives Beijing ultimate political sway but allows liberties unseen elsewhere in China. Stocks tumbled in the city Friday on news of the security law move. President Donald Trump has promised to respond "very strongly" once details emerge, and US senators introduced legislation to impose sanctions on any entity involved in curbing Hong Kong's autonomy. Targets could include police who crack down on demonstrators, Chinese officials involved in Hong Kong policy, and banks that conduct transactions with anyone who infringes on its freedoms. - Economic uncertainty - Although infection numbers have dwindled, China is still recovering from the COVID-19 outbreak that first appeared in the central city of Wuhan late last year and spread globally. Beijing has faced accusations led by Trump it mishandled its initial response, leading to more than 330,000 deaths and economic carnage worldwide, as well as sending US-China tensions spiralling to new depths. China's economic growth shrank 6.8 percent in the first quarter because of the virus, its first contraction in decades. Li had originally been expected to announce a 2020 growth target of around six percent -- but the pandemic has scrambled expectations, leaving millions of Chinese jobless and imperilling countless businesses. Still, the government announced Friday it would increase its military budget by 6.6 percent. The budget will be set at 1.268 trillion yuan ($178 billion) for the year -- the second biggest in the world after the US but continuing a trend of slowing increases. burs-rox-lth/bfm The 3,000-member National People's Congress (NPC) began with a minute of silence for China's victims of the coronavirus Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and Premier Li Keqiang (R) arrive for the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference A medical worker takes a swab sample from a woman to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus in Wuhan, China?s central Hubei province Delegates leave after the opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing China's economic growth shrank 6.8 percent in the first quarter because of the virus, its first contraction in decades These are the times that try mens souls, Thomas Payne once said. These are also the times that can steal your sleep and stress you out. If youve been laid off, had to close a business, lost a loved one, or are just trying to stay afloat financially or emotionally in a world that seems to be crashing through new normals that are hard to handleyou might be finding it difficult to sleep. Yet these are the times you can sleep better than you ever have as you trust God wholeheartedly to provide. Yes, God wants us to be productive and to have a good work ethic. He tells us in His Word that we are not to be people who are lazy and wont put in a good days work (Proverbs 6:9-11). But if you havent been able to work (or sleep) due to circumstances beyond your control (or anyones control), you have a God who comes through for you even as you sleep. Gods Word says in the Psalms that we are wasting our time getting up before the crack of dawn and going to sleep past midnight, toiling and striving to make things happen because the God of the Universe gives to His beloved even in his sleep (Psalm 127:2, NASB). The next time you cant sleep because you think you have to work through (or worry through) the night, remember that God has a way of working it out if you just rest in Him...literally. God commands us to rest. And by trusting Him to provide, we are not only being obedient, but we can keep our bodies healthy and refreshed by getting a good nights sleep. Photo Credit: Pexels/Ivan Oboleninov Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 15:51:20|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd L) attends a press conference on China's foreign policy and foreign relations via video link on the sidelines of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua) BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The most important thing that can be learned from COVID-19 is that the life and health of people in different countries have never been so closely connected, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday. Also, it has never been made so clear that all nations live in the same global village and that humanity is in fact a community with a shared future, Wang said at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual national legislative session. The virus respects no borders or races, Wang said, adding it poses a challenge to all human beings without distinction. "Political manipulation will give the virus loopholes to exploit; a beggar-thy-neighbor approach will leave each of us more vulnerable; rejection of science will allow the virus to wreak greater havoc," Wang said. Having claimed so many precious lives, COVID-19 serves as a stark reminder that countries must rise above differences in geography, race, history, culture and social system, he noted. Wang called countries worldwide to work together for a community with a shared future and jointly preserve planet Earth, the only home all people have. Enditem Identifying virus source must be professional, impartial, constructive: FM China pursues no geopolitical goals in aid to global anti-pandemic fight British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's top aide is facing increasing pressure to resign as further allegations emerged on Sunday of him breaching the coronavirus lockdown rules. Dominic Cummings, who is Johnson's Chief Strategy Adviser at No. 10 Downing Street, on Saturday defended a 250-mile journey to his parents' home in Durham, north-east England, as reasonable and legal and the UK prime minister has so far stuck by him with Downing Street reiterating the same line. However, Johnson now faces a revolt from within his own Conservative MPs over his decision not to sack Cummings as fresh allegations emerged of the aide making repeated trips in breach of the government's stay-at-home guidance to curb the spread of the deadly virus. The Observer'and Sunday Mirror' reported that Cummings was seen in the north east of England on two more occasions, after recovering from his COVID-19 symptoms and returning to work in London. Downing Street has branded the reports as inaccurate . But backbench Tory MP and former chairman of the European Research Group (ERG) Steve Baker called for Cummings to resign. "The country can't afford this nonsense, this pantomime, Dominic should go and we should move on and deal with things that matter in people's lives," he told the BBC. Fellow Conservative MP Simon Hoare has called for Cummings to "consider his position" and Tory MP Damian Collins has said the government "would be better without him". Speaking to reporters outside his home in London on Saturday morning after the first allegation emerged related to a trip at the end of March, Cummings said he would not be resigning and had done the "right thing". On Sunday, newspapers report that witnesses saw Cummings in Barnard Castle, more than 25 miles from Durham, on April 12. Two days later, on April 14, he was seen in London. According to a witness, he was spotted again in Houghall Woods near Durham on April 19. "Yesterday the Mirror and Guardian wrote inaccurate stories about Mr Cummings. Today they are writing more inaccurate stories including claims that Mr Cummings returned to Durham after returning to work in Downing Street on 14 April, a Downing Street statement said. "We will not waste our time answering a stream of false allegations about Mr Cummings from campaigning newspapers," it said. A YouGov poll on Saturday found that 68 per cent of voters think Cummings broke the lockdown, while just 18 per cent disagreed. By a margin of 52 per cent to 28 per cent they think he should resign. Opposition parties Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party have written to Sir Mark Sedwill, the UK Cabinet Secretary, calling for an urgent inquiry into the allegations. Cummings denies a breach of the coronavirus rules, saying he needed childcare help after his wife also developed COVID-19 symptoms and they drove to Durham to stay in a separate building at his parents' property. UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps had to field questions on the issue at the daily Downing Street briefing on Saturday evening, when he insisted that Cummings had not broken the rules because of a loophole that allows people to safeguard young and old people at risk. I can tell you the PM provides Cummings with his full support, he said. The UK Cabinet has largely rallied around Cummings, with Indian-origin finance minister Rishi Sunak saying: Taking care of your wife and young child is justifiable and reasonable, trying to score political points over it isn't. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who had also tested positive for coronavirus last month, said: I know how ill coronavirus makes you. It was entirely right for Dom Cummings to find childcare for his toddler, when both he and his wife were getting ill. The government's strict social distancing guidance expects people not to travel and the advice for anyone with coronavirus symptoms remains to self-isolate at home and not leave even for essential supplies for seven days. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday came out in full support for his embattled top aide, Dominic Cummings, over an alleged breach of the country's strict coronavirus lockdown rules, as he confirmed moving the UK on to the next stage of opening up the economy, with schools set to open from June 1. Addressing the daily Downing Street briefing, Johnson opened by addressing the escalating row around his Chief Strategy Adviser's 260-mile journey from London to his parents' home in Durham in north-east England at the end of March and stressed that his aide had acted responsibly, legally and with integrity, and with the overall aim of stopping the spread of the virus and saving lives. I can tell you today I have had extensive face to face conversations with Dominic Cummings, I have concluded that in travelling to find the right kind of care at the moment when both he and his wife were about to be incapacitated by coronavirus, and when he had no alternative, I think he followed the instincts of every father. I do not mark him down for that," said Johnson. He had to field a barrage of questions from the media about the issue that has led to numerous calls from within the PM's own Conservative Party for Cummings to resign or be sacked. As far as I can see, he stuck to the rules. His objective was to prevent the spread of the virus, stressed Johnson, standing by his closest adviser. Johnson's central announcement was around the opening up of primary school classes from June 1, with secondary schools to provide some contact for students to help them prepare for exams from June 15. "In line with the approach being taken in many other countries, we want to start getting our children back into the classroom," he said, adding that the government would remain in consultation with unions and headteachers over this planned easing up of the coronavirus lockdown. While of course we realise social distancing may not be possible, especially when teaching young children, government guidance has been published that gives advice to teachers, he said. What has been branded as stage two of the UK's move out of social distancing norms, will also involve some steps towards opening up non-essential retail and more social contacts and details for that will be unveiled in coming days. We are making progress but that progress is conditional, provisional. The UK must keep the R rate [rate of infection] below one. We are beating this thing," Johnson said. According to the latest data unveiled by him, the UK's death toll from COVID-19 across hospitals and all other settings in society has now hit 36,793 with a rise of 118 over the previous day. The rate of hospitalisations with the disease has maintained a downward trend, registering an 11 per cent decline from this time last week. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Kempegowda airport at Devanahalli in Bengaluru is ready for domestic flight operations from Monday with new normal to maintain social distancing. Image Source: IANS News The Kempegowda airport at Devanahalli in Bengaluru is ready for domestic flight operations from Monday with new normal to maintain social distancing. Image Source: IANS News The Kempegowda airport at Devanahalli in Bengaluru is ready for domestic flight operations from Monday with new normal to maintain social distancing. Image Source: IANS News The Kempegowda airport at Devanahalli in Bengaluru is ready for domestic flight operations from Monday with new normal to maintain social distancing. Image Source: IANS News The Kempegowda airport at Devanahalli in Bengaluru is ready for domestic flight operations from Monday with new normal to maintain social distancing. Image Source: IANS News Bengaluru, May 24 : The Kempegowda airport at Devanahalli on the city's northern outskirts has been readied for resuming domestic flight operations from Monday, two months after all services were suspended on March 23 to contain the coronavirus spread, an official said on Sunday. "The airport is spruced up and ready to resume domestic flight services by all the airlines from Monday in compliance with the new guidelines of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Union Health Ministry," the official of the operator told IANS here. As the third busiest airport after Mumbai and New Delhi in normal times, the country's first greenfield airport under the public-private partnership has been functional even during the extended lockdown, with cargo services by domestic and international airlines and inbound/outbound evacuation flights since March-end. "As per standard operating procedure, only asymptomatic passengers who have downloaded the Arogya Setu app and booked the air ticket online will be allowed into the airport on showing an e-boarding pass or its printed version at the entrance and after thermal screening and hand washing with sanitiser, asserted the official. Wearing mask is compulsory for all through the journey. For the first time, the movement of passengers for departure from parking to boarding will be contactless to maintain physical distancing and avoid risk of touching any surface in the airport. "Even sanitiser-dispensers will be touch-free in the airport terminal. So also food and beverage service and retail sales in the departure lounge. Though the airport is geared up for full-fledged operations, the airlines will operate only one-third or 30 per cent of their capacity, as directed by the civil aviation ministry and its regulator (DGCA) for gradual reopening of the domestic service. "Passengers arriving from other cities will also be screened on landing and guided for 7-day mandatory institutional quarantine at a hotel of their choice or in designated hostels, as decided by the state government," asserted the official. The fumigated airport has also disinfection tunnels for passengers to pass through. "With emphasis on least touch and exposure between passengers and airport staff, physical contact will be minimal due to extensive use of technology," said Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) Chief Executive Hari Marar in a statement here. The CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) will verify the boarding pass and a state-issued photo ID using an electronic device or through a magnified glass screen. Door mats will be soaked with bleach at the terminal entrance to disinfect shoes or footwear. On entering the departure terminal, every passenger will scan the boarding pass at a contactless self-service kiosk, collect baggage tag before proceeding to the airline counter to drop-off his/her luggage. Passengers also have the option of using the assisted baggage drop counter to print and tag their baggage. Initially, only one-hand baggage and one checked-in luggage will be allowed, as mandated by the DGCA. At the airline bag drop counters, a transparent partition has been installed for the safety of passengers and the airline staff. "Passengers have to observe safe distance markers on the floor.AThey will scan the boarding pass on a sensor and show his/her ID for the airline staff to accept their baggage. Under the new contactless process, body scanning will be done using door frame metal detectors. Stamping of the boarding pass has been suspended by the regulator (DGCA). "At the boarding gate, the airline staff will hand over a kit containing a face mask, face shield, and sanitiser to the passenger, who must put on the new mask and sanitise hands before boarding. The passenger will scan the boarding pass on the sensor. Airline staff will do temperature screening and then permit boarding. Across the terminal bio-waste collection bins are placed so that passengers can dispose their used mask and other personal protective equipment. Oh, joy! Contact tracing is ramping up. Under the guise of concern for public health, contact tracing allows the left to continue their totalitarian advance, as the federal government leaves it up to states to develop these intrusive measures Contact tracing + tech overlords = We are tracking your every move, we know where you are, and we will deliver tyranny to your front door. Heres how it works. Lets start with Michigan. Red State reports: When a person tests positive for the Wuhan virus the state wants to begin gathering personal information not from those infected, but those in their personal orbit. Then the government will start reaching out to those individuals, compelling them to take shelter and self-quarantine. [snip] Anyone who has tested positive will be asked by officials to provide a list of all the people they had been in close contact with two days prior to them experiencing any symptoms. The citizens will be contacted and urged to self-quarantine for 2 weeks. Following this a Contact Tracer will continue to check in during this quarantine period. Whitmer noted that its critical that people answer their phone for this to work and so you can be informed that youve had contact with someone whos had contact with someone whos had contact with someones whos infected. But my guess is that if you dont answer your phone, given what weve seen these past couple of months, theyll come to your house. In the state of Washington, Governor Inslee plans to hire 1500 contact tracers to enforce state control. Until theyre hired, hell use the National Guard, among others, to fill this role. The Hill reports: In Washington, when someone tests positive for COVID-19an interviewer will reach out by phone. They will ask who that person has been in close contact with, then reach out to those other people to let them know they have been exposed. Those people would need to isolate or quarantine themselves, but there will be no enforcement. Inslee will also require restaurants, once they are allowed to reopen, to "create a daily log of customers and maintain that daily log for 30 days, including telephone/email contact information, and time in," to make it easier for contact tracers When asked about logistics, such as if people placed under immediate quarantine dont have enough food in the house, Inslee stated: We will have attached to the families a family support person who will check in with them to see what they need on a daily basis and help them. If they cant get a friend to do their grocery shopping, we will help get them groceries in some fashion. If they need pharmaceuticals to be picked up, we will make sure they get their pharmaceuticals Thats going to help encourage them to maintain their isolation too. In other words, were the government and were here to help! On the opposite coast, Massachusetts has contracted with a group to do contact tracing thats funded by Soros, Gates and that has Chelsea Clinton on the board. Well if all of this doesnt make you feel all warm and fuzzy, I dont know what would. Maybe this: Big tech is pulling out all the stops to help states implement and enforce contact tracing. Facial recognition tools. Check. Apple and Google teaming up to track your location. Check. Chinese style surveillance systems that monitor your every step and your health in order to assign a personal COVID risk score. Check. China spying on our movement. Check. This entire affair should be deeply concerning for all Americans. Among other things, its rife with potential for abuse (and thats assuming one thinks this entire ordeal is acceptable even if its not abused). Since the state wont tell you how they came to you in the first place, it would be easy to target certain individuals who we can call, for the sake of argument, enemies of the state. That aside, even if this wasnt abused (highly doubtful), its absurd. I have a radical idea to propose and Im not even an expert! How about we protect the most vulnerable in nursing homes something most blue state governors failed to do? How about we let those in vulnerable demographics take responsibility for their level of risk? And how about we let everyone else go about their daily lives? Opening up the economy wont solve this deeper problem of fascists on the move infiltrating every aspect of our lives. Civil disobedience may be our only way out a topic for another day. Image credit: Free SVG Click here to read the full article. Supported by the Tribeca Film Institute, winner of the IFF Panamas Primera Mirada pix-in-post showcase and selected for Cannes Film Market last year before world premiering at Januarys Rotterdam Film Festival, Ana Elena Tejeras Panquiaco opened this years IFF Panama festival on Wednesday. That marks further recognition for a hybrid documentary-fiction film which talks about belonging and plumbs community life in an indigenous village in Panamas Guna Yala region, poetically tracking the journey of 67-year old Cebaldo, who lives in Portugal but returns to his village in Panama which he left as a young man. More from Variety The film also explores the link between his character and indigenous tribesman Panquiaco, who showed Spanish conquistador Vasco Nunez de Balboa a way from the Caribbean to the Pacific Ocean. Produced by Tejera, Maria Isabel Burnes (Too Much Productions) and Tomas Cortes-Rosselot (Cine Animal), Panquiaco will also open Frames of Representation at Londons Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). Tejera is pursuing an artistic residency at Le Fresnoy in France. In April she returned to Panama for the IFF Panama Festival and has remained there due to the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic also stymied an on-site edition of IFF Panama, which has been transformed into a five-day online festival, running May 22-26, including film screenings and round tables. Interviewed by Variety, Tejera talked about her inspirations for the film and her current project, a short film featuring her grandmother. How has Panquiaco been received so far? Obviously this is an exceptional year because of COVID-19. The reception at Rotterdam was wonderful, with full sessions and a good critical response. We have been invited to several other important festivals, including HotDocs, and we will be the opening film in Frames of Representation of the Institute of Contemporary Art in London. It is due to premiere in Portugal at the end of this year. It is great to be the opening film at IFF Panama. Story continues Panquiaco has a very distinctive aesthetic approach, how would you describe it? Since the movies premiere we have received comments about the new narrative style from Central America. I am not interested in using labels such as fiction, documentary or essay. My own background is linked to psychology, working as an actress and in performance art. I aim to make films that are more like performances. Im interested in conflicts that are rooted in real-life contexts, but are then sensed through the body and lead to a transformative experience that is shared with the audience. I like what Marina Abramovich said about the difference between theatre and performance: In theatre, the knifes not real, the blood is not real. In performance its real. What have you learned from making Panquiaco? It transformed me in a powerful way . I feel very involved in performance art, where I can work with my own subject matter, with my own conflicts and thats how I feel that I work in cinema. Cinema helps me heal, remember and understand my relationship with myself and with my environment. Panquiaco, without being literal, speaks about my inner world, my conflict of belonging, that connects me with Cebaldo. We both have the same conflict, despite our differences in age and gender and Panquiaco was the way to do work through that in a performance. I learned from the indigenous peoples how to live in the present and have a relationship of respect with all living beings. This transformed me and made me think that belonging is more transcendental than an emotion of a single life or a single being. The community where we filmed has a powerful relationship with rocks, animals and plants. We filmed their rituals and tried to capture the feelings from the inside, not as ethnographic observers. I learned a lot from my cinematographer Mateo Guzman who is from Colombia and who worked on Cesar Acevedos [Cannes best first feature and Critics Week winner] Land and Shade. Im also inspired by Portugals Pedro Costa. Tell us a bit about your new project. At my artistic residency in Fresnoy, Im preparing a short film about my family, in particular my grandmother, who acts in the film. The entire film is conceived as a performance. I take the story of my grandmother, who grew up in the military dictatorship in Panama and effectively lived in a domestic dictatorship at home. I was born in 1990, a few months after the end of the regime run by a military junta. In my country the dictatorship has been an unspoken and under-investigated subject, I only really began to understand the dictatorship through restoring film archives. At the same time I didnt know about the story of my own family and my grandfather who was a soldier. Through the film I confronted my familys past and how the influence of a countrys dictatorship could be dictatorship in a house. What I have learned from this new project is that we need more than one life to cure past suffering. It takes at least three generations to heal the scars of the dictatorship. Has your view of Panama changed from making these projects? My relationship with the country is changing all the time. Panama is a place that unites two waters, and at the same time separates them, the place that was divided by the U.S into a Canal Zone. Panamas history is full of divisions, miscegenation and contradictions. Contradiction is everything, light and darkness, thats why in my work I explore memory as something that is diffuse living as a sensation that strengthens the soul and at the same time ceases to exist. This ephemeral and at the same time strong sensation, is a beautiful state of being, it is what makes us more vulnerable and I feel that it is Panama, pure vulnerability. What was it like to have the online Panamanian premiere of your film at IFF Panama? The online premiere in Panama, the country where Panquiaco was born, was an experience, it felt almost like Cebaldos conflict: a nostalgia for the past. In our case, we long for physical festivals where we can share with our community. Now things are different, we need to find new ways and forms to connect. However, within this contradiction I feel something beautiful. I have noticed that the quarantine has created a vulnerable environment for watching cinema. Now that we have slow lives, with time to reflect, I noticed that audiences are more open to this type of films. In our new reality, we can spend hours watching the water boil and give space and time to understand what happens in our internal world. Now life has been transformed into what is called slow cinema, auteur cinema and experimental cinema and this is very beautiful! Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. New Delhi : A Panama-based shipping company and its two Qatar-based sister concerns were today directed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to pay up Rs 100 crore as damages for causing an oil spill when a cargo vessel sank off Mumbai coast in 2011, damaging marine ecology. While asking the three companies to pay Rs 100 crore as environmental compensation (EC) to the Ministry of Shipping, a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar also ordered Gujarat-based Adani Enterprises Ltd to pay Rs five crore as EC for dumping in the seabed 60054 MT coal, being carried by the ship M V RAK, and polluting the marine environment. The tribunal asked Republic of Panama's Delta Shipping Marine Services SA, Qatar-based Delta Navigation WLL and Delta Group International to pay Rs 100 crore to the Ministry, observing that reports showed that the documents in favour of the ship were issued in a biased manner and the vessel was "not seaworthy", right from the inception of its voyage. It also held the respondents to be defaulting entities which had adopted the "most careless and reckless attitude" in protecting the marine environment. "We are of the considered view that determined damages of Rs 100 crore should be paid by and recovered from respondents number 5, 7 and 11, jointly and severally while respondent number 6 is held liable to pay Rs 5 crore as environmental compensation for dumping of the cargo in the sea and then failing to take any precautionary or preventive measures. "The consignment of 60054 MT of coal has caused marine pollution and continues to be a cause and concern for environmental pollution. The respondents are defaulting entities which have not complied with law and have adopted a most careless and reckless attitude in relation to protecting the marine environment," the bench, also comprising Judicial Member U D Salvi, Expert Members A R Yousuf and Ranjan Chatterjee, said in its 223-page judgement. The tribunal constituted a committee to look into various aspects, including to study and report to it within a month on whether removal of the ship wreck and cargo from its present location should be directed as per global conventions and in the interest of marine environment. NGT passed the verdict on a petition filed by Samir Mehta, a Mumbai-based environmentalist, who had sought compensation for damages caused to the marine ecology due to the oil spill. The ship, which was sailing from Indonesia to Dahej in Gujarat, sank 20 nautical miles off the South Mumbai coast in the Arabian Sea on August 4, 2011. The vessel was owned by Delta Shipping Marine Services SA while Delta Navigation WLL and Delta Group International were responsible for its voyage. The ship was also carrying more than 60,000 metric tonnes of coal for Adani Enterprises Ltd thermal power plant in Gujarat besides containing 290 tonnes of fuel oil and 50 tonnes of diesel. The bench said it was "a clear case where negligence is attributable to the four firms" and added that it was not a case of sinking of a ship by "accident simpliciter". "But it is a case where element of mens rea can be traced from the unfolding of the events that finally led to the sinking of the ship on August 4, 2011. Non-rendering of requisite help by the ship owner and other persons interested and responsible, to the Master of the ship, despite the fact that they had complete knowledge about the status of the ship prior to the occurrence of the incident on August 4, 2011... "The ship had developed mechanical and technical snags at Colombo and Singapore and the Master of the ship had asked for help there during its onward journey. There is nothing on record to show that ship owner and other respondents provided timely assistance to the Master of the ship," it said. The bench said "on the true and purposive construction of the International Conventions and the statutory provisions afore-referred, no party from any country in the world has the right/privilege to sail an unseaworthy ship to the Contiguous and Exclusive Economic Zone of India and in any event to dump the same in such waters, causing marine pollution, damage or degradation thereof." It said the ship and its cargo should be removed by the four companies or they shall get it removed within six months from the date of submission of report of the committee, consituted by it, before the tribunal. "The liabilities to pay environmental compensation as aforedirected are on account of and subject to adjustments, after the submission of the final report by the Committee," it added. A year before this oil spill off the Mumbai coast, another such accident had occured in the Gulf of Mexico when an oil rig 'Deepwater Horizon' had exploded, leading to sea- floor oil gushing out for 87 days till it was capped. Eleven people had gone missing in what is considered to be the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. In July 2015, after a long legal battle, BP, formerly known as British Petroleum which owned the rig, agreed to pay USD 18.7 billion in fines, the largest corporate settlement in US history so far. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. These are troubled times unlike our nation has ever experienced. To be honest, I never imagined waking up each morning to hear the number of deaths domestically and abroad. It is disheartening. It is horrible. It is frightening. The cause is the deadly novel coronavirus (COVID-19). No public sector has been spared. I arrived at Claflin University last August to begin my tenure as the ninth president in the universitys illustrious history, following in the footsteps of an exceptional and transformative leader, Dr. Henry N. Tisdale. I knew full well that the gauntlet had been tossed to me and I accepted it without trepidation because there is a uniqueness about the Claflin family. I inherited a flourishing institution due in part to a unified effort to pursue and achieve academic excellence. In the midst of COVID-19, our resolve is being tested here at Claflin as well as across the spectrum of higher education. Students are expecting us to win the battle against the coronavirus, and we cannot let them down. Thats why at Claflin we have been in the trenches to plan our future course of action. I have appointed a task force to consider options for reopening Claflin in the fall. The task force will leave no stone unturned in its deliberations to recommend the best course forward for Claflin. This will include class size, course offerings and, most important, the financial impact to the university on whatever the decision will be. We aim to announce the decision later this month. I am empathetic to the loss of loved ones due to the pandemic. Family life as we know it has been shattered and disrupted. The devastation of job losses is expected to have a cumulative impact on the universitys enrollment going forward. Nevertheless, our enrollment management team has been working extremely hard to get us where we need to in the fall. The numbers are promising but nothing can be taken for granted as health officials predict a second wave of COVID-19 cases in the fall. We are also working to strengthen and enhance the universitys technology infrastructure in the event we must go fully online in a continuation of our response after the governor declared a statewide emergency. It was a challenging development but Claflin was prepared, having entered the online environment six years ago. That proved invaluable at a critical juncture in the academic year. We have listened to our students and their strong desire to have the campus reopened in the fall. They should know that the university will do everything within its power to return to face-to-face instruction and campus living. The university, however, will follow guidelines from the CDC, DHEC and other health officials to ensure the campus is a safe environment for everyone. I am cautiously optimistic about the future, but it is clear that our decision will be based on what is best for Claflin University and the students we serve. Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack is president of Claflin University. From smart police helmets to research labs, the novel coronavirus has given Dubai an opportunity to test its technological and scientific clout as it shapes its approach to the pandemic. A key part of the glitzy Gulf emirate's fight is its COVID-19 Command and Control Centre, set up to coordinate the efforts of Dubai's doctors, epidemiologists and other professionals. It is hosted within the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) in Dubai's Healthcare City, also home to state-of-the-art hospitals, labs and research centres. "For several years, Dubai has endeavoured to put in place solid digital infrastructure, and this has contributed to the fight against the coronavirus", said Amer Sharif, who heads the multidisciplinary centre. It was established at the start of the health crisis by Dubai Crown Prince and social media star Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum. In one room, young mask-wearing men and women sit at carefully separated desks crunching data on laptops and coordinating with workers on the ground. The initiative includes a scientific team whose role is "to stay abreast of the latest advances in research and scientific evidence, both in the country and elsewhere in the world", team head Alawi Alsheikh-Ali told AFP. - 'Data and science' - The United Arab Emirates has carried out more than 1.6 million coronavirus tests, and has officially declared over 28,700 infections, including 244 deaths. This high-tech approach, Sharif said, including "the complete digitisation of the health system", has prevented a greater spread of the virus and made the lockdown easier. Tom Loney, associate professor of public health and epidemiology at MBRU, said the coronavirus was an opportunity for Dubai to put its capabilities to the test. "It's the ability to react, to make quick decisions based on data and science" that sets Dubai apart, said Loney, who is also an adviser to authorities in the city-state. According to him decisions were made by order of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, whose portrait is featured on the MBRU building. Dubai is one of seven emirates in the UAE, a key Gulf state with big technological and scientific ambitions. The emirate lacks the oil wealth of its neighbours, but has the most diversified economy in the Gulf, building a reputation as a financial, commercial and tourism hub. The UAE sent an astronaut into space last year, and in July is set to launch the first Arab probe towards Mars, a project sponsored by the emir of Dubai. - 'Own model' - Many tech options were already at Dubai's fingertips when the pandemic struck, and the emirate was quick at putting its technology to a variety of uses during the virus crisis. Police wear smart helmets that take the temperature of passers-by while laboratories make protective masks using 3D printers. When a night-time curfew begins, Dubai residents -- 90 percent of whom are expats -- receive a reminder message on their mobile phone in Arabic, English or other languages. The UAE has regularly announced research advances into the COVID-19 illness, developing several apps to help manage the pandemic. One of them, Alhosn, which the government has encouraged residents to download, helps track people who are infected with the virus or who may have come in close contact with confirmed cases. But the use of technology to fight the pandemic has raised concern across the world over government surveillance and privacy risks. Tech experts and the media have highlighted this issue in the UAE, where some foreign websites and applications are already blocked. But Sharif pushed back against scepticism. "Dubai and the Emirates respect privacy, whether it is a question of patient records or smart applications", he said. The emirate was creating its "own model" of responding to the health crisis, Sharif added, though authorities were also looking at countries such as South Korea, seen as a positive policy response to the crisis. "We must follow the developments... but also add to them," he said. 24.05.2020 LISTEN The Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has been elected to serve on the Executive Board of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The 34-member Executive Board is composed of technically qualified members who were elected to serve a three-year term. The Board is tasked with the functions of implementing the decisions and policies of the Health Assembly, advise and generally facilitate the work of the Assembly. The Director-General of the WHO, Dr. Tredos Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated Dr. Harsh Vardhan the new Chair of the Executive Board, his Vice Chairs persons, and the Executive Board members, and pledged to work with them. The annual Board meeting is held in January when the members agree upon the agenda for the World Health Assembly and the resolutions to be considered by the Health Assembly. A second shorter meeting takes place in May, as a follow-up to the Health Assembly. ---citinewsroom Harvard Professor and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker, in his excellent book, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, elaborates on the indescribable cruelty of the pre-modern world as compared to the blessedly safe world in which we live. One of his examples of pre-modern cruelty is the Bible. He misses that the Bible, although a product of its time, was crafting an ethos that led to our world of less violence. Last week, Pinker again put his ignorance about Christianity on display in a since-deleted post about Republicans who want to end the lockdown. The genesis for Pinkers tweet was Gary Abernathys column in the Washington Post, Whats really behind Republicans wanting a swift reopening? Evangelicals. Abernathy does not believe that either the fear of economic collapse and the resulting despair or a genuine belief in constitutional liberty inspires Republicans to argue for the end of the lockdown. He argues that its the Christians God problem that makes them callous about death: The National Association of Evangelicals has identified four statements that it says define evangelicals, the last of which is most pertinent for this discussion: Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive Gods free gift of eternal salvation. This literal belief in eternal salvation eternal life helps explain the different reactions to life-threatening events like a coronavirus outbreak. [snip] The coronavirus? Christian fundamentalism is often fatalistic. As far as many evangelicals are concerned, life passes quickly, suffering is temporary and worrying solves nothing. Thats not a view that comports well with long stretches of earthly time spent waiting out business closures or stay-at-home orders. It should be no surprise that a persons deepest beliefs about the world influence how they measure the risks theyre willing to take. Pinker thought Abernathy was right. But while Abernathy purports to take a scholarly approach, Pinker added a genuinely nasty note in a since-deleted tweet: Belief in an afterlife is a malignant delusion, since it devalues actual lives and discourages action that would make them longer, safer, and happier. Exhibit A: Whats really behind Republicans wanting a swift reopening? Evangelicals. https://t.co/ppo2bwiVGn Steven Pinker (@sapinker) May 21, 2020 Pinker misreads the Judeo-Christian doctrine, which is all about life. It is the atheism that Pinker prefers that is the death cult. The Bible emerged from a world in which death was omnipresent. It wasnt just that accidents and diseases were unstoppable and unfixable. Instead, as Pinker noted in The Better Angels of Our Nature, human cruelty in the ancient world was staggering. Power was the only thing that gave value to a persons life. The Bible was different. While the ancient Bible has stories of randomly inflicted human suffering (e.g., the story of Dinah), the message that breathes through it is that life is precious. To the extent that man is made in Gods image, each individual has value. In Deuteronomy 30:19, God explicitly charges the Jews to choose life. The Binding of Isaac ends human sacrifice amongst the Jews. Later, Christs willingness to die for the world ultimately ended all human sacrifice. Because of these Biblical injunctions, Christians are life-affirming people (hence their opposition to abortion). While their faith leaves them more sanguine about death than the atheist is, they choose life. Thats why theres a difference between Evangelical survivalists, who prepare for the worlds end, and the Shia Muslims in Iran who believe they are obligated to bring about the worlds end. Atheists, of course, are not sanguine about death at least, about their own deaths because death is a frightening nothingness. That makes them fearful in a way that Evangelical Christians are not. Atheists also have no moral high ground when it comes to death, for they are a death cult. Even as they weep for convicted killers on death row, they demand the endless slaughter of babies. Their lack of reverence for human life stems in significant part from their Nature worship. Nature is unfeeling. Nature does not care that the lion, rather than lying down with the sweet lamb, eats it. Nature does not care that a drought can starve countries or that an earthquake can level kingdoms. Nature simply is. Its a relentless, unfair force in which each living species prime directive is to cling to life in whatever way possible. Religion tempers that prime directive with morality. Marxism tempers that prime directive with raw power and selfishness. Thats how you end up with a large segment of the American population arguing that its entirely moral to kill a human life for someone elses convenience an argument that sounds remarkably like the Nazi justification for the gas chambers. After all, once you decide that certain lives in the abstract are valueless, its as easy to kill them as it is to stomp a termite. So when Pinker talks about a malignant belief that leads to death, hes looking in the wrong direction. The Peoples Republic of China has never faced as dire an image problem as it currently does. Covid-19 has suddenly woken up much of the world to the threat that the Chinese regime poses to humanity. And its high time, since it has been taking the world for a ride for far too long. Three factors have led to the unmasking of China. One, supreme leader Xi Jinping began disregarding Deng Xiaopings wily advice to hide your capacities and bide your time; maintain a low profile; and never claim leadership", because he perhaps believed that the shi was upon himthat mystical alignment of the forces of history that Chinese leaders since ancient times have waited for to make momentous moves. Two, a blunt instrument called Donald Trump came to power in the US. And three, a virus jumped from bat to man. Today, despite initial furious opposition from China, 116 countries have passed a motion for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus epidemic. The World Health Organizations (WHO) reputation has taken a beating. We have all seen the circumstantial evidence that suggests that the WHO, under Chinese pressure, soft-pedalled the crisis till it had no option but to sound the alarm. But consider this: Xis wife Peng Liyuan is one of the WHOs goodwill ambassadors". A singer-superstar entirely created by the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), she now holds the rank of major general in the PLA. The way Chinas response to the worlds accusations has evolved over the last couple of months has been quite revelatory. First came its vociferous denials, and when that did not work, the country tried to present itself as a noble global health player. Unfortunately, many of the testing kits it supplied to Europe proved to be faulty. It also came to light that Chinese state-backed companies had started stockpiling medical suppliessurgical masks, thermometers, antibacterial wipes, gloves, hand sanitizersquietly from many countries soon after Wuhan was struck by the virus and the world was still in the dark about the seriousness of the threat. When Trump started talking about the Chinese virus", China tried to spread a rumour that the pathogen had actually been planted in China by the US. This didnt stick, except perhaps with the worlds remaining communists and, to use MAD magazines immortal phrase, the usual bunch of idiots". It has now begun resorting to naked intimidation. For instance, since Australia has been one of the prime movers of the call for the investigation, Beijing banned beef imports from four Australian producers, imposed 80% tariffs on Australian barley, and is now threatening to take similar action on the countrys wine and dairy products. Chinese state mouthpiece Global Times plumbed new depths when, in an editorial, it quoted an unnamed Weibo (the Chinese equivalent of Twitter) user likening Australia to a giant kangaroo that serves as a dog of the US". Scanning the headlines of Global Times editorials over the past month is both educative and entertaining. Heres an assortment in ascending chronological order: China rectifies death toll based on facts, unaffected by Western noise", (German newspaper) Bild editor sells soul attacking Chinas virus record", (US secretary of state Mike) Pompeo betrays Christianity with lies" (my personal favourite), To safeguard national security, it is time for China to build up nuclear deterrent", Its US that fears probe on virus origin". On 19 May, it carried an editorial headlined Indias attempt to replace China (in the global industrial supply chain) is self-righteous", whatever that means. The piece goes on to say: Fundamentally speaking, Indias indulgence in its manufacturing prosperity illusion is partly derived from a rise in nationalism at home." Clearly, Chinas vast talent pool finds it easier to master artificial intelligence than the English language. Meanwhile, Chinese troops have escalated tensions at the Sino-Indian border in Ladakh and north Sikkim. And Nepals communist Prime Minister K.P. Oli, on what seems like Beijings instigation, has redrawn the countrys map to claim some Indian territory. But the Narendra Modi government has never suffered from any illusions about the Chinese menace to Indias interests and ambitions. It refused to join the Belt and Road Initiative. During the Doklam stand-off of 2017, it stayed resolute on the ground and civil in its diplomacy, and gave no quarter. Suddenly, we now see China flailing about, oscillating between whining, petulant posturing and outright bullying. The image it has tried so cleverly to build for decadesresponsible global player, reliable trade partnerhas been blown to pieces. Beijing has been revealed as a muscled-up Uriah Heep, a duplicitous and malevolent regime. Though I always found it incredible that any intelligent observer could have ever believed otherwise, one hopes that good sense will prevail now. If that happens, it could be a very significant positive effect of the covid epidemic. But not, sadly, for the Chinese people. Having lost face out in the world, Xi may turn even more repressive at home. Sandipan Deb is former editor of Financial Express, and founder-editor of Open and Swarajya magazines Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's senior aid Dominic Cummings Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now. Reports that Dominic Cummings made a second trip to Durham during the coronavirus lockdown are completely untrue, transport secretary Grant Shapps has said. Defending Boris Johnsons top aide following a second day of allegations he broke the rules, the cabinet minister claimed reports in the Mirror claiming Cummings returned to the north east were inaccurate. His interview comes amid intensifying pressure for the prime minister to sack Cummings, and after Durham Police issued a fresh statement last night contradicting Number 10 claims officers did not contact Cummings household. Cummings was diagnosed with Covid-19, but travelled 260 miles to stay with family. Downing Street claimed this was so the adviser could get help with childcare. But new claims emerged on Saturday that Cummings returned to the region and visited the small town of Barnard Castle. Pressed on the string of allegations piling up about Cummings flouting of lockdown rules while millions of families were told to stay at home, Shapps told Sky News Sophy Ridge: I think there are more stories today that Im seeing that he travelled backwards and forwards, accusations he then went back up to Durham again further times I understand it is completely untrue. When he came back to London, which was on April 14 I see, he has remained in London since and hasnt been back to Durham. There are all kinds of things that are being said here that are completely untrue. "I don't have the details of that journey" says @grantshapps@SophyRidgeSky "We put the questions out there on social media in the hope that you might be able to find out the answers to them and you're coming on the programme and saying you don't know them. Why not?"#Ridgepic.twitter.com/uyUm2bY7Bq Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) May 24, 2020 Shapps admitted he did not know... Continue reading on HuffPost SEBEWAING Going above and beyond is not unusual for Steve Repkie of Sebewaing. He works as a police officer, and has worked as an EMT, a firefighter and a board of education member. That was until he met a foe that put him in the fight of his life stage 4 throat cancer a few years ago. With more than three dozen doses of radiation as well as chemotherapy, he battled his way back and returned to work. While he was battling cancer, he drew strength from his favorite character, Captain America. He often used that superheros image to give him strength to keep going, and when he provided updates on his progress, they would often include a Captain America image. He has been in remission for about two years. It took awhile, but he was finally able to return to work full time until the coronavirus pandemic put him on the sidelines because of his compromised immune system. I got benched," Repkie said. "They didnt want me out there with my health history. He worked full-time as a law enforcement officer for the Caro Police Department, as well as part-time for the Sebewaing Police Department and the Unionville Police Department. However, his forced time off didnt last long. I had been benched, but I couldnt continue to watch from the sidelines," he said. "Im not wired for that. I requested to be put back on the street. I could not, in good conscience, watch my fellow officers and other essential workers go out there every day and face this. I know Im at risk because of the cancer. I also know that I worked my butt off to get back to being a police officer after stage 4 cancer. I did it to prove to myself that I could still do the job, not sit on the bench and watch others do the job I love. In returning to work, he once again drew on the motto, Strength and Honor, as well as a face mask to protect him made by fellow cancer survivor Katie Wood Skelton. The face mask has the Captain American logo on it. Repkie pointed to his wife, Carolyn, who is also on the frontlines fighting the pandemic. My wife is a registered nurse," he said. "She goes in to the hospital each day. Because that is what she does." Although Repkie has been a police officer for 36 years, it was not his first career choice. He originally wanted to be an architect because he loved to draw. When he started taking classes, he realized being architect is much more than just drawing cool buildings. It had a lot of math involved and I was never very good at math. The course curriculum had math classes with titles I could barely pronounce, Repkie said noting he had to do a career goal reset. I checked the college courses and the one with the least amount of math was criminal justice/law enforcement, he said. After graduation, he went west where he worked in a good sized municipal police department for a number of years and then to a small sheriff's department. There, I was undersheriff for a couple of years," he said. "I worked traffic crash investigation, was in SWAT (special weapons and tactics), K-9 and field training officer as well as some other areas. The best was K-9. Out west I also trained as a EMT and worked with two county ambulance services. He also spent 20 years on a school board in Tuscola County and served as a firefighter on two fire departments as well. Repkie is also an active member in Skeltons Facebook page Virus Spirit 2020, which has about 1,800 members. He is a guest reading stories on the Facebook page to children to help keep them entertained during isolation. Repkie has two children, four step children and a 6-year old grandson. New Delhi, May 24 : Taking on the Uttar Pradesh government for filing scores of cases against its leaders, the Congress on Sunday alleged that it is being done to harass its leaders in various districts of the state. The Congress said that cases have been filed against its state Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu and even an aide of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sandeep Singh. Rejecting the charge of confrontational politics, Congress leader Rajeev Shukla, while addressing a press conference here, said, "There is no confrontation with the state government and our only intent was to help the migrants and the Congress is not doing any politics". The Congress slammed the UP government for registering cases against lts leaders and said that even on Sunday, cases have been filed against its leaders in Prayagraj. Congress legislature party leader Aradhana Misra slammed Mayawati for blaming the party for the migrant crisis. Misra said, "Congress is out of power from the state since 1989, and all the state PSU and industries have been sold by Mayawati during her four terms as chief minister". Congress leaders in the press conference said they are not afraid of cases, "but these cases are being registered for helping the poor". Pankaj Malik, against whom a case has been registered for bringing buses to Noida, said, "We are not afraid of any case, we will fight it out." The Congress asserted that it did not give wrong numbers of buses and will prove it in the court and alleged that state president Ajay Kumar Lallu is mentally harassed in jail. NIGERIA: 19-year-old girl, Margaret Adiya Ikumu, who resides in Lagos, has recounted how she feigned her own death on social media just to escape financial pressure from her mother. Spokesperson of the Lagos state police command, Bala Elkana, said the news of her death was subsequently posted on social media which led the family to petition the command. In a statement released today May 24th, Bala said the command on May 15, received a petition signed by one Tony Iji on behalf of Margaret's family that their attention was drawn to a post on Facebook stating that Margaret died a few days ago and was secretly buried by two of her friends, Marvelous Mary and Nneka Buddy at Ajah area. The family further stated that they were able to establish contact with the said friends who confirmed to them that their daughter had died. In the course of the investigation, the police discovered that Magaret was actually alive, and simply fakedher death because of her mother's financial demands. ''They told the police that the friends informed them that they were instructed by Margaret not to allow members of her family to know anything about her death and that they were authorized by Margaret to secretly bury her. To make them believe that the girl is dead, they sent WhatsApp chats to a member of the girls family with picture of a casket showing that the girl is buried. The known phone number of the girl was permanently switched off. The family also got in touch with a man on phone who claimed to be her boyfriend. He corroborated the claim that she is dead.'' the statement read Margaret who was working as a housemaid in an estate at Ajah, was reported to the police by her employer. According to the police, she is angry with her mother and uncles, over their inability to sponsor her education. When her employer saw the report of her purported death, they quickly informed the Police and she was brought to Ajah Police Station. In her statement, she confessed to having created the Facebook account and posted her obituary with intent to keep her family away from her. She said her mother was putting financial pressure on her, constantly demanding that she send money to her. The girl is apparently bitter with her mother and uncles, over their inability to sponsor her education after the death of her father. Her sojourn to Lagos is to work, save some money and return to school. She admitted using her employer's daughters photograph Dr Nimechi Ugorji (without her knowledge) in the fictitious Facebook account she created, as profile picture. After posting the obituary notice on the account, her Uncle downloaded the profile picture and reposted, calling on members of the public who know the person on the photograph to report to the nearest Police Station'' the statement read. He added that Investigation is ongoing. Source: LIB 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>> President Donald Trump and his GOP allies are misrepresenting the facts behind the legal case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn as they seek to allege improper behavior during the Obama administration in the presidential campaign season. Broadly dubbing his allegations Obamagate, Trump points to unspecified conspiracies against himself in 2016 and suggests the disclosure of Flynns name as part of legal U.S. surveillance of foreign targets was criminal and motivated by partisan politics. Theres no evidence of that. In fact, the so-called unmasking of Americans names like Flynns is legal. Over the weekend, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro also alleged without evidence corruption involving Democratic presidential candidate Joe Bidens son, Hunter, in China. And in an interview re-aired Sunday, Trump mischaracterized messages between FBI employees to suggest a post-2016 election plot to get him. Meanwhile, Trump continued to spread falsehoods about the availability of tests needed to help stem the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. and exaggerated the scope of his travel restrictions on China. A look at the recent political rhetoric and reality: FLYNN TRUMP: OBAMAGATE! tweet Saturday. TRUMP: Biggest political crime and scandal in the history of the USA. tweet Thursday. THE FACTS: Hes making an unsupported claim that former President Barack Obama broke the law. Trump and his supporters have made the unmasking of Flynn one of their major talking points, claiming that it proves the Obama administration unfairly and illegally targeted Flynn and other Trump associates. But there is nothing illegal about unmasking. The declassified document also states that the unmasking requests were approved through the National Security Agencys standard process. This past week, when Trump was asked by reporters to define Obamas criminal offense in the alleged Obamagate, Trump failed to articulate one. You know what the crime is, he said last Monday. The crime is very obvious to everybody. All you have to do is read the newspapers, except yours. During routine surveillance of foreign targets, names of Americans occasionally come up in conversation, either because the foreigner is talking to or about them. For privacy reasons, those names are generally concealed, or masked, before the intelligence is distributed to administration officials. U.S. officials can ask the agency that collected the intelligence to unmask the name if they think it is vital to understanding the intelligence. While Trump casts unmasking as sinister, the number of identities unmasked in response to such requests has actually increased during the first years of the Trump administration from the final year of the Obama administration. ___ SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee: The unmasking of General Flynn by the Obama Administration regarding conversations during the presidential transition are deeply troubling and smell of politics, not national security. statement Wednesday. THE FACTS: There is nothing from newly released material that suggests the unmasking requests were rooted in politics rather than national security. There were indeed multiple Obama administration officials, including then-Vice President Biden, who asked the NSA to disclose the name of an American whose identity was concealed in intelligence reports. That American was revealed to be Flynn. But theres nothing inherently unusual about the requests, and the documents released by the Trump administration say the people who made the requests were authorized to receive the underlying intelligence reports. ___ SEN. RAND PAUL, R-KY: But it should be and is illegal to listen to an Americans conversation. And its even worse if youre listening to an American who just happens to be your political opponent from the opposite party. interview Wednesday on Fox News Channel. THE FACTS: It is not illegal to listen to an Americans conversations, and law enforcement officials do it routinely with a warrant or court order. But in any event, thats not what happened here. No one was listening intentionally to an Americans conversation. Instead, U.S. officials learned of the conversations that involved or mentioned Flynn during surveillance of foreign targets. ___ TRUMP, addressing the criminal case against Flynn that Trumps Justice Department is now seeking to drop: This was all Obama, this was all Biden. These people were corrupt, the whole thing was corrupt, and we caught them. interview Thursday on Fox Business Network. THE FACTS: Hes suggesting partisan politics by the Obama administration were completely behind Flynns investigation. Thats incorrect. It is true that the counterintelligence investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, and into Russia in particular, began during the Obama administration. But it continued well into Trumps own administration. The investigation into Flynn was taken over by a special counsel who was appointed by Rod Rosenstein, Trumps own deputy attorney general. ___ OBAMAGATE NAVARRO: Joe Biden has got 40 years of sucking up to the Chinese, including the eight years as vice president. And we know about the billion dollars that his son took from the Chinese. interview Sunday on ABCs This Week. TRUMP: Worst of all, was the last eight years under President Obama and Biden, where his son gets a billion and a half dollars, and then theyre supposed to be tough on China. And he walked out of China with $1.5 billion dollars to invest for them, of which he makes hundreds of thousands and actually millions of dollars. Fox interview Thursday. THE FACTS: Theres no evidence Hunter Biden pocketed $1.5 billion from China. More generally, accusations of criminal wrongdoing by father or son are unsubstantiated. In 2014, an investment fund started by Hunter Biden and other investors joined with foreign and Chinese private equity firms in an effort to raise $1.5 billion to invest outside China. Thats far from giving Hunter Biden such a sum, as Trump describes it. Hunter Bidens lawyer, George Mesires, wrote in an internet post last year that his client was an unpaid director of the fund at the time based on his interest in seeking ways to bring Chinese capital to international markets. He has not received any return on his investment, Mesires said. Hunter Biden stepped down from the Chinese board last October as part of a pledge not to work on behalf of any foreign-owned companies should his father win the presidency. ___ TRUMP: So even before I got elected, you remember the famous the two lovers, right, Strzok and Page, the insurance policy, shes going to win, but just in case she doesnt we have an insurance policy. That means that if I won, theyre going to try and take me out. Fox interview Thursday, which re-aired Sunday. THE FACTS: There was no conspiracy afoot to take out Trump in the 2016 text message between two FBI employees. Trump depicts the two as referring to a plot or insurance policy to oust him from office if he won the presidential election over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Its apparent from the text that it wasnt that. Agent Peter Strzok and lawyer Lisa Page, both now gone from the bureau, said the text messages reflected a debate about how aggressively the FBI should investigate Trump and his campaign when expectations at the time were that he would lose anyway. Strzok texted about something Page had said to the FBIs deputy director, to the effect that theres no way he gets elected. But Strzok argued that the FBI should not assume Clinton would win: Im afraid we cant take that risk. He likened the situation to an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before youre 40. He has said he was not discussing a plot to drive Trump from office. ___ TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS NAVARRO, praising Trumps pandemic response: This starting gun for the China pandemic started on Jan. 30 when President Trump had the courage to pull down the flights from China. So dont tell me we lost February, because I was there. Im right here. And this president was directing us to move as quickly as possible. interview Sunday on ABCs This Week. TRUMP: In January I put and I was criticized by everybody including Dr. Fauci I put in a wall. We put in a very strong wall. Only a small number of people were allowed in, and they were all U.S. citizens. I cant tell a U.S. citizen, you cant come back into your country. We actually acted very early. Fox interview Thursday. THE FACTS: The travel restrictions he imposed on China in late January had other loopholes besides the exceptions for U.S. citizens. It was not a solid wall or total ban, as Trump and his trade adviser suggest. There were many gaps in containment and initial delays in testing in January and February, leading to the U.S. rising to No. 1 globally in the number of people infected by the coronavirus. His order temporarily barred entry by foreign nationals who had traveled in China within the previous 14 days, with exceptions for U.S. citizens, but also their immediate family and permanent residents. Dr. Anne Schuchat, the No. 2 official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press the federal government was also slow to understand how much coronavirus was spreading from Europe, which helped drive the acceleration of U.S. outbreaks in February. Trump announced restrictions for many European countries in mid-March. I think the timing of our travel alerts should have been earlier, she said. ___ VIRUS TESTING TRUMP: We just cracked 10 million tests Ten million. If you look down here, these are other countries that have not done anywhere near what were doing. Were double. If you add them up and double them, weve done more tests. But I cant get the press to print that, unfortunately. remarks Wednesday with governors of Colorado and North Dakota. TRUMP: What weve done on testing, weve now tested more than the entire world put together. remarks Thursday to reporters. THE FACTS: False. The U.S. has not tested more than all other countries combined, let alone double the number for the entire world. It also lags many countries in testing its population proportionally. Together, just three countries Russia, Germany and Italy have reported more tests than the U.S. This week, the U.S. had reported conducting more than 10 million tests since the pandemic began, after failing in the crucial early weeks of the outbreak. That compared with more than 23 million tests by the other countries in the top 10 of the testing count. The U.S. was followed by Russia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Britain, India, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and France. ___ BRETT GIROIR, the federal health official overseeing U.S. testing: Everybody who needs a test can get a test. If youre symptomatic with a respiratory illness, that is an indication for a test and you can get a test. If you need to be contact traced, you can get a test. news briefing on May 11. THE FACTS: Not according to public health experts, who say the U.S. is not near the testing level to safely reopen. Researchers at the Harvard Global Health Institute, for instance, said the U.S. should now be doing 900,000 tests a day to help stop the spread of the virus. Trump this week said the U.S. was doing about 300,000. Giroir stressed that an adequate number of diagnostic tests were available for those with symptoms of COVID-19, but studies have shown many who get infected never show symptoms. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious diseases expert, has urged enough testing to include at the least asymptomatic people in vulnerable populations, such as nursing homes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently broadened its guidelines for coronavirus testing to include certain asymptomatic people who may be at higher risk. More than 40 states are failing to test widely enough to reach the level needed to safely loosen stay-at-home orders, according to an AP analysis of metrics developed by the Harvard Global Health Institute. The group includes four Colorado, Florida, Georgia and Texas that have already reopened. The United States should stop wasting time in its fight against the coronavirus and work with China to combat it, rather than spreading lies and attacking the country, the Chinese governments top diplomat Wang Yi said on Sunday, CNBC reports. Sino-U.S. ties have nosedived since the outbreak of the new coronavirus, with the administrations of President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping repeatedly trading barbs over issues related to the pandemic, especially U.S. accusations of cover-ups and lack of transparency. The two top economies have also clashed over Hong Kong, human rights, trade and U.S. support for Chinese-claimed Taiwan. State Councillor Wang, speaking at his annual news conference on the sidelines of Chinas parliament, expressed his deep sympathies to the United States for the pandemic, where the death toll is expected to surpass 100,000 in the coming days, the highest number of any country. Regretfully, in addition to the raging coronavirus, a political virus is also spreading in the United States. This political virus is using every opportunity to attack and smear China, said Wang, who is also Chinas foreign minister. Some politicians have ignored the most basic facts and concocted too many lies about China and plotted too many conspiracies, he added. I want to say here: Dont waste precious time any longer, and dont ignore lives, Wang said. What China and the United States need to do the most is to first learn from each other and share their experience in fighting against the epidemic, and help each country fight it. The number of COVID-19 cases in Ahmedabad rose by 279 on Sunday, taking the overall count to 10,280 while the number of fatalities mounted by 28 to 697, a Health official said. A total of 187 patients were discharged from hospitals in Ahmedabad,taking the total number of the recovered patients in the district to 4,051, the official said, adding that the number of active cases stood at 5,532. At 1,132, the highest number of active cases is reported from Central zone in Ahmedabad followed by south zone and north zone which have 1,054 and 830 cases, respectively. Meanwhile, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Sunday decided to allow the diamond processing units located in the eastern and western parts of the city to operate, except in containment zones. The civic body also announced similar relaxation for industrial units in both the parts of the city. The AMC further announced partial relaxations for cab/taxi aggregators for their service to and from airports in view of the Centre's decision to operate passenger flights from May 25. While not many relaxations are allowed in eastern Ahmedabad shops and establishments in the western parts have been allowed to remain open during the daytime with riders. The state government has also allowed shops to reopen in shopping complexes on an odd-even basis. Meanwhile, the AMC also claimed to have achieved a rate of 9,494 tests per million, which is a rise of 77 per cent from5,344 per million tests reported on May 5. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A homicide suspect from Connecticut may be in eastern Pennsylvania, state police said Sunday. Peter Manfredonia, 23, was seen leaving the scene of a homicide and serious assault on Mirtl Road, in Willington, Ct on Friday, Connecticut State Police posted this weekend. The Hartford Courant reports that Manfredonia, a University of Connecticut senior, is a suspect in the killings of two men during a weekend rampage. Other men were assaulted during the chain of events that led him to Pennsylvania. Manfredonia was seen wearing dark clothing and is concerned armed and dangerous, CSP said. **WILLINGTON HOMICIDE SUSPECT** May 22, 20, Peter Manfredonia was seen leaving the scene of a homicide & serious assault on Mirtl Rd., Willington. Wearing dark clothing, considered ARMED & DANGEROUS. If seen do not approach, call 911. Anyone w/info, contact EDMCS@ 860-896-3200 pic.twitter.com/O03ad6rr7F CT State Police (@CT_STATE_POLICE) May 23, 2020 Connecticut authorities said Manfredonias vehicle was found in New Jersey at the Pennslyvania border. Vehicle was located in New Jersey at the Pennsylvania border. https://t.co/x3EQTvJUlL CT State Police (@CT_STATE_POLICE) May 24, 2020 Pennsylvania State Police then posted from the Troop N twitter account, alerting people that Manfredonia was last seen in East Stroudsburg, Monroe County. Both departments warn that Manfredonia is armed and dangerous, and anyone that sees him should call 911 immediately not approach. LAST KNOWN LOCATION WAS IN EAST STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA. UPDATED PHOTOS OF ACTOR https://t.co/R4zzoLGLrF pic.twitter.com/gQnix87NIZ Trooper Petroski (@PSPTroopNPIO) May 24, 2020 Read more on PennLive: The Gujarat high court lashed out at the state government, saying the conditions at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad is pathetic and it is as good as a dungeon, may be even worse. The courts made the observation on Friday, it was made available on Saturday. The court had taken suo motu congnizance of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Covid-19 pandemic. Ahmedabads Civil Hospital recorded 377 Covid-19 deaths till Friday. The division bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and IJ Vora came down hard on the Vijay Rupani government on conditions prevailing at the hospital, and said it was distressing and painful. It is very distressing and painful to note that the condition prevailing, as on date, in the Civil Hospital, is pathetic... We are very sorry to state that the Civil Hospital Ahmedabad, as on date, appears to be in an extremely bad shape, the court observed. As we said earlier that the Civil Hospital is meant to treat the patients. However, it appears that as on date, it is as good as a dungeon. May be even worse than a dungeon. Unfortunately, the poor and helpless patients have no option, it said. Gujarat reported 396 more Covid-19 positive cases on Saturday, taking the states tally to 13,669. A state government official said the count includes 6,169 patients who have been cured and discharged and 829 deaths. Nine districts in Gujarat reported fresh cases on Saturday, with Ahmedabad reporting 277 cases. The total number of Covid-19 cases in Ahmedabad district reached 10,001. Death toll of Covid-19 patients in Ahmedabad has risen to 669, while in Surat it has risen to 60, the second highest in Gujarat. 23.05.2020 LISTEN K1 Koo, wonders will never end! K2 What now? Not another tall story? Ha, have you ever caught me saying something I couldnt prove was true? All right, all right. Narrate on! I shall do better than that! I shall let you read that for yourself! (Hands over mobile phone). (Reads): QUOTE:Show visuals of dead victims on TV Bagbin Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, believes [that] if bodies of victims who have died from COVID-19 are shown on TV, the public will no longer doubt the existence of the disease He said [that] based on what he has gathered from people he has interacted with, there is very little belief that there is such a disease in the country. Contributing to deliberations on the Floor of Parliament after an update to the House by the Health Minister, the Nadowli Kaleo MP called for the use of what he calls the shock therapy to increase awareness of the pandemic in the country. The important thing is that the people we are leading, they want to see. In fact, I want to see on television, some evidence of death, because when you state that this number of people are dead but they are not seeing anything like that ..! I believe in shock therapy. We need shock therapy to wake them up from slumber and make them know COVID-19 is real. UNQUOTE. But Koo, how can a whole Deputy Speaker of Parliament say a thing like that? I mean How can you prove that a dead body that youre seeing on TV is that of a Covid-19 victim, instead of that of a hypertension victim? Or the victim of of .bobbiting? Hahahahahaha! Tu bra! Better still, of what doctors call priapism? Hahahahahahaha! Tu more bra! I bet Mr. Bagbin will regret this statement for the rest of his life? Well, he was telling the House what he had heard! Thats what MPs are supposed to do, isnt it? Represent the views of their constituents?! Actually, Its not only in Nadowli-Kaleo that the people dont believe in the existence of Covid-19. The local authorities had to close Obuasi market the other day because the hawkers in the market refused to observe social distance. They said they hadnt seen any evidence of any sickness that should visit such economic hardships on them. What evidence did they want? Well, when you get malaria, your urine turns yellow, doesnt it? And as they were mainly women, I suppose they expected Covid victims to get pains like what you get when dysmenorrhoea strikes at your pelvis? Hey! Dont make fun of a horrible illness like that! Have you never had a girlfriend? Ah, were you not the one who brought in bobbiting? And ppp. Okay! Okay! I see you wont raise this discussion above the sexual level? Goway you! You started it all. No, you did! You did! You did! All right, lets get serious. Do you know Mr. Bagbin is a lawyer? So? It was his lawyers mind that was working when he asked for the dead bodies of Covid victims to be displayed on TV. You see, there is a very popular order that is often requested of judges by lawyers. Oh? Yes, they ask the court to make an order for habeas corpus.. Ha doesnt that apply to politicians who have been detained without trial? It can be requested on behalf of ANYBODY whom the police have arrested and kept in custody without being charged before a court after a stated number of days. Habeas corpus? It sounds like Greek to me. It is a Latin phrase, in fact. Literally it means, Bring the body! (or lets have a body.) The lawyer goes to court. He says my client (name stated) was arrested so many (stated) hours ago and has not been seen since. I pray your Lordship to make an order for him to be produced before you so that we can ascertain, primarily, that hes alive and well Ah? And the police will comply? Yep! Or they will be in contempt of court. Wow! Yep its a right thats inscribed in the constitutions of all democratic countries. It is for the police to go to court and ask the court not to grant him or her bail. They must state the reason for denying him bail.. Lawyers must love it! You just go and say, theyve caught my man. They havent brought him to court. And you get paid? Hmmm! Its an important law, because flouting it is one of the easiest means of establishing a dictatorship in a country. For the police can then deny that the person is in their custody. The next thing you hear, his or her body is fished from a lake.! Then, its the body of the lawyer who was seeking an order of habeas corpus on behalf of the dead person. That sort of thing used to happen in places like.? Gambia under Yahya Jammeh. Uganda under Idi Amin. Even Kenya under Daniel arap Moi. But never in Ghana, I hope? In Ghana, under the Nkrumah Government, they used to deport people rather than kill them. Have you heard of Alhaji Ahmadu Baba? Vaguely. So you are suggesting that Mr. Bagbins sub-conscious mind is playing tricks with him? Not me oh, I beg! Produce bodies! Covid or whatever! Not so? Hahahahahahaha! Why the U.S. continues to fail with high-speed rail To the editor, The Guest Editorial from the Dallas Morning News caught my attention in The Courier on May 19. The headline for the editorial reads, Bullet train is moving slowly, but at least its moving. The last paragraph in the editorial reads, But even if the bullet train is moving at a snails pace, were glad its moving in the direction it is. Wrong! If you havent been keeping up with the Texas Central Railroad and Infrastructure project, it is a proposed high-speed railroad, connecting Houston with Dallas. The 13th Court of Appeals last week ruled that the company is a railroad, even if it doesnt operate a railroad yet. This gives the company the right to use eminent domain to obtain the land on which the tracks will be built. Eminent Domain is a term used to describe the taking of private land to be used for the public good. Nothing is good about the bullet train concept. China has the most miles of high-speed trains; Japan is next and Europe is third. When has the United States of America resorted to copying China, Japan and Europe? The bullet train would be built in Japan, according to the Texas Central Railroads filing documents; so much for keeping the jobs in America. Google the California attempt at constructing a high-speed train connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco and see what abysmal failure looks like! The time to de-rail the high-speed train project is now! Texans dont want it and we dont need it! May Stephens Conroe Voice Your Opinion The Courier welcomes letters with a 300-word limit. All letters are subject to editing. Send letters to Letters to the Editor, The Courier, 100 Ave. A, Conroe, Texas 77301 or email, letters@hcnonline.com Letters must include name, address and phone number for verification. See More Collapse A big thanks to Joe Haliti and Joes Italian Restaurant To the editor, The citizens of Montgomery County and the city of Conroe should rightly be thankful for the devoted first responders and front line workers for all they do for the community, we are truly blessed to have such dedicated persons in our county and our fair city. But there is also one person that deserves recognition for what him and his staff are doing to feed the first responders throughout this COVID-19 pandemic and that is none other than Joe Haliti and the entire staff of Joes Italian Restaurant in Conroe. We have been reading the stories in The Courier of how Joe and his staff have been feeding the first responders in appreciation for their service to the community. Now that we can go back to dine in restaurants let us make a point to go eat there and thank them for what they do, they all very much deserve a pat on their back and our business eating the delicious food that they prepare there. Thanks Joe Haliti and the staff of Joes Italian Restaurant. Jose M. Sentmanat Conroe If you wear a mask, at least wear it right To the editor, Let me interject something here. I do not care if you wear a mask or not, your safety is yours to risk (possibly also your families). But what gets me are those ignorant people who use the mask to cover their mouth, but leave their nose uncovered. News flash - you breathe through your nose also, and if you leave that uncovered, you might as well go without a mask As Ive said, I care not if you mask or not, but please dont look like a single digit IQ person by wearing it wrong. Please, I think you are better than this. Blake Brown Montgomery Getty Images Former Vice President Joe Biden walked back statements he made on The Breakfast Club on Friday morning in which he told radio host Charlamagne tha God that black voters wavering between him and President Donald Trump "ain't black." Mr Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the 2020 election, called into a US Black Chamber call and explained his remarks, expressing regret over being a "wise guy." "I shouldn't have been such a wise guy. I shouldn't have been so cavalier ... I have never, ever taken the African American community for granted," PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor reported Friday. Charlamagne asked Mr Biden to return to his show the next time he was in New York because "we still got more questions." Mr Biden replied that anyone still questioning who they'd vote for between himself and Mr Trump "ain't black." "You've got more questions?" Well I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black," Mr Biden said. Charlamagne said his questioning had nothing to do with Mr Trump, but had to do with concerns he had for his community. Mr Biden replied by pointing to his legislative record. A clip of the interview went viral, prompting debates between Mr Biden's supporters and critics. The former vice president's senior adviser, Symone Sanders, said her boss's comments were made "in jest." "The comments made at the end of the Breakfast Club interview were in jest, but let's be clear about what the VP was saying: he was making the distinction that he would put his record with the African American community up against Trump's any day. Period," she tweeted. During Mr Biden's follow-up call to the US Black Caucus, he said it was "unfortunate" that he said black voters "ain't black" if they're considering voting for Mr Trump. He said no one should have to vote for any party based on their race or any other demographic information, and that earning the support of black voters was "critical" to him. Story continues "I am prepared to put my record against his. That was the bottom line. And it was really unfortunate," Mr Biden said. "I shouldn't have been so cavalier." Read more Biden says 'you ain't black' if you aren't supporting him over Trump In his lyrical speech in defense of his governments performance during its first 100 days in power, Prime Minister Hassan Diab said this week that Lebanon was a fast-sinking boat when his team took the reins to save the country. He even boasted about fulfilling 97 percent of the commitments he made in the ministerial statement. But these assertions are far from being unanimous. While the government was credited, even by its opponents, for the good management of the coronavirus crisis, its achievements in other areas remains limited. It is true that the government was formed at a time when the country was struggling with the most serious economic and financial crisis in its history and that several ministers are diligent and competent. But in terms of political decisions, public appointments, the fight against corruption or the restoration of the international communitys confidence, Diabs cabinet has not yet proven itself, according to many observers. Many point out that the prime minister, having no political base, wanted to present himself as a determined, neutral and independent head of government. But they add that he remains dependent on the goodwill of the political forces that formed his government. He thus engaged on several occasions in battles from which he emerged as loser and had to retreat, such as his latest tussle with the central banks governor, Riad Salameh, who he tried to hold responsible for the financial crisis, fueling speculation about his possible replacement. After starting disorganized negotiations last week with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with government delegates and central bank representatives presenting different positions, and even figures, according to a political source, Diab had to backtrack and received Salameh at the Grand Serail to find a modus vivendi. As for public appointments, choosing a new governor for Beirut to replace Ziad Chbib, whose term in office expired, led to a clash between the prime minister and the generally conciliatory Eastern Orthodox community before Diab retracted and withdrew the candidacy of one of his advisers. The government proved to be powerless regarding the judicial nominations as well as the appointment of the four Bank of Lebanon (BOL) deputy governors and Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) members. Moreover, the cabinet is weakened by divergent views within the same political alliance that formed it. This was illustrated by the refusal of former minister Sleiman Frangieh to allow that some of his supporters, who are accused of corruption in the case of adulterated fuel, be prosecuted. Finally, in terms of international relations, Diabs government enjoys little support, with the United States in particular making strong statements about the cabinet, which it considers to be subservient to Hezbollah. While Diab hinted, when he was first appointed, that he was preparing for a tour of the Gulf states, Saudi Arabia is showing many signs that it will not endorse his government. The kingdoms ambassador in Beirut was notably absent from meetings of the "Friends of Lebanon" at the Grand Serail. No Power This government has no power, no independence, no freedom, Pierre Issa, secretary general of the National Bloc Party, told LOrient-Le Jour. They cannot make any decisions, he added, citing, for example, the capital controls draft law that the government leaked, before withdrawing it in the face of the outcry it raised. For Issa, the most serious is that this government presents itself as a cabinet of independents, siding with the revolution, when they do exactly the opposite and cover the actions of the political class, the mafia and even the criminals who have been in power for 30 years. He cites the governments multiple failures, including public appointments, the fight against corruption and the distribution of humanitarian aid to the poorest families. The latter, he said, was a huge mess, as the authorities tasked it to the municipalities and the mukhtars who are overwhelmingly dependent on confessional parties and are accused of promoting clientelism. They say they want to control the borders, which have never been so porous. They have done nothing concerning the electricity crisis that has cost us billions of dollars and continue to give the Free Patriotic Movement a free hand on it, Issa said, noting that reforming this sector is one of the conditions for donors to help Lebanon. While the government claims to want to reduce the budget deficit, it revived this nonsense Bisri dam project, despite strong opposition by the protest movement, he added. Sybille Rizk, director of public policy at Kulluna Irada, a civil society organization, argued that the government has, to its credit, made the right diagnosis of the countrys financial situation, but its actions are far below what is needed to emerge from the crisis. So far, apart from managing the coronavirus crisis, the government has taken very few measures, while the country is in shock at all economic and social levels, Rizk said.The government has not been able to pass a capital controls law to date, although this is the first essential step, like a tourniquet that a doctor would put on a patient before starting to treat him. Equally symptomatic is the governments inertia and even impotence on the issue of public appointments, which continues to be addressed from confessional perspectives, in violation of Article 95 of the Constitution. Rizk believes that, in reality, this government does not have a free hand. It acts as the intermediary of the power system that has been in place since the end of the Lebanese war. The system has been shaken, but is still in control. She said "the development of an exit plan is certainly a first step, but the most important is the confidence in the ability to implement structural reforms without which nothing will be possible, starting with the restructuring of the financial sector to the overhaul of taxation and public and sectoral policies. Even in terms of convincing international donors to grant credit to Lebanon, the battle is far from won. The management of the electricity sector, for example, shows how there is no real change in modus operandi, she added. Both Issa and Rizk believe that, contrary to Diabs statement, the government has not regained people's trust. Issa said he believed that with the end of the coronavirus pandemic, the revolutionary movement will be back even stronger than before. (This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour on the 22nd of May) Shoppers have praised a 24.95 serum which they claim reduces spots and redness in just two weeks. The Vitamin C and Hyalurolic acid serum from UK skincare label SKINKISSED has more than 3,000 five-star Amazon reviews from delighted shoppers around the world. Before and after images shared on the site show how women have seen their redness, wrinkles and blemishes improve within weeks of first using the product. The Vitamin C and Hyalurolic acid serum from UK skincare label SKINKISSED has more than 3,000 five-star Amazon reviews from delighted shoppers around the world. Pictured, a customer, who was not identified, before using the product The woman shared a second photo just two weeks after she started using the 24.95 serum Speaking to FEMAIL, founder Eli Cohen, 29, of Leeds, told how he founded SKINKISSED in 2017, shortly before his daughter was born, and is now on track to turnover 9.7million this year. The business has seen a boost in popularity since the start of the coronavirus crisis as shoppers look for products online while stores are closed. Mr Cohen, who is married to wife Esther, 25, estimates he has sold one product every 30 seconds and says sales figures are up by 250 per cent. Before he created SKINKISSED, the entrepreneur was selling products from other brands through Amazon, including remote control helicopters. However he longed to have his own products to invest in, realising that he ultimately stood to have greater longevity. Eli Cohen, 29, from Leeds, went from selling remote control helicopter in his room to building skincare best-selling brand SKINKISSED, now turning over 9.7 million (pictured with his wife Esther, 25) The businessman (pictured in business class on a plane) said his sales were up by 250 per cent since the start of the coronavirus pandemic He said: 'I always visioned to build something that would be around in 100 years time and realised the only way I could do this is by building a brand - a community that brings people together who share the same passions interests and stories.' The best-selling face serum, pictured SKINKISSED's Vitamin C and Hyalurolic acid serum, priced at 24.95, is an Amazon best-seller. The brand also sells products including 19.95 Vitamin Gummies and a 19.95 Moisturising Cream. Thousands have shoppers have taken to Amazon to share their reviews of the range, with one happy customer saying the serum helped her dermatillomania (characterised by repeated picking at one's own skin which results in skin lesions). She wrote: 'My skin quickly became very infected. Once I managed to get my skin under control, I started using this serum to heal my skin. 'I've been using it daily for a week now and I can't get over the results. I still have a few spots/blemishes however my skin looks less aggressive. I've also used it as a primer and it makes my makeup stay on all night! Absolutely amazed.' Another wrote: 'The formula is so soothing to the skin and I havent broken out once from it. So if you have sensitive skin like me then you dont need to fear this.' One shopper, who was not identified, shared these photos before (left) and after using the product (right) Thousands of shoppers have left five-star review for the serum on Amazon, pictured A third added: 'Can not recommend this product enough! Its my new holy grail.' Another said they were 'over the moon' with the results, the serum having 'soften the appearance' of their skin, and given them a 'glowing complexion. 'I finally feel confident to wear no make up out and about. Before using the sun kissed serum my skin was very uneven and had a lot of discolouration, with acne scaring from my younger years. Now my skin is silky soft and feels so healthy. Will defiantly get purchasing again.' Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, disrespected her because she is a woman. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and NIDCOM have been at war over office spaces at the NCC building in Abuja. Dabiri-Erewa had on Saturday alleged that armed security operatives acting on the orders of Pantami chased NIDCOM staff out of an office allocated to it at the NCC building by the Federal Government. The NCC disproved the allegations in a statement on Sunday. Responding on Sunday to a report about the incident, Pantami said on Twitter that Dabiri-Erewa made up the story. THIS IS A FAT LIE FROM HER: The owner of the building @NgComCommission has faulted her lies on their social media platforms. The minister has never given that directives to any gunman. We need to be very objective in reporting. I have never sent any gunmen there, & I have no one, he wrote. The NIDCOM boss replied: An Islamic scholar should not lie Hon Minister. (Ph.D) You did that to me cos I am a woman. Your disrespect for women is legendary Left the ugly incident behind me since Feb. But pls release all our office equipment. Public office is transient. @DrIsaPantami. An Islamic scholar should not lie Hon Minister .( Phd??)You did that to me cos I am a woman .Your disrespect for women is legendary Left the ugly incident behind me since Feb. But pls release all our office eguipment.Public office is transient .@DrIsaPantami https://t.co/sdcu2tBmtL Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) May 24, 2020 Meanwhile, NIDCOM in a statement on Sunday by its spokesman, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, responded to the NCC which described the incident as allegations in a statement earlier in the day. The NIDCOM statement read: Our attention has been drawn to a statement signed by Dr Henry Nkemadu, Director of Public Affairs of Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) on Sunday May 24, 2020 describing the forcing out of the staff of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) from the occupied fifth floor of NCC Annex Mbora as mere allegation. The fact of the matter is that the said fifth floor was allocated to NIDCOM by NCC Management since June 2019 and handed over by Mrs Maryam Bayi, its Director Human Resources. But due to lack of basic facilities in the complex, NIDCOM staff could not move in gradually until October 2019. But while our Chairman/CEO Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa was on official assignment with Mr President in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, on the 9th of February, the staff were given one week by the Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Ali Pantami to pack out but within 48 hours of the said quit notice, they were forcefully evicted by security operatives attached to the complex on the orders of the Minister on February 11. On the allegation that NIDCOM did not move into the offices when allocated, this is untrue, false accusation and contradictory to the statement of NCC to the effect that NIDCOM properties were warehoused and intact in the annex. NIDCOM said its offices were broken into and all items including 140 work stations, personal computers, printers, sensitive documents and personal belongings of staff were carted away. The statement continued: It is our humble opinion that an agency of government ought not to be shabbily treated in a dehumanising manner. The Hon. Minister, should have acknowledged the fact that the aim of NIDCOM for using the office spaces was not for personal functions but rather for governmental functions with regards to Diaspora engagements. The Hon. Minister should have seen the need to give the Chairman of the Commission audience so as to let the Commission staff evacuate their belongings by themselves rather than breaking into the offices without their consent. The Commission still has no access to all equipment, furniture and other items carted away on the instructions of the Minister. However, the commission has since moved on, and put the ugly incident behind it as it looks forward to settling into any available office space after the COVID-19 lockdown. An aged care worker who looks after dementia patients is under investigation after sharing photos mocking elderly residents on social media. The photos were taken at Awanui Rest Home in Auckland, New Zealand, over the weekend and showed an unnamed employee posing with residents. They were posted to Facebook and Snapchat with captions such as, 'sugar mummy' and 'me and my sugar daddy today', the New Zealand Herald reported. Another photo was posted of a elderly woman laying on a bed with the caption: 'I'm straight-up not having a good time.' They were posted to Facebook and Snapchat with captions such as, 'sugar mummy' and 'me and my sugar daddy today' (pictured) The man was not wearing a face mask in some photos and was pictured in others with his mouth open - running the risk of infecting people in his care with COVID-19. A woman who did not know the employee personally but was friends with him on Snapchat shared the photos on Facebook to alert his managers, before she realised he had included the name of the facility in the original posts. 'I just wanted people to be aware of what was happening behind closed doors to those poor people in his hands,' she told the publication. The woman wrote in her Facebook post that his attempts at humour were disrespectful. 'This is somebody's loved ones this is happening to, and I hope their families see this and can use this to get justice. Nobody deserves this kind of treatment,' she wrote. Sharyn Gray, the manager of the facility, would not comment on the employee's behaviour but told the publication an investigation had been launched. New Delhi, May 24 : Major brands like Cartier, Louis Vuitton and United Colors of Benetton have taken to social media to express rainbow as a symbol of hope in these trying times when the world is fighting a pandemic. Laurent Feniou, Managing Director of Cartier, LVMH group and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Global Artistic Director of United Colors of Benetton initiated a 'Rainbow Challenge' as a creative ray of hope and positive pillar across the globe. Jean-Charles de Castelbajac tells IANSlife: "In 1997, I have been committed by the Vatican to dress Pope John Paul II, 500 bishops, 5000 priests and 1 million of kids. I choose to dress them with the colors of the rainbow. At the end of this magic ceremony, the Pope told me "you have used colors as cement of faith". For brands all over the world, today, only colours can united people in peace and no other brand can do it better than United Colors of Benetton". The Italian brand, which is known for its colourful outfits, is sending out the message of unity through its posts on Instagram featuring its rainbow-inspired collection. The brand posted pictures of its stores in Italy and other places with a rainbow overhead to celebrate its re-opening after being closed for months due to the lockdown. "Our stores are open again, in Italy too. Enjoy shopping and let's all respect the rules we already know," read one of the captions. Laurent Feniou, Managing Director of Cartier, posted a picture of the Cartier building with rainbow shade in solidarity of the National Health Service of the UK and the healthcare workers who are at the forefront of the global battle against the pandemic COVID-19. "Whether it be by painting, writing, singing, dancing, photography, objects or any multi-media platform of your choice, this colourful show of appreciation will uplift and unite friends of the Maison during this global fight," he captioned the picture. Adding: "All Friends of the Maison and their family are invited. Do not hesitate to post your artwork on #CartierOverTheRainbow...This art challenge will accompany our local charitable initiative for NHS Charities Together." Louis Vuitton has also posted several pictures and videos that depict its interpretation of the seven colours. The French fashion house posted an animated video in which it has defined rainbow as "a stretch of the imagination". "The rainbow, a stretch of the imagination. In 1925, Gaston-Louis Vuitton wrote "Let's turn the street into a cheerful space". Today, #LouisVuitton's tradition of creative shop windows ensures as a perpetual invitation for the spirit of travel. As select stores begin to re-open around the world, hand-drawn rainbows by children and employees serve as welcoming beacons of hope during this uncertain time. #LV," read the caption. While another video posted by LV features pictures of rainbows painted by the children of Louis Vuitton's employees. The caption read: "A symbol of hope. Rainbows drawn by the children of #LouisVuitton employees have appeared across store windows worldwide as colourful beacons of joy during these challenging times." It also posted a picture of Maison Louis Vuitton, Milano, Italy with rainbows drawn of its entry to celebrate the opening of its store. "Embarking on a new adventure. As select stores begin to re-open around the world, hand-drawn rainbows by children and employees serve as welcoming beacons of hope during this uncertain time. In a collaborative effort, all participants were encouraged to awaken their inner child and draw their own version of a rainbow. #LV #LouisVuitton," the brand captioned the picture. Picture Source: Instagram (Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in) COLUMBIA The Spanish Flu was ravaging South Carolina in mid-October 1918 when then-Gov. Richard Manning made a request to the Columbia chapter of the American Red Cross. In response, the organization's chairman agreed to Manning's suggestion to distribute liquor to physicians in Richland County for the "treatment of pneumonia cases in the present epidemic." Some doctors at the time believed whiskey was an effective remedy. Almost three years after South Carolina's statewide prohibition law had taken effect, the Red Cross' response letter said the liquor would be taken from the confiscated stocks held by the Richland sheriff and Columbia mayor and dispensed from the chapter's headquarters a couple blocks from the Statehouse. "Respectfully," the letter was signed, "F.H. McMaster." More than 100 years later, Fitz Hugh McMaster's great-nephew is leading South Carolina's response to another pandemic. Gov. Henry McMaster has managed the shutting down and reopening of various sectors of the South Carolina economy, directed resources to hospitals across the state and created a task force to study the best ways to handle the impact of the novel coronavirus. And though Henry McMaster had no medical need to procure forbidden whiskey more than 80 years after prohibition ended, he did classify liquor stores as essential businesses that would be allowed to remain open during the peak of the pandemic, like many other governors across the country. The Spanish Flu would eventually claim the lives of more than 14,000 people in South Carolina, making it one of the worst epidemics in state history. But the American Red Cross received high praise for its work helping South Carolinians through those morbid times. Fitz Hugh McMaster had previously served in state government himself at various levels, including as a lawmaker and as the state's first insurance commissioner, archival records show. He would go on to work for one of Henry McMaster's predecessors as a member of Gov. Robert Cooper's personal staff. McMaster remarked on his relation to Fitz Hugh during a 2015 visit as lieutenant governor to the state Department of Archives and History, an agency that Fitz Hugh helped create during his tenure in the S.C House. Fitz Hugh McMaster also worked as business manager for one of The Post and Courier's earlier incarnations, The Evening Post, and as city editor for The State newspaper of Columbia. Described in his 1950 obituary as "a man of versatile ability," Fitz Hugh McMaster likely would have enjoyed a newspaper article about a South Carolina governor's family connection between two pandemics a century apart. "He was well-versed in the history and traditions of South Carolina," the obituary read, "and an admirer of its glorious past." Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-25 05:07:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani discussed cooperation possibilities in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic on the phone, local media reported on Sunday. Both leaders reviewed the possible steps that would be taken in the post-pandemic era, the state-run Anadolu agency said. Erdogan and Rouhani also discussed regional issues and bilateral relations, the agency added. Enditem A Thai street artist has been paying tribute to the fight against the coronavirus with murals depicting a winged-character dressed as a health worker looming over a spiky image of the virus restrained by a padlocked red cross. The 37-year-old street artist who goes by the name Mue Bon, which translates as restless hands, says his murals also serve as a reminder that efforts against the virus are not over and everyone has a role. I want to play my part in reminding people about the situation and recording the history that we helped each other by staying home to stop the spread of the virus, he told Reuters. Mue Bon hopes his artwork, which usually contains a social message, will reach people who otherwise might not have access to galleries or other places to see art. Mue Bon, a Thai street artist paints a mural depicting characters attempting to keep a virus at bay, in Bangkok. (REUTERS) There is a huge gap between art and the ordinary people, he said, taking a break from spray-painting a wall. I put the artwork on the streets, at places where people sitting in cars will see it while driving past. While not a household name in Thailand, Mue Bon has had international success and his work has been displayed in Japan, the United States, Germany, and, most recently, in the Palestinian Territories. Thailand has recorded just over 3,000 cases of the novel coronavirus and 56 deaths though the rate of infection has been slowing. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bijnor : , May 24 (IANS) A man died after he was attacked by his cousins, allegedly for not getting tested for the Coronavirus after his return from Delhi. The incident took place in Malakpur village in Bijnor district. Manjeet Singh (23) died on Friday during treatment in Meerut. A FIR has now been registered against Manjeet's cousins, Kapil and Manoj, their mother Puniya and Manoj's wife Dolly at the Nahtaur police station on a complaint filed by the father of the deceased Kalyan Singh on Sunday. SHO, Nahtaur police station, Satya Prakash Singh said that no arrests have been made yet. According to reports, Manjeet died due to head injuries. His sample was not collected for a Coronavirus test by doctors during treatment. Additional SP, Bijnor, Sanjay Kumar said, he underwent thermal screening when he reached Bijnor on May 19 from Delhi. The report was negative so his sample was not collected. SHO Satya Prakash Singh said, "Since his return, Kapil and Manoj were regularly asking Manjeet to get his test done. On Thursday, the cousins again asked Manjeet to get his test done after which an argument ensued between them." "The accused brought sticks and started hitting Manjeet. He suffered injuries on the head and shoulder. When Manjeet fell unconscious, he was rushed to government hospital by his parents where he succumbed to injuries a day later," said Singh. Chief Medical Officer, Bijnor, Dr Vijay Yadav said he has "no information" about the matter. UK school apologizes for homework asking kids to define 'hardcore' porn, 'sexting' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A religious school in the United Kingdom is apologizing after a homework assignment required students to define several kinds of pornography. The headteacher of Archbishop Sentamu Academy in Hull said he is "sorry" if the homework led some students to research it online and access illicit content. The assignment, which asked students to define terms such as "sexting," "revenge porn," "hardcore porn" and "transgender pornography," was given to children ages 11 through 14 as part of the "Personal, Social and Health Education" curriculum, the BBC reported. Students were also asked to define the topics of female genital mutilation and breast ironing in addition to questions about alcohol and drug use. Local parents were outraged. "I'm just thinking is there kids out there who have done this work? You would be scared at what you saw. At 11 I was playing with Barbies. If they have seen it they can't unsee it," one mother told The Daily Mail, who asked only to be quoted as Mrs. Taylor. The 34-year-old mother continued: "'She was only in primary school last year living her best life, now she is being asked to search for hardcore pornography. She's 11, she should be doing stranger danger, and don't share your info online, but genital mutilation is another thing. It was asking about male circumcision, breast ironing ... I don't even know what that is myself." "They have been told to use Google and she would have searched it. I did Google hardcore porn and some of the images that came up was quite disturbing." The mother explained she was not opposed to all sex education but objected to content that would destroy their minds. Another local man, Leon Dagon, a 25-year-old with a 13-year-old sister at the school took to social media to voice his disgust: "The majority of children nowadays will now go on the internet to help them with their homework and if you type that kind of thing on the internet, God knows what's going to pop up." "Luckily I found the work otherwise she would have typed this stuff into Google and you know what would have come up and that makes me feel sick. I felt sick thinking she was going to go onto the computer to search it up," he said. Chay Bell, principal of the school, said in response to the issue that he was "genuinely sorry if parents or students have unnecessarily researched any of these phrases and for any offense caused." "I have asked that any future materials of this nature have a clear statement ensuring students and their parents are aware of any potentially sensitive content and will ensure all materials are fully age appropriate," he said. He maintained that students were not instructed to research the topics on the internet because the answers to the questions that students posed were contained in the teacher-produced materials that had already been shared. "The PSHE materials that we share with students are produced in line with government guidance, the PSHE Association Programs of Study and the Sex Education Forum's definition of Sex Education. They also cover the Equality Act of 2010." In recent years, what is known as comprehensive sex education has generated significant controversy around the world, particularly with the rise of transgenderism where it is being suggested to young children that some people were "born in the wrong body." Archbishop Sentamu Academy is a Church of England school that serves "children and families of all faiths and of none." Its mission statement says, "Through Christian principles, we aim to offer an education that transforms lives and communities." Hong Kong police fired tear gas and a water cannon at protesters in a popular shopping district on Sunday, as thousands took to the streets to march against China's proposed tough national security legislation for the city. Pro-democracy supporters in Hong Kong have sharply criticized the proposal last week to enact a national security law that would ban secessionist and subversive activity, as well as foreign interference, in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. Critics say it goes against the ``one country, two systems'' framework that promises the city freedoms not found in mainland China. Crowds of demonstrators dressed in black gathered Sunday afternoon in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay district to protest the proposed legislation. Protesters chanted slogans including ``Stand with Hong Kong,`` ``Liberate Hong Kong'' and ``Revolution of our times.'' The protest was a continuation of a monthslong pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong that began last year and has at times descended into violence between police and protesters. Police raised blue flags, warning protesters to disperse, before firing multiple rounds of tear gas. They later fired a water cannon at the demonstrators. At least 120 people were arrested, mostly on charges of unlawful assembly, police said in a Facebook post. They also said in a separate post that protesters threw bricks and splashed unidentified liquid at officers, injuring at least four members of the police's media liaison team. They warned that such behavior is against the law and that police would pursue the matter. Earlier in the afternoon, prominent activist Tam Tak-chi was arrested during the protest for what police said was unauthorized assembly. Tam said he was giving a ``health talk'' and was exempt from social-distancing measures that prohibit gatherings of more than eight people. The bill that triggered Sunday's rally was submitted at China's national legislative session on Friday and is expected to be passed on May 28. It would bypass Hong Kong's legislature and allow the city's government to set up mainland agencies in the city that would make it possible for Chinese agents to arbitrarily arrest people for activities deemed to be pro-democracy. Speaking on the sidelines of the annual session of China's ceremonial parliament in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday that Hong Kong affairs were an internal matter for China, and that ``no external interference will be tolerated.'' ``Excessive unlawful foreign meddling in Hong Kong affairs has placed China's national security in serious jeopardy,'' Wang said, adding that the proposed legislation ``does not affect the high degree of autonomy in Hong Kong.'' ``It does not affect the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents. And it does not affect the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors in Hong Kong,'' he said. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called the proposal ``a death knell for the high degree of autonomy'' that Beijing promised the former British colony when it was returned to China in 1997. Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong prior to its handover to China, lamented what he called ``a new Chinese dictatorship.'' ``I think the Hong Kong people have been betrayed by China, which has proved once again that you can't trust it further than you can throw it,'' Patten said in an interview with The Times of London. Patten is leading a coalition of at least 204 international lawmakers and policymakers who are decrying the proposed legislation. In a statement, the coalition called it a ``flagrant breach`` of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, a 1984 treaty that promised Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy even after the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997. Bernard Chan, a top-level Hong Kong politician and delegate to the National People's Congress in Beijing, defended the national security legislation pushed by China, saying it was written into Hong Kong's Basic Law _ the city's mini-constitution _ but never enacted. Chan expressed concern that Hong Kong would inevitably face economic hardship given trade frictions between the US and China. ``I think we are definitely the collateral damage being dragged into this thing. But then, I don't think there's any alternatives,`` he said. ``But with or without this law, honestly, the US and China are always going to be continuing this loggerhead for quite some time to come,'' Chan said. ``China will remain as a threat to the US in terms of the ... world economic dominance.'' Search Keywords: Short link: Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 16:52:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long-awaited criminal trial is set to begin in a Jerusalem courtroom on Sunday, marking the first time Israel will see an incumbent prime minster stand trial. Netanyahu will face the opening hearing of his corruption trial at the Jerusalem District Court at 3 p.m. local time (1200 GMT), after a three-judge panel rejected last week his request to skip the opening hearing. His charges on bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases will be read and he will be requested to announce his understanding of them, as part of the regular procedure in Israeli proceedings. Even before its opening, the trial has become a clashing point between Netanyahu and his supporters and Israel's legal system. Netanyahu and his allies frequently lash out at the legal system over the trial, with much of the fire focusing on Attorney General Avihai Mandelblit. The 56-year-old official was a close ally of Netanyahu when the prime minister nominated him as the attorney general in 2016, but after he took the unprecedented move and pressed charges against a sitting leader, he became a frequent target of attacks by Netanyahu's supporters. On Thursday, Minister for Cyber and National Digital Matters, David Amsalem, a close ally of Netanyahu, slammed Mandelblit, calling him an "alleged criminal." In an interview for Israel's Army Radio, Amsalem called on to launch an investigation against Mandelblit, charging the attorney general was involved in illegalities around the appointment of the military's chief 10 years ago. Yariv Levin, Likud's speaker of the parliament and Netanyahu close associate, said in a statement on Sunday that the opening of the trial "will be remembered as one of the low points of the Israeli legal system." "Likud voters don't believe the premise created by prosecutors," Amir Ohana, public security minister and one of the ministers who plan to accompany Netanyahu, told Channel 12 TV news. Channel 12 TV reported that "thousands" of Netanyahu's supporters plan to rally outside the court and in several locations in Jerusalem to protest against the opening of the trial. According to the indictment, in a corruption affair dubbed "Case 4000," Netanyahu allegedly took bribes from Shaul Elovitch, a former control-holder of Bezeq, Israel's largest telecom company, by giving Bezeq financial and regulatory benefits. During the alleged offenses, Netanyahu was the communication minister in addition to his capacity as prime minister. In exchange, Elovitch, a close friend of Netanyahu, allegedly required Walla, a news site controlled by Elovitch, to provide favorable coverage of the Netanyahu and his wife Sara. In "Case 1000," Netanyahu and his family allegedly received expensive cigars, champagne, and jewellery worth about 1 million new shekels (268,200 U.S. dollars) from the Israeli businessman and Hollywood tycoon, Arnon Milchan, between 2007 and 2016. In "Case 2000," Netanyahu and Arnon Mozes, the publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth, one of Israel's largest newspapers, allegedly held talks over an exchange deal, in which Netanyahu would receive favorable coverage in Yedioth Ahronoth. Netanyahu, the first prime minister in Israel's history to stand trial while in office, denies the allegations, charging they are part of "a witch hunt." The trial, including the expected appeals, could take several years. Enditem Tomorrow is the day. Memorial Day. Whether youve been enjoying the beaches and boardwalks or youve decided to stay at home, were asking that you take a few minutes on Monday to honor our fallen veterans. At 10 a.m. on Memorial Day, come out to sing or play the Star Spangled Banner from your driveways, your porches, your balconies. The idea came from Gail Van Prooien, an NJ.com reader who felt a sense of loss when Gov. Phil Murphy canceled Memorial Day parades. She agreed the parades needed to be canceled because of the pandemic, but she wanted to find another way for people to come together to show respect and remember our fallen soldiers. After she contacted us about her idea to ask New Jerseyans to all sing or play the national anthem at the same time, NJ.com created a Facebook Live event so we can do this together, but virtually. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage Some mayors and veterans groups are on board. Van Prooien reached out to Michael Boll, who served in the Marines during Desert Storm and is now president of New Jersey Veterans Network, an all-volunteer mobile outreach charity that works to provide veterans with a better quality of life through the donation of cars, housing, mental health services and job assistance. I think this shows everyone who has been home during the pandemic that there are people who love this country and want to show their support in any way they can, he said. I think having the national anthem and sharing it with each other? Its a beautiful thing. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage Marine Corps Cpl. Brett DAlessandro, who served in Afghanistan and now runs Backpacks for Life, a nonprofit organization that fills backpacks with necessities and distributes them to homeless veterans, said he supports the event. Backpacks for Life is trying to help fight coronavirus by making masks for frontline workers. "Memorial Day is not only a time to honor our fallen heroes but also a time to give their families members a moment to remember their loved ones, he said. Especially during these challenging times, a unique event like this is just what we need to bring together the community to honor incredible women and men who sacrificed their lives while protecting our country." Morris Plains, which cancelled its Memorial Day service and parade the largest in Morris County, according to the boroughs mayor, is also joining in. Mayor Jason Karr asked for his citizens to "go outside, stand on a sidewalk, front yard, driveway or porch, and sing or play The Star Spangled Banner. Deptford Mayor Paul Mednay is also spreading the word. We will be joining with other towns encouraging residents to sing or play the national anthem on Monday at 10 a.m.," he said. We hope you will join us to show your support, and then upload your photos and videos of how you commemorate our lost veterans. You can cast your vote here to share where you plan to sing or play the national anthem. Show your intent to join us by RSVPing here. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Karin Price Mueller may be reached at bamboozled@njadvancemedia.com. Despite Denver reducing its jail population by nearly half over the last two months, the latest state health data revealed the coronavirus outbreak is hitting the city hardest within its downtown detention center. At least 84 inmates and one employee at the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center have tested positive for COVID-19, according to May 6 data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Meanwhile, the Denver District Attorneys Office has worked with the Sheriff Department and the courts since March to reduce the jail population by 48.2%, according to May 7 figures provided to city leaders in a daily email update from the mayor's office. We believe that we have done all we can to reduce the jail population without compromising public safety, DA spokesperson Carolyn Tyler told Colorado Politics in an email. We are doing a good job of balancing community safety with the safety of inmates and staff at the jails. The downtown detention center and the Denver County Jail together typically average about 2,000 inmates, the Denver Sheriff Department estimates. Currently, the jail population is down to 1,036 inmates, the mayors office reports. As part of reduction efforts, the DAs office has worked with defense attorneys and the courts to release some inmates who are at high-risk of COVID-19, including pregnant women, people age 60 and older, and those who have little time left on their sentences. The office is also leveraging in-home detention in "appropriate" circumstances. We have spent many, many hours reviewing cases of those held in both the city and county jails to facilitate early release, Tyler wrote. When someone is arrested and brought to court for a bond hearing, the deputy district attorneys are agreeing to personal recognizance bonds or low bonds on as many cases as possible, enabling the person to be released. We are working every day to assist in reducing the jail population. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the extent to which jails and prisons have become COVID-19 hotspots. Of the 37 jurisdiction that chose to participate, 86% reported at least one positive case of the virus among inmates or staff members, spanning 420 facilities. As of April 21, according to the CDC, 4,893 cases and 88 deaths have been reported among inmates. Another 2,778 cases and 15 deaths have been reported among staff members. The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado sent a letter in March to Colorado sheriffs, calling for them to immediately and safely decrease the number of prisoners so that all inmates and correctional staff can practice social distancing, including during sleeping hours. Without a substantial decrease in the states jails and prisons, COVID-19 will turn incarceration into a death sentence for some Colorado prisoners, ACLU of Colorado spokeswoman Rebecca Wallace said in a statement at the time. This is a particularly cruel outcome given that most of the people incarcerated in our jails are pre-trial, have not been convicted of a crime, and remain behind bars only because they cannot afford the money bond to get out," Wallace said. Arunachal Pradesh, which was declared COVID-19 free over a month ago, reported a fresh case on Sunday as a 30-year-old student who recently returned from Delhi tested positive, a senior health official said. The student, who used to live in West Patel Nagar area of Delhi, returned to the state on a bus on May 18, Health Secretary P Parthiban said. He was in Delhi to prepare for UPSC civil services examination. He boarded the bus at Gole Market area and it travelled through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam. There were 33 others in the bus with the student, the officer said. On reaching Arunachal Pradesh, he was put in institutional quarantine, Parthiban said, adding that his swab sample was taken on May 22 and the report has come in as positive. "The patient is totally asymptomatic and is being taken care of by our health team," he said. The state and district-level contact-tracing team has started the process to track down all those people who came in the bus along with the student, and also those interacted with him, the official said. Arunachal was declared COVID-19 free after the state's lone patient recovered and was discharged from hospital on April 17. The 31-year-old man was from Medo area in Lohit district and had attended a religious congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi in March. He reached Medo on March 18 and tested positive on April 2. He was kept in Tezu Zonal Hospital in an isolation ward. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) STAMFORD Stamfords Veterans Park was made for days like Sunday, providing an ideal place for the citys ex-military men and women and citizens to congregate and honor those who lost their lives defending the United States of America. But the nearly completed park was sparsely filled on Sunday during a brief Memorial Day service as residents continue to practice social distancing. Nearly everyone at the ceremony was wearing face masks and sitting six feet away from each other. A small crowd could be seen observing from a distance, but residents were encouraged not to attend. The focus of the event, which was livestreamed on the citys Facebook page, was on Stamfords fallen military personnel, but the pandemic that has hit the city harder than any other in Connecticut was impossible to ignore. By Saturday, Stamford had 3,068 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 181 reported deaths attributed to the virus, both state highs. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal spoke at the Memorial Day service and said the impact of the coronavirus would not prevent Americans from observing Memorial Day. Americans will not be deterred by the wipes and the masks and the sparse crowds and the lack of a parade, he said. The fire of patriotism in this country is no less bright because of this pandemic. He added, If anything, we have new heroes to honor, heroes who have been inspired by the courageous men and women who have fought for this country over so many years: our police, our firefighters, our first responders, our doctors, our nurses, our clinicians, heroes at the front line in this latest battle. Blumenthal said no veteran should be left behind when it comes to education, jobs and healthcare. That is a lasting tribute to the fallen, to the heroes who have not come back, and whose legacy we honor and remember today, he said. Mayor David Martin also delivered a speech during the service and briefly referenced the ongoing pandemic. We honor those today who lost everything they had in defense of this great country and in defense of our freedoms, he said. And for all of the challenges that we face in America right now, and there are many, there is no other country that I would rather be in than right here in the good ol U.S.A. The ceremony included comments from Rick Redniss, president of the Stamford Veterans Park Partnership. The public/private partnership was created to redesign Veterans Park, and Redniss said on Sunday that while work is still incomplete at the park, the name of every Stamford veteran who has died in conflict has been added to one of the pillars at the site. ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com As Wyoming begins its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, Wyoming community colleges have stepped up to maintain quality education, support our communities and help move our economy in a positive direction. Wyoming Community College Commissioners have a front-row seat as our seven community colleges support the state through this challenging time. Their rapid response enabled them to continue to provide quality education and services as everyone struggled with new ways to do business. It is important to note that they are keeping their students engaged and moving forward. Classes continue and students will complete the spring semester with many graduating and moving on to further education or filling important jobs in our state. The colleges implemented immediate strategies to help students, ranging from offering free Wi-Fi in their parking lots to distributing computers to ensure students had the necessary tools to finish strong. Faculty members adopted innovative approaches to remote learning, and they are keeping their students focused on their goals and maintaining critical connections and support. Some colleges have stepped in to use their technology to manufacture personal protection equipment, such as masks, visors and shields to keep front-line workers protected. Many are working with local emergency response teams to dedicate their facilities and other support as needed. Nurses, respiratory therapists and other graduates of Wyoming community colleges are working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The colleges are coping with resource challenges, developing a visionary future, offering most summer school programs online, working on contingency plans to ensure a successful fall semester and partnering with key decision-makers to help the states economic recovery. Wyoming community colleges have always played a critical role in Wyoming by providing high quality transfer preparation, key job skills to power our economy and responsiveness to community needs for workforce training. The Wyoming Community College Commissions Strategic Plan clearly states that a significant priority is placed upon addressing the workforce needs of the state. Our priorities laid the groundwork for Wyomings community college education being consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally and being regularly recognized for its effectiveness in preparing Wyomingites for employment and innovation. Wyoming community colleges serve almost 30,000 students a year with variety of goals which include preparation for transfer and bachelors degree completion, technical certificates and degrees, which prepare students to enter the Wyoming workforce and retraining for displaced workers and innovative skill-building. They also serve as civic and community builders with programs in wellness, arts and cultural enhancement and personal enrichment. It is these innovative, well-prepared community college graduates who will not only help our economy recover but return more quickly to the thriving environment we expect. Now, more than ever, it is critical for our students to stay focused on their goals, complete the semester successfully and continue their education next year. This period should not be considered a setback, but a challenge and a way to accomplish goals despite obstacles. The Wyoming Code of Ethics, Code of the West, tells us to do what has to be done and our community colleges will continue to do just that, even during a time of economic hardship, by providing high quality accessible higher education, being at the table to participate in the dialog for change and doing our part to create an educated workforce that will support the states recovery. Like our state, Wyoming community colleges are adaptable, resilient and will support their students no matter what. The Wyoming Community College Commission is proud to serve the colleges and the students of Wyoming and we take our role on behalf of statewide community college education and post-secondary educational attainment and its critical impact on economic vitality very seriously. Thank you, Casper College, Central Wyoming College, Eastern Wyoming College, Laramie County Community College, Northwest College, Northern Wyoming Community College District-Sheridan and Gillette College and Western Wyoming Community College. Keep up the great work and stay safe and healthy! Dr. Jackie Freeze is the Wyoming Community College Commission Chair. Love 7 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 The Times Network has launched India For Bengal, a special initiative to create awareness and raise funds for the relief efforts for the state ravaged by the catastrophic cyclone Amphan, it said here on Sunday. Encouraging the nation to stand with Bengal and contribute to rebuild it, the national broadcast network urged the people to participate in the effort to support the lives and livelihood of fellow citizens in the state. With more than 1.36 crore people affected and 10.5 lakh houses damaged, the cyclone shattered and unhinged lives of many, resulting in extensive loss, the network said in a statement. 'India For Bengal' seeks to help those who have been affected by nature's fury by raising awareness about the plight of the people in the affected state, it said. Citizens can donate funds to West Bengal State Disaster Management Authority -- ICICI Bank Account No 628001041066, IFSC Code ICIC0006280 and MICR Code 700229010, the statement said. Speaking on the initiative, MK Anand, MD & CEO, Times Network, said, Bengal is a keystone of India's cultural heritage. The state and its people have been ravaged by one of the biggest natural disasters in recent times. India for Bengal is an act of urgency that requires support and solidarity of the entire nation to rebuild West Bengal." "Through this initiative, we aim to offer our nationwide reach to appeal to all Indians to step forward and contribute to this task of relief and rehabilitation," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Benjamin Netanyahu professed his innocence at the start of his corruption trial on Sunday, saying he was being framed in the first criminal prosecution of a serving Israeli prime minister. Flanked by a clutch of cabinet ministers from his right-wing Likud party, and speaking forcefully, Netanyahu appealed to public opinion, addressing television cameras in the courthouse hallway before taking his seat on the defendants bench. These investigations were tainted and stitched-up from the first moment, Netanyahu said about charges of bribery, breach of trust and fraud at the centre of three graft cases against him. While some Islanders have endured the grips of COVID-19 far from home, it hasn't managed to stifle their urge to lend a helping hand. For Fallon Mawhinney, native to Ebeneezer, P.E.I., that meant becoming involved with De Familia a Familia, based in Colima, Mexico. Translated from Spanish to English, it means From Family to Family, and is a new non-profit organization. The group came together in the past several weeks to help the city's most vulnerable access food and essential supplies during the pandemic. The initiative is led by a group of youth in the area, primarily in their early to mid 20s. "I was just so inspired to join. Just watching people who are my age take this on, no government funding, no parent organization and just seeing a need." Submitted by Fallon Mawhinney Mawhinney arrived in Mexico in January 2019 on an exchange program between Colima University and UPEI. Once she completed the program and polished off her degree, she said she felt the pull to go back last August. Now she works as an English teacher in Colima, even as the job has shifted to an online format because of COVID-19. Springing into action The 25-year-old hasn't looked back since, but said remaining in Colima during the pandemic meant she needed to spring to action and volunteering to help. De Familia a Familia distributes COVID-19-kits which include food like eggs, fruit and vegetables, bags of rice and pasta, in addition to things like soap and feminine hygiene products, to those who have a reduced income, or have lost their jobs entirely as a result of the pandemic. "We aim to have enough food to keep a small family going for about a week," Mawhinney said. For the past month, Mawhinney along with other members of the organization, have been assembling the COVID-19 kits each Saturday. On Sundays, before the afternoon heat becomes overwhelming, they distribute them to families in need. So far, the group has managed to deliver kits to 140 families, but there are still some families waiting for relief. Story continues It was kind of an invitation to action. Luis Jiminez, co-founder "Here in Mexico, our labour reality, our economic reality has forced people to get on the streets and try to get some money or some food," said Luis Jimenez, who is from Colima and is one of the co-founders of the organization. As a nation, Mexico has had 56,594 cases and 6,090 deaths. Colima, a city of about 400,000 people, Jimenez said, hasn't been hit as hard as some parts of the country but is currently reeling from the economic toll of the health crisis. 'To help our people' Jimenez, 24, said he was encouraged to start the initiative by his teachers, friends and members of the community who were advocating that there was a need. "We were in this quarantine and we were thinking about what else we could do, I don't know, to help our people," he said. "It was kind of an invitation to action. It took us two days to start the whole thing," he said. Submitted by Fallon Mawhinney Only weeks ago, the organization had just five members but that number has quickly swelled to 20. But Jimenez notes that as the number of volunteers has grown, so has the number of those registering for the service. Mawhinney and Jiminez said the group, which relies solely on donations, will continue to deliver their kits for the foreseeable future, even as COVID-19 health restrictions are poised to be loosened in Colima, come June 1. "We don't see this going back to normal overnight," Mawhinney said. More from CBC P.E.I. Confused or frustrated by the news/data on COVID-19? If you follow the daily news on the coronavirus that has stopped the world in its tracks, At first glance, Denise Weaver Ross paintings resemble vintage postcards, splashed with some colorful updating. A closer look reveals an edgy underpinning rooted in politics and controversy. On view online at Albuquerques Ghostwolf Gallery, her Postcards to America is just getting started, with images referencing the violence in Ferguson, Missouri, shootings in Florida and the Walmart killings in El Paso. Ross grew up in Wisconsin in a white, Protestant family that spent their vacations traveling to Disneyland and most of Americas national parks. She married a man from Jamaica and has biracial children. I grew up with the postcard view, Ross said. On the other hand, I lived in Milwaukee during the riots of the 60s, so I was very aware of the racial divide. We have a beautiful country and on the other hand, there are things that are disturbing. To begin a piece, Ross gathers vintage postcards from across the internet to use as templates. She creates a digital mock-up, adding layers, then prints it, cutting out images and transferring them to paper. She produces bright splashes of color using an oil wax crayon and colored pencil. Ross feels particularly drawn to the dramatic lettering of the postcards she remembers from her childhood. You have the space outside the letters and inside the letters to play with, she said. The Ferguson piece reflects the 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown with a red heart swallowing a stand of armed men. Missouri calls itself the heart of America, Ross said. So I used The Heartbreak of America because of Ferguson. Her Florida postcard includes the group of young activists who appeared on the cover of Time magazine in the aftermath of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. In 2018, a gunman opened fire, killing 17 people and injuring 17 more in Parkland, Florida. Ross added an image of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old African American, who was killed by a neighborhood watchman in 2012. They had the stand your ground law in that state that got (Martins shooter) off, so I called it The Stand Your Ground State. Her Texas piece expresses the horror of the mass Walmart shooting in El Paso in 2019. Twenty-two people died. Ross named it The Lone Gunman State. My earliest memory of Texas was when Kennedy was shot, she said. The iconic image of the young John F. Kennedy, Jr. saluting his late fathers casket appears next to a sketch of a tower. The image refers to the 1966 University of Texas tower shooting where 14 people died amid what was then the countrys deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman. These tragedies epitomize the dark side of American rugged individualism, Ross said. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, inspired her next work-in-progress. Im calling it Genuine American Segregation, Ross said. Milwaukee is the most segregated city in the nation. People dont realize that. Shes still mulling over a New Mexico postcard, guessing it will focus on the states fraught nuclear history. Shes also working on a postcard for New York. Its called The Empire State, she said. I call it The Epicenter State. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: With a steady rise in movement of migrants from different states, Covid-19 spread to 26 districts in Odisha after two more districts reported positive cases, all imported. As many as 80 new cases were detected in the last 24 hours from 13 districts, most of which received migrants from Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh recently. Among them 71 are from quarantine centres, two from home quarantine zone and seven local contacts. With this, the total number of coronavirus cases rose to 1,269, including 1,113 men and 156 women. While 765 active cases have been admitted to Covid Hospitals in the respective districts, seven persons have succumbed to the disease so far. Nineteen people have tested positive in Ganjam, followed by 17 in Puri, 14 in Jajpur, five each in Sundargarh, Nayagarh and Malkangiri, four in Gajapati, three each in Balasore and Jharsuguda, two in Kandhamal and one each in Cuttack, Balangir and Nabarangpur. Of the 19 cases in Ganjam, 15 had returned from Surat and one from Maharashtra. The rest three are local cases. Eight of the affected persons in Jajpur had returned from Bengal, five from AP and one from Gujarat. Similarly, 11 of the 17 cases in Puri are Gujarat returnees and four are WB returnees while the rest one each came back from AP and Tamil Nadu. Official sources said the spurt in Covid positive cases in Puri district will have little impact on the forthcoming Rath Yatra as most of the cases are from quarantine centres and there is no local transmission. Jharsuguda reported one more minor positive case as a one-year-old girl has been diagnosed with the disease a day after her five-year-old brother tested positive. The siblings along with their parents had returned from Agra on May 16 and were in home quarantine. Gajapati and Nabarangpur are the new additions in the Covid map of the State. Of the 30 districts, only four - Bargarh, Rayagada, Nuapada and Sonepur are left with no person afflicted with the virus as yet. While highest 341 cases have been detected in Ganjam so far, Jajpur is the second worst-affected district with 239 cases. Balasore, Bhadrak, Khurda, Puri and Cuttack have registered 128, 98, 74, 65 and 57 cases respectively. On Saturday, 62 more patients, including 41 from Ganjam, 15 from Balasore, two from Rourkela and one each from Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur and Maharashtra have recovered. So far, 496 patients in the State have recovered, excluding Maharashtra natives. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement before entering a courtroom at the district court of Jerusalem on May 24, 2020, during the first day of his corruption trial. (Yonathan Sindel/AFP via Getty Images) Israels Netanyahu, Saying Hes Standing Tall, Goes on Trial on Corruption Charges JERUSALEMBenjamin Netanyahu professed his innocence at the start of his corruption trial on May 24, saying he was being framed but standing tall in the first criminal prosecution of a serving Israeli prime minister. Flanked by a group of cabinet ministers from his right-wing Likud party, Netanyahu addressed television cameras in the courthouse hallway before appearing in front of a three-judge panel. These investigations were tainted and stitched-up from the first moment, Netanyahu said about charges of bribery, breach of trust, and fraud at the center of three graft cases against him. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement before entering a courtroom at the district court of Jerusalem on May 24, 2020, during the first day of his corruption trial. (Yonathan Sindel/AFP via Getty Images) He dubbed prosecutors and police the Just Not Bibi Gang, a reference, using his own nickname, to what he has called a witch-hunt, abetted by the left-wing media and political opponents to end his record tenure as prime minister. I am appearing here today, as your prime minister, standing tall and with head high, Netanyahu told reporters, vowing to beat the charges and continue to lead Israel in his current fifth term. Netanyahu, 70, was required to appear for the session in Jerusalem District Court, a week after his new unity government was sworn in. Its inauguration ended more than a year of political deadlock in the wake of three inconclusive elections. He was indicted in November in cases involving gifts from millionaire friends and for allegedly seeking regulatory favors for media tycoons in return for favorable coverage. By Maayan Lubell 'Intrepid Spirits was set up in 2013 and its Mad March Hare brand was named the 2019 winner for Best Irish Poitin at The Irish Whiskey Awards.' (stock image) Intrepid Spirits, an Irish-based spirits company, has acquired a majority stake in Australian vermouth company Regal Rogue. Intrepid - which has offices in Dublin, Shanghai, Chicago and San Francisco - has brands such as Egan's Irish Whiskey, Cocalero and Mad March Hare in its portfolio. Following the investment, Mark Ward, Regal Rogue's founder, will continue to be heavily involved in the development of the brand, working closely with the marketing team at Intrepid to expand the distribution and presence of Regal Rogue internationally. "Mark has created a world-class brand and we look forward to bringing the infrastructure and resources required to take Regal Rogue to the next level," said John Ralph, chief executive of Intrepid Spirits. He said that it was an unusual time for the company to make its first major strategic brand investment. "We were determined to take an optimistic approach to these tumultuous times. "It's something that Mark and I have been discussing for months, long before the pandemic, and we felt the long-term strategic value for both parties was just the reason to continue to move forward." Established in 2011, Regal Rogue is Australia's first native vermouth. "We've seen tremendous success in Australia, the UK and USA," said Ward. "And by joining the Intrepid portfolio, we'll be able to dramatically amplify our positioning in the vermouth category." Regal Rogue has secured some premium accounts already in Ireland, featuring in signature drinks such as Bar 1661's 'Brother Hubbard' and on the Shelbourne Hotel's summer spritz menu. Regal Rogue Vermouth is available at Waitrose and other select retailers in Ireland and the UK. Intrepid Spirits was set up in 2013 and its Mad March Hare brand was named the 2019 winner for Best Irish Poitin at The Irish Whiskey Awards. Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now. Tory MPs have begun to round on Downing Street aide Dominic Cummings amid accusations he twice broke the coronavirus lockdown rules. A string of Conservatives called for Boris Johnson to sack the senior adviser on Sunday after reports Cummings travelled to Durham a second time, while the public were still being told to stay at home. It comes after the Mirror and Guardian reported on Friday that Cummings drove from London to a family property in the city, after he had contracted coronavirus in March. Number 10 said the first trip was to guarantee childcare for Cummings four-year-old son but Cummings flatly denies he went to Durham a second time, despite witnesses saying they saw him in the town of Barnard Castle on April 19. Asked by journalists about the issue as he left his north London home on Sunday whether he went to the north twice, Cummings said: No, I did not. Later on Sunday two police officers were seen knocking on the door at Cummings London address, but walked away moments later after there was no answer. Police have just turned up at Dominic Cummings house and knocked on the door. No one in. pic.twitter.com/s3jAq4IOWy Tony Diver (@Tony_Diver) May 24, 2020 Number 10 appears has called the reports completely untrue - but Tory MPs have begun to break ranks and publicly call for Cummings resignation. Craig Whittaker, Conservative MP for Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, said Cummings position is untenable. I totally agree that Dominic Cummings position is untenable. I'm sure he took the decision in the best interests of his family but like every decision we take we also have to take responsibility for those decisions. You cannot advise the nation one thing then do the opposite. Craig Whittaker MP (@CWhittaker_MP) May 24, 2020 Speaking on Nigel Farages show on LBC, Peter Bone, MP for... Continue reading on HuffPost KREAMER Employees at a Snyder County custom wood cabinet manufacturer have gotten another surprise but they are not complaining like they did with the one a little more than a year ago. The nearly 400 employees of the new Wood-Mode found a $500 bonus in their paychecks Thursday. Owner Bill French said Sunday it was his way to show his appreciation because all of the workers who had been temporarily laid off when the plant was forced to close due to the states coronavirus regulations returned when those rules were eased. We didnt have any slackers, he said. Everyone chose to return to work instead of staying home and take the extra $600 the federal government provided in unemployment benefits, he said. We kept it a secret, said French about the bonus. We thought it could be more fun. Employees received this notice signed by French and three others in management: We are happy and excited to see you return to work safely and healthy. We understand that there are some changes that may be difficult to follow and we are here to support you. Together we will navigate the complexities of our new normal. You will see in this weeks pay we have added a Welcome Back bonus for $500 to thank you for your hard work and continued dedication to Wood-Mode LLC. We look forward to our continued success as we grow our new company together. Due to the size of the plant, social distancing is not an issue, said French, who bought the old Wood-Mode assets in August and began a phase-in reopening the following month. Everyone is asked to wear a mask and wash their hands as normal, he said, adding, We sanitize a lot." Response to the bonus has been positive, he said. That also was obvious by the posts on the Wood-Mode Friends Facebook page. Last Friday, the 938 employees who lost their jobs abruptly May 13, 2019, learned the old Wood-Mode agreed to pay them collectively $10,339,585 owed in wages and benefits. It is the money they would have received had the former owners given a 60-day notice of closing as required under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act (WARN). The agreement, if approved by U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann, would settle a class action suit employees brought against the company. The document makes no mention of CEO Robert L. Gronlund and R. Brooks Gronlund, president and chief operating officer, although they also are listed as defendants. There is a question whether the employees of the old company will receive any of their money because the agreement states it is out of business and has no resources to defend the suit despite believing it has a complete defense. 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. -- Other recent John Beauge stories on PennLive Dining out has new meaning in Montoursville; borough places picnic tables on parking lot Lawmaker accuses New York, New Jersey of picking Europe over Pa. for their natural gas Search of transferred inmates property has Lewisburg Penitentiary locked down Man facing state prison term after admitting to driving drunk in crash with Amish buggy, injuring 6 Pa. school director resigns after threatening to shoot anyone without a mask approaching her family Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 24) A woman from Makati City made the most out of her time during lockdown by finishing 20 online courses from top global universities. 28-year-old Paula Mendoza spent nearly a month completing all the online courses, with the goal to finish at least one course every day. Straight aral from tanghali to madaling araw, kasi parang di ako nakakatulog maigi pag di ko natatapos yung course and gusto ko talaga, hanggat maaari natatapos ko na agad, Mendoza told CNN Philippines. Longest course Ive taken took me two days to finish. Mostly yung iba kaya ng one day lang pero dire-diretso ka dapat. [Translation: I would study straight from noon to dawn, because I felt like I could not sleep well if I didnt finish the course, and I really want to finish right away if I can. The longest course I've ever taken took me two days to finish. Mostly it's just one day but you should go straight through.] Mendoza, an online shopping platform manager, said she just wanted to be more productive by learning new skills that she could use for work once the quarantine is over. She enrolled in leadership, sales, and marketing courses from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania, University of California, and 12 more universities. "The most amazing course I was enrolled in was Achieving Personal and Professional Success from the Wharton School," Mendoza said. "It was actually my favorite! The course was designed to help you define what success means to you, and to develop a plan for achieving it." She took the courses from online learning platform coursera.org. The site features over 1,000 subjects, many for free, across different categories. Most courses have quizzes, final exams, case studies, peer assignments, and recorded video lectures by professors. "It was quite exciting! You can feel youre in a real class," Mendoza said. "You just have to pass every exam and submit all the needed requirements for you to complete the course and gain a certificate afterwards." Mendoza suggested that future participants check the course syllabus before enrolling to see what to expect in the program. She also advised everyone to never stop learning, despite all the stress and anxiety that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing. Kesa mabwisit ka sa mga nangyayari sa paligid, hanap ka na lang ng paraan at mga gawaing nakaka-uplift sa mind and spirit, Mendoza said. [Translation: If you get caught up in what's happening around you, just look for uplifting activities for your mind and spirit.] Aston Martin has confirmed today that boss Andy Palmer is leaving the business as part of a boardroom shake-up to restore its flagging fortunes. The luxury car-maker has named Tobias Moers, who runs Mercedes-Benz's AMG performance arm, as his replacement. Shares in Aston Martin, which have collapsed since it listed in 2018, shot up almost 40 per cent in early trading on Tuesday, to close 28 per cent higher at 45.36p. As one door closes: Andy Palmer (pictured) became chief executive in 2014 and brought Aston Martin from the brink of bankruptcy to a successful stock market flotation in 2018 Dr Palmer became chief executive in 2014 and brought Aston from the brink of bankruptcy to a successful stock market flotation in 2018. But in the past two years its performance has been dire, with shares falling more than 93 per cent to 35p. The firm whose cars were famously driven by James Bond was hit by oversupply to dealerships and a slowdown in global demand, contributing to a 120million loss in the first quarter of this year. The coronavirus pandemic also took its toll, closing factories and dealerships. The company said it had sold 578 vehicles in the first quarter, down from 1,057 in the same period last year. Dr Palmer's exit is likely to have been influenced by the arrival of Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, who became executive chairman in January after leading a 540million rescue deal. Hyderabad, May 24 : There was no let-up in the fatalities due to Covid-19 in Telangana as four more succumbed to the deadly virus while six more foreign evacuees were among 41 tested positive on Sunday. For the sixth day in a row, the state reported fatalities due to Covid-19, taking the toll to 53. The Health Department officials have not shared any details of the deceased like their age, gender and the districts they hailed from. Indicating the continuing surge in the spread, the state has reported 19 deaths in six days, the highest for any week since the first fatality was reported in the last week of March. The spike in new cases also continued with as many as 41 people testing positive on Sunday. According to the director of public health, this has pushed the total number of cases to 1,854. The state has been adding 40 to 50 cases every day to its tally for nearly two weeks. Continuing the trend, hotspot Greater Hyderabad accounted for the majority of the new cases (23). Six foreign evacuees were also tested positive on Sunday. The officials have not revealed the name of the country or countries they had returned from. On Saturday, four returnees from Kuwait had tested positive. This was the first case in Telangana of Indian citizens repatriated under evacuation mission Vande Bharat being found infected by Covid-19. Foreign evacuees are the latest category in the daily media bulletin issued by the Health Department. It was only 10 days ago that the migrants' category was added in the column of "new positive cases today". As many as 130 migrants who returned to Telangana from other parts of the country have so far tested positive. They include 11 cases reported on Sunday. Worried over the continuing spike in the number of cases, the Health Department has issued special advisory in view of relaxation of lockdown since May 16. It observed that there is a lot of mobility and movement of people from all walks of life and of all age groups resulting in a surge of positive cases during the last few days. People above 60 years of age and children below 10 years have been advised to avoid going outdoors. It has also asked people not to go out of the house without face mask and maintain physical distancing. The officials also announced that 24 patients were allowed to go home from hospital on Sunday after they recovered from Covid-19. With this, the number of cured/discharged has gone up to 1,092. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) A leader with the group Portland Mountain Rescue raised concerns Sunday that the high number of climbers packing Mount Hood are endangering themselves and the rescue crews who respond when something goes wrong. Search and rescue crews responded to two separate incidents of stranded climbers in less than 24 hours, starting Friday night. Mark Morford, a volunteer rescue leader with the nonprofit organization Portland Mountain Rescue, worked on the effort to bring down a climber caught in whiteout conditions Friday night. The man spent the night on Mount Hood and had hypothermia. Mount Hood is usually packed with climbers on Memorial Day weekend, Morford said, but this years even more crowded. I think theres a tremendous amount of pent up demand, people wanting to get out, he said. "It looked like a conga line going up Hogsback What a circus. Government officials have warned that as Oregon parks and trails start to reopen, people need to be careful to maintain distance from others and wear masks to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Morford said the routes to summit and climb down from Mount Hood consist of narrow, technically demanding chutes, and they pose immediate physical dangers as well, especially when multiple climbers at a time push through rather than going single file. People knock stuff down, including on each other, Morford said. Every year somebody gets hurt just because of that. The mountain just cant handle as many people as are up there. Plus, he said, climbers who should be back down from the mountain by midmorning are instead getting a late start. Morford estimated that the two rescue missions so far this weekend involved roughly 50 volunteers and workers who are taking on additional risks because of the pandemic. Thats a lot of people that had to work together in close contact, Morford said. We have COVID protocols that we try to follow, but its extremely difficult to maintain those protocols through a long and complicated mission. So everyones bearing an additional risk, a risk in addition to the risk that rescuers normally have to deal with, because of the current pandemic. In light of that risk, search and rescue teams are pleading for people to avoid climbs and other ambitious treks that could wind up requiring an emergency response. This is not the time to try to do your first ski descent from Mount Hood, Morford said, noting that many people are also out of shape and out of practice. Its not the time to try a challenging route Its a time to just enjoy the back country, be chill and enjoy conservative choices. Dont push it. People who climb Mount Hood this weekend are also taking a chance because the avalanche danger is high due to warm weather and heavy recent snowfall that can more easily slide off the icy base underneath. Thats what happened Saturday when a Colorado woman injured her ankle in a small avalanche on a challenging route. Morford said rescuers estimated the avalanche swept the woman and her climbing partner roughly 1,000 feet down the route and onto Reid Glacier. The location made for a difficult rescue. Crews had to bring her farther up the mountain to reach a location from which they could ski down with her in a litter. Normally, climbers can get detailed avalanche forecasts from the Northwest Avalanche Center through the second or third week of April. But the organization announced in late March it would stop producing the forecasts during the coronavirus pandemic to protect its employees and people who live near trailheads. Although we firmly believe in the value of backcountry travel it is not an essential activity that outweighs the importance of slowing the spread of this virus, Forecast Director Dennis DAmico and Executive Director Scott Schell wrote. Morford said Portland Mountain Rescue also stopped posting data about mountain conditions because we didnt want to give people data that would help them climb. Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that the Northwest Avalanche Center typically stops producing avalanche forecasts for Mt. Hood and other peaks by mid- to late April, but this year stopped doing so at the end of March in an effort to minimize the spread of coronavirus among its staff and others. -- Hillary Borrud Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 16:54:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHANGSHA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Yu Jianqi was a registered construction engineer before he returned to his hometown four years ago to be a farmer, driven by his obsession with seeds. Yu said his seed story began with two meals in 2006, one of which was a dish made of towel gourd by his mother when he came back home one day to Lutang Village, central China's Hunan Province, after working outside for many years. "It was so delicious, the same taste as in my childhood," said Yu, adding that the second life-changing meal was a lunch at a rural restaurant during a business trip. "The vegetable was amazing and I couldn't stop eating." The secret of the delectable meals was soon found by Yu -- they were all from old seeds of local varieties. "Commercial varieties which are better suited to modern agricultural intensification and large-scale production have gradually replaced the local ones," Yu said. "That's why we always feel like some food doesn't taste the same as in our memory." The loss of taste means a decrease in seeds. Though as the world's second-largest country of crop germplasm resources, the quantity of local germplasm resources in China has been on the decline. After several years of study and preparation, Yu quit his job in 2016 and returned to Lutang Village where he got 80 hectares of land through rural land transfer and established an ecological plantation to fully devote himself to collecting and breeding local varieties. The first step was looking for seeds. "Whenever I heard of where there were old seeds, I would set off immediately." In four years, he has visited hundreds of counties and cities in Hunan and also the provinces and regions of Hubei, Yunnan and Xinjiang. "Once in Libo County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, where I stayed for a month and visited more than 30 villages, I finally found in a remote village a batch of seeds of tomato, eggplant, pepper and other old vegetable varieties that have been planted for more than 200 years," Yu said, adding that on his way back home, however, he was caught in a landslide. "I had no time to hesitate and only grabbed the bag of collected seeds before jumping out of the car," he said. So far, Yu has collected seeds of nearly 800 varieties of rice, vegetables, flowers and other local plants, investing heavily to build a warehouse and exhibition hall for these treasures and starting the work of propagation. Farmers in his cooperative use the most primitive methods to plant seeds collected from all over the country and turn each seed into 10 and then into hundreds and thousands. Experts from the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Hunan Seed Association often come to Yu's cooperative to provide guidance. Having pursued the business for many years, the old seeds mean more than just delicious dishes for Yu, they also represent the "genetic resources" of a country. Hunan Province, one of the country's major grain producers, launched in May its first germplasm pool of crop resources, as an effort to strengthen the comprehensive protection and utilization of germplasm resources. Some of the more than 30,000 pieces of germplasm resources of various crops now preserved in the pool were donated by Yu. For every collected seed of a new variety, he would give one to the germplasm pool free of charge. The new farmer said he also planned to build a research base to help more kids get to know the old seeds. With the increasing demand for high-quality food in China and the emergence of more family farms, Yu has met a large number of like-minded friends who helped his old seeds find a market. In 2019, the sales volume of Yu's various kinds of old seeds exceeded 3 million yuan (about 420,000 U.S. dollars). "Only through planting these seeds on the farmland and by the farmers' own hands can we pass down the resources," Yu said. Enditem Few days after the demise of Pastor Emmanuel Apraku, a video clip which captures a prophecy about his departure has emerged. It is unclear who the prophet is, the time the prophecy was made and the church auditorium where the revelations were made. During the church service, the prophet, clad in suit, invited Pastor Apraku to the sanctuary. As Apraku approached the prophet and stood to attention, the prophet told him he has had a revelation that he [Apraku] will be a drunkard. Apraku My Daughter as he was affectionately known was in the footage told that God had given him a second chance unlike his colleagues who had passed on. Youre here like a man but alcohol will destroy your life. Youll be a drunkard to the extent that it will affect your intestines, kidney and liver, the prophet said in the local dialect Twi. God gave you the first chance; friends perpetrated your downfall. God is giving you another chance. Be careful of friends. He further mentioned to Apraku that the spirit of death was hovering around him and stressed on the need for him to be vigilant to avoid a fall. The spirit of death is standing very close to you. Do you know why all the pastors who were following you have died but youre still alive? God says I should tell you, he is giving you a second chance, he proclaimed. Apraku My Daughter who had been flanked by some junior pastors corroborated the prophecy. According to him, two other pastors had told him about Gods decision to grant him a second chance. He said: It is true. A friend of mine in America told me this three days ago during a phone conversation. Another one in Lagos has told me same. View this post on Instagram Prophecy about Apraku's death before his demise A post shared by whatstrendingh (@whats_trendingh) on May 24, 2020 at 6:15am PDT Source: ghanaweb.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 Lucknow: After facing flak from the Opposition over its controversial order banning mobile phones usage by coronavirus COVID-19 patients inside isolation ward of COVID-19 hospitals in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath on Sunday (May 24) withdrew the ban. In a circular issued on Sunday afternoon, the state government has now allowed patients to carry their phones in isolation wards after making the disclosure to the officials concerned. The mobile phone and the charger will be thoroughly disinfected before the patient enters the ward. The patient will not be allowed to share the mobile phone with any other patient. At the time of being discharged, the mobile phone and charger will again be disinfected by the health workers. Earlier in the day, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh banned COVID-19 patients from keeping mobile phones inside isolation wards of hospitals in the state. As per the regulation, patients admitted in dedicated L-2 and L-3 COVID hospitals were no longer allowed to take mobile phones along with them in the isolation wards in order to check the spread of the infection. The order, issued by the state government late on Saturday night, said two mobile phones would be available with the ward in-charge of the COVID-19 care centres so that patients can speak to their family members and administration if required. The order was issued by KK Gupta, Director General Medical Education, and all concerned officials and directors of dedicated COVID-19 hospitals have been informed about it. "To facilitate the communication between COVID-19 patients admitted in clinics, with their family members, or anyone else, ensure that two dedicated mobile phones while adhering to infection prevention norms, are kept with ward in-charge of COVID care centre," the order said. The move was slammed by former state Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party. Taking a dig at the ruling party, the Samajwadi Party said in a tweet that the move to ban mobile phones is an attempt by the state government to conceal its shortcomings and various loopholes in its arrangements for treating the COVI-19 patients. Akhilesh Yadavs party then demanded the UP government to immediately cancel the order banning mobile phones inside COVID-19 hospitals in the state. According to the latest data available on the website of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Uttar Pradesh now has 5,735 cases of Corona positive patients and the numbers have been growing steadily for the past ten days. As the state began celebrating from a distance over Memorial Day weekend, hospitalizations and deaths from coronavirus continued to decline in Connecticut on Sunday even as health officials found more than 400 new cases. Statewide, 18 new deaths were reported from COVID-19, according to data released by Gov. Ned Lamonts office Sunday afternoon. The new deaths brought the coronavirus death toll in Connecticut to 3,693. Health officials reported 446 new infections, bringing the total number of cases in the state up to 40,468. Around Connecticut, 701 people remained hospitalized with the disease, down by 23 cases from the day before. With many Memorial Day parades and other events canceled, several communities announced alternative plans to commemorate those lost in war that reflected the new normal. In Stamford, city officials held a socially distanced Memorial Day ceremony with attendees wearing masks and standing or sitting far apart. The event was also live streamed on Facebook. In Norwalk, where organizers canceled the city Memorial Day parade, Mayor Harry Rilling asked residents to honor the fallen by leaving a light in a window or placing a candle on their porch. Musicians organized by the American Legion have said they plan to play Taps on Monday along the Housatonic River from the coastline to the Massachusetts border in honor of the holiday. Despite restrictions, Sundays bright blue skies and temperatures in the 70s brought crowding to state parks. As with many other nice weekends this spring, by mid-afternoon, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection had closed eight parks after parking lots filled to capacity. The daily closures included the popular Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden and C.P. Huntington State Park in Redding and Bethel. A ninth park, Osbornedale State Park in Derby, was closed after a police manhunt for a man linked to a homicide in Willington and possibly another in Derby. With offices, retail stores, and outdoor dining at restaurants reopened last Wednesday, Gov. Ned Lamont last week roughly outlined plans for the next phase of reopening on June 20. That reopening is to include gyms, nail salons, and tattoo parlors. Hair salons and barbershops, originally slated to reopen May 20, were delayed until June 1. That plan comes as New York Sunday announced plans to reopen other regions around Connecticut in the coming week. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the mid-Hudson region is on track to reopen on Tuesday, with Long Island set to reopen the following day. On Long Island, the governor said workers would add cars to trains to help spread riders apart from one another, and crews would be working to clean and disinfect both trains and buses. Cuomo also announced Sunday the state will allow professional sports teams to open training camps. I believe that sports that can come back without having people in the stadium do it. Work out the economics if you can, Cuomo said. The New York Governor Sunday also tapped former Google CEO Eric Schmidt to head a commission to envision the future of the state after the pandemic, an initiative Cuomo likened to rebuilding public infrastructure after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. I want them to get to work, I want them to come up with ideas, Cuomo said. The former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda discusses the hunt for genocide suspects. On May 16, an 84-year-old Rwandan by the name of Felicien Kabuga was arrested from a flat in Asnieres-sur-Seine, on the outskirts of Paris. He had been on the run for 26 years. The Hutu businessman was once one of Rwandas wealthiest people. He stands accused of funding militias that massacred at least 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus during the course of 100 days in 1994. Kabuga was also a co-founder of Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM), a radio station that many believe played a significant role in inciting the genocide. The station regularly referred to Tutsis as cockroaches and, once the genocide had begun, broadcast the names of people to be killed and information on where they could be found. In 1997, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), an international court established by the United Nations Security Council to judge people responsible for the genocide, indicted Kabuga on seven criminal charges including genocide. But the ICTR, which had been located in Arusha, Tanzania, was closed at the end of 2015. It had concluded 55 cases. After its closure, the ICTRs responsibilities were transferred to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). Hassan Bubacar Jallow was the chief prosecutor of the ICTR from 2003 to 2015. From 2012 to 2016, he was also the prosecutor of the IRMCT. He is currently the chief justice of the Gambia. Bubacar Jallow spoke to Al Jazeera about the significance of Kabugas arrest. Al Jazeera: At what point did you first become aware of Felicien Kabuga? Hassan Bubacar Jallow: He came to our attention very early on in my mandate for a number of reasons. He was a big fish because of his involvement in the establishment of the RTLM and his involvement in the purchase and distribution of arms. He was certainly one of our top fugitives. Al Jazeera: How far were you able to get with your investigation into Kabuga? Bubacar Jallow: By the time I left the ICTR, we had gone very far. The case had been very well investigated. The indictment had been confirmed. We had witnesses testifying before a single judge as part of the rules for preservation of evidence in case Kabuga was arrested at a time when the witnesses were no longer available, whether because they had died or for some other reason. By 2014, we had referred the case to the new mechanism, the IRMCT. Al Jazeera: Did you know where Kabuga was? Bubacar Jallow: We had clear evidence that he left Rwanda after the genocide and had gone to Kenya. We had immigration records to confirm that. His bank accounts in Kenya confirmed that. The evidence showed that he went to Nairobi and he was granted a visa. We had been advised by the Kenyans that he had left the country at some point. We became aware of this quite late in 2012. But there was no information on where he went and in which direction he had gone. So we continued to look for him in Kenya and other places such as Europe. We also looked for him in Central Africa. After 2004, we changed the strategy of the tracking team and we spent a lot of time looking around in countries where we suspected the fugitives could be. Our tracking team went to Kenya many times. Al Jazeera: Had Kabuga travelled to Kenya under his own name? Bubacar Jallow: The visa to go to Kenya in 1994 was under his own name. In 1994, many of the Rwandan fugitives did not think it was necessary to change their names. A dozen or more of the accused went to Kenya. We carried out an investigation in Nairobi called Operation NAKI. Many of the fugitives were arrested and transferred to Arusha for trial. It was only Kabuga who escaped arrest at that time. Al Jazeera: Who else was looking for him? Bubacar Jallow: The ICTR worked hand in hand with Interpol in tracking the fugitives. It was mainly our tracking team that was working on the case. The tracking team really work very hard. They were on the ground. They develop sources and informers and so on. Its a dangerous, risky business. They remain anonymous of course. Al Jazeera: Has the ICTR tracking team found other fugitives? Bubacar Jallow: We indicted 93 accused. All of them had left Rwanda. The tracking team had located all but about six of them. Kabuga was one of two that were still outstanding. The former commander of the presidential guard at the time, Protais Mpiranya, was the other. Al Jazeera: The United States had put a $5m reward on Kabugas head. How did that work? Bubacar Jallow: It is part of their policy to help the cause of international criminal justice. They set up the Rewards for Justice programme. It was very helpful. It encouraged a lot of people to come forward with information which led to the arrest of many fugitives. Al Jazeera: How do countries get word that a fugitive might be attempting to flee? Bubacar Jallow: Once the ICTR indicted a person, it issued an arrest warrant directed at all member states. The warrants were directed at all countries to locate these persons and surrender them. Because the ICTR was established by the UN Security Council there was an obligation on all members of the UN to comply with these arrest warrants. Al Jazeera: Is there an element of unfinished business until all those who have so far evaded capture are caught and brought to justice? Bubacar Jallow: The ICTR indicted 93 fugitives. Most of them were arrested. The cases were transferred to Rwanda and Rwanda was tasked with tracking them, arresting them and bringing them to justice. Many of the indicted were tried, including a former prime minister, government ministers, media people and clergy. It was a gallery of very high profile genocidaires that the tribunal tried. Many of the victims I spoke to, as long as they were aware the perpetrator had been tried, this gave them a sense of satisfaction. So justice is very important in bringing closure to the great tragedies of genocide, although not justice alone of course. Al Jazeera: Do such trials play a role in an individuals and a countrys healing process? And, if so, what role do you feel they play? Bubacar Jallow: In addition to the process of justice, you need other elements such as healing in the community to bring closure. In the course of my time as prosecutor at the ICTR I saw the worst in human beings and I saw the best. I have seen the best qualities in human beings. Al Jazeera: Could you share any key moments from your time as a prosecutor? Bubacar Jallow: I visited the technical college in Murambi in Gikongoro district. It was the site of one of the worst massacres of the genocide. More than 50,000 people who had sought refuge there were killed in the course of about a week. When I visited as I did all the major massacre sites in Rwanda there were at least 30,000 people who had been buried on the grounds. But each of the classrooms were still filled with corpses dried, shrivelled corpses, young and old, male and female. In some of them, you could still see the holes in their skulls from bullets, machetes and other weapons. It was a terrible moment. I also visited the church at Nyamata and saw similar things. There was blood on the walls. There were no remains but there were clothes and articles belonging to people who had been massacred. There were many such bad moments. There were also good moments when we saw evidence of many Hutus risking their lives in order to save Tutsis. We also had evidence that the Muslim community stood up against the genocide. They actually stood outside the mosques and protected all Tutsi refugees who sought sanctuary inside, irrespective of their religion. That is why there were so few, if any at all, killings of Tutsis carried out in the mosques of Rwanda. Those were good moments. I also saw good moments when Tutsi survivors, people who had lost families, were able to forgive perpetrators. This brought out the best in human beings. This interview was edited for clarity and brevity. Readers hoping to buy Anhui Expressway Company Limited (HKG:995) for its dividend will need to make their move shortly, as the stock is about to trade ex-dividend. Investors can purchase shares before the 28th of May in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 22nd of July. Anhui Expressway's next dividend payment will be HK$0.23 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of HK$0.23 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Anhui Expressway has a trailing yield of 6.6% on the current share price of HK$3.81. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing. Check out our latest analysis for Anhui Expressway Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. That's why it's good to see Anhui Expressway paying out a modest 49% of its earnings. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. Anhui Expressway paid out more free cash flow than it generated - 143%, to be precise - last year, which we think is concerningly high. It's hard to consistently pay out more cash than you generate without either borrowing or using company cash, so we'd wonder how the company justifies this payout level. Anhui Expressway paid out less in dividends than it reported in profits, but unfortunately it didn't generate enough cash to cover the dividend. Were this to happen repeatedly, this would be a risk to Anhui Expressway's ability to maintain its dividend. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Story continues SEHK:995 Historical Dividend Yield May 24th 2020 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Companies that aren't growing their earnings can still be valuable, but it is even more important to assess the sustainability of the dividend if it looks like the company will struggle to grow. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. With that in mind, we're not enthused to see that Anhui Expressway's earnings per share have remained effectively flat over the past five years. It's better than seeing them drop, certainly, but over the long term, all of the best dividend stocks are able to meaningfully grow their earnings per share. Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Anhui Expressway has delivered an average of 1.4% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past ten years of dividend payments. To Sum It Up Should investors buy Anhui Expressway for the upcoming dividend? It's disappointing to see earnings per share have fallen slightly, even though Anhui Expressway is paying out less than half its income as dividends. It's also paying out an uncomfortably high percentage of its cash flow, which makes us wonder just how sustainable the dividend really is. Overall it doesn't look like the most suitable dividend stock for a long-term buy and hold investor. Ever wonder what the future holds for Anhui Expressway? See what the three analysts we track are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. Love or hate this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email 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. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. HELENA Jean Kathleen Stromnes, 73, passed away suddenly at home in Helena on Friday, May 8, 2020, where she had moved with her late husband Einar John Stromnes in 2018. Jean was born Aug. 26, 1946 in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, to Robert Leonard and Joan Romayne Stang, descendants of Norwegian immigrants. Bob served in the Navy in World War II in the Pacific. Jean was born second of six and the only girl. She grew up helping her mom, loving the outdoors and riding horses. She credited her love of music and violin to her grandfather, Al Otnes. Her family moved to Williston, North Dakota, where Bob was a contractor during the oil boom. Jean treasured memories of Babe, her quarter horse, barrel racing or bareback riding on a summer day. She made wonderful friends in Williston who lasted throughout her lifetime. In 1964, the family moved to Missoula, where Jean attended the University of Montana, earning a BA in English with honors. She protested against war and for civil rights and became a feminist. She met the vibrant Einar John Stromnes in a Spanish class at U of M. Later they coincidentally saw each other on the streets of Seattle. They fell in love and were inseparable for 50 years, eloping on Dec. 2, 1968, in Coeur DAlene. They raised two daughters, Ingunn and Katja in Missoula. Jean and John worked hard and always together, creating a rich life full of experiences.They were health conscious, active, creative and loving parents. Jean and John relished the outdoors with dogs, horses and their children; vacations included hiking, camping, sailing, canoeing and visits to the ocean. Both were musical and surrounded themselves with many friends who shared their passions. Jean loved playing violin or guitar and singing with friends and ensembles. More recently, she was taking piano lessons and practiced daily. In 1980, Jean completed a special education endorsement and worked as a child development specialist for CDC in Missoula and the Flathead Valley for 20 years. She educated families to support their children with special needs and develop their full potential. She did this with love, zest and compassion. In 1997, with daughters raised, Jean and John moved to Jette Meadows in Polson, where they built an art and pottery studio and a barn for horses. There was not a day that went by without Jean working on an art project. She created gorgeous watercolors often of the outdoors, sewed fabric art using fabric she hand-dyed herself, created felted wool wall hangings and found object collages and sculptures, and sewed countless quilts. She was a constant source of hand-made gifts for family members. Her last gallery showing, at the Sandpiper Gallery in Polson, was this spring. Jean adored her five grandchildren, imparting a love of nature, art, music and animals. Jean dearly loved her husband and partner through life, John, who died October 26, 2018, months after moving to Helena to be closer to family. To honor John, she hiked each day in Helena and maintained an inner strength and creativity. She is survived by daughters: Katja Allyn Elias (Abe Elias) and Ingunn Margarete Stromnes (Jeff Bonner) and five grandchildren: Khalil, Freya, and Emma Elias (Montana); Sindri and Tiernan Bonner (Minnesota); brothers Roger, Peter, Otto, Dave and Eric Stang; and many good and dear friends in Helena, Polson and Missoula. A memorial service will be held at a later time. Memorial donations may be sent in honor of Jean to Opportunity Resources at 2821 S. Russell St, Missoula, MT, 59801. Thousands take to streets amid coronavirus-related restrictions to protest against proposed new national security law. Hong Kong police have fired volleys of tear gas at demonstrators as thousands of people protested against Beijings controversial plan to directly impose national security laws on the semi-autonomous financial hub. Images posted on social media on Sunday showed protesters gathering in the busy Causeway Bay and Wan Chai districts. The demonstrators set up makeshift barricades and chanted slogans such as Five demands, not one less in reference to their demands from the government, including investigation of alleged police brutality against anti-government protesters last year. Water cannon trucks and armoured police vehicles were seen rolling into Causeway Bay, while in Wan Chai police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds after protesters tried to block a road. Local media reported that more than 100 people were detained. This is the first large demonstration in Hong Kong since COVID-19 arrived here, Al Jazeeras Adrian Brown, reporting from a protest site, said. The protesters are not just defying social-distancing rules, theyre also defying an order by Hong Kongs police not to hold this unauthorised assembly and, of course, they are once more defying Beijing. Nuclear option The planned legislation is expected to ban treason, subversion and sedition, and comes after Hong Kong was shaken in 2019 by months of massive, often-violent protests sparked by opposition to a now-shelved bill to extradite criminal suspects for trial in mainland China. Beijings proposal on Thursday sent a chill through financial markets and drew a swift rebuke from foreign governments, international human rights groups and some business lobbies. In drafting the tough new laws, which could also see the setting up of Chinese government intelligence agencies in the finance hub, Beijing would be circumventing Hong Kongs lawmaking body, the Legislative Council. Tear gas was fired around 1:25pm as protesters sought to march to Wan Chai. pic.twitter.com/ZPRKJ5N5WM Hong Kong Free Press HKFP (@hkfp) May 24, 2020 The move has sparked concerns over the fate of the one country, two systems formula that has governed Hong Kong since its return to Chinese rule in 1997 and which guarantees the city broad freedoms not seen on the mainland. Some local commentators have described the proposal as a nuclear option that is part of Chinese President Xi Jinpings high-stakes power play. A backlash intensified on Saturday as nearly 200 political figures from around the world said in a statement the proposed laws were a comprehensive assault on the citys autonomy, rule of law and fundamental freedoms. If the international community cannot trust Beijing to keep its word when it comes to Hong Kong, people will be reluctant to take its word on other matters, they wrote. The statement, which was also signed by Hong Kongs last British governor, Chris Patten, said the proposed law is a flagrant breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration that returned Hong Kong to China in 1997. The proposed national security law has sparked concerns over the fate of the one country, two systems formula that has governed Hong Kong since its return to Chinese rule in 1997 [Tyrone Siu/Reuters] China has dismissed other countries complaints as meddling and rejected concerns the proposed laws would harm foreign investors. Briefing reporters on Sunday, the Chinese governments top diplomat Wang Yi said the new legislation would target a narrow category of acts and would have no impact on the citys freedoms or rights, or interests of foreign firms. State Councillor Wang said people should be more confident of the stability of Hong Kong, instead of being more worried. Sundays rally was initially organised against a controversial national anthem bill, which is due for a second reading at the Legislative Council on Wednesday, but the proposed national security laws sparked calls for more people to take to the streets. Hong Kong has increasingly become a pawn in deteriorating relations between Washington and Beijing, and observers will be watching for any signs of acceptance among the broader local community or indications that activists are gearing up for a fresh challenge. Anti-government protests that escalated in June last year plunged the city into its biggest political crisis in decades, battered the economy and posed the gravest popular challenge to Xi since he came to power in 2012. The sometimes violent clashes that roiled the city saw a relative lull in recent months as the government imposed measures to curb the spread of coronavirus. In an op-ed published on Sunday by the Nikkei Asian Review, former Hong Kong legislator, Nathan Law, who is also the founding chairperson of pro-democracy group Demosisto, wrote that if the new law is imposed on Hong Kong, residents truly fear for our safety. Our freedom of speech, assembly and political beliefs are no longer safeguarded by the citys legal system. Torture and imprisonment inflicted on human rights defenders in China may occur in Hong Kong, with activists like Joshua Wong and myself likely targets of the authorities, he warned. Brazilians got a shocking look Friday at an expletive-laced meeting between President Jair Bolsonaro and his cabinet when a Supreme Court judge released a video at the center of an investigation targeting the far-right leader. The April 22 cabinet meeting is under scrutiny by prosecutors probing allegations by former justice minister Sergio Moro that Bolsonaro tried to interfere in federal police investigations. But it could prove just as damaging to Bolsonaro's 18-month-old government for other sordid details it contains. They include the president using profanity to insult governors, the education minister calling to throw Supreme Court justices in jail and the environment minister urging the government to legalize mining and farming in the Amazon rainforest while the world is distracted by the coronavirus pandemic. The video came to light when Moro resigned two days after the meeting. In a damaging final press conference, the then-justice minister, a popular anti-corruption crusader, accused Bolsonaro of "political interference" in the federal police. Police are reportedly investigating multiple cases involving Bolsonaro and his inner circle, including allegations that his son Carlos, a Rio de Janeiro city councilor, oversaw a fake-news campaign to benefit his father. Moro's allegations led a Supreme Court justice to order an investigation into whether Bolsonaro obstructed justice or committed other crimes. The probe, which could see Bolsonaro tried or even impeached, comes as the president faces growing disapproval ratings and criticism over his downplaying of the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 21,000 lives in Brazil. - 'Another farce' - In the video, Bolsonaro rails against what he calls a lack of information from the federal police, or PF. "I can't be getting surprises in the news. Hell, the PF doesn't give me information," he says. "I can't work like that. That's why I'm going to interfere, period. It's not a threat... it's the truth." At another point, he says: "I've already tried to change our security people in Rio de Janeiro, officially, and I couldn't. That's finished now. I'm not going to wait for them to fuck my whole family, my friends, because I can't change someone in our security apparatus." Anticipating the release of the video, the president had already sought to do damage control, saying he was talking about ensuring his family's security, not protecting anyone from investigation. "Another farce just collapsed. There's not a second in the video where someone could suspect I interfered in the federal police," Bolsonaro said after its release. - Profanity and insults - Confined to their homes by the pandemic, Bolsonaro opponents held raucous protests after the video's release, banging pots and pans out their windows. Excerpts of the video played non-stop on Brazilian TV. In one, Bolsonaro slings swear words at the governors of two of Brazil's biggest states, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, for defying him by imposing stay-at-home orders to contain the coronavirus. "That piece of shit of a governor in Sao Paulo, that pile of manure in Rio de Janeiro," he says. "That's why I want... the population to be armed. That's what guarantees that some son of a bitch can't just show up and install a dictatorship here." In another, Education Minister Abraham Weintraub attacks the Supreme Court for giving states the final say in the matter. "If it were up to me, I'd throw all these criminals in jail, starting with the Supreme Court," he says. In yet another, Environment Minister Ricardo Salles says, "Now that the media's only talking about COVID, we need to use this moment of calm to change all the regulations" preventing mining and farming on protected land in the Amazon. Investigators removed material relating to foreign countries before the video's release. According to Brazilian media reports, that included insulting remarks about China, Brazil's top trading partner. In another potentially explosive twist to the probe, opposition parties in Congress have asked investigators to seize Bolsonaro's cell phone and that of his son Carlos. The Supreme Court judge overseeing the probe passed the request Friday to the attorney general, who must now decide on the request. National Security Minister Augusto Heleno warned such a move would place Brazil's "national stability" at risk. HONG KONG, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong business community has said establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security is crucial to Hong Kong's long-term development as it helps stabilize its business environment and enhance investors' confidence. The Chinese General Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong, the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, the Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association and some other business chambers have issued statements, voicing support for deliberation of the draft decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security in the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC). Jonathan Choi Koon-shum, chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commence of Hong Kong, said that as an inalienable part of China, Hong Kong must fulfill its constitutional responsibility to safeguard national security, which concerns the vital interests of Hong Kong citizens. It has been nearly 23 years since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, and there is an urgent need for Hong Kong to work with the country to press forward the establishment and improvement of the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security. National sovereignty and security cannot be threatened and there is no room for compromise on the issue, he said, adding that the national security legislation is targeted at serious crimes such as subversion of the state and it will in no way impact the normal business operation of Hong Kong investment or any foreign investment in Hong Kong as well as the human rights and freedom of expression of Hong Kong citizens. Gao Yingxin, chairman of the Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association, said that in recent years, the HKSAR is facing an increasingly serious situation in safeguarding national security, especially since the social unrest following the proposed amendment bill last year. Forces opposing China and sowing troubles in Hong Kong have incited the "burn with us" mentality and committed shocking crimes of violence, which seriously challenged the bottom line of the "one country, two systems" principle and seriously undermined China's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. Therefore, it is timely and imperative to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms at the national level for the HKSAR to safeguard national security, Gao said. Ng Wang Pun, president of the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, said that the series of social unrest arising from the proposed amendment bill have dealt a heavy blow to Hong Kong's rule of law, public safety and economic development, reflecting the impact of national security loopholes on Hong Kong's economy. Ng said establishment and improvement of the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security will play an important role in maintaining Hong Kong's social development, building a safer and more stable business environment and protecting the well-being of Hong Kong citizens and enterprises. A stable and safe social environment will be conducive to business and crucial to Hong Kong's long-term development. The establishment and improvement of the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security will help stabilize the business environment in Hong Kong, enhance the confidence of local and foreign investors, and enable the society to continue to develop steadily so that people can live and work in peace and contentment and enjoy the fruits of the economic development, according to the Federation of Hong Kong Industries. Devon villagers have reported a multimillionaire landowner over to police over claims he returned to his country home during lockdown. Nicholas Johnston, 48, is accused by locals of breaching lockdown laws to return to his 728-acre estate in Bantham in early April. The 48-year-old also owns a 4,000 estate 185 miles away in Oxfordshire, and villagers suspected he may have been travelling between the two, after keeping track of the cars parked in the driveway of the 13-bedroom property. Devon villagers have reported multimillionaire landowner Nicholas Johnston (pictured) over to police over claims he returned to his country home during lockdown Johnston's 728-acre estate in Bantham, south Devon. Totnes MP Anthony Mangnall said he had raised the matter with local police Totnes MP Anthony Mangnall said he had raised the matter with local police. 'I have done what I have always done when people have reported these things and I passed on the details to the police. 'I took the decision to contact the police and say, "Could you look into this?"', he told The Times. This is not the first time Johnston, an Old Etonian, has stirred up controversy among local villagers, after he snapped up the Bantham estate for a reported 11.5 million in 2014 and planned to develop it with 28 new homes and a beach club. A statement issued on Johnston's behalf said that he and his family had been self-isolating in their Devon home in accordance with government rules. Johnston's estate in Bantham pictured, above and below. This is not the first time Johnston, an Old Etonian, has stirred up controversy among local villagers 'He and his family were there for the March and April lockdown period,' it read. 'It has been recorded as his personal private residence since he bought the property in 2017. 'Of course he therefore had his children with him at their family home during this period as they were self-isolating as a single family unit, as advised by the government. Nicholas Johnston, 48, is accused by locals of breaching lockdown laws to return to his 728-acre estate in Bantham in early April. Above, Johnston pictured with his wife Linda 'At no point was he asked to leave Devon by anyone as that would be contrary to government guidelines to stay at your family home. 'At his request, the police met with him several times through this period... to discuss surfers and others who were still going to the beach. Nicholas walked to the beach with the police.' It comes after chief government adviser Dominic Cummings was accused of flouting lockdown rules three times. The Number 10 chief was on Friday branded a hypocrite for ignoring the same lockdown instructions to stay at home which he himself helped to craft. Far more Massachusetts residents may have contracted the novel coronavirus than state data suggests, according to a study by the Imperial College London. In the study, researchers estimate that 13% of the Massachusetts population of almost 7 million has contracted coronavirus. Thats about 896,000 people across the state. State officials confirmed another 1,013 cases of the virus on Sunday, meaning there are now at least 92,675 cases. The study estimated about 96,000 residents were infectious as of May 17 and could spread the virus to others. The only other state with a higher number of infectious residents was Illinois, according to the researchers. A small study conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston Public Health Commission found 10 percent of Boston residents have the antibodies that indicate they had COVID-19 and fought it off. Researchers at John Hopkins University estimate 70% of the population will need immunity to have herd protection from the virus. Herd immunity is a form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, whether through previous infections or vaccination, thereby providing a measure of protection for individuals who are not immune. New York, Connecticut and New Jersey are the only states in the U.S. that suffered a larger percentage of their population becoming infected with COVID-19 compared to Massachusetts. The study does point out that there is no single source of consistent and reliable data for all 50 states and it acknowledges that data issues such as under-reporting and time lags can influence the results. Related Content: An Oregon man who allegedly shot a chicken with a spear gun while visiting Hawaii was arrested on animal cruelty charges as well as for violating the state's mandatory traveler quarantine with a friend. On Saturday, special agents arrested 20-year-old Artyon Zhiryada of Happy Valley, Oregon, and 19-year-old Dan Vlasenko of Vancouver, Washington. The two men were caught while leaving a condominium on Lewers Street in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu, according to Hawaii News Now. Scroll down for video Tourists Dan Vlasenko (left) and Artyon Zhiryada (right) were arrested by special agents in Honolulu, Hawaii, for violating quarantine rules The pair arrived in Oahu on May 16 and reportedly stayed in a friend's condo while visiting. They quickly flouted Gov. David Y. Ige's orders for travelers to undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine. The mandate applies to all arrivals at state airports as well as to inter-island travelers. In the days before their arrest, Zhiryada and Vlasenko reportedly traveled to various spots around Honolulu. During this time, Zhiryada allegedly shot a chicken with a spear gun in a video that was shared to social media. Zhiryada (pictured) is accused of shooting a chicken with a spear gun after footage of the incident surfaced on social media In the footage, a man thought to be Zhiryada points a speargun at two chickens found in a parking lot. 'Yo, you're mental,' says a witness, as the man walks closer to the chickens. The man then shoots the distressed chicken with a speargun while his friends laugh in the background. Authorities said it was social media posts like this that helped them track down Zhiryada and Vlasenko. Zhiryada faces quarantine violation and animal cruelty charges. His bail was set at $4,500. Vlasenko was charged only with quarantine violation charges and had his bail set to $4,000. Zhiryada is now facing animal cruelty charges for this incident, in addition to quarantine violation charges Vlasenko (pictured) was taken into custody and had bail set at $4,000 after he was arrested while leaving a condominium in Honolulu On Instagram, Vlasenko appeared to apologize for his actions. 'I would like to apologize to anyone who got offended by the video I posted on my social media of my friend shooting a chicken w/ a speargun,' he wrote. 'It was insensitive and disrespectful.' Screenshots of Instagram DM's reportedly involving Zhiryada show him bragging about how he 'broke quarantine.' Vlasenko apologized for on Instagram for his behavior and said the video involving the chicken was 'disrespectful' Instagram direct messages appear to show Zhiryada bragging about how he 'broke quarantine' because of his arrest Zhiryada (pictured) is one of 15 people Hawaii has arrested over the last several weeks for violating the state's 14-day quarantine mandate In a statement, Attorney General Clare Connors revealed that special agents have arrest 15 people for quarantine violations in recent weeks. 'Our special agents have arrested 15 quarantine violators in recent weeks and county police departments have arrested additional suspects,' she wrote. 'Once again, we must warn residents who return, and visitors who come to Hawaii, that they will face consequences for violating our COVID-19 emergency rules.' Misty Lynn Beutler, 51, of Moorpark, California was another recent quarantine violator who was arrested in Hawaii. According to a press release from Governor David Ige's office, Beutler touched down in Honolulu May 9 to stay with her son at his condominium complex. A resident at the complex claims they saw Buetler and her son unloading her luggage on that day. However, just two days later, they spotted her returning to the residence with beach equipment in hand. Misty Beutler (right) was detained by Hawaiian authorities Friday after witnesses reported her out and about in Honolulu just days after she arrived there. She was reportedly staying with her son (left) at his condominium complex On May 12, a witness reported that Beutler was out walking her son's dog Then, on May 12, the resident reported that Beutler was out again - this time walking her son's dog. Investigators went to the complex to interview the witness on Friday, May 22 and saw Beutler and her son coming out of an elevator ready to head outside. She was promptly arrested and taken into custody. Her bond is set at $2,000. The 14-day self-quarantine mandate was first enforced in March, but was extended on April 1 to include inter-island travelers. Thirty-two new coronavirus cases were reported in Assam on Sunday, taking the COVID-19 tally to 378 in the state, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Eight COVID-19 cases were reported from the Sarusajai Quarantine Facility in the evening, while two each from Tezpur Quarantine Centre and Jorhat were reported in the morning. The other coronavirus cases were reported from Nalbari (six), Kamrup (five), Hojai (four), Kamrup Metro (2), Nagaon (2) and Morigaon (one). "There has been a dramatic increase in the number of positive cases in the state during the last few days, but almost 90 per cent of the positive cases are from the quarantine centres, the minister said at a press conference here. "If we had not followed the ruthless policy of quarantine, the infection would have spread to the community, he added. Of the total 378 COVID-19 cases, 314 are active cases, 57 have recovered, four died and three have migrated. Hojai district has the highest number of coronavirus cases followed by Kamrup (Metro), while Dhemaji is the only district in the state with no cases so far, he said. Of the total cases, 271 people recently returned to Assam and 39 are related to the Tablighi Jamaat. Among those from outside the state, the highest number of 108 positive cases are from Maharashtra followed by 34 from Delhi, 33 from West Bengal and 40 from Tamil Nadu. "It has to be, however, noted that so far 60,384 people have entered the state by roads and trains, and they have been quarantined. Out of these, 271 persons have tested positive, the health minister said. The Assam government's ongoing surveillance has covered 25,000 villages and found only 23,000 people which is "very less and 6,000 of them were found to be suffering from severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and influenza-like Illness (ILI)", he said. "Samples of 4,000 people were taken and tested for coronavirus. Not a single one tested positive. With this, we can claim that so far we have been able to save the community due to our quarantine policy, Sarma said. The minister said though the number of cases are increasing, "there is no need to panic as we are prepared with facilities to serve five thousand people". "We have been planning meticulously for the last two months and the Assam government is adequately prepared to deal with five thousand patients, he said. "During the last two months, we have been working with a strategy to create facilities. We have opened enough doors and have adopted the policy to open one door after the other as the situation arises," the minister said. "We have also ramped up the testing facilities and we felt proud that yesterday with 59,553 tests completed so far we had surpassed Kerala, considered a model for health care," he said. The seven laboratories in the state are so far conducting 2,500 tests daily, but the government expects to reach 5,000 in the next few days as automatic extraction machines are being acquired for the purpose, Sarma added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Netanyahu becomes first serving Israeli PM to face criminal charges as he goes on trial over corruption allegations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lambasted Israels justice system for bringing fabricated and ludicrous charges against him as he became the first serving Israeli prime minister to face criminal prosecution. The embattled leader arrived at a court in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday to face a series of corruption charges. The objective is to topple a strong prime minister from the rightist camp and thus to remove the right-wing from leadership for many years, he said in a televised statement to reporters at Jerusalem District Court. Netanyahu, flanked by aides and officials wearing face masks to prevent coronavirus infection, said he was standing tall with his head held high and would continue to lead the country. Hundreds of people took part in rival protests in favour of Netanyahu and against him, shortly before his appearance at the court. The hearing lasted an hour and Netanyahu spoke only to confirm his identity. The court excused Netanyahu from appearing in person at the next hearing, set for July 19. Israeli analysts say the trial could last months or even years. The prime minister has been charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of cases. He is accused of accepting expensive gifts, such as cartons of champagne and cigars, from wealthy friends and offering favours to media moguls in exchange for favourable news coverage of him and his family. In the most serious case, he is accused of promoting legislation that delivered hundreds of millions of dollars of profits to the owner of a major telecom company while wielding behind-the-scenes editorial influence over the firms popular news website. Protesters demonstrate against Netanyahu just before his corruption trial opens [Amir Cohen/Reuters] Netanyahu, who heads the right-wing Likud party, denies all charges. He has cast his prosecution as a left-wing witch-hunt meant to overthrow a popular right-wing leader. When he arrived at the courthouse, Netanyahu revived his claims that he is the victim of a deep state-type conspiracy by media, police, prosecutors and judges out to oust him. He said police and prosecutors had conspired to tailor a case against him, and said the evidence was contaminated and exaggerated. He called for the court proceedings to be broadcast live on TV to ensure full transparency. While the media continues to deal with nonsense, with these false, trumped up cases, I will continue to lead the state of Israel and deal with issues that really matter to you, he said, including to resuscitate the economy, and continue to save the lives of thousands of Israelis ahead of the possibility of a second wave of coronavirus. Critics have said Netanyahus arguments have undermined Israels court system and risk deeper damage its democratic institutions. Revealing evidence 180911182802925 As prime minister, Netanyahu is under no legal obligation to resign and he has said his court battle will not affect his ability to do his job. Al Jazeeras Harry Fawcett, reporting from East Jerusalem, said the opening of the trial on Sunday was mostly procedural. What we expect to hear today are the charges being recapitulated and read to Netanyahu, he said. We may also hear arguments from the rival legal teams revealing what kind of evidence is available to the defence, Fawcett added. A three-judge panel, which will hear the prime ministers case, on Wednesday turned down his request to stay away from the opening session. In asking to be excused, Netanyahu called the event a formality and argued bringing his contingent of bodyguards would waste public funds and make it hard to comply with physical distancing rules. Some critics said Netanyahu was trying to avoid the optics of a prime minister sitting in the defendants dock. Turning down his request, the court said it was important for justice to be done. Netanyahu supporters gathered outside the Jerusalem court [Sebastian Scheiner/AP Photo] Political deadlock resolved After three bruising elections over the past year, Netanyahu was sworn into office this week for a fourth consecutive term. All three elections were seen as referendums on his fitness for office, and all ended in deadlock. After the most recent vote in March, his rival, Benny Gantz, appeared to have mustered enough support in Parliament to pass legislation that would have disqualified Netanyahu from serving as prime minister while under indictment. However, in a stunning turnaround, Gantz, citing fears of a fourth expensive election and the coronavirus pandemic, agreed to shelve the legislation and instead form a power-sharing government with Netanyahu. The Supreme Court cleared the way for Netanyahu to remain in power. In a key ruling, it said an indicted politician may serve as prime minister even though Israeli law requires all other office-holders to resign if charged with a crime. Yuval Shany, professor of law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said there is a basic incompatibility between Netanyahus role as head of the government and his status as a criminal defendant. In the latter role, Shany said, the prime minister would be fighting very aggressively and maybe effectively to weaken the government authorities that are prosecuting him. There is a very serious conflict of interest situation, he told AFP news agency. Under their deal, Netanyahu was forced to yield some powers to Gantz, with each wielding a veto over most key decisions. Gantz will hold the title of alternate prime minister, and after 18 months, they will swap jobs. Six years ago, former prime minister Ehud Olmert was found guilty of bribe-taking and served 16 months in jail. His trial took place after his 2006-2009 term in office. New Delhi [India], May 23 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke to Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa over the phone, regarding COVID-19 pandemic and its likely health and economic impact in the region. Prime Minister Modi assured President Rajapaksa that India would continue to provide all possible support to Sri Lanka for mitigating the effect of the pandemic. President Rajapaksa also briefed Modi on the steps being taken by his government to restart economic activity. In this context, both the leaders agreed on the need to accelerate Indian-assisted development projects in Sri Lanka. They also discussed the possibilities of promoting investments and value-addition in Sri Lanka by the Indian private sector. "Sri Lanka is fighting COVID-19 effectively under his leadership. India will continue to support our close maritime neighbour in dealing with the pandemic and its economic impact. We agreed to accelerate Indian-assisted development projects in Sri Lanka, and also strengthen investment links," said Prime Minister Modi on Twitter. Prime Minister Modi conveyed his best wishes for the health and wellbeing of the Sri Lankan people during this period of the ongoing crisis. Modi also spoke to his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth and appreciated his government's efforts in effectively controlling the spread of the deadly virus in the country. Last week, India delivered half a million tablets of hydroxychloroquine to Mauritius as per their request. Mauritius is one of the first countries to receive supplies of this medicine after a special exemption was granted for a few countries. The consignment of essential medicines will be followed by a second consignment in the coming weeks. "Our people share warm and special ties based on shared culture and values. Indians will stand by their Mauritian brothers and sisters at this difficult time," Prime Minister Modi said further. (ANI) Christian evangelist and apologist Ravi Zacharias died on May 19, at age 74 after a brief battle with cancer. Ravi Zacharias spent the past 48 years traveling the world to commend the Christian faith and address life's greatest existential questions of origin, meaning, morality and destiny with eloquence and grace for a variety of audiences. Through his founding and leadership of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), Zacharias launched a global team of nearly 100 Christian scholars and authors who continue to speak, resource, train and address the questions of millions around the world. One of Zacharias's strengths as a speaker and author is his ability to tell a story well. As a tribute to Zacharias, here are three of our favorite stories from the evangelist. 1. Orphan Grasps the Dignity of His New Name I have two very special friends whose lives have been a blessing to countless children who have been deformed from birth. They have established an orphanage to give them a home and find medical help to correct what can be corrected. Then they look for families who will adopt them. One little boy had always been passed over for adoption because he has a particular brain malfunction that is very rare. He often doesn't connect thoughts. At about nine years of age, as I remember the story, he was becoming despondent as, one-by-one, he saw his housemates being selected by families and leaving. He began to ask those who were taking care of him why no one was adopting him. Why didn't anybody choose him? Through an incredible series of events, a couple from Texas, who had already adopted one child from the same orphanage, called to ask if this boy was still there. Through the goodness of the parents' hearts, and the generosity of the couple who established the orphanage in agreeing to cover all the costs of his adoption, the day has been set for this little boy to be taken to his new home. The special part of the thrill for him is that he will be reunited with one of the little boys who was his housemate at one time. His actual name is quite hard to pronounce, but it is quite a normal name in his native setting. His adoptive parents have sent him the name they want to give him-Anson Josiah, the initials of which are A.J. He now walks around that home, waiting for his new parents to come for him, telling everybody as he points to his chest, "You can call me A.J. My name is A.J." Is it not interesting that even with the debilitation of disconnected thoughts, he is able to pick up the redeeming thrill of relationship and [his profound worth as] evidenced in his new name? Ravi Zacharias, Why Jesus? (FaithWords, 2012), pp. 166-167 2. Father and Son Work Together to Weave Beautiful Indian Saris In his book Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zacharias tells the story about how God, the Master Weaver, sovereignly works to weave beauty into our lives as we respond to his will. During a trip to India, Zacharias noticed a father and son who were weaving some of the most beautiful Indian wedding saris in the world. Zacharias explains the background and then describes the scene: The sari, of course, is the garment worn by Indian women. It is usually six yards long. Wedding saris are a work of art; they are rich in gold and silver threads, resplendent with an array of colors. The place I was visiting was known for making the best wedding saris in the world. I expected to see some elaborate system of machines and designs that would boggle the mind. Not so! Each sari was being made individually by a father-and-son team. The father sat above on a platform two- to three-feet higher than the son, surrounded by several spools of thread, some dark, some shining. The son did just one thing. At a nod, from his father, he would move the shuttle from one side to the other and back again. The father would gather some threads in his fingers, nod once more, and the son would move the shuttle again. This would be repeated for hundreds of hours, till you would begin to see a magnificent pattern emerging. The son had the easy task-just to move at the father's nod. All along, the father had the design in mind and brought the threads together. The more I reflect on my own life and study the lives of others, I am fascinated to see the design God has for each one of us ... if we would only respond to him. Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other Gods (Zondervan, 2000), pp. 17-18 3. Ravi Zacharias Speaks to a Leader of Hamas Do you know why the Middle East is in the cauldron of hate? Because it's living with the logic of unforgiveness. I was talking to one of the founders of Hamas, Sheikh Talal. I was part of a group of people who had gone to the Middle East to try and bring the people together to a peace table. Sheikh Talal gave us a great meal, told us of eighteen years he'd served in prison, and how some of his children had been lost in suicide bombings. When my turn came to ask a question, I said, "Sheik, forgive me if I'm asking you the wrong question. Please tell me, what do you think of suicide bombing and sending your children out like that?" After he finished his answer, I said, "Sheik, you and I may never see each other again, so I want you to hear me. A little distance from here is a mountain upon which Abraham went 5,000 years ago to offer his son. And as the axe was about to fall, God said, 'Stop.'" I said, "Do you know what God said after that?" He shook his head. I said, "God said, 'I myself will provide.'" He nodded his head. I said, "Very close to where you and I are sitting, Sheik, is a hill. Two thousand years ago, God kept that promise and brought his own Son and the axe did not stop this time. He sacrificed his own Son." He just stared at me. The room was full of smoke with all of his security people. I said, "I may never see you again, Sheikh, but I want to leave this with you: Until you and I receive the Son that God has provided, we will be offering our own sons and daughters on the battlefields of this world for land and power and pride." I could just see the man's lips beginning to quiver; he was sitting right next to me. Nobody said anything after that .... As we were walking out ... Sheikh Talal went quickly and shook hands with everyone, and then he came over to me and grabbed me by the shoulders, kissed me on both sides of the face, patted my face, and he said, "You're a good man, I hope I see you again someday." When you understand [Christ's grace], it is an unparalleled message. In Hinduism, you pay with karma. In Islam you never know if your good deeds will outweigh your bad deeds. But the grace of Christ comes to you and says, "If any man comes unto me I will in no wise cast him out." Adapted from Ravi Zacharias, "Ravi Zacharias Speaks with the Founder of Hamas," Justin Taylor Between Two Worlds blog (12-3-12) Tags : ravi zacharias ravi zacharias funeral ravi zacharias tribute ravi zacharias death ravi zacharias stories Three of the Best Stories from the Late Ravi Zacharias The Liberal Party candidate for the swing seat of Eden-Monaro, Fiona Kotvojs, has rubbished claims she does not want action on climate change, in the opening stoush of the byelection campaign. Dr Kotvojs backed the case for cutting carbon emissions after winning the ballot to represent the Liberals in the NSW seat, where climate policy and bushfire recovery will shape the competing campaigns. Fiona Kotvojs in Murrumbateman on Sunday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The new candidate is also removing herself from work on federal government contracts worth more than $150,000 last financial year, amid heightened concerns over eligibility under section 44 of the constitution. The Labor candidate for the seat, Bega mayor Kristy McBain, stepped up her campaign on Sunday with a call for faster government help for communities hit by the summer bushfires. Zimbabwean authorities are fighting an image-damaging incident in which three female opposition activists were reportedly pulled from a police station and tortured. The three women had staged a protest against food shortages that had worsened by a six-week lockdown to fight the coronavirus. The beatings were so bad that mainstream opposition party, the MDC Alliance, appealed to the United Nations and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for protection, saying its members are under siege. The three, Zimbabwe's youngest MP Joan Mamombe, and Cecilia Chimbiri as well as Netsai Marova, who are leaders of the opposition MDC Alliance's youth wing, were found two days later dumped by the road 80 kilometres north of Harare. Western embassies on Wednesday called for a swift investigation into the alleged abduction while urging the political protagonists in Zimbabwe to deescalate the tensions. "The perpetrators of heinous acts of this kind and other human rights violations need to be identified and prosecuted," the embassies said in a joint statement signed by envoys from the European Union, United Kingdom, United States, Norway and Switzerland. CRITICISM In their strongest rebuke yet of President Emmerson Mnangagwa since he took over in 2017, church leaders said abductions of government critics had reached alarming levels. "It is deeply disturbing that the country has seen so many cases of abductions in the last few months, most of which have not been conclusively investigated," the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) said. At least 50 opposition and civic society activists have been abducted and tortured since President Mnangagwa won a controversial election two years ago. Initially the government blamed the abductions on an alleged third force comprised of disgruntled security agents from the previous Mugabe regime, but of late the authorities dismiss them as stunts by the opposition to attract the attention of the international community. The latest incident, however, has alarmed even some of President Mnangagwa's staunchest supporters, including some of his advisers. "We must end these bizarre abductions and inconclusive investigations into these cases," said Busisa Moyo, a presidential adviser. "The state is responsible for the welfare of citizens," Mr Moyo added. Another presidential adviser, Shingi Munyeza, apologised to the opposition activists whom he said were victims of an evil system. Mr Munyeza, who is part of a panel established to advise the president after his controversial election, has been using social media to denounce the government for human rights violations. Nelson Chamisa, the MDC Alliance leader, appealed to the international community to intervene in Zimbabwe saying President Mnangagwa was using the Covid-19 induced lockdown to crush the opposition. Last Saturday, the Zimbabwean leader said the country would be on a lockdown for an indefinite period as it was yet to deal effectively with the Covid-19 outbreak, but the opposition said it was an excuse to rule by decree. The MDC Alliance has since written to the UN special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of punishment, Nils Melzer, asking for an investigation into the abduction of the activists. "This particular abduction is not isolated as the MDC Alliance has recorded 49 abductions by state agents outside the latest case since August 2019," wrote Gladys Hlatshwayo, the party's secretary for external affairs. SCOT-FREE "In January 2019, 17 women were sexually assaulted by members of the military. "These violations are happening with impunity as no investigations are carried out and perpetrators are not held to account." Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Zimbabwe Governance Legal Affairs By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC), a quasi-government body, called for investigations into the mounting cases of abductions. Muleya Mwananyanda, Amnesty International's deputy director for east and southern Africa, said it was strange for Zimbabwean police to deny reports that they initially arrested the tortured activists. "It is deeply alarming that the state claims that it never had the women in custody when they were arrested at a roadblock run by both the police and the military," Ms Mwananyanda said. Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe said he had ordered the commissioner-general of police to launch an investigation to "establish what transpired, who did what, and the motive behind the actions." In the past two years Zimbabwe's security forces have been accused of abducting and torturing government critics following protests over the deteriorating economic situation in the country. Abductions and enforced disappearance of government critics were also common during Robert Mugabe's reign. The meeting also saw the attendance of leaders from several ministries, sectors and provinces and cities which have attracted large sums of foreign direct investment (FDI), and economic experts. According to experts, the investment flow is expected to be poured into four industries: information technology and high technology, electronic equipment, e-commerce and logistics, consumer goods and retail. Therefore, localities should recognise and seize this opportunity to draw investment. PM Phuc said Vietnam has achieved initial successes in fighting COVID-19, but it is necessary to focus on developing the country to realise the dual target of preventing the pandemic and boosting socio-economic development. The PM asked the participants to deliberate concrete measures to optimise the investment flow shifted to Vietnam, especially from major multinational groups and high-tech firms. General view of the meeting. (Photo: VNA) He suggested attracting selective projects, aiming at big multinational groups utilising new cutting-edge and environmentally friendly technologies. The Government leader requested building a project to address bottlenecks for investors such as land clearance and human resources. He agreed on the establishment of a working group in charge of this matter, which is headed by the Minister of Planning and Investment. Emphasising the role of the communication work, PM Phuc suggested promoting Vietnam as an attractive investment for investors and tourists. The Government, localities and sectors must create optimal conditions in terms of production premises, necessary and attractive incentives, administrative procedures, and human resources, he said. Attracting foreign investment with high-tech and high added value projects is an essential trend, the PM said, adding that authorities should make it easier for all economic sectors, particularly the private one, to successfully do business in Vietnam. Police on Sunday registered cross FIRs after two men were injured following a scuffle between two groups in northeast Delhi's Maujpur area, an official said. The two groups lodged complaints against each other over assault, threat and restrictions on their further movement, he said. The incident took place in the early hours of Sunday, police said. In a video that surfaced online, a man alleged that he and his brother had gone to buy medicines for his child in the morning and on their way back, their bike ran out of petrol and a group of four-five men stopped them. He claimed that the group members pulled him and his brother into a parking lot and passed communal slurs. However, the group claimed that they were thrashed by the two men. Police said two people were injured in the scuffle. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Ved Prakash Surya declined any communal angle to the incident and said that it was a fight between both the parties over some petty issue and all of them were equally involved in it. "We are verifying the claims made by both the parties. However, investigation has not revealed any communal angle but based on the complaints from both sides, we have registered cross FIRs in the matter," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sleep-wake disturbances can predict recurrent events in stroke survivors (Vienna, Sunday, 24 May, 2020) Stroke survivors suffering from the burden of combined sleep-wake disturbances are more likely to have another stroke or serious cardio- or cerebrovascular event compared to those without sleep-wake disturbances, according to the results of a scientific study presented today at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Virtual Congress. The study, conducted by Professor Claudio Basssetti and his research team in Switzerland, found that having multiple sleep-wake disturbances such as sleep-disordered breathing, extreme long or short sleep duration, insomnia and restless leg syndrome independently and significantly increased the risk of a new cardio-cerebrovascular event (e.g. stroke, transient ischaemic attack, myocardial infarction) in the 2 years following a stroke. This, say the researchers, suggests that assessing and improving sleep patterns in stroke survivors could improve their long-term outcomes. "We know that people who have had a stroke often experience sleep disorders, and that these are associated with worse stroke recovery outcomes," said Dr Martijn Dekkers and Dr Simone Duss from the University of Bern in Switzerland, who presented the study today. "What we wanted to learn from this study was whether sleep-wake disturbances in particular are associated with worse outcomes after stroke." The study includes 438 individuals aged 21 to 86 years (average age 65 years) who had been hospitalized after an acute ischemic stroke (a type of stroke caused by a blocked blood vessel to the brain) or a transient ischaemic attack (a 'mini-stroke' caused by a brief blockage of the blood supply to the brain with transient clinical symptoms up to 24 hours). The presence and severity of the sleep-wake disturbances, such as insomnia, restless leg syndrome and sleep duration, as well as daytime symptoms such as sleepiness, were recorded for each individual at 1, 3, 12, and 24 months after their stroke. Sleep-disordered breathing was assessed within the first days after the ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack using respirography. The occurrence of new cardio-cerebrovascular events was also recorded during the 2 years of follow-up. The research team reports that a bit more than one third of the patients reported insomnia symptoms (i.e. ? 8 points on the Insomnia Severity Index questionnaire), about 8 % fulfil the clinical diagnosis of restless legs syndrome, 26% suffer from severe sleep-disordered breathing (Apnoea-Hypopnea-Index > 20 events per hour) and about 15% report extreme sleep durations, with a tendency toward longer sleep durations following the stroke. "Using the sleep-related information we collected during the first 3 months after the stroke, we calculated a 'sleep burden index' for each individual, which reflected the presence and severity of sleep-wake disturbances," explained Dr Dekkers. "We then assessed whether the sleep burden index could be used to predict who would go on to have another cardio-cerebrovascular event during the 2 years we followed them after their stroke." The results suggest that stroke survivors with at least one subsequent cardio/cerebrovascular event have a higher sleep burden index score than patients without a subsequent event 3 months to 2 years post-stroke (Wilcoxon rank-sum test p Although interventional trials investigating the benefit of treating sleep-wake-disturbances after stroke are needed, Dr. Duss said that sleep-wake disorders, should be more systematically assessed and considered in comprehensive treatment approaches in stroke patients (as recommended also in a recent guideline produced by the EAN in collaboration with 3 other European Societies). ### Notes to Editors: Press Enquiries: For further information or to speak to an expert, please contact Luke Paskins or Sean Deans at press@ean.org or call +44 (0) 1444 811099. About the Experts: Prof. Dr. med. Claudio Bassetti, Dr. med. Martijn Dekkers, MD PhD Markus Schmidt, MD PhD Corrado Bernasconi and Dr. Phil. Simone Duss work at the University Hospital of Bern (Inselspital) in Switzerland. EAN - The Home of Neurology: The European Academy of Neurology (EAN) is Europe's home of neurology. Founded in 2014, through the merger of two European neurological societies, EAN represents the interests of more than 45,000 individual members and 47 national institutional members from across the continent. In the interest of the health, safety and well-being of all registered attendees, patients and families, as well as the general public, EAN decided to cancel all in-person attendance and face-to-face activities at the Annual Congress, of May 23-26, 2020 in Paris. The decision was taken due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic and in full support of public authorities in Europe and the World in their effort to slow the spread of the disease. Accordingly, the EAN Board decided to organize the 6th EAN Congress as Virtual Congress for May 23-26, 2020 and offer to the neurology community the possibility for education, scientific news and best practice exchange without leaving home. The EAN Virtual Congress will also cover all neurological diseases and disorders, including the big 7: epilepsy, stroke, headache, multiple sclerosis, dementia, movement disorders, neuromuscular disorders. References: 1. Simone B. Duss, Corrado Bernasconi, Martijn P. J. Dekkers, Anita Steck, Filip Alexiev, Markus Schmidt, Claudio L. A. Bassetti, Sleep-wake disturbances after acute stroke predict a higher risk of subsequent cardio-cerebrovascular events, EAN Virtual Congress 2020. 2. Duss SB, Seiler A, Schmidt MH, et al. The role of sleep in recovery following ischemic stroke: A review of human and animal data. Neurobiol Sleep Circadian Rhythms 2016;2:94-105. 3. Duss SB, Brill AK, Bargiotas P, et al. Sleep-wake disorders in stroke-increased stroke risk and deteriorated recovery? an evaluation on the necessity for prevention and treatment. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2018;18(10):72. 4. Bassetti CLA, Randerath W, Vignatelli L, et al. EAN/ERS/ESO/ESRS statement on the impact of sleep disorders on risk and outcome of stroke. Eur J Neurol 2020; Apr 20. doi: 10.1111/ene.14201. [Epub ahead of print] This story has been published on: 2020-05-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The Delhi government will issue a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for people coming to the national capital from other states in flights, in line with the Union Health Ministry's guidelines, a senior official said on Sunday. Domestic air passenger services are resuming Monday after a two-month gap due to the coronavirus lockdown. The Union Health Ministry Sunday issued guidelines for domestic travel, advising passengers to download the Aarogya Setu application on their mobile devices and asking states to ensure thermal screening at departure point of airports, railway stations and bus terminals. According to a senior Delhi government official, the city health department will bring its own SOP for arriving passengers in line with the Union Health Ministry's guidelines. The Union Health Ministry said that states can also develop their own protocol with regards to quarantine and isolation as per their assessment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Roughly 3 to 5% of children with an aunt or uncle with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can also be expected to have ASD, compared to about 1.5% of children in the general population, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers also found that a child whose mother has a sibling with ASD is not significantly more likely to be affected by ASD, compared to a child whose father has a sibling with ASD. The findings call into question the female protective effect, a theory that females have a lower rate of ASD than males because they have greater tolerance of ASD risk factors. The results, derived from records of nearly 850,000 Swedish children and their families, appear in Biological Psychiatry. The study was conducted by John N. Constantino, M.D., at Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues in the United States and Sweden. "The results offer important new information for counseling people who have a sibling with ASD," said Alice Kau, Ph.D., of the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Branch of NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), which funded the study. "The findings also suggest that the greater prevalence of ASD in males is likely not due to a female protective effect." Additional NIH funding was provided by the National Institute of Mental Health. ASD is a complex neurological and developmental disorder that begins early in life and affects how a person interacts with others, communicates, and learns. Previous studies have found that roughly 3 times more males than females have ASD. Reasons for the difference are unknown. One possible explanation is that females have a built-in resistance to the genetic factors leading to autism. With such a female protective effect, the theory holds that many women could carry such risk factors and be unaffected, but could transmit them to their sons, who lack the protective effect and may develop ASD. In the current study, researchers analyzed data from Swedish national registers of births and family relationships. The children were born from 2003 to 2012. Roughly 13,000 children were diagnosed with ASD, about 1.5% of the total. Offspring of mothers with one or more siblings with ASD were about three times more likely than children in the general population to have ASD. Children of fathers with one or more siblings with ASD were twice as likely as children in the general population to have ASD, a rate that did not differ significantly than that of children whose mothers have a sibling with ASD. According to the study authors, the results provide the first population-wide estimate of ASD risk to children of parents who have a sibling with ASD. This finding challenges the existence of a female protective effect, Dr. Constantino explained, because if such an effect existed, the children of mothers with a sibling with ASD could be expected to have up to a 30% higher risk of ASD. Similarly, the researchers found no statistically significant increase in ASD risk for children whose uncles have ASD, compared to children whose aunts have the condition. The Hong Kong business community has said establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security is crucial to Hong Kong's long-term development as it helps stabilize its business environment and enhance investors' confidence. The Chinese General Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong, the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, the Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association and some other business chambers have issued statements, voicing support for deliberation of the draft decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security in the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC). Jonathan Choi Koon-shum, chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commence of Hong Kong, said that as an inalienable part of China, Hong Kong must fulfill its constitutional responsibility to safeguard national security, which concerns the vital interests of Hong Kong citizens. It has been nearly 23 years since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, and there is an urgent need for Hong Kong to work with the country to press forward the establishment and improvement of the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security. National sovereignty and security cannot be threatened and there is no room for compromise on the issue, he said, adding that the national security legislation is targeted at serious crimes such as subversion of the state and it will in no way impact the normal business operation of Hong Kong investment or any foreign investment in Hong Kong as well as the human rights and freedom of expression of Hong Kong citizens. Gao Yingxin, chairman of the Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association, said that in recent years, the HKSAR is facing an increasingly serious situation in safeguarding national security, especially since the social unrest following the proposed amendment bill last year. Forces opposing China and sowing troubles in Hong Kong have incited the "burn with us" mentality and committed shocking crimes of violence, which seriously challenged the bottom line of the "one country, two systems" principle and seriously undermined China's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. Therefore, it is timely and imperative to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms at the national level for the HKSAR to safeguard national security, Gao said. Ng Wang Pun, president of the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, said that the series of social unrest arising from the proposed amendment bill have dealt a heavy blow to Hong Kong's rule of law, public safety and economic development, reflecting the impact of national security loopholes on Hong Kong's economy. Ng said establishment and improvement of the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security will play an important role in maintaining Hong Kong's social development, building a safer and more stable business environment and protecting the well-being of Hong Kong citizens and enterprises. A stable and safe social environment will be conducive to business and crucial to Hong Kong's long-term development. The establishment and improvement of the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security will help stabilize the business environment in Hong Kong, enhance the confidence of local and foreign investors, and enable the society to continue to develop steadily so that people can live and work in peace and contentment and enjoy the fruits of the economic development, according to the Federation of Hong Kong Industries. Chinese students wear masks as they wait to take a train after Chinese New Year break in Beijing, China, on Jan. 31, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Colleges at Risk of Losing $3 Billion as International Enrollment Declines: Survey An anticipated decline in international student enrollment for fall 2020 will result in colleges in the United States losing at least $3 billion, according to a survey on the financial impact of the global CCP virus pandemic on the international education industry. Conducted by NAFSA: Association of International Educators in early April, the survey received responses of 346 institutions from across the country. More than 65 percent of respondents said they were anticipating losses due to likely declines in enrollments among foreign students. Of those responses, about 61 percent predicted losses of $500,000 or less, around 32 percent estimated the potential losses to be between $500,000 and $3 million, while the rest said they would expect to lose more than $3 million. If the anticipated losses from international enrollment declines is similar for other institutions in the United States, total revenue losses would amount to at least $3 billion for fall 2020, the NAFSA (National Association of Foreign Student Advisers) researchers said. With travel restrictions, visa delays, and economic instability worldwide, COVID-19 has been incredibly harmful to the field of international education, Esther D. Brimmer, executive director and CEO of NAFSA, said in a press release. The survey also found that about 38 percent of respondents said they have been supporting international students who are not able to return home due to travel restrictions, spending nearly $42 million on food, rent, scholarship, and tuition and housing refunds. When extrapolated across the country, NAFSA estimated the total spending to be $418.5 million. In other findings, colleges had potentially lost almost $1 billion due to shortened or cancelled study abroad programs this spring. About 25 percent of respondents said cancelling those programs and bringing students back to the United States have costed them $500,000 or more. Earlier this week, a new Institute of International Education (IIE) survey suggested almost 90 percent of U.S. colleges anticipated that international student enrollment would decrease in the upcoming school year. Most of the 599 institutions that responded to the survey said fewer foreign students would be interested in study abroad programs in the United States due to the pandemic. Students families may also have had their hours reduced or lost their jobs, making it harder for them to pay for studying abroad. Some 31 percent of respondents indicated their international students wouldnt be able to return to the United States for the fall semester as a result of issues such as travel restrictions and visa delays. The vast majority of international students unable to return to U.S. campuses in spring 2020 were from Asia, including China (59 percent), India (15 percent), Japan (14 percent) and Taiwan (11 percent). Memorial Day normally equates to BBQ, sales and pool openings, the beginning of summer. Many people travel to a beach, lake or mountain. Some traditions include visiting a memorial cemetery to honor the fallen. This year, the number of Americans traveling is expected to be far below last years record-breaking 43 million, according to the American Automobile Association, even below the 31 million who traveled in 2009, during the Great Recession. Whether we travel or not, we should honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Its the day to remember those who gave their lives to keep our country safe, free, so we can work toward prosperity. Memorial Day began as Decoration Day after the Civil War. The graves of the fallen soldiers were decorated to honor their sacrifice their lives to keep our country united. Credit for Memorial Day goes to John Logan, who had served as an Illinois congressman prior to the Civil War, volunteered as a Union soldier and was promoted during the war to general. After the war, in 1868, he issued an order to honor those who had died in the war. The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country, the order said. We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. Logan described their deaths as the cost of free and undivided republic. More than 600,000 American soldiers died during the Civil War, which remains the most deadly war for Americans. While not all of us are called to serve our country in the armed forces or the political arena, we can all make a difference through the way we live our lives. With freedom comes responsibility responsibility to ensure that our freedom is maintained. Freedom is never free but comes at a cost of lives, vigilance, time and effort. The Declaration of Independence provides the foundation for our country: We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. We have life and liberty and must guard them both, but we are provided only with the opportunity to pursue happiness, not a guarantee of happiness itself. Whether you achieve happiness is up to you and is not the responsibility of our government. President Abraham Lincoln reminded us of our responsibility in November 1863, when he delivered his address at the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Civil War was still raging. He was not the main speaker for the day but had been invited as an afterthought. His speech was so short (less than two minutes) that the photographer did not have time to get a picture of him delivering it. Its 278 words dont include I or me, but they do take the audience from our start as a nation and the American Revolution to Lincolns wishes for the future of our nation: Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. ... It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. This Memorial Day, spend a minute in silence at 3 p.m., the National Moment of Remembrance, along with millions of others, remembering the military men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our safety and freedom. After Memorial Day, take an interest and get involved in what it means to be an American. Help others understand the importance being an American and living out the American dream. Educate your children about those Americans who have died so that others could remain free, and reach out to veterans who were able to return home. Lets give thanks and increase our devotion to our country so that our military men and women will not have died in vain. COPYRIGHT 2020 JACKIE CUSHMAN Love 1 Funny 3 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 In a bid to promote domestic business, the Delhi government has asked all its departments to desist from issuing global tenders of contract value up to Rs 200 crore, an official said on Sunday. The Delhi government's move comes days after the Centre announced the 'Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' or 'Self-reliant India Mission' under which global tenders up to Rs 200 crore were recently disallowed. According to an official, the finance department of the Delhi government has asked all heads of departments, commissioners of municipal corporations and autonomous bodies to adopt the Centre's amended General Financial Rules (GFR). The move will benefit micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). "The Delhi government has endorsed the amendment in GFR made by the Department of Expenditure under Union Ministry of Finance, and forwarded it to HODs for necessary action," the official said. Earlier this month, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced an economic support package for MSMEs, which includes disallowing global tender for government procurement up to Rs 200 crore. Also, the definition of MSMEs has been changed by the central government from a pure investment-based one to that which provides for higher investments and turnover for companies to remain as small businesses, and avail financial and other incentives. Small and mid-sized businesses in India account for about a third of gross domestic product and employ more than 11 crore people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) OFFALY County Council voted to lease a water tower in Offaly to a telecommunications company despite the opposition of two councillors who were concerned that it could be used for a 5G mast. Cllr Ken Smollen led the objection to the lease of the disused tower at Raghra, Shannonbridge when the proposal came before a meeting of the council on Monday. The council executive proposed to lease the tower to Cignal Infrastructure Ltd for a premium payment of 20,000 followed by 2,000 per year per operator for 30 years. Cllr Smollen quoted from the Limerick-based Fianna Fail TD Willie O'Dea, pointing out the former Minister's concerns about the safety of 5G technology. The Irish Democratic Party councillor also said Deputy O'Dea had stated that Switzerland, one of the leader of the roll-out of 5G, had put an indefinite moratorium on the use of the technology. He further pointed to the Fianna Fail TD's statement that planning permission is not required for a 5G mast and that there is no consultation with communities. Willie O'Dea said the process would be better suited to a tin-pot dictatorship, Cllr Smollen told the meeting. Referring specifically to the proposal before Offaly councillors, Cllr Smollen asked: Can we be sure that this will not be used for the installation of equipment for 5G technology? I think if we cannot be sure it won't be used for that purpose I don't think this lease should go ahead. A number of other councillors rejected Cllr Smollen's statement, including Cllr John Leahy, Independent, who said we're not scientists and he did not have a problem with the lease. If there was a problem in the future it could be brought back to the chamber. Cllr John Clendennen, Fine Gael, said the real issue was phone and internet coverage for everyone, those working from home and small businesses. It was something he'd been hearing about in the council chamber for years. We've identified blackspots, Shannonbridge being one of them in terms of phone coverage and internet, said Cllr Clendennen. He said leasing the water tower was the council's chance to make some land available to a company providing communications infrastructure. We really should provide the people of Shannonbridge and the surrounding areas with good phone coverage and good internet, said Cllr Clendennen. He said 5G was not included in the current proposal and that issue could be reviewed if an independent study in the future finds there are complications around 5G and its roll-out. Under no circumstances would I want anybody in this county to be putting their health and their life at risk, said Cllr Clendennen. Cllr John Carroll said the jury is still out on 5G but he understood the Shannonbridge facility would be for ordinary antenna, similar to what was already up on properties controlled by the gardai, the OPW and the ESB. We'd all have reservations about 5G until the story is finally approved but I don't think it's 5G that's going up on this immediately and I think there'll be a lot more discussion before it comes around the county, said the Independent councillor. Cllr Frank Moran, the Fianna Fail representative from Clara, expressed his reservations about the proposal, saying that if the council agreed to the lease it would be a 30-year contract which we can't break. Cllr Smollen also hit back at those supporting the proposal. I think it's a poor excuse putting people's lives and health at risk simply because we want broadband. I don't think that's good enough. He said concerns had been voiced about 5G in many places, including Laois. I don't know whether it's dangerous or not but we don't know whether it's not dangerous and I think it's up to us, it's our responsibility to ensure it's not dangerous, he said. Cllr Noel Cribbin, the Fine Gael member from Edenderry, said he did not think that if 5G was that bad it'd be going up at all. I don't think Willie O'Dea would be an authority on 5G and what's life saving and what's life threatening, he added. After Cllr Smollen formally proposed that the lease be stalled until there was proper information on 5G if that's what's going in there, a vote was called by the Cathaoirleach, Cllr Peter Ormond. Before the vote took place the council's chief executive, Anna Marie Delaney, said the installation of a 5G mast would be subject to a further licence. Monday's council meeting took place in the council chamber with 17 councillors present, each sitting at least two metres from the other. Two councillors, Cllr Eamon Dooley, Fianna Fail and Cllr Liam Quinn, Fine Gael, were participating in the meeting using Zoom technology but could not take part in the vote because they were not physically present in the chamber. When the vote was taken 15 councillors rejected Cllr Smollen's proposal, Cllr Carroll, Cllr Clare Claffey, Cllr Clendennen, Cllr Cribbin, Cllr Neil Feighery, Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick, Cllr John Foley, Cllr Mark Hackett, Cllr Declan Harvey, Cllr John Leahy, Cllr Tony McCormack, Cllr Robert McDermott, Cllr Sean O'Brien and Cllr Ormond. Cllr Moran was the only councillor to support Cllr Smollen. Later in the meeting Cllr Dooley remarked: I knew Willie O'Dea was very popular down in Limerick. I never thought he'd get two votes in Offaly as well. So well done, Willie O'Dea. Cllr Smollen told Cllr Dooley that it showed how disjointed Fianna Fail was that even when he quoted from one of your own, you only get one of ye to support it. 5G is a latest generation of mobile telecommunications technology and its proponents say it carries more data at faster speeds than its predecessors, enabling greater connectivity. Its opponents have expressed concerns about radiation and exposure to electromagnetic fields, in addition to waves already generated by 2G, 3G, 4G and wifi. The licensing of 5G in Ireland is overseen by ComReg, the Commission for Communications Regulation. By Trend The volume of the US investments in the Azerbaijani economy has reached $14 billion, of which $12.8 billion relates to the oil and gas industry, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov. Jabbarov made the remark at a video conference organized by the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) together with the American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan (AmCham Azerbaijan). Thus, the US is the second biggest investor in Azerbaijan. Jabbarov stressed that Azerbaijan is interested in developing trade and economic ties with the US and is taking important steps to expand cooperation. So, presently, 257 US companies operate in various sectors of the Azerbaijani economy, including industry, agriculture, construction, services and others, the minister added. Jabbarov also emphasized that AmCham Azerbaijan is making a significant contribution to the process of preparing a new bill on investment activity. The priorities for investment activity of the US companies in Azerbaijan are construction industry, mining sector, petrochemical industry, digital economy, transport sector, trade and logistics, telecommunications, agriculture, processing industry and the development of the tourism sector, the minister said. Moreover, the factor of wider application of the mechanism of public-private partnership on a number of projects, including infrastructure projects, by the Azerbaijani government creates favorable opportunities for expanding the relations with investors, the minister said. Moreover, Jabbarov stressed the importance of creating a regional center of the World Economic Forum on the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Baku and Azerbaijans readiness to cooperate with the US in building the digital economy. US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Lee Litzenberger stressed Azerbaijans successful economic policy, the importance of ongoing reforms in the field of further improving the business and investment environment, as well as attractive tourism resources. An ambulance driver of a civic-run hospital in Vashi in Navi Mumbai died of the novel coronavirus infection on Sunday, an official said. A Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation release said Commissioner Annasaheb Misal has announced that a legal heir would get a job in the civic body. It added that his kin would get Rs 50 lakh as compensation from the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme for Health Workers and Rs 25 lakh from the corpus of the NMMC's Kamgar Kalyan Nidhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There is a lot of conjecture about who will profit from this coronavirus after the virus and the panic has abated. May I suggest that one winner is presently being overlooked. Some suggest that the U.S. will win the economic war, and that China will lose in the wake of coronavirus. They see Chinas behavior as scandalous, and that this coronavirus panic will draw away investments to cause the final abandonment of China as the worlds cheap manufacturing supply house. The new coronavirus Covid-19 will end up being the final curtain on Chinas nearly 30 year role as the worlds leading manufacturer. Using China as a hub... that model died this week, I think, says Vladimir Signorelli, head of Bretton Woods Research, a macro investment research firm. -- FORBES Some wonder if the USA and the West are too deeply intertwined with China for a clean break to occur, while others think China might prevail despite its behavior. The West has become too dependent on the Chinese for electronic, medical, and technical products. Mainland China has reached this position by piggybacking on the technology of other nations to rise to become a great industrial power, but the key is that China is not that great an innovator on its own. It seeks investments to provide what it cannot provide itself. If one looks at reviews on Amazon, Chinese products are not considered high quality. True, the same was said of Japanese products in the fifties and sixties, but Japan closed that gap. The Chinese have yet to close it. And much of what China makes that is good is often made by foreign companies who have set up in China. Meanwhile, the Netherlands joined Spain, Turkey, Georgia and the Czech Republic in rejecting China-made medical gear, claiming the items were substandard and questioning their quality as the number of global coronavirus cases passes 826,000, according to Fox News. -- NY Post May I suggest that Israel will be the one of those to prosper from this disaster after Chinas behavior has caused a move away from its products. Unlike the Chinese, the Israelis are well known for inventing their own technologies. They are world class innovators. Contrariwise, given the total control that their government exerts, China will never be a start-up nation, as Israel has become. Freedom is necessary for true innovation, and China will never allow it. China survives only by producing at lower costs, but it needs other countries to innovate. Ironically, Israeli innovation has already attracted the eyes of Chinese investors, to make up what the Chinese lack. Over U.S. objections, Chinese firms have stepped up their involvement in Israel: Israeli government officials estimate that in Israel alone, Chinese corporations have invested in or accessed projects worth nearly $15 billion. -- JPost (2019) Yet, some in the Israeli government were worried. The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the National Security Council (NSC) and US administrations have time and again expressed their concerns regarding this growing trend. Yet government ministers are finding it difficult to reach a decision. -- JPost (2019) Happily, the Israeli government has taken precautionary steps. Israel Acts to Counter Chinese Corporate Influence -- Defense of Democracies If Israel can avoid the mistakes that the West has made, and minimize Chinese influence, it may find itself in a position to become a first-rate supplier of some goods to the West that will replace China. Given that Israel already produces a lot of high tech, and both Apple and Microsoft have invested heavily in Israel, there is absolutely no reason that Israel could not replace China as a major electronic supplier to the world. Intel bought Habana Labs, an Israeli startup that develops chips for artificial intelligence applications, for about $2 billion, to bolster its efforts in the fast-growing market for AI silicon. The purchase is the latest in a string of acquisitions aimed at making Intels offerings essential to some of the biggest buyers of silicon and fending off rising competitors. -- Industry Week China has not grabbed control of the server chip market of major import - and a good reason is Israels Annapurna Labs. Amazon Cloud Services revealed a list of new products and services at the Re:Invent convention in Los Angeles on Tuesday, including products that were developed by Israeli company Annapurna Labs, which is owned by Amazon. The most notable product was Graviton2, Annapurnas new processor, which is designed for server farms and is an upgrade from Graviton, which was released a year ago. -- Haaretz Israel already has a good chunk of the worlds pharmaceutical market, and yes, TEVA, the worlds largest manufacturer of generic drugs, has run into scandals -- but so have a lot of other pharmaceuticals. Some have averred that Israel cannot compete with China because its reservoir of labor is too small. Israel proper has 8 million citizens to Chinas 1.4 billion, a ratio of 1 to 175. By that logic, Britain should never have conquered a quarter of the globe, yet it did. And Taiwan and Singapore are major producers with small populations. Industrial output is moving away from large-scale labor-intensive operations to massive Artificial Intelligence (AI) based production. Israel is well known for its strength in deep-tech, and is also home to a vibrant AI ecosystem that has been growing rapidly over the past few years. Israels unique tech ecosystem includes companies and startups that utilize AI technologies in healthcare, cybersecurity, autonomous driving, and many other fields. Forbes And here Israel has also the edge. Intel has been the recipient of massive capital investment for a long time. Intel's $11 Billion Israeli Expansion Plan Is Back on Track Ctech (2019) Investment is already starting to move out of China as labor costs rise. What Israel offers is profitability that comes from intelligence, not cheap labor. Ones profits will not decline as the standard of living increases, since the profits depend on an educated work force, not a starving one. The problem is that China still comes in with the allure of large-scale investment, as well. This has to be resisted. Otherwise, Israel will make the same mistakes the West has made. Israel should disconnect itself from China altogether and concentrate on penetrating Europe, India, and Latin America. By distancing itself from China though it might take an investment hit for a while Israel has the potential to become the tech supplier to the world. Israel is unique in that it has the intellectual base and a lot part of the industrial plant already set up. Some might say that Israel could not emulate Foxconns success in Taipei, due to its labor shortage. But there is no reason that Israel could not tap some pacified areas of Judea and Samaria for labor intensive operations. Trumps plan offers a four-year deadline for the PA to accept terms. [T]he deal provides for a four-year window for them to engage in renewed settlement talks. - New York Times The PA will never accept, and then Israel will have a free hand to act. Between its own Israeli Arabs, and the unemployed that will result from an eviscerated PA, Israel may have all the labor it needs to run a Foxconn operation. Artificial intelligence will fill in any gaps. The Israeli government should consider branding Israel as the replacement for China, with better quality and ethics. Take a hint from 7 up, the soda which once branded itself as the unCola. Perhaps Israel should brand itself as the unChina. Graphic credit: Torange Six million Australians have downloaded a mobile phone app that helps health authorities trace coronavirus infections, officials said Sunday. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the COVIDSafe app is playing a strong role in Australia's response to the pandemic and several countries have expressed interest in learning from its positive impacts. If a user is diagnosed, the app works to identify other users who have been in close proximity for 15 minutes or more in the previous three weeks. The government has said at least 40 per cent of Australia's 26 million people need to use the app for it to be effective. There are approximately 17 million mobile phones in Australia. The government and states have been easing restrictions on travel and increased use of restaurants and bars in the past few weeks. Australia has recorded more than 7,100 cases of COVID-19, with 102 deaths. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 'spacious' two-bedroom house is up-for-grabs in County Durham costing a bargain 175 a month to rent, but locals have warned 'you get what you pay for'. The 1920s end-terrace home has been listed to let by Dowen Lettings in the former mining village of Horden on Fifth Street. Experts believe it is the cheapest family home to rent in the UK for many years, according to the Mirror. 41 Fifth Street, an end-terraced house in Horden, is available to rent for a bargain 175 a month, but locals have warned 'you get what you pay for' Other two-bedroom homes available on Fifth Street charge between 300 and 400 a month to rent, according to Zoopla The property is just a short walk from the beach and is near two schools, seeming to be the ideal bargain for families. It is also an convenient place for commuters who work in larger towns to live, located only 12 miles south of Sunderland. The double-glazed house has two double bedrooms, a fitted bathroom and two reception rooms. Fifth Street is also just 700 yards from Durham's famous Heritage Coast walking trail, which stretches from Sunderland to Hartlepool. But some locals have warned 'you get what you pay for' with the bargain find, saying many homes in the area have gone to ruin. Fifth Street is just 700 yards from Durham's famous Heritage Coast walking trail, which stretches from Sunderland to Hartlepool Many homes in Horden were left empty and boarded up and according to 2019 figures, Horden had 185 long-term vacant homes, the fifth highest number in the county Durham County Council introduced a multi-agency operation in 2018 to regenerate Horden, located 12 miles south of Sunderland. Pictured, a Horden road surrounding Fifth Street Former primary school teacher Doug Langan, 68, said: 'Some of the houses are owned by retired miners who have been there 40 years but others have gone to rack and ruin. '175 is cheap but you will get what you pay for.' Other two-bedroom homes available on Fifth Street charge between 300 and 400 a month to rent, according to Zoopla. Many homes in Horden were left empty and boarded up and according to 2019 figures, Horden had 185 long-term vacant homes, the fifth highest number in the county. But Durham County Council introduced a multi-agency operation in 2018 to try and clean-up and regenerate the area. The housing regeneration masterplan aims to tackle issues of absentee landlords, poor quality and low housing demand in the area. Jeffrey Bates is licensed to practice law in the State of Texas, but is not board certified in any area of specialty by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. This column is meant for general information and educational purposes only, and neither this column nor the transmittal of a legal question via email constitutes the creation of an attorney/client relationship between the reader and Jeffrey Bates and/or Southern Newspapers Inc. For specific advice regarding legal matters affecting you, consult an attorney. To submit a question, send it via email to JeffreyPBates@aol.com , or via regular mail to Ask the Lawyer, 101 S. First St., Lufkin 75901, or call 639-2900. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 04:42:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ZAGREB, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Croatia recorded no new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the National Civil Protection Headquarters announced here on Saturday. This is the first time since early March that no new cases are recorded daily in the country, which has an estimated population of 4.1 million. The first COVID-19 case in Croatia was reported on Feb. 25, when a patient who had traveled to Italy tested positive. As of Saturday, Croatia has 2,243 confirmed cases, according to koronavirus.hr, an official website dedicated to the outbreak. Meanwhile, 2,023 people have fully recovered, while 99 people have died. In the past weeks, the Croatian government has gradually relaxed its restrictive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic announced on Friday that later this month Croatia will open its borders to citizens from Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Croatia has already opened its border with Slovenia. Weddings, celebrations, receptions and cultural events such as concerts and festivals would be allowed starting from next week, according to National Civil Protection Headquarters. Enditem A preliminary report on the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash, in which 97 people were killed, has raised serious questions about the pilot's handling of the aircraft and what prevented the crew in the cockpit from informing the air traffic controllers about the troubles. Pakistani investigators are trying to find out if the crash of the national flag carrier's flight PK-8303 is attributable to a pilot error or a technical glitch, with new leads raising fresh questions over the circumstances of the incident, Geo News reported. According to the report, prepared by the country's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Airbus A-320's engines had scraped the runway thrice on the pilot's first attempt to land, causing friction and sparks recorded by the experts. After the third impact, the pilot took the aircraft off into the air again, which officials found very strange as the crew in the cockpit did not inform the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at the Jinnah International Airport of any problem with the landing gear, The News International quoted CAA sources as saying. Since automated emergency systems within the aircraft go off in case of any emergency, and the loud alarms and warnings are impossible to ignore, there was no indication from the pilot to the ATC that something was amiss, it said. When the aircraft scraped the ground on the first failed attempt at landing, the engine's oil tank and fuel pump may have been damaged and started to leak, preventing the pilot from achieving the required thrust and speed to raise the aircraft to safety, the report said. The pilot made a decision "on his own" to undertake a "go-around" after he failed to land the first time. It was only during the go-around that the ATC was informed that landing gear was not deploying, it said. "The pilot was directed by the air traffic controller to take the aircraft to 3,000 feet, but he managed only 1,800. When the cockpit was reminded to go for the 3,000 feet level, the first officer said 'we are trying'," the report said. Experts said that the failure to achieve the directed height indicates that the engines were not responding. The aircraft, thereafter, tilted and crashed suddenly. "The plane descended too fast, almost plunged," sources familiar with the report said. The investigators were trying to establish why the pilots not once informed the ATC of any emergency, malfunction, engine failure or fire despite the visible problems the aircraft was facing, the report said, adding that it is rare to have so many technical problems at the same time. The ATC's conduct is also being probed. The report added that at this point, there are more questions than answers with the most serious being why and how the alarm systems inside the cockpit failed to warn the pilots of an impending emergency. PIA chief executive officer Arshad Malik has said that the black box of the plane has been handed over to the investigation team. The team, headed by Air Commodore Muhammad Usman Ghani, President of the Aircraft Accident and Investigation Board, is expected to submit a full report in about three months. According to the PIA's engineering and maintenance department, the last check of the plane was done on March 21 this year and it had flown from Muscat to Lahore a day before the crash. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Pakistan government had allowed the limited domestic flight operations from five major airports - Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta - from May 16. After the plane tragedy, the PIA has called off its domestic operation. S teve Baker has become the first Conservative MP to break ranks and demand that Boris Johnson sack Dominic Cummings over his alleged breach of lockdown rules. The former Brexit minister said the Prime Minister's "dispensable" top aide "must go" after reports emerged that he had travelled 260 miles to the North East in March to self-isolate with his family. Reports later surfaced that the 48-year-old made a second trip to County Durham, where his family lives, despite social restrictions. In the hour since Mr Baker's scathing attack, three other Tory MPs have joined the growing calls for the PM's chief advisor to quit, with Damian Collins saying: "The Government would be better off without him." Mr Baker, MP for Wycombe, told Sky's Sophy Ridge programme on Sunday morning that Mr Cummings "holds in contempt any effort to hold him accountable to others" and that "no one is indispensable". Dominic Cummings is under increasing pressure to quit / AP If he doesnt resign, well just keep burning through Boriss political capital at a rate we can ill afford in the midst of this crisis, he added. It is very clear that Dominic travelled when everybody else understood Dominics slogans to mean stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives." He added: Im afraid I just think this is the end of the road. I objected to Dominic going into Number 10 on the day Boris became PM, my colleagues werent with me. I think its worked out badly, as it was bound to do. Dominics tactics are out of place and he should go, and this moment has revealed that really he has ended up not abiding by the spirit at least of the slogans which he has enforced on the rest of the country. Steve Baker is the first Tory MP to break ranks / Dominic Lipinski/PA Writing in The Critic earlier on Sunday, Mr Baker said: Enough is enough. I and others saved him once before when he was driving Vote Leave to implosion. Not today. Dominic Cummings must go before he does any more harm to the UK, the Government, the Prime Minister, our institutions or the Conservative Party. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps insisted on Sunday morning that reports of the second trip to Durham are "completely untrue" and that Mr Cummings was "trying to do the best by the child". Shortly after Mr Baker's scathing attack on Number 10, North Dorset MP Simon Hoare become the second Tory MP to demand he goes, saying he is "wounding" the Government. He tweeted: "With the damage Mr Cummings is doing to the Governments reputation he must consider his position. Lockdown has had its challenges for everyone. "Its his cavalier I dont care; Im cleverer than you tone that infuriates people. He is now wounding the PM/Govt & I dont like that." The chain reaction prompted by Mr Baker's attack continued as North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale became the latest to demand the PM's top aide goes. He tweeted: "While as a father and as a grandfather I fully appreciate Mr Cummings desire to protect his child. "There cannot be one law for the Prime Ministers staff and another for everyone else. He has sent out completely the wrong message and his position is no longer tenable." Boris Johnson is under pressure to fire his chief adviser / Getty Images The interventions come as Boris Johnson faces mounting pressure to sack his most senior aide following the fresh claims of a second trip, despite official guidelines warning against long-distance journeys. Labour and the SNP have both written to Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill demanding an "urgent inquiry" into the allegations. The PM pledged his full support on Saturday as Mr Cummings insisted he behaved "reasonably and legally". According to the Sunday Times, the PM has told allies he would not throw Mr Cummings to the dogs following reports he made the journey to ensure his four-year-old child could be looked after as he and his wife were ill. But according to reports in the Observer and Sunday Mirror, former Vote Leave campaign chief Mr Cummings made a second trip to Durham and was seen there on April 19 five days after being photographed on his return to Westminster. A second eyewitness told the two papers they saw him a week earlier in Barnard Castle on Easter Sunday, a popular tourist location 30 miles away from Durham, during the period he was believed to be self-isolating. Downing Street has said it would not waste time replying to the fresh allegations from campaigning newspapers. Art by Shawn D'Souza for Firstpost To ensure smooth sailing through this lockdown period, I enrolled in online cooking classes, but much to my mothers wrath failed to put any of my newfound lessons into practice. Others, as evinced by their social media feeds at least, seemed to be having better luck. People developed an overnight obsession with baking bread, and making fancy coffee. Whether or not these culinary endeavours will last after the lockdown lifts remains to be seen, but for now at least, the harmonised response seems to be to get good at cooking. In that spirit, I decided to do a pairing: simple, hearty dishes that can be made with easily available ingredients with food-centric films that serve as great backdrops for them (or binge-watch accompaniments alongside a meal). There are dozens of movie meals that make my mouth water from the welcome feast at Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone to the Scotch and lobsters the gangsters of Goodfellas enjoy in prison. While chow-focused classics like Big Night and Babette's Feast have been included in this pairing exercise, I have widened the pool to include films across genres: each of them is an aesthetic delight, with an assuredly high appetite-whetting quotient, be it vis their depictions of sumptuous feasts or more modest repasts. Let the screenings and snacking begin. Big Night Omelet Big Night is the rarest of all food movies a tight, smart comedy with a big heart that captures so much of what we love about the experience of dining out. Two Italian immigrants chef Primo (Tony Shalhoub), and his maitre d brother Secondo (Stanley Tucci) run a struggling restaurant in 1950s New Jersey. Americans arent used to the authentic Italian recipes they serve, and Primo, the older brother, refuses to compromise on what he sees as his art. Their main competitor Pascal (Ian Holm) has found success by pandering to local preferences. He promises to help by calling in a favour from an old friend, the famous bandleader Louis Prima. If he visits the brothers failing restaurant, the accompanying publicity will revive their dream. That sets in motion Big Nights primary dramatic premise, with elaborate preparations of Italian delicacy timpano. The final scene heartbreaking, uplifting, and played in complete silence features Secondo preparing a simple omelet and serving it wordlessly, a gesture that speaks of brotherly devotion. Dish to pair it with: Big Night reminds us that less is more, of how life sometimes may not roll out the way we want, but one can always settle for simple and fulfilling pleasures like Secondos omelet. Stop fussing over that three-course menu and indulge in a universal staple, made well. Babettes Feast French spinach souffle The film, which swept the 1987 Oscars, is based on a short story by Danish author Karen Blixen (whose other famous adapted work was Out of Africa). In 19th-century Denmark, the pious spinster sisters Filippa (Bodil Kjer) and Martine (Birgitte Federspiel) are honouring the memory of their late father by hosting prayer groups. They soon welcome Frenchwoman Babette (Stephane Audran), a Parisian chef and a refugee from the French civil war, into their home. Babette agrees to work as their cook and housekeeper; and, on coming into a huge amount of money, offers to cook a sumptuous French banquet for them and the other cantankerous old villagers. A leisurely prologue traces the sisters doomed girlhood romances, their lovers fates and the strange circumstances that brought the Frenchwoman into their service. When the feast is presented, it almost feels like a lost love affair, all rolled up in most sensual and intoxicating last dinner. Dish to pair it with: Theres no possibility of procuring a bowl of this films signature dish turtle soup but really, any elegant, slightly decadent dish will do. This light and surprisingly easy French spinach souffle is an indulgence youll be glad to sample. Once youve mastered the art of making it, this souffle is likely to emerge a delicious winner. Eat Drink Man Woman Chicken dumplings Take one widowed Taipei master chef, add three romantically-troubled daughters, stir in a flirtatious widow, mix vigorously, and you have a recipe for Ang Lee's 1994 Oscar-nominated film Eat Drink Man Woman. This effervescent romantic comedy centers on the Chu family dinner table, where Chef Chu serves up a five-star banquet for his three daughters every Sunday afternoon. It provides the perfect setting for family 'announcements', during which his daughters reluctantly yet boldly divulge the most recent developments in their personal lives. Mr Chus methods of preparation invoke intimacy, and the depiction of dishes is traditionally detailed, proving that food is indeed the connective tissue which binds this and many families together. Dish to pair it with: Ang Lees film is a reminder of lost conversations, banter and shared meals among families. The characters in Eat Drink Man Woman are all lost in their own heads, but what brings them together over and over is food, piled onto a dinner table. A warm bowl of chicken dumplings is a great conversation starter to share stories wrapped in nostalgia, devoured wholeheartedly when shared with loved ones. Marie Antoinette Banana pancakes Sofia Coppolas sumptuous biography of the doomed French queen, Marie Antoinette isnt a food film as such, but contains some of the most tantalising culinary scenes. Banquet sequences feature carefully arranged asparagus, lush cakes and jellies placed alongside candied orange peels, mini bites of cream topped with berries and pistachios all served on gilded and hand painted china. Sweet decadence! Dish to pair it with: Oh, to be in Paris amid a variety of confectioneries. But, one can dream with these gloriously fluffy banana pancakes and brighten up dull days. In a dreamy saccharine scene, we see the princesses partying with a stack of pastel macaroons and petits fours, while champagne flows freely across the room. Keep these pancakes close, as they will be a perfect substitute for the stacked macaroons while you plan a post-lockdown meet-up with your friends. Aruna & Her Palate Egg noodles Based on Laksmi Pamuntjaks book, this film is a gourmet tour of Indonesian cuisine and a voyage of romantic discovery set against (sorry!) the backdrop of an avian flu outbreak. Aruna (Dian Sastrowardoyo) is an epidemiologist investigating a series of isolated outbreaks of a new virus strain of what appears to be bird flu in humans. She decides to combine work with a food-centric road trip, sampling the local delicacies in each place she visits. The HazMat suit by day, clam noodles by night juxtaposition is odd, but works smoothly enough as Aruna struggles to balance her foodie fun with the reality of a looming health crisis. And then her crush (Oka Antara) shows up! Dish to pair it with: Why all the eating establishments depicted in this movie are open during an epidemic remains a total mystery to me, however, this plot point does nudge me towards egg noddles! Especially when topped with chilli, honey and sugar snaps. Gulabjaam Shrikhand In Sachin Kundalkars 2019 feature Gulabjaam, Aditya (Siddharth Chandekar) leaves his high paying bank job to open a restaurant and recreate the food of his childhood. When he tracks down Radha (Sonali Kulkarni), who is famed for her culinary touch, he encounters a living example of the notorious Puneri brand of hospitality. She is eccentric and completely disinterested in mentoring at first, but soon her facade dissolves. She tests Aditya by making him knead dough, roll out 100 chapatis, dry pulses, grind flour, wash utensils, clean up, and cut vegetables. While it features in many arresting visuals, food is also used as a metaphor in Gulabjaam. Dish to pair it with: Shrikhand is an integral part of traditional Maharashtrian and Gujarati thali. The process by which a humble bowl of curd can turn into a mouthwatering dessert is amazing. Have it plain, or combined with fruit pulp, nuts, saffron and cardamom to enhance the shrikhands creamy richness. Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana Butter chicken Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana is the story of a man in search of a forgotten recipe for the signature dish that made his familys dhaba popular in Punjab. Omi (Kunal Kapoor) runs away from home and migrates to the UK. He returns home after a decade, unemployed and debt-ridden, hoping his family can help him out. Except that his once-wealthy grandfather has not only lost his fortune but also the recipe of the dish that made his restaurants fortune: the Chicken Khurana. Directed by Sameer Sharma and sharply written by Sumit Batheja, the film has a close understanding of the flourishing genre of idiosyncratic slice-of-life narratives, and is a comedy about food, love and family ties. Dish to pair it with: The classic butter chicken delicacy is unknown to none. Juicy chicken bathed in a creamy gravy bursting with authentic flavours what could better encapsulate the spirit of this Bollywood film? Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 09:33:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAPE TOWN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The South African government on Saturday approved essential travel for its nationals who want to return to countries where they are based. Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi made the announcement following consultations with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation and the National Coronavirus Command Council. South Africans who wish to leave the country are permitted to depart only for one of the following reasons: work, study, family reunion, taking up permanent residency and receiving medical attention, Motsoaledi said. South Africa imposed travel restrictions in mid-March as part of the measures put in place to fight COVID-19, only allowing travel between countries under special circumstances. Under the new policy, South Africans wishing to return to countries where they reside are required to provide necessary documentation. Moreover, if returning by road or connecting via flights, they need to submit permission from each transiting country. The announcement came amid a surge in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country. As of Saturday, South Africa has recorded a total of 21,343 cases, the highest number in Africa, according to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize. Over the past 24 hours, the country has reported 1,218 cases, the highest single-day surge since March 5. The number of deaths from COVID-19 has risen to 407, up by 10 from Friday. Enditem SPAULDING TWP, MI Flooding in Saginaw County pushed people out of their homes and swallowed acres of crops, while some residents didnt flinch at the impact it left overnight. A century-old farm is still standing in Saginaw Countys Spaulding Township, just south of Saginaw, but its nearly surrounded by water and its crops are drenched due to multiple dikes that were overwhelmed with water late Thursday, May 21. As far as you can see was planted with corn and its probably all shot now, farmer Jim Secord with Kessler Farm said of the 800-acre business. Houses and trees reflecting off the water that created a four-foot swimming pool at the end of Houlihan Road in Spaulding Township looked like an intentional, painted portrait. Spaulding Township Fire Department and multiple other agencies such as the National Guard came to the rescue of some residents due to rising waters of the Cass River and a breach in the dike on Birch Run Creek. We started out with some minor flooding, and then it progressed to high-stage flooding where we started to warn residents that it probably wasnt a bad idea to start to evaluate their house because of the high water, and the water is still rising, said Spaulding Township Fire Chief Thomas Fortier. Some residents left their homes while others stayed put, Fortier said, adding that he expected calls on Friday from more people who want to evacuate. Kessler Farm owner Jake Kessler and his family members, who also operate the farm, were some of the residents who stuck around. Lance Klein, Kesslers nephew, was on his way out the door with his mother, Marsha Klein. They were in good spirits despite the heavy flooding and seemed optimistic about the current conditions in comparison to the 1986 flood, which has been referred to as the worst in modern history. This isnt our first rodeo, Lance Klein said with a chuckle as he left with his mother. Secord agrees. That one (The flood of 1986) was bad, said Secord. But he remembers that the flood didnt affect the crops as much as the current flood. In the 1986 flood, one of the barns had 18 inches of water inside, according to Secord. Hard to evacuate when theres a lot of things relying on you, Secord said as he nodded toward the 21 cattle currently safe from flooding. You know whos going to feed the cows? And if the water comes up real bad...whos going to move the cows?, he asked. In addition to the crops, the farmers are concerned about the 50 acres of hay used to feed cattle. Secord said he wont know if the corn crops are at all salvageable until the area dries up. If the crops are destroyed, they plan to plant beans to make up for the loss. Sandbags have been used to try to stop water from flowing over at the farm dikes and at residential areas to help prevent flooding to homes. The fire department has about 500-600 sandbags on standby. Farmer Rob Peaphon with the Kessler farm, trucked an emergency load of sand to the Spaulding Fire Department. I am impressed with how the community came together at these trying times to help us and get through this. It was amazing, Fortier said. An evacuation shelter at Center Courts was prepared to take in any residents who had to flee their homes on Thursday. However, it appeared most people had another place to go since there was only one person there. A Vietnam veteran who asked to remain anonymous has been at the shelter for three days and had to leave his apartment on Center and West Michigan. The veteran like many others throughout mid-Michigan evacuated their homes due to flooding from the failure of the Edenville and Sanford dams in Midland County, which sent a torrent of water down that flooded the Tittabawassee and Saginaw rivers. Shelter Manager Jay McCalpin said theres less than 20 local people staying at the shelter each night. He noted that even during a difficult time where people from different households may have to share a space, they are still following social distancing guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Related news: Residents urged to evacuate due to dike breach in Saginaw Countys Spaulding Township Dairy farm started in 1893 is shutting down in Saginaw County Flooding in Michigan: Everything we know about Midland County dam break An investigation has tonight been launched after an 'unauthorised' message was posted on the civil service's Twitter account which appeared to take a swipe at the UK government. The UK Civil Service Twitter account, which is verified and followed by more than 240,000 people, was used to tweet out the message: 'Arrogant and offensive. Can you imagine having to work with these truth twisters?' The now-deleted message, which had been liked and retweeted thousands of times, was posted as Prime Minister Boris Johnson finished his daily coronavirus press conference - in which he vehemently defended under-fire aide Dominic Cummings. Mr Cummings, said to be one of the key figures behind the government's 'Stay at Home' message, is accused of breaking the coronavirus lockdown by twice travelling 270 miles from London to Durham. It is not yet clear if the account was hacked prior to the tweet being posted. But the Cabinet Office says it has now launched an investigation. Twitter users have today been left dumbfound after the official account for the UK's Civil Service was seemingly used to take a swipe at the government in a tweet which featured the phrase 'truth twisters' The message was sent out as Prime Minister Boris Johnson finished his daily coronavirus press conference at Downing Street (pictured) Mr Cummings (pictured), is said to be one of the key figures behind the government's 'Stay at Home' message, is accused of breaking the coronavirus lockdown by twice travelling 270 miles from London to Durham The Cabinet Office has this evening promised to investigate the 'unauthorised tweet' from the UK Civil Service's Twitter account The tweet on the UK Civil Service's Twitter account was quickly deleted and replaced with the message 'Sorry, that page doesn't exist' In a tweet this evening the Cabinet Office said: 'An unauthorised tweet was posted on a government channel this evening. The post has been removed and we are investigating the matter.' The original message prompted responses from a number of confused Twitter users, as well as those who celebrated it. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling offered to pay a 'year's salary' to the person who sent the tweet. She said: 'When you find out who it was, let us know. I want to give them a year's salary.' Another to comment was Guardian columnist and left-wing author Owen Jones, who responded by laughing at the Tweet. Another user, Marcus Thomas, replied: 'Give whoever did this a medal.' One Twitter user simply said: 'Brilliant!' Others were more interested in the origins of the Tweet, with one suggesting the person behind the message was set to get their 'P45 in the morning'. It is not yet clear if the account had been hacked prior to the message being posted. This evening, Boris Johnson refused to bow to public and political pressure to sack Mr Cummings amid rising fury over multiple alleged lockdown breaches by the top Downing Street power-broker. In a sign of the scope of the political crisis the Prime Minister faced television cameras for only the third time since his own brush with the killer pandemic to mount a broad-spectrum defence of his chief of staff at the end of a bruising weekend during the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Johnson took the daily Downing Street news conference as a late replacement for Housing Minister Robert Jenrick, who himself has faced criticism for seeing out the lockdown at a home in Herefordshire, 170 miles from his Newark constituency. But despite ten Tory backbenchers demanding the scalp of his closest adviser and the mastermind of the Brexit Vote Leave campaign, Mr Johnson backed the divisive Machiavellian figure of Mr Cummings over revelations he twice travelled 270 miles from London to Durham while the public were told to stay at home. Mr Cummings was in Downing Street for more than five hours this afternoon, fuelling speculation he would quit, as the first cracks in Tory unity appeared. Nine Conservative backbenchers demanded his head after allegations of the second trip north, in April, emerged in today's Sunday Mirror and Observer newspapers. Timeline of Cummings' lockdown row March 23: As the coronavirus crisis escalates, the UK is placed into lockdown with strict limitations on travel. The Government guidelines state: 'You should not be visiting family members who do not live in your home.' Those in a household with symptoms must 'stay at home and not leave the house' for up to 14 days. March 27: Both Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock test positive for coronavirus, while chief medical officer Chris Whitty says he has symptoms of the disease and is self-isolating. March 30: Downing Street confirms Mr Cummings is suffering from coronavirus symptoms and is self-isolating. March 31: Durham police are 'made aware of reports that an individual had travelled from London to Durham and was present at an address in the city'. The force said officers 'made contact with the owners of that address who confirmed that the individual in question was present and was self-isolating in part of the house. 'In line with national policing guidance, officers explained to the family the arrangements around self-isolation guidelines and reiterated the appropriate advice around essential travel.' April 5: An unnamed neighbour tells the Mirror and the Guardian Mr Cummings was seen in his parents' garden. 'I got the shock of my life as I looked over to the gates and saw him,' they said. March 30 - April 6: The period Mr Cummings' wife Mary Wakefield describes the family's battle with coronavirus in the April 25 issue of the Spectator. She makes no mention of the trip to Durham and describes the challenges of caring for their son while suffering the symptoms of Covid-19. She says their small son nursed Mr Cummings with Ribena. April 12: Robert Lees, a retired chemistry teacher, claims to have seen Mr Cummings 30 miles away from his parents home in Barnard Castle. April 14: Mr Cummings returns to work for the first time since news he was suffering from Coronavirus emerged. Questions are raised about his adherence to social distancing advice as he is photographed walking down Downing Street with fellow aide Cleo Watson. April 19: A passer-by claims to have spotted Mr Cummings and his family admiring bluebells with his wife, back in Durham. May 22: News breaks in the Mirror and the Guardian of Mr Cummings' trip to Durham. May 23: Downing Street stands by the PM's chief aide, saying in a statement: 'Owing to his wife being infected with suspected coronavirus and the high likelihood that he would himself become unwell, it was essential for Dominic Cummings to ensure his young child could be properly cared for.' That evening, a joint Sunday Mirror and Observer investigation reveals the two new eyewitness claims. Advertisement Mr Johnson said tonight he had 'extensive face-to-face' talks with Mr Cummings today, saying his close associate had 'acted responsibly, legally and with integrity'. He added: 'I think he followed the instincts of any father and any parent, and I don't mark him down for that.' He added that 'some' of the allegations about Dominic Cummings' behaviour during self-isolation were 'palpably false' but did not elaborate. He also declined to answer whether his chief of staff, as reported, drove to the picturesque village of Barnard's castle when such outdoor excursions were banned for the public. Mr Johnson insisted it was 'absolutely responsible' for Mr Cummings to to travel to Durham to self-isolate. 'The advice makes it absolutely clear that if you have particular childcare issues then that is a factor that has to be taken into account and when I look at what actually happened, Dominic Cummings and his family self-isolated for 14 days and that is what you've got to do,' he said. 'And there was a risk that if they both went under, in such a way to be unable to care for their child, then they might have needed the help of relatives living nearby who could come in a socially distanced way. 'As it happened that was not necessary for medical reasons I don't want to go into. 'But that was the risk, and I think it was a real risk and I think it was absolutely responsible of Dominic Cummings to see the risk to his family and to see the risk to his child and to take steps to avert it, and that's what he did. 'That in no way changes the guidance or the advice.' Earlier Nicola Sturgeon had weighed in, calling for Mr Cummings to quit his post, drawing a comparison to the resignation of Catherine Calderwood as Scotland's chief medical officer after she visited her second home twice earlier in the crisis. Ms Sturgeon, who initially declined to sack Ms Calderwood, tweeted: 'I know it is tough to lose a trusted adviser at the height of crisis, but when it's a choice of that or integrity of vital public health advice, the latter must come first. That's the judgment I and, to her credit, Catherine Calderwood reached. PM and Cummings should do likewise.' Senior ministers have this weekend allied around the Machiavellian figure, insisting he was acted as a concerned parent and broke no rules when he went north in late March. But last night the Downing Street adviser was rocked by fresh claims of flouting the strict national guidelines from two more witnesses, which whipped up a further frenzy for him to be sacked. Steve Baker, a former Brexit minister and a senior hardline Brexiteer like Mr Cummings, broke cover to demand the Prime Minister 'take back control' of events squirming from his grasp. Mr Baker told Sky News that Mr Cummings' career had always 'created an awful lot of collateral damage', including the Brexit campaign, adding: 'He is not always right and he certainly isn't indispensable'. 'If he doesn't resign, we'll just keep burning through Boris's political capital at a rate we can ill afford in the midst of this crisis,' he said. 'It is very clear that Dominic travelled when everybody else understood Dominic's slogans to mean ''stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives''. 'And I think mums and dads who very much care about their children and who have been forgoing the childcare of their extended family will wonder why he has been allowed to do this. 'I really just don't see, as we approach the Prime Minister (appearing) at the liaison committee on Wednesday, how this is going to go away unless Dominic goes.' Simon Hoare, the Tory North Dorset MP and Northern Ireland Select Committee chairman later added his voice to the call, tweeting: 'With the damage Mr Cummings is doing to the Government's reputation he must consider his position. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: 'This was a test of the Prime Minister and he has failed it.' 'Lockdown has had its challenges for everyone. It's his cavalier ''I don't care; I'm cleverer than you'' tone that infuriates people. He is now wounding the PM/Govt & I don't like that.' Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: 'This was a test of the Prime Minister and he has failed it. 'It is an insult to sacrifices made by the British people that Boris Johnson has chosen to take no action against Dominic Cummings. 'The public will be forgiven for thinking there is one rule for the Prime Minister's closest adviser and another for the British people. 'The Prime Minister's actions have undermined confidence in his own public health message at this crucial time. 'Millions were watching for answers and they got nothing. That's why the Cabinet Secretary must now launch an urgent inquiry.' CPS workers arrested, charged for removing kids from parents without court oversight Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Three current and former employees of a child services agency in North Carolina were arrested this week and indicted with over three dozen felony and misdemeanor charges related to its alleged practice of separating children from their families without proper judicial oversight. Carolina Public Press reports that among the former and current workers arrested on Monday was Cindy Palmer, the former director of the Cherokee County Department of Social Services and wife of Cherokee County Sheriff Derrick Palmer. The other two are former Child Protective Unit supervisor David Huges and former agency attorney Scott Lindsay. The indictment follows two years of investigations and legal action from parents who said their children were unlawfully removed from their homes by the agencys use of coercion. According to the independent news outlet, the practice of removing children from homes without judicial oversight is said to have occurred in the county for over a decade before the state intervened in 2017. Palmer and Hughes were booked within minutes of each other at the Cherokee County Detention Center while Lindsay was booked on Tuesday. Palmer was released on an $8,000 bond, while Hughes was let go on a $12,500 bond and Lindsay was released on a $25,000 bond. In total, grand jurors indicted the three accused on 41 charges that will be prosecuted by the state attorney generals office. However, investigations did not cover all allegations against the department and there could be more charges pressed down the road. Palmer, who served as a business officer for the department after her 2018 resignation as director, faces two felony obstruction of justice charges for allowing social workers to use controversial forms called custody and visitation agreements during 2016 and 2017. The forms essentially let agents remove children without court participation in the process. According to her indictment, the use of the agreements avoided judicial oversight into the activities of Cherokee County DSS and subverted the statutory process for determining abuse and neglect of children, and determining custody and parental rights. This offense was done in secrecy and with malice; with deceit and intent to defraud; was infamous; and was done in violation of the common law, and against the peace and dignity of the state, the indictment contends. Additionally, Palmer faces a charge of perjury that was allegedly committed during a 2018 court hearing in which she claimed to not recall anything about the custody and visitation agreements. However, Palmer is being held responsible for agreements dating back to 2016. According to Carolina Public Press, Palmers attorneys came to her defense by saying that the agreements happened before she became the departments director and that she relied on the departments lawyer who she thought was following the law. She adamantly denies ever acting with any sort of criminal intent, attorney Hart Miles wrote, according to Carolina Public Press. And she is confident that those in the community that know her understand that she is a dedicated public servant who has been wrongfully targeted in this investigation. A Carolina Public Press investigation found evidence in 2019 that a massive number of documents at DSS were shredded around the same time Palmer assumed her new officer position after stepping down as director. As the former attorney for the department, Lindsay faces 20 felony counts of obstruction of justice. Lindsay claimed when asked about the origin of the custody and visitation agreement that he received the form when he attended a class for attorneys in 2007 or 2010 and that the department started using the form in 2014. According to the news outlet, Hughes had previously testified in 2018 that he was aware of around two dozen custody and visitation agreements that the department executed since he worked there. A proposed class-action lawsuit brought by families against the county DSS is pending in federal court. The lawsuit contends that DSS employees coerced parents into signing the unlawful agreements and parent-child relationships were negatively impacted by the unlawful agreement. The lead plaintiff in the case is a father who was granted custody of his daughter in 2016 but was later questioned by the DSS over concerns regarding his parental abilities. After meeting with DSS officials in November 2016, officials allegedly threatened the father into signing the agreement to relinquish custody of his daughter to her paternal grandfather. According to the lawsuit, the father was told that the agreement was in lieu of court action and that he would be subjected to adverse legal proceedings and other consequences if he did not sign the CVA. Other false threatening and coercive statements that the lawsuit claims DSS officials made against the father as possible actions if he did not sign include: Your child will be adopted out and you will never see her again, and Your child will be placed in a location where you will have little or no contact with her. Plaintiff Hogan was neither advised nor given an opportunity to contact independent legal counsel when confronted with and unlawfully pressured to sign the unlawful CVA, the lawsuit says. CCDSS never contacted Hogan's prior attorney regarding the meeting or the CVA. The lawsuit argues that the county maintained a pattern of condoning improper, illegal, and unconstitutional techniques. Defendants' actions caused Plaintiffs and Unnamed Class Members to be deprived of fundamental rights, particularly, a parental relationship with their biological children, in violation of substantive and procedural due process of the law and in violation of all Plaintiffs' equal protection rights, the lawsuit adds. Across the United States, some courts have come down on other social services agencies that have unlawfully removed children from their parents or legal guardians. In California last year, a mother was awarded $1.49 million in legal settlements against Orange County, Los Angeles County, and Childrens Hospital after the state removed her sons from her custody. In Texas last December, a state judge ordered the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to drop its five-month-long case after a 4-year-old child was removed from his parents home over allegations of medical abuse. China in Focus (May 23): Contradicting Virus Figures in Chinas Northeastern Province Many Hongkongers fear Beijings newly proposed law could end the citys freedom once and for all. From planning a protest to online searches on immigration, see how theyre responding. Photos show that a province in Chinas far-north has been hard-hit by a virus outbreak. Many fear the city could become the next Wuhan. Now, residents are being barred from entering Beijing. An in-depth report published by Chinese media shows something isnt adding up in the CCPs official reporting of virus cases in Heilongjiang province. The United States cracks down on Chinese companies over their military ties and abuse of human rights. Over 32 firms have been blacklisted. And calls are growing to close down Confucius institutes in American Universities. Today we take a look at the university where the first Confucius Institute in the United States was established, and the communist regimes efforts for infiltrating the United States and and interfering in students academic freedom. Subscribe to our Youtube channel for more first-hand news from China For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter When the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden was vice-president to Barack Obama, a photograph of young Joe Biden went viral online. It showed the now-77 year-old as a 26-year-old in a red button-down shirt, smiling into the camera. He looked like the perfect American boyfriend, from a cosier time when women wore sweater-sets and men opened car doors for them. Joe Biden and his accuser, Tara Reade. Credit:AP Biden was a benign and popular figure with Americans. His role as right-hand man to the first black president is considered a strong reason why he has polled so well with African-American voters, and this played a large role in his trouncing of rival Bernie Sanders in the nominations process. But Bidens early status as apple-pie sex symbol has morphed into a murkier reputation when it comes to women. There have been multiple claims from women that Biden made them uncomfortable in public settings, by invading their personal space, or hugging them just a beat too long. The most serious allegation against Biden is from Tara Reade, a 56-year-old woman who worked for him when he was a senator for the US state of Delaware. Reade says Biden pinned her against the wall in an office corridor and digitally penetrated her. There were no witnesses to the alleged assault but three people say Reade told them about it at the time. Much of the intellectual property the UK needs for long-term innovation and prosperity could disappear to Shanghai or Shenzhen, warns leading lawmaker. Photo: Getty A leading lawmaker has called on the UK government to tighten restrictions on overseas company takeovers in the wake of a pending recession. Tom Tugendhat, chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, warned of Chinese state-owned companies exploiting the financial crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak, in a striking piece in the Financial Times. "Increasingly, Chinas state-owned enterprises have been able to draw on state banks to outbid rivals in Europe and America. In a downturn, the difference between state-backed credit and the buying power of normal commercial investors will become starker, further strengthening the hand of state-owned enterprises with a voracious appetite to buy rather than build," wrote the Conservative party lawmaker. Tugendhat said that although Britain prided itself on being an open economy with few restrictions on foreign ownership the basis for that model has been changed by the "rise in state capitalism with deep pockets." He pointed to China in particular, claiming it was trying to exploit the global crisis triggered by the pandemic by wresting control of companies such as Imagination Technologies. READ MORE: Britain faces jobs hell and a return to the 1980s Following the lead of other democratic market economies such as Australia, France and Sweden, the UK needed to defend its interests "subjecting potential sales of significant companies and assets to stricter scrutiny," said Tugendhat. This includes lowering the 1m ($1.2m) threshold to trigger an inquiry and extending restrictions beyond areas of national security such as military, dual-use, computing hardware and quantum technology sectors already covered by a change in the law two years ago. He welcomed the recent government announcement of changes to UK rules but said the country "cannot delay" in bringing laws on foreign ownership in line with other nations. "An inferno of fire sales is risky: if we are not careful, much of the intellectual property the UK needs for long-term innovation and prosperity could disappear to Shanghai or Shenzhen," he warned. The Nigerian Army is secretly trying a soldier, Mohammed Abdullahi, for making unguarded comments on social media about the tenures of the current service chiefs, a military source has revealed. The staff sergeant, according to the source, was accused of critising the extension of the tenures of the service chiefs, saying it is slowing morale in the rank and file of the forces. The source said Mr Abdullahi, with service number 97NA/44/315, is facing disciplinary action following the comments. The service chiefs include the Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok Ibas, and the Chief of Air Staff, Sadiq Abubakar. The Army Intelligence Corp (NAIC) has investigated the soldiers comments and its findings will form the basis of the trial, the official briefed on the case told PREMIUM TIMES. The source informed PREMIUM TIMES that the investigation of the soldier was authorised by Mr Buratai in February this year. The soldier is being accused of flouting the Nigerian militarys 2018 policy on the use of social media, which prohibits certain conducts by military personnel on social media, the source added. Many soldiers have reportedly been punished under that policy in the past. PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Mr Abdullahis social media comment irked the senior military officers, who moved to sanction him. Nigerian Soldiers Lament Incessant Ambush from Boko Haram terrorists. Credit: @SaharaReporters pic.twitter.com/Ws2xVDjGzv Deythere (@deythereonline) May 20, 2020 [Twitter credit: Deythere @deythereonline] When contacted about the matter, spokesperson of the Nigeria Army, Sagir Musa, said he was not aware of the matter and could not comment on it until he saw the document PREMIUM TIMES referenced. Im not aware of this! But if you have any document or evidence indicating there is such development kindly forward it to me to facilitate or assist in finding out so that I can brief you accordingly, he said. PREMIUM TIMES has seen part of a document that referenced Mr Abdullahis social media comment on tenures of service chief and the NAIC investigation that was authorised by the COAS. The referenced document sighted by PREMIUM TIMES is not being made public, because doing so could reveal the identity of the source. Soldiers grouse The soldiers post reportedly criticised the continued stay in office of the service chiefs. The current service chiefs are the longest-serving set since the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1999. This has angered many who believe such top officers should not spend more than two years, or at most four in office. President Muhammadu Buhari appointed them on July 13, 2015, with the general expectations that their tenures would end in two years or thereabouts. FILE: President Muhammadu Buhari meets service chiefs and the IGP of Police. [ PHOTO CREDIT: Presidency Twitter handle] It was expected by many that by then, most of them who were then nearing the end of their military careers would have retired. But that turned out not to be the case. The Armed Forces of Nigerias Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service (HTACOS) is clear about the tenures of the service chiefs and the prerogatives of the President and Commander in Chief in extending their tenures. Section 09:08 of the HTACOS, also known as official service order in the military states that, An officer appointed to the substantive appointment of the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief of Air Staff will hold the appointment for a continuous period of two years. The appointment could be extended for another two years from the date of expiration of the initial two-year period. In 2017 when the current service chiefs two-years tenures expired, President Buhari exercised his powers as enshrined in the HTACOS, to extend their stay in office for another two years which was expected to finally expire by 2019. Also, at the time President Buhari extended their tenures in 2017, some of the service chiefs had clocked their compulsory retirement age of 35 years in service. Advertisements Their continued stay has no doubt created ripples within the armed forces and the public as the military continues to battle an unending insurgency in the North-east and calls intensify that the officials be replaced. Mr Abdullahis post reportedly highlighted how military personnel were being shortchanged as per progression in ranks. Long tenures Immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonisakin The current Chief of Defence Staff, Mr Olonisakin, an army general, enrolled into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) as a member of the 25th Regular Course, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1981. This means he was supposed to have clocked 35 years of service in 2016. Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas (Photo Credit: The Guardian) The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Mr Ete-Ibas, got inducted into NDA as a member of the 26th Regular Course in June 1979 and got commissioned as a sub-lieutenant on January 1, 1983. He was to have retired from service in January 2018. Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Mr Abubakar, an air marshall, enlisted into the Nigerian Air Force as a member of the Cadet Military Training Course (CMTC 5) in November 1979. He was supposed to have retired since 2014. Immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official webpage of the Nigerian Army] The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Mr Buratai, a lieutenant general, was in NDA as a member of the 29th Regular Course in January 1981, and thereafter commissioned as a second lieutenant on December 17, 1983. By his years of service, he was meant to retire in December 2018. Disenchanted personnel? The source said many military personnel have continued to lament the continued stay in office of these top soldiers, claiming it affects the career growth of younger officers. The source, who requested for non-attribution for fear of being sanctioned, said the NAIC had concluded the investigation on Mr Abdullahi who may be undergoing a military trial and subsequent disciplinary measures as recommended in the NAIC report. The source said the NAIC also recommended that stiffer measures be put in place to curb such actions of misconduct from other officers in the future. The source said all commanding officers across various army formations and divisions had, in early May, received a directive from the COAS as recommended by NAIC. PREMIUM TIMES is yet to authenticate this claim. The directive reportedly reminded personnel of the need to imbibe the Nigeria Army core values as contained in traditions, customs and ethics of the Nigeria Army. A special flight carrying 132 stranded Indians from Muscat landed at Gaya airport in Bihar on Sunday, officials said. None of the passengers exhibited symptoms of coronavirus during screening and medical examination, they said. Of the 132 returnees, 116 are from Bihar and 16 from Jharkhand, Gaya airport director Dilip Kumar said. After completion of formalities like depositing returnees' passports at the immigration counters by the district administration, the residents of Bihar were sent to various hotels in Bodh Gaya for 14 days quarantine, the officials said. Those from Jharkhand were sent to the state in a vehicle dispatched by the Jharkhand government, they added. Magadh Divisional Commissioner Asangba Chuba Ao, Gaya District Magistrate Abhishek Singh, SSP Rajiv Mishra and the airport director welcomed the returnees on their arrival here with kits containing sanitiser and soaps. On May 18, a chartered plane had landed at Gaya airport with 41 Indians stranded in London. Around 300 people from Myanmar stranded in different parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh due to the coronavirus lockdown had left for their country in a chartered flight on April 22. On April 24, 171 Buddhist monks and tourists returned to Thailand in a chartered flight from Gaya. They had come to India to visit the Buddhist circuit of Gaya-Rajgir-Kushinagar-Varanasi-Vaishali. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the past few months as the economic and public health impacts of the virus have become clearer many of the regions nonprofits have had to adjust, rethink and revise how they serve people. And theyve had to do that while figuring out how to maintain their own footing because the only certainty in this uncertain time is that more people will need to lean on them. No, the Ohio Supreme Court didnt deny Youngstown voters the right to elect a school board. But on May 13, a majority of the Republican-run court did uphold the General Assemblys 2015 decision to strip that school board of meaningful power over its schools and in a way that limited rank-and-file voters input on the legislation. Thats what happens when legislators, in Columbus, decide theyre better at running a communitys schools than its school board, and the voters that elected that board. Maybe the Youngstown board shouldnt have as much power as any other Ohio school board. Or maybe it should. The reason its hard to say is because GOP leaders of the state Senate and Ohio House, along with then-Gov. John Kasich, also a Republican, didnt really want to hear voters opinions. Instead, legislators bloated, over roughly 24 hours, what had been a 10-page bill on another subject (community learning centers) into a 77-page bill that gelded the Youngstown board, then rammed the bill to Kasich, who signed it. The issue (with the legislatures antics) isnt whether the bill was or wasnt a good idea. Obviously, some Youngstowners think its a terrible idea. In counterpoint, some of the Youngstown-Warren areas Powers That Be think it was a great idea and said so, in Senate committee testimony. If youre a General Assembly Republican who isnt from Northeast Ohio, maybe never been to Mahoning County, perhaps what Kasich, and then-Senate President Keith Faber (whos now state auditor) and then-House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, both Republicans, wanted passed was something to more or less automatically support. The state Senate passed the bill 18-14; the Ohio House of Representatives passed it 55-40. (Some General Assembly Republicans, both in the Senate and House, did vote no.) Would the bill have passed anyway, even if it had taken the Statehouses slow, scenic, hot-air route? Likely, yes. But acting as they did, General Assembly leaders signaled that an individual Ohioans viewpoint on the bill (for that matter, the viewpoint of teachers unions) just didnt matter once insiders signed off. Legislators seemed to follow the maxim attributed to railroad mogul William H. Vanderbilt: The public be damned. Contrast that round of Statehouse Beat-the-Clock with another facet of the legislatures approach to school policy: For 23 years, the General Assembly has failed (arguably, refused) to act on the Ohio Supreme Courts 1997 ruling that public school funding must be completely overhauled. Yet in a day or so in 2015, the General Assembly seemingly had enough data and gumption to assess and address the needs of pupils in Youngstown, just one of Ohios 600-plus school districts. At Ohios Statehouse, the Age of Miracles is not over. Ohio school funding takes a pandemic hit This fall, Ohios schools must protect pupils and teachers and support staff from the coronavirus. That will boost school districts costs. Meanwhile, the pandemic has blasted holes in Ohios operating budget. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has ordered a $775 million state spending cut, including a $300 million reduction in state aid to local schools. Realistically, he had no choice; Ohio is constitutionally required to balance its budget. But also realistically, reductions in state aid to local schools will force school boards to ask school districts voters to boost property taxes. Yet its hard to imagine that Ohio homeowners, many of them hurting financially, would be willing to boost the property taxes they pay on their homes. But if they dont, thatll squeeze local schools a consequence of Ohios (unconstitutional) overdependence on property taxes. Whats more, it appears that big shopping malls, which for decades have helped bolster property tax collections in suburbia, are going the way of the dinosaurs. Meanwhile, at least some Ohio General Assembly members seem more worried about financially protecting so-called school-choice plans (using public money to help parents pay for private schooling) than about financially protecting the public schools most young Ohioans attend. School choice is admirable when Ohio can afford it. But the Ohio Constitution, which every legislator swears to uphold, requires him or her to secure a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the state. That is, the General Assemblys sworn duty is to adequately fund Ohios public schools first. Thomas Suddes, a member of the editorial board, writes from Athens. To reach Thomas Suddes: tsuddes@cleveland.com, 216-408-9474 Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. Bhopal/Agra/IBNS: After Iran and Pakistan, the locust swarm has now entered India, threatening the country's food security amid the existing economic and health crisis triggered by the outbreak of coronavirus. According to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, "Locust swarm from Pakistan has entered Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, threatening major damage to standing cotton crops and vegetables. Rajasthan is the most affected state. During the current year, the swarm of locusts has entered India earlier than their normal time of June and July. States are adopting various means for controlling the swarms. Locust Control Room pic.twitter.com/RxeJNNUOfy Locust Warning Organization, Jodhpur-India (@LocustIndia) May 6, 2020 A total of 11 districts of Rajasthan are hit by locust attack, said officials. Officials have warned the attack of crop-eating pests is the worst in the last 27 years and may go till monsoon. According to reports, the Locust Warning Organisation has said India has not seen upsurges since December 2011 with improvement in agricultural technology and advancements in pest control sector. The country has witnessed severe bouts locust attack between 1812 to 1997. According to a report in The Hindu, a swarm of desert locust containing around 40 million locusts can consume (or destroy) food that would suffice the hunger need of 35,000 people, assuming that one person consumes around 2.3 kg of food every day. After destroying crops, plant and vegetation in Rajasthan, the swarm of locusts have now entered Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Locusts were spotted in Rajasthan on April 11, said a TOI report. "A similar locust attack was reported in 1993 and after around 27 years, locusts attacked Gujarat, Rajasthan, and some parts of Madhya Pradesh," Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) deputy director Dr KL Gurjar, the report added. The pests entered Madhya Pradesh through Neemuch district in the state, and subsequently travelled to Malwa Nimar and are now close to Bhopal, said reports. Experts have warned if locusts are not stopped the standing Moong cereal crop worth around Rs 8,000 crore could be destroyed. According to a Times of India report, a fresh swarm of locusts entered Dausa in Rajasthan two days ago and got scattered due to the change in direction of the wind and reached Madhya Pradesh. Reports said the 17 UP districts that might suffer from the locust attack include Agra, Aligarh, Mathura, Bulandshahr, Hathras, Etah, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Farrukhabad, Auraiya, Jalaun, Kanpur, Jhansi, Mahoba, Hamirpur and Lalitpur. Officials have warned the farmers that the locusts may stop for rest anytime between 7 pm to 9 pm and asked them to monitor their movement. The administration of the affected districts of UP has deployed over 200 tractors mounted with chemical sprays. Four teams of the central government, apart from teams of state agricultural development, are fighting the pests by using chemical sprays with the help of tractors and fire-brigade vehicles in Madhya Pradesh, said an NDTV report. The farmers, on their part, have been issued advisory to keep the pests at bay by making loud sounds like beating drums, utensils and shouting, the report added. Kerala has reported another covid-19 death and 53 new cases on Sunday, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. With latest case, death toll has gone up to 6 in the state. Though the state maintained a healthy graph with lowest mortality and highest recovery rates cases shot up with the return of expatriates from the middle-eastern countries and people stranded in other parts of the country. A 53- year-old woman, a resident of Wayanad, who returned from Dubai last week died in the medical college hospital in Kozhikkode. Doctors said she was suffering from cancer and diabetes and was on ventilator for last three days. Her husband and other relatives are in quarantine. Among 53 new cases Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur (north Kerala) reported 12 cases each, said the CM adding 18 are foreign returnees, 30 came from other states and five contracted the disease from the infected. Active cases went up to 322 and people under observation also rose to 90,000 after a gap of a month. At least 90,000 people have returned to the state and more are expected in coming days. With more trains and opening of domestic air travel, the state has made it clear that entry passes will be must for all domestic passengers like rail travellers. The government had opened a website for this two weeks back. Those who come without this pass will have to undergo institutional quarantine. Similarly it made home quarantine a must for those who stay in the state for a longer period. For business travellers and others who come here for brief stopover it is not necessary, the CM had said two days back adding it cant take chances. The blockades are set to come down, an injunction order will be lifted and Manitoba Hydro crews will begin entering northern Manitoba in a phased-in approach after four Cree Nations reached an agreement with the provincial Crown corporation over the Keeyask construction site Sunday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 24/5/2020 (605 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The blockades are set to come down, an injunction order will be lifted and Manitoba Hydro crews will begin entering northern Manitoba in a phased-in approach after four Cree Nations reached an agreement with the provincial Crown corporation over the Keeyask construction site Sunday. According to a statement from Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, the reserves Tataskweyak Cree Nation, Fox Lake Cree Nation, War Lake First Nation and York Factory Cree Nation reached the agreement with Hydro after meeting with president and CEO Jay Grewal on Saturday. "In the meeting that took place (Saturday), there was a hope and a belief that things would get better, and there was a mutual understanding between the two entities and consensus was achieved and the respect that the First Nations wanted," said MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee in an interview Sunday. "I think theres an opportunity for the relationship to be repaired, and also that they can move forward together in partnership and lead to the finishing of the project." Manitoba Hydro has been in conflict with the four First Nations for weeks after the provincial Crown corporation planned to carry out a shift transition at the Keeyask Generating Station in northern Manitoba. The transition, originally slated to start May 19, would have involved 700 Keeyask employees leaving the site. Twelve-hundred employees were to replace them at the site from various parts of Canada and the United States. Chiefs opposed such a huge shift change, arguing the novel coronavirus could be introduced to northern Manitoba. "We have asked Manitoba Hydro to work with us in a better way to move forward with the project. First Nations, like other Manitobans, have made many sacrifices to restrict the transmission of COVID-19," said Tataskweyak Cree Nation Chief Doreen Spence in the statement. "While we absolutely want our economies to open up and succeed, we are ultimately most concerned about the well-being and health of our citizens during this uncertain period. We want to keep everyone safe from this virus." The Tataskweyak Cree Nation and Fox Lake Cree Nation began blocking access points to the Keeyask construction site on reserve land, with Tataskweyak Cree Nation responsible for two blockades on the north access points, and Fox Lake Cree Nation covering the southern access road. The longest running blockade, outside Tataskweyak, was set up for 10 days. Chief Spence was served with an injunction on Wednesday. "This was an extremely frustrating and unnecessary situation. If Manitoba Hydro had fully engaged with its Cree partners from the beginning, this situation would not have happened," York Factory First Nations Chief Leroy Constant said in the statement. "We are living in a pandemic and we know what is best for our communities." Settee said the First Nations were concerned for the safety of their communitieswhich have been heeding social distancing, self-isolation and quarantine regulations since the onset of the pandemicbut felt they were not being included in Manitoba Hydros decision making process. "From the First Nations perspective, the safety of our people is paramount, because the people in the North are the most vulnerable, and we saw that as a risk when you bring in a large group of people in a short period of time...that could be disastrous," Settee said. "That was the bottom line, those were the concerns that were raised from the beginning, but they were not being heeded." The agreement reached Sunday between the four chiefs and Manitoba Hydro includes the removal of the blockades, lifting of the injunction against Tataskweyak Cree Nation and an in-person meeting between Manitoba Hydros CEO and the leadership of the four Cree Nations. The agreement also ensures Manitoba Hydro will be able to gradually resume construction activities at the Keeyask site, and later a gradual implementation of the project plan. The corporation has agreed to move new employees onto the site in phases, adhering to self-isolation and quarantine regulations, Settee 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. Fox Lake Cree Nation told the Free Press Sunday that the nation removed restrictions to the Keeyask southern access road that morning. "Manitoba Hydros CEO has meaningfully engaged Keeyask Cree Nation leadership and has committed to work in partnership on pandemic planning as requested," Chief Billy Beardy said in a statement to the Free Press. "Fox Lake looks forward to continued work by all parties as we keep our communities safe during this unprecedented time." Representatives from Manitoba Hydro did not respond to Free Press requests for comment by publication time. Hydro had said the blockade at cost the utility $1.7 million a day. Last Monday, a Winnipeg judge issued an injunction, allowing the RCMP to remove the blockades. julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @jsrutgers A preliminary report on the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash, in which 97 people were killed, has raised serious questions about the pilot's handling of the aircraft and what prevented the crew in the cockpit from informing the air traffic controllers about the troubles. Pakistani investigators are trying to find out if the crash of the national flag carrier's flight PK-8303 is attributable to a pilot error or a technical glitch, with new leads raising fresh questions over the circumstances of the incident, Geo reported. According to the report, prepared by the country's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Airbus A-320's engines had scraped the runway thrice on the pilot's first attempt to land, causing friction and sparks recorded by the experts. After the third impact, the pilot took the aircraft off into the air again, which officials found very strange as the crew in the cockpit did not inform the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at the Jinnah International Airport of any problem with the landing gear, The International quoted CAA sources as saying. Since automated emergency systems within the aircraft go off in case of any emergency, and the loud alarms and warnings are impossible to ignore, there was no indication from the pilot to the ATC that something was amiss, it said. When the aircraft scraped the ground on the first failed attempt at landing, the engine's oil tank and fuel pump may have been damaged and started to leak, preventing the pilot from achieving the required thrust and speed to raise the aircraft to safety, the report said. The pilot made a decision "on his own" to undertake a "go-around" after he failed to land the first time. It was only during the go-around that the ATC was informed that landing gear was not deploying, it said. The pilot was directed by the air traffic controller to take the aircraft to 3,000 feet, but he managed only 1,800. When the cockpit was reminded to go for the 3,000 feet level, the first officer said we are trying', the report said. Experts said that the failure to achieve the directed height indicates that the engines were not responding. The aircraft, thereafter, tilted and crashed suddenly. "The plane descended too fast, almost plunged," sources familiar with the report said. The investigators were trying to establish why the pilots not once informed the ATC of any emergency, malfunction, engine failure or fire despite the visible problems the aircraft was facing, the report said, adding that it is rare to have so many technical problems at the same time. The ATC's conduct is also being probed. The report added that at this point, there are more questions than answers with the most serious being why and how the alarm systems inside the cockpit failed to warn the pilots of an impending emergency. PIA chief executive officer Arshad Malik has said that the black box of the plane has been handed over to the investigation team. The team, headed by Air Commodore Muhammad Usman Ghani, President of the Aircraft Accident and Investigation Board, is expected to submit a full report in about three months. According to the PIA's engineering and maintenance department, the last check of the plane was done on March 21 this year and it had flown from Muscat to Lahore a day before the crash. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pakistan government had allowed the limited domestic flight operations from five major airports Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta from May 16. After the plane tragedy, the PIA has called off its domestic operation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the COVID-19 lockdown still in force, Eid-ul-fitr in Kolkata and its neighbourhood is likely to be low-key with people having been asked to offer namaaz at home and avoid gatherings at mosques. Zeeshan Ali, a 25-year old techie, said it breaks his heart to think that he would have to spend the occasion without meeting friends, and exchanging gifts. "I will miss the usual practice of waking up early and rushing to Red Road at 6 am to offer Namaz with my father. Also, I won't get to meet my friends. That's heart-breaking... Offering prayers within the confines of the four walls on Eid, however, will be an altogether different experience," Ali, a resident of the city's Bowbazar area, said. The usual hustle bustle on Zakaria street, which comes to life with ubiquitous haleem and kebab stalls during iftar, was also missing this year, he rued. "We found peace in observing Ramzan with family members. In a way, it brought us closer," he said. Eid-ul-fitr marks the end of the fasting month of Ramzan. Sheikh Munna, a meat-seller in Kamarhati, on the northern fringes of city, said the alleys in the minority-dominated area are wearing a deserted look. "As several localities were marked containment zone till recently, police did not allow the garment and gift shops to open. Also, Cyclone Amphan has plunged many areas into darkness. This year, Eid will be observed minus the festivities," he said. Prominent clerics in city have appealed to the community to avoid public gathering. Chairman of Bengal Imams Association Mohammed Yahia said, "All clerics have asked to inform people in advance that no small or large gathering would be entertained at the mosques. We have to guard against any coronavirus contamination. We will observe 'khusir id' (eid of happiness) with family this time. "We had urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee not to relax the lockdown norms, as we don't want to risk people's lives. We will ensure our community members abide by the lockdown norms." Qari Faizur Rahman, the imam who conducts prayers on Red Road on the morning of Eid every year, said "there will be no such congregation this year". "All mosques in the vicinity of the Red Road have been informed in advance that there will be no public prayers on the Eid," he stated. The Imam of Nakhoda Masjid here, one of the prominent mosques in the state, Shafique Qasmi, said, "We are happy that everyone followed our advice and avoided gatherings during Ramzan. We will have to deviate from the age-old practice of offering prayers together this time. "Human life is more precious than any ritual or custom. What matters is our prayers to Allah," he noted. The chief minister had on Saturday urged members of Muslim community to celebrate Eid-ul-fitr at home and avoid any public gathering, amid the growing number of coronavirus cases. She had also requested them to be on guard against attempts to stoke communal tension in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Boris Johnson's senior aid Dominic Cummings leaves his north London home amid the furore. (PA) A former Labour MP has slammed Dominic Cummings for his alleged breaches of the coronavirus lockdown after her father died five days after the prime ministers aide visited her town. Helen Goodman, the former MP for Bishop Auckland between 2005 and 2019, tweeted on Sunday criticising Cummings - describing the incident as like a horror movie. She revealed her father had died in a Durham care home and said she had not been allowed to see him in his final days because of social-distancing measures. #dominicCummings walks outside my house while I keep the rules and don't go and see my dad in a care home in the town and he dies 5 days later, Goodman said, It's a horror movie. Helen Goodman is a former Labour MP. (Getty) #dominicCummings walks outside my house while I keep the rules and don't go and see my dad in a care home in the town and he dies 5 days later. It's a horror movie. https://t.co/0AB9LyGuiR Helen Goodman (@HelenGoodmanBA) May 23, 2020 Goodman also replied to a tweet from cabinet minister Michael Gove in which he defended Cummings, saying: Caring for your wife and child is not a crime. Michael, I cared for my dad, she replied, but I wasnt allowed to see him before he died in a Durham care home. Cummings has drawn criticism from MPs across the political spectrum for allegedly travelling from London to visit his relatives in Durham. Several Tory MPs called for the special adviser to be sacked on Sunday after prime minister Boris Johnson threw his weight behind Cummings. According to the Sunday Times, the Conservative Party leader told allies he would not throw Cummings "to the dogs" following reports he made the journey to ensure his four-year-old child could be looked after as he and his wife were ill. Transport secretary Grant Shapps said Cummings had no plans to resign in a television appearance on Sunday. Story continues Put to him that allowing Cummings to remain in place would undermine the government's lockdown policy, Shapps added: "No, I don't agree with that. "The guidance also states you should do the things which are practical to provide assistance, particularity where children are involved, and this was the practical solution for them. "So no, I don't think it means - to answer your questions directly - that that's it now, let's not bother following the guidance. "It is very important we do defeat this virus and I think people have been extraordinary in their sacrifices to do so. "I know everyone is feeling the strain of doing it and we do need to carry on making sure we keep the R rate below one and keep reducing the numbers, that's enormously important." Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news, advice and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter Read more about COVID-19 How to get a coronavirus test if you have symptoms What you can and cant do under lockdown rules In pictures: How UK school classrooms could look in new normal How public transport could look after lockdown How our public spaces will change in the future Help and advice Read the full list of official FAQs here 10 tips from the NHS to help deal with anxiety What to do if you think you have symptoms How to get help if you've been furloughed Weeks of lost wages are threatening some South Texas residents ability to pay rent, and theyre worried about aid programs running out. Stimulus payments, unemployment checks and local resources are providing temporary cushions. But theres a cutoff date ahead for a portion of unemployment payments, and its unclear how long the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic will last. The anxiety is definitely setting in, said Moureen Kaki, an organizer at the Tenants Union San Antonio. Theyre concerned about what theyre going to do next. The last time Sherry Williams, 60, said she got a paycheck from her job as a home health nurse was in early May. She was used to driving to the San Antonio area from Pearsall, about an hour away, but the group she was working for didnt want to pay for the mileage. It was also planning to adjust service by ZIP code, and there werent many patients near her. Williams called her mother for help scraping together rent. She felt embarrassed, she said, but her landlord was asking and she was worried about late fees piling up. Shes making payments weekly, and the funds from her mother were enough to cover one week. Williams got a call Wednesday about a potential job, but it will probably take several weeks to go through the hiring process, she said. And those rent payments are looming. Its very stressful. Its very depressing, she said. Its a never-ending cycle. Commentary: Tenants need a grace period to catch up on rent Living in Pearsall, its also difficult to find local assistance, she said. Rural areas dont have as many resources, and there arent as many nonprofits nearby that could assist her. Theres nobody out here to help you, Williams said. Andrea Osorio, who cleans houses in San Antonio, is struggling to pay bills for two houses: one she rents for her family and a second she rents to tenants. Her elderly father lives with her, and she spent several weeks in quarantine, worried about the spread of the novel coronavirus. Shes gone back to work, but some customers are still quarantining themselves. Our savings are gone, said Osorio, 46. It all went toward rent, bills and food. The bills didnt stop. Her tenants are paying some of their rent, and Osorio is worried about property taxes. I need to help them, too. Where would they go? she said. Everybody has to help everybody. Some positive signs Staff file photo So far, rent collections in Texas in May seem to be improving compared with April, said Mark Hurley, president of the Texas Apartment Association. Most landlords are working with tenants on payment plans and other options, such as discounts. Hurley also is president of Highland Commercial Properties, which owns and operates about 1,500 apartments and rental homes in San Antonio. The company gave tenants a 10 percent discount and laundry credits in April and May, and froze rent increases. But with insurance costs and property taxes rising, property managers are concerned, and some are holding off on projects or cutting costs. Were wary, Hurley said. The economy does not look like its going to be good for a long time. Nearly 91 percent of residents at conventional apartments in the San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan area paid rent during the first two weeks of May, down from 94.1 percent during the same period last year, according to RealPage, a property management software company. But the May figures may be cause for optimism compared with early April, when about 86.5 percent of residents in the area made payments, down from 91.3 percent during the same stretch in 2019. Despite a wave of job losses, many tenants have been able to make rent on time so far, said Adam Couch, a market analyst at RealPage. Stimulus checks, unemployment assistance and other aid are helping, in addition to landlords payment plans. These numbers are encouraging, Couch said. We have seen some improvement over the last month or so. There are caveats: Richardson-based RealPage used lease transaction data from market-rate apartments for its analysis, which does not include military or subsidized housing. Mom-and-pop landlords are also typically excluded since they tend not to use professional management companies. The company found that rates of payment at older, more affordable complexes home to more residents who may not have savings to fall back on tend to lag behind luxury buildings. Unclear going forward Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News The outlook for the months ahead is murky. A lot will depend on whether the number of COVID-19 cases keeps declining or spikes as economies reopen, and whether federal officials green-light further aid for laid-off workers. A provision giving unemployed workers an extra $600 per week ends after July. There could be challenges in early August, Couch said. Rates in San Antonio are slightly better than countrywide figures: Nationwide, about 87.7 percent of renters made full or partial payments by May 13, down 2.1 percentage points from last year, the National Multifamily Housing Council reported. The organization compiled data from RealPage and other companies, and its analysis includes 11.4 million apartment units nationwide. Despite the economic and health challenges facing so many, we have found that apartment residents who live in professionally managed properties are meeting their obligations, said Doug Bibby, the organizations president. But its important to understand that our metric does not capture rent payments for smaller landlords or for affordable and subsidized properties. These excluded properties are the ones more likely to house residents experiencing financial stress, he added. RealPages numbers jibe with what the San Antonio Apartment Association is hearing from landlords and property managers, said executive director Teri Bilby. But they are worried. Will people be able to get back to work? And if not, how long will the funding for the assistance to renters last? Bilby said. What happens when that runs out, if renters havent been able to get back to work? Tenants Union San Antonio has heard concerns from residents about evictions and landlords threatening not to renew leases, Kaki said. Theres also been confusion surrounding whos protected from eviction proceedings. Everybodys trying to figure things out, she said. Landlords with federally backed mortgages are prevented under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act from launching eviction proceedings through July 24. When forbearance ends, they must give tenants 30-day notice to vacate. In San Antonio, that equates to about 130,000 households, or roughly half the citys rental properties. State and local officials halted most eviction proceedings in March. The Texas Supreme Court ordered courts to temporarily pause evictions through May 18, and Bexar County put evictions and property tax foreclosures on hold. While the state Supreme Court permitted proceedings to restart Tuesday, justice of the peace courts in Bexar County are not taking up cases until after June 1, unless a tenant poses a criminal threat or danger of physical harm. Texas RioGrande Legal Aid has been getting complaints about lockouts, utility disconnections and notices to vacate, said staff attorney Lizbeth Parra. The organization tells renters about moratoriums and protections, refers clients to rental assistance programs and directs them to an online map of properties believed to be covered by the CARES Act. When the moratoriums lift, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid is expecting a huge surge in inquiries about evictions, Parra said. The group is working with the Center for Legal and Social Justice at St. Marys University School of Law to set up a hotline. Assistance programs Local leaders have stepped up efforts to help struggling residents. In April, the City Council raised the risk mitigation fund a pot of money originally set up to help residents facing displacement with rent or mortgage payments to $25 million and expanded it to cover groceries, utilities, gas and internet access. They are also contemplating ways to use $270 million in federal stimulus funds. Ideas have included providing assistance to residents struggling to make mortgage or rent payments. Last month, Bexar County officials set up rental assistance and small-business loan programs, and on Tuesday they earmarked $35 million in CARES Act funding to create a training program for 5,000 workers. But other assistance proposals have failed. Council members on May 14 voted 6-5 against a initiative brought by District 1 Councilman Roberto Trevino that would have given tenants 60 days to come up with back rent. Also, landlords looking to evict their tenants would have had to give them at least two months notice. Landlords said the measure would create financial hardship for them, and some council members worried about potential legal fights and whether it could be enforced. The vote was deeply disappointing, said Michelle Tremillo, executive director of the Texas Organizing Project, which helped draft the proposal. More time felt very necessary and very reasonable. They chose to protect landlords over protecting renters. Council members will soon take up a proposal to fine landlords who dont tell tenants of their rights if theyre evicted for not paying rent. It would continue beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Rain on a leaky roof Samantha Flores and her boyfriend have been scraping by during the pandemic, thanks in part to a retail job he landed just before it started. But she worries about his safety and her own, and how they will pay bills in the coming months. Its a blessing to have employment, but its terrifying knowing hes on the front lines of this virus, said Flores, 25. Flores suffered a severe accident while biking home in 2018, leaving her with a slew of health problems. She applied for disability benefits but was recently denied. Before the pandemic, her boyfriend was also working as a wedding DJ, but business has dried up. Neither has received a stimulus check, Flores said. The couple have been able to pay rent so far, and his tax refund is helping them catch up on utilities. But there are groceries and other bills to pay, too. COVID-19 didnt just create problems, she said. Its the rain on a roof that already had a lot of holes in it. madison.iszler@express-news.net Pennsylvania is nearing another grim milestone as it approaches 70,000 cases of COVID-19. The state reported 730 new coronavirus cases in its daily health department briefing, bringing the current total to 67,713. The death toll from the virus surpassed 5,000 Pennsylvanians on Saturday. With 28 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the official state COVID-19 death toll stands at 5,124. The Lehigh Valley now reports more than 6,500 cases of the virus and 400 deaths. There are no media briefings scheduled over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. (Cant see this map? Click here.) Coronavirus in Pa. Though Pennsylvania is slowly reopening, the coronavirus is still here. Currently, 49 counties are in the yellow phase of reopening while the remaining counties -- including Lehigh and Northampton counties -- will all move there by June 5, when the states stay-at-home order ends. The 730 new cases reported Friday is just below the 7-day average of new cases, which has held steady over this week. (Cant see this chart? Click here.) The majority of the states fatalities have been people over 65, as are most of those hospitalized. Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities account for about 22% of Pennsylvanias almost 68,000 coronavirus cases and about 66% of deaths from COVID-19. Health care workers account for 5,099 of the states coronavirus cases. Pennsylvania began reporting coronavirus recoveries for the first time on Friday. So far, 60% of the states patients have recovered, which means it is more than 30 days past the first positive test or onset of symptoms. To date, at least 328,382 tests have come back negative. In response to criticism of its data this week, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has begun breaking down its cases by confirmed and two categories of probable cases. Currently, 65,906 cases are confirmed and 1,808 are probable by definition and high-risk exposure. Another 531 of its cases are considered probable the patients had a positive antibody test combined with either symptoms or high-risk exposure to the pandemic virus. Coronavirus in the Lehigh Valley According to the states daily report, there have been at least 6,562 coronavirus cases in the Lehigh Valley and 404 deaths, up 68 cases and 5 deaths from the previous report. That breaks down to 3,651 cases and 206 deaths in Lehigh County, and 2,911 cases and 198 deaths in Northampton County. (Cant see the map? Click here.) The counties themselves have reported at least 424 combined deaths from COVID-19. Between both counties, the average age of the residents who died was about 78. Many died in long-term care facilities. Pennsylvania also reports an increase in deaths in nearby counties: Berks County had four more deaths, 296 total. Bucks County had one more death, 461 total. Chester County had three more deaths, 248 total. Dauphin County has one more death, 63 total. Delaware County had one more death, 514 total. Schuylkill County had one more death, its 27th. (Cant see the chart? Click here.) Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. New Delhi, May 24 : Rejecting reports on the detention of a joint patrol party detained by Chinese forces in Ladakh, the Indian Army said on Sunday that these were "inaccurate". It was claimed that an Indian patrol party comprising Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel was detained by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) last week after skirmishes in Ladakh. Reports claimed that the Indian team was detained and their firearms snatched by the Chinese and they were only released after talks between both sides at the local level. The Indian Army has maintained that the reports on detention are inaccurate, though there had been no official statement so far. Chinese forces were alleged to have intruded the Indian territory and were also carrying out aggressive patrols with motor boats in the Pangong lake. Amid tension at the Line of Actual Control, both the armies have increased deployment of men and assets at forward locations. Both are on high alert on forward locations where tensions and skirmishes took place. The Indian military has clarified that they will not allow any kind of Chinese transgression in India territory and would patrol in those areas. The PLA has been clashing with Indian forces on patrol after entering the Indian side. On Friday, Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane visited Leh, the headquarters of 14 Corps in Ladakh, and reviewed deployment of forces along the Line of Actual Control with China. He held a meeting with Northern Command chief Lieutenant General Y K Joshi and 14 Corps Commander Lieutenant General Harinder Singh and other officers to know the ground situation on forward locations along the Line of Actual Control. Late in the day, he returned to Delhi. Roberts said that there is some sympathy for the rationale behind starting with the older students, to help those children with the transition to secondary school. But the plan to resume classes for younger children is causing bafflement and some anger, and a suspicion that decisions are being driven by the need to get people back to work. A week-long institutional quarantine will have to be undergone by paassengers arriving by domestic flights in Karnataka from seven particular states, including Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu, where COVID-19 cases are high, the state government has said. A day ahead of resumption of the services in the country amid the COVID-19 lockdown, the state government on Sunday issued an order deleting domestic air travel from the list of prohibited activities with effect from Monday and allowed unhindered movement of passengers, airport staff and the crew even during the curfew period. The airport administration on its part said it would ensure taxis that would be used by passengers were sanitised and drivers screened before every trip to eliminate all chances of infection. Face mask will be mandatory for both passengers and drivers for taxi travel. "Incoming domestic flight passengers from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Delhi & Madhya Pradesh will undergo 7 day institutional Quarantine followed by home quarantine," Karnataka Director General of Police Praveen Sood tweeted. In view of the resumption of domestic flights, the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates the Kempegowda International Airport here, on Sunday said it has put in place heightened sanitisation measures to ensure that taxi journey from the airport was healthy and safe. "With passenger and driver safety being one of the major priorities, BIAL will ensure that the taxis are sanitised and the drivers are screened before every trip to eliminate all chances of infection," it said in a statement. The company said the drivers have been instructed to maintain a safe distance.They will be encouraged to use hand sanitiser and face masks to make the car a safe space. It appealed to the able-bodied passengers to load their luggage into the car without driver assistance. However, for elderly citizens and passengers with reduced mobility, drivers will assist while following hygiene measures. It has made it clear that the masks are mandatory for both drivers of taxis as well as passengers. In addition to it, staff who manage taxi services at airport, including Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), Ola, Uber and other car rental operators, will be screened. "Drivers will be screened before arriving at the airport pick-up zone to ensure passenger safety; they will be de- rostered if a fever is detected. Penalties will be levied for spitting in public," the BIAL said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sudan opens path toward religious freedom Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In what appears to be a promising positive change, Sudans transitional government and a rebel group that fought against the Muslim-majority countrys longtime authoritarian leader Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted last year, have agreed to form an independent national commission for religious freedom. As part of the latest round of negotiations between Sudans transitional government and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement-North (Agar) under the Juba Peace Process, an agreement was reached to establish a commission for religious freedom to address all issues relating to religious freedom in order to affirm the principle of peaceful coexistence in the country, the Transitional Sovereign Council said on its Facebook page. The SPLM-N armed group is based in Sudans predominantly Christian South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, which fought against al-Bashir. Today we have agreed to establish the religious freedom commission because the Two Areas have a considerable number of Sudanese Christians, so this is an important issue that has been resolved, the armed groups Deputy Leader and chief negotiator Yasir Arman was quoted as saying by the U.K.-based group Christianity Solidarity Worldwide. The two parties have also agreed to create a Ministry for Peace and Human Rights. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has acknowledged improvements in the countrys religious and political atmosphere. After a visit to that country in February, the commissions chair, Tony Perkins, expressed optimism. We are grateful to Prime Minister Hamdok and other members of the countrys bold transitional leadership who met with USCIRF to convey their explicit desire to bring a new era of openness and inclusivity to their country that suffered for 30 years under brutal and autocratic religious repression, he said, according to Crux. At the same time, we understand that the countrys challenges are deeply-rooted, and we urge the leadership to move quickly to turn that optimism into tangible and meaningful reforms for all people across Sudan, such as acting to formally repeal Article 126 of the 1991 penal code, which outlaws apostasy, he added. Since 2010 and the separation of South Sudan, the persecution of Christians had intensified with church land being confiscated by the state, church leaders facing trial for national security crimes and latterly misdemeanors, CSWs Kiri Kankhwende was quoted as saying. General harassment of the Christian community, human rights defenders working on FoRB by the intelligence service; harassment of women and interference with the administration of churches and confiscation of private land owned by Christian businessmen. Nasreldin Mofreh, Sudans Minister of Religious Affairs, signed an order in March requiring the dissolution of church councils that international advocates said legitimized the former governments confiscation of church properties. We are pleased by the ministers decree, given the role these illegitimate church councils played in the former regimes persecution of Christians and the obstacles they continued to present to churches ability to represent their own interests to the government, Perkins said in a statement. Prime Minister Hamdok and other transitional government officials met with USCIRF in Washington, D.C., during a visit last December the first time in three decades that Sudanese leaders had visited Washington, D.C. The officials also shared at the time how they planned to expand religious freedom in a country that is ranked as the seventh-worst in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USAs World Watch List. Last month, Sudan's new leaders also outlawed the practice of female genital mutilation, The New York Times reported. Nearly 90% of Sudanese women have been subjected to the practice, which involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia. Planning a trip to Japan? Well, the Japanese government might pay for your touristic adventure to the country. The move is being seen as a bid to revive the tourism industry which suffered a severe blow in view of coronavirus lockdown and the subsequent clampdowns on travel. Even as they governments are easing the curbs, people are apprehensive about taking the flights or travelling around, despite airlines spearheading new safety and sanitation measures. And as such measures seem not so enough, the onus lies on the destination countries to convince the people. Japan's initiative to cover half the cost for tourists seems to be a step in that direction. Hiroshi Tabata of the Japan Tourism Agency said that the Japanese government plans to allocate $12.5 billion to a new reimbursement program, which may launch as soon as July if infection rates continue declining, The Japan Times reported. Japan like many other countries has banned the international travel in view of coronavirus. Countries are taking initiatives to ease the curbs and open their borders for tourism to provide little hope to the staggering economies. The Italian government announced on May 16 that it will throw open its borders next month, effectively ending Europe's longest and strictest coronavirus lockdown just as the summer tourism season gets under way. Italy has been one of the worst-affected countries in the pandemic. By Trend The Iran and Turkey may soon open land and air borders in accordance with health protocols to resume trade between the two countries, Trend reports citing the website of Iranian presidents office. The remarks were made in a telephone conversation between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the occasion of Ramadan Holiday. During the telephone conversation, the Iranian and Turkish presidents expressed hope that in the near future, with the establishment of a joint commission on economic cooperation between the two countries and the end of the coronavirus crisis, economic relations between the two countries will revive. The presidents of Iran and Turkey noted the positive cooperation between the two countries at different times and stressed the exchange of information and experience in the fight against coronavirus, the report said. Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 135,700 people have tested positive for COVID-19, 7,417 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 105,800 have reportedly recovered from the disease. The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease. The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. Iran's exports to Turkey amounted to $72 million in the first month of current Iranian year (March 20-April 19, 2020). Turkey's share in Iran's exports was 4.4 percent, or 48.6 percent less compared to the same month of last Iranian year. Iran imported $246 million worth of products from Turkey. Turkey's share in Iran's imports was 12.8 percent, or 27.2 percent less compared to the same month of last Iranian year. The Taliban outfit has announced a three-day ceasefire with the Afghan government during Eid al-Fitr, the second annual religious festival holidays, starting from Sunday, a Taliban spokesman confirmed, Trend reports citing Xinhua. "In order that our countrymen may celebrate their Eid festivities in ease and comfort, the leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (name of the ousted Taliban regime) orders all the Mujahideen to adopt special preparatory measures for the safety of our countrymen and not to attack the enemy in any place but if there is attack from enemy in any place then a befitting defensive response shall be given," Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement reaching Xinhua Sunday. The spokesman also urged the fighters not to go to areas under the control of the government. Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has welcomed the announcement. "I welcome the ceasefire announcement by the Taliban. The Afghan government extends the offer of peace. As commander in chief I have instructed ANDSF (Afghan National Defense and Security Forces)to comply with the three days truce and to defend only if attacked," Ghani tweeted. The three-day Eid al-Fitr is to be observed on Sunday to mark the end of Muslims fasting month of Ramada The list of most popular baby names for 2020 in Australia has been revealed - and two traditional favourites have now been on there for the past decade. According to McCrindle Research more than 2,206 baby boys have been named Oliver this year and 1,609 girls called Charlotte, cementing their positions as number one. Both names have been in the top ten list of baby names in Victoria alone for the past 10 years. When it comes to choosing baby names, Charlotte and Oliver continue to be the top two favourites in Australia Olivia, Amelia and Isla were also on the top ten list of girl names, while Noah, Jack and William were on the list of favourite boy names. Over the past two years the name Isla has increased in popularity, lowering Ava to sixth place. Noah has also jumped to second position, pushing names like Leo, Thomas and Henry further down the list. The top ten baby girl names in Australia 1. Charlotte 2. Olivia 3. Amelia 4. Isla 5. Mia 6. Ava 7. Grace 8. Willow 9. Harper 10. Chloe Advertisement The top ten baby boy names in Australia 1. Oliver 2. Noah 3. Jack 4. William 5. Leo 6. Lucas 7. Thomas 8. Henry 9. Charlie 10. James Advertisement Olivia, Amelia and Isla were also in the top ten list of girl names, while Noah, Jack and William were on the list of favourite boy names Other names such as Jessica aren't as popular among parents today compared to previous decades. The experts at McCrindle said between the mid-1980s and early 2000s one in every 30 baby girls were named Jessica. 'Today's parents have more access to information than any other time in history,' McCrindle wrote on its website. 'Parents are inundated with options, research, and meaning, all impacting the names they choose for their children.' As a result, parents have also started choosing more creative names for their newborn children. Ryanair is on the hook for 1bn worth of passenger refunds, chief executive Eddie Wilson has told the Sunday Independent. The Ryanair boss also insisted that the airline's plan to run 40pc of its schedule from July 1 was realistic and would be reflected in its Irish operation. Wilson said he did not see the refund issue as a battle for the airline to hold on to cash. He insisted that 25 million passengers already entitled to a refund would receive either money or vouchers. "It's not a battle. It's actually just volume related," he said, adding that it had been a mammoth logistical task. "Ultimately, if people either opt for the refund and wait for cash or take a voucher, and don't use it after 12 months, they would get their money back anyway. We're on the hook for this money. It's just a matter of processes and getting it through. There are no battles. It's frustrating for our customers, but they will get their money." Ryanair's plan to ramp up flights in July comes as the Irish Government said it may make its advice to travellers to quarantine for 14 days legally enforceable. That mirrors the tough stance in the UK. If the airline is forced to cancel the bulk of flights in July and August that would potentially add hundreds of millions of euro to its refund bill, said aviation sources. But if flights operate, passengers would not be eligible for a refund should they choose not to fly. Ryanair's position contrasts sharply with DAA boss Dalton Philips's assertion, reported by the Sunday Independent, that Dublin Airport's capacity would need to be cut by 70pc because of physical-distancing requirements. But Wilson said the fact Irish people were exempted from quarantine rules in the UK meant the rules "can't be based on medical evidence". He said guidance from the European Centre for Disease Control last week for airports would help restore passenger confidence. "It's not just the holiday end of it. It's people trying to start to do business. How can they do business and quarantine themselves? Quarantines sound great if it's about putting your dog in a kennel or something like that when you're going on holidays. But not when there's potentially a couple of million people arriving a day. "We have to come up with something that mitigates the risk and telling people that this quarantine is going to work sounds great in theory but it doesn't work," he said. Aviation sources have told the Sunday Independent that the Ryanair plan to ramp up flights generated more questions than answers because the airline only had limited control over measures that could be undertaken at airports, such as temperature checks. There was no agreement as to who would carry out or pay for extra measures at airports, said the source. "People are going to have to find a way whether it is airports, the Dundrum shopping centre or the cinema. But people can't stay at home forever," said Wilson. Governors of the South-east have rejected the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakars methodology of community policing. The governors have, therefore, asked the five state Houses of Assembly to commence enactment of state security laws that will give legal backing to the establishment of a regional security outfit in line with its joint security programme for the zone. The governors expressed disappointment with the Inspector General of Police for reneging on an earlier agreement they had with the police on the practice and composition of community policing for the zone. They stated this on Sunday in a communique they issued at the end of their meeting at the Enugu State Government House. The Chairman of the South East Governors Forum, David Umahi, read the communique. The recent communication from the Inspector General of Police to our Governors on community Policing composition is not in keeping with the agreement we reached with him during his last visit to the South East. In the circumstance, we cannot begin implementation of it until the programme reflects our earlier agreement. The South East Governors and their leaders request the IGP to revert to our initial agreement reached on community policing at Enugu. The forum agreed that all South East States Houses of Assembly should commence the process of enacting the state security laws in line with the South East joint security programme, they said. States in the south-west had earlier enacted similar laws to set up Amotekun a state-based regional security outfit. On the coronavirus pandemic, the governors said they will engage the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) to scale up testing of coronavirus in Southeast states. They further urged all Igbos living outside the south-east do obey all extant COVID-19 orders such as the presidential directive on interstate movement. The meeting also agreed to set up committees in the five south-eastern states to work with the federal government, the World Bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria and the NSIA in their various programmes to rejig the economy, especially in areas of agriculture, SME and solid minerals. The meeting agreed to hold a virtual meeting with the Group MD of NNPC on the issue of linking our south-east capitals with gas pipeline alongside with the pipeline programme of the federal government which is running from Imo to Lagos State. The meeting equally agreed that Ohanaeze do submit a working document in our next meeting on setting up of South East Stabilization fund, Mr Umahi said. The governors assured Ndigbo that with the progress of work at Akanu Ibiam international airport, Enugu, the airport will re-open soonest, subject to the COVID-19 programme of the federal government. It also commended the federal government, the federal ministry of works and the Governor of Anambra State for the progress of work at the Second Niger Bridge, adding that the next meeting of the south-east traditional institution shall be hosted by Ebonyi State. Actor Hrithik Roshan on Sunday shared a fan-made video of the various memorable characters he has played over the years. It features his looks from films like Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai , Jodha Akbar and to the more recent, War. The slide shows Hrithiks looks changing with every transparent slide being superimposed on a drawing of his face. Sharing it, Hrithik wrote: Nicely done Mr. RK.aadil. Thank you for this. A number of his industry colleagues reacted to it. Preity Zinta said Wow ! Awesome while Nushrat Bharucha wrote So cool! Hrithik, meanwhile, has been staying at home with his sons - Hrehaaan and Hridhaan and ex-wife Sussanne Khan through the lockdown. He has been posting interview videos and pictures of life through the lockdown. On Friday, he wrote on Intagram. 23 hour fast.#HealthyLiving#Resilience#DisciplineEqualsFreedom. Along with it, Hrithik posted a seflie in which he is seen winking. Hrithik had shared some lockdown tips too with his fans. He suggested a daily dose of vitamin D to take care of mental health during quarantine. Also read: When Dharmendra broke down during Esha Deols vidaai, mother Hema Malini hugged her goodbye. Watch video Hrithik has been doing his bit to help the frontline workers in our fight against coronavirus. In early May, he had helped provide hand sanitisers for the Mumbai Police personnel. The police department had thanked the 46-year-old actor for the gesture and tweeted, Thank you @iHrithik for this thoughtful gesture of delivering hand sanitisers for Mumbai Police personnel on duty. We are grateful for your contribution towards safeguarding the health and safety of our frontline warriors. #MumbaiPoliceFoundation. Expressing gratitude to the police forces, the actor wrote in response to the tweet , My gratitude to our police forces, who have taken our safety in their hands. Stay safe. My love & respect to all in the line of duty. (With agencies inputs) Follow @htshowbiz for more The debate and controversy as to who constructed the new Tema Motorway interchange project in Ghana are rife on social media. Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Following the opening of the new Accra-Tema Motorway Interchange to traffic on Saturday, May 16, 2020, the two main political parties - NPP and NDC are claiming credit for the beautiful edifice. While the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is claiming the project is a legacy of John Dramani Mahama, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) also says its an Akufo-Addo legacy. President Akufo-Addo and NDC flagbearer, John Mahama Source: Original READ ALSO: COVID-19 update: Ghanas case count hits 6,683 But fact-check Ghana has looked into the project and presents the facts and roles played by the various parties prior to the completion of the project. In 2013, the Government of Ghana under the John Dramani Mahama administration requested a grant from the Government of Japan to implement the project (The Tema Motorway Interchange). The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) then selected and dispatched a survey team which was headed by Mr Ryohei Watanabe of CTI Engineering International Co., LTD. from March 2015 to March 2017. The initial survey and detailed designs were undertaken between March 2015 and December 2016 and the final report submitted to the Ministry of Roads and Highways for review and approval. This was also noted in the 2016 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Ghana. Accra-Tema Motorway: Discussions on the project design concept and the draft agreement are on-going with the project proponents. The detailed feasibility studies and designs will commence in 2016, a part of the 2016 budget statement states. READ ALSO: Being a Parliamentarian is the most stupid job aside Assemblyman - Ken Agyapong Although then-president John Dramani Mahama had mentioned in his 2016 State of the Nation address that preparatory works for the redevelopment of the Accra-Tema motorway into a six-lane road with four interchanges at Adjei Kojo, Abattoir, Teshie Link, and Tema Roundabout will commence soon, the project did not start until February 2018. In 2017, the Government of Ghana signed grant agreements with JICA to provide aid of up to a total of 6,459 million yen for two programmes in Ghana of which the Tema Motorway roundabout was included. The two specific projects were: The Programme for Improvement of Ghanaian International Corridors (6,259 million yen). The Programme for Poverty Reduction Strategy (Health Sector) (200 million yen). The details of the first part of the programme state that the project will build an underpass at the Tema Motorway Roundabout in the core city of the Accra economic zone, and will also conduct detailed design improvements for the rehabilitation of National Trunk Road N8 in the Central Region. These measures will ensure safe, efficient road transportation and contribute to the efficient flow of goods between international corridors (the Lagos-Abidjan Highway and the Eastern Corridor of Ghana). In December 2017, the Government of Ghana, the Ministry of Roads and Highways and Shimizu-Dai Nippon JV signed a contract for the execution of the project. In February 2018, the vice president of Ghana, H.E. Dr Mahamadu Bawumia cut the sod for the commencement of the project. READ ALSO: Upper West Minister attacked; narrowly escapes death as armed gangs inflict wounds on him However, in one of the arguments by the National Democratic Congress, they have cited an article that was published on November 3, 2016, barely a month to the 2016 general elections, with headlines that suggest that John Mahama had cut sod for the same project already. The article suggests that the project was going to be funded by the World Bank at a cost of $66m. What is clear from the facts is that the Mahama government did the initial work and negotiated for the grant. The Akufo-Addo government signed the grant and executed the project. YEN.com.gh earlier reported that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has alleged the Ghana Police Service has suddenly become the puppet of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) resulting in arrests of its officials. The NDCs comment follows the arrest of Major (Rtd) Boakye-Djan after making some unsavoury comments on radio. "Open the churches and schools; too many girls are getting pregnant" - Mother cries | #Yencomgh Get interactive via our Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh Chinese Government Sends Team of Medical Experts to the Republic of the Congo 2020/05/24 Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian announces: To help with the Republic of the Congo's fight against COVID-19, the Chinese government dispatched a team of medical experts to the country. The team is organized by the National Health Commission and consisting of experts selected by the Hebei Provincial Health Commission. After the coronavirus pandemic slowed the momentum of anti-government, pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong, the protest movement picked up steam again Sunday after Beijing signaled it would directly impose national security laws on the city. Now, many of the young protesters believe the only two outcomes are either independence or the loss of autonomy promised in China's 1997 territorial exchange with the United Kingdom. If the latter takes place, U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien expects an economic fallout. Hong Kong, he said, has emerged as Asia's financial center because financial service firms and other businesses flocked to the city thanks to its democracy, free enterprise, and rule of law. If Hong Kong loses those defining characteristics, in O'Brien's view, because of a Beijing takeover, he can't envision how those companies can remain. He also predicts that many Hong Kong citizens would seek a way out. "I think you're also going to have a terrible brain drain," he said. "I think Hong Kong citizens, many of whom can travel under certain circumstances to the United Kingdom or seek refuge in other places, they're not going to stay in Hong Kong to be dominated by the People's Republic of China and the Communist Party." WATCH: What is the U.S. prepared to do if Beijing goes through with moving Hong Kong away from an open marketplace & democracy? #MTP @robertcobrien: "There will be sanctions. It's hard to see how Hong Kong will remain the Asian financial center ... if China takes over." pic.twitter.com/LcVEIy2VXI Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) May 24, 2020 More stories from theweek.com Facebook's internal research warned about polarization but executives 'weakened or blocked' efforts to combat it Trump shares disturbing meme of Biden's campaign in a coffin Trump says it's safe to reopen schools. I don't believe him. From the beginning of the Michael Flynn case, Judge Sullivan has been hostile to Flynn. By December 2018, based upon a misreading of the facts, Sullivan accused Flynn of conduct amounting to treason and said that he felt disdain and disgust for what he believed Flynn had done. Sullivans behavior, however, went from hostile to bizarre when the Department of Justice, having uncovered massive wrongdoing the FBIs and DOJs handling of the Flynn matter, moved to dismiss the case. On Saturday, though, Judge Sullivan managed to escalate from bizarre to . . . well, maybe paranoid is the correct word. A Motion to Dismiss a criminal case is a routine procedure when the government realizes, for whatever reason, that there is no further reason to prosecute a defendant. Because the Constitution gives the prosecutor sole discretion about whether to bring a case and then, having brought it, whether to miss it, the judge has a limited role and that role is to protect the defendant. Thus, it is the judges responsibility to make sure that the government isnt toying with the defendant by dismissing a losing case while intending to refile in the hopes of drawing a more amenable judge or jury. Absent that problem, the judges only job is to rubber-stamp the dismissal. Judge Sullivan refused to use that rubber stamp. He also declined to act as Flynns last defense against an overreaching prosecution. Instead, Sullivan did something strange. He asked a retired judge, one who had published in the Washington Post an article hostile to the motion to dismiss, to file a brief with the court opposing the motion. Then, although he had consistently (and properly) denied third parties the right to file advisory briefs with the court, Sullivan invited such submissions to help oppose the motion to dismiss. Flynns attorney, the doughty Sidney Powell, therefore filed a petition for writ of mandate with the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeal, asking that it force Flynn to grant the motion to dismiss, negate the requests for helpful briefs, and remove Sullivan from the case. This type of mandate petition is notorious for its failure rate. Appellate courts do not like to involve themselves in a case before its reached its conclusion. This time, however, the appellate court not only took up the writ petition, it ordered Judge Sullivan to explain himself. This doesnt mean Flynn will win on the writ the appellate court may just be insulating itself from the fallout if it rules against Flynn but one cant help but be hopeful. Its worth noting here that, while Sullivan may be acting in a partisan and inappropriate way in the Flynn case, he is a very experienced judge with a solid resume. He has an undergraduate degree from Howard University and got his law degree from Harvard before it turned into a politically-correct swamp. Hes been a judge since 1984. With his background, one has to presume that Sullivan knows the law, knows how to write and, of course, knows his mind. When asked to explain himself to an appellate court, he should be able to sit down for a quiet hour or two and write out a document that includes his views about the facts and the law in Flynns case. But thats not what Sullivan did. Instead, Sullivan hired Beth Wilkinson, a very high-profile Washington D.C. attorney to represent him before the appellate court. From a legal standpoint, this is beyond strange. You have to understand that, in the ordinary course of appellate rulings, all that happens is that the lower courts order is affirmed or reversed. Its not about the judge; its about the judges ruling. In this case, the appellate court is asking the judge to explain his ruling, meaning that its still not about Sullivan qua Sullivan. Instead, the court wants to understand Sullivans thought processes to see if theres anything there that could justify his decision-making. When Sullivan armed himself with a lawyer, he effectively announced to the world that this isnt just about whether the court will reverse his decision-making or remove him from the case. Instead, Sullivan is worried that the appellate court will look at his conduct, rather than his legal reasoning. No wonder, then, that a million theories suddenly emerged about his having been bribed to rule as he did, about his possible conflicts of interest, and about his possibly unsavory family connections. You name it, and people thought it and rightly so because for a judge to hire a lawyer under these circumstances practically screams out that theres something wrong here. After a stinging rebuke from the Gujarat High court on the conditions prevailing in the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital as well as the testing policy amid the coronavirus outbreak, the state government on Sunday said it would file a detailed reply on how hard it had worked to control the situation. The High Court had termed the state's coronavirus testing policy as an artificial method to control the number of cases. It had also said the Civil Hospital was worse than a dungeon and that conditions prevailing there for patients was distressing, painful and pathetic. "Gujarat High Court has asked some questions, given some guidelines, suggested some measures and given some opinion. The chief minister, law minister, I had a detailed meeting with with advocate general Kamal Trivedi and the state government will file its reply next week," deputy CM and health minister Nitin Patel told reporters. On the HC's question on how many times the health minister had visited Civil Hospital, Patel said, "Though I would not like to comment on matters which are under the consideration of the high court, for the allegations which have been leveled against me personally, I will say that in the last two months I have visited the city civil hospital five times." "Though my age is 64 and being a senior citizen, I am advised not to venture out of home, for the last 55 days, I have worked without taking a break," he said, adding he attended core committee meetings on the outbreak daily, and personally intervened in many health department issues. He said the state government had arranged for beds in large numbers, medicine, medical equipment, PPE kits, and had also implemented the most severe lockdown to contain the outbreak. Patel also took a swipe at the opposition Congress and said this was not the time to play politics, adding that everyone knew the condition in Maharashtra, which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country, and where the party was a constituent of the ruling MVA government. "The Gujarat government, from CM to ministers, officials to those working on the ground, its corona warriors, have done a tremendous job during the pandemic. At such a time, it is important to appreciate those who are fighting against this invisible virus so that their moral remains high," Patel said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Beijing: Days after US drugmaker Moderna announced Phase one trial of its COVID-19 vaccine has shown positive results, researchers on Friday reported that a vaccine developed in China appears to be safe and may protect people from the deadly virus. According to a report in The New York Times, citing early-stage trial, published in online journal Lancet, those who received a single dose of the vaccine produced certain immune cells, called T cells, within two weeks while the antibodies needed for immunity peaked at 28 days after the inoculation. The trial was conducted by researchers at several laboratories and included 108 participants aged 18-60. According to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University, the number of coronavirus cases worldwide has gone up to 5,209,266. Dr Daniel Barouch, director of vaccine research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who was not involved in the work, acknowledged that `this is a promising data` but added that it is "early data. "Several teams across the world are in a race to develop a vaccine, considered to be the most effective solution for COVID-19 which has claimed more than 3 lakh lives worldwide. Apart from Moderna, which announced on Monday about its vaccine showing positive results, Dr Barouch and his colleagues too have published a study showing their prototype vaccine protected monkeys from coronavirus infection. According to the NYT report, results of just one other human vaccine trial, which has now entered mid-stage human trials have been published in a scientific journal. The vaccine reported on Friday was made with a virus, called Ad5, modified to carry genetic instructions into a human cell. The cell begins making a coronavirus protein; the immune system learns to recognize the protein and attack it, in theory preventing the coronavirus from ever gaining a foothold .In these people, "their immune systems will essentially rear up and blunt the effect of the vaccine," said Dr. Kirsten Lyke, a vaccinologist at the University of Maryland who is leading another coronavirus vaccine trial. Researchers in China did find that people who had Ad5 antibodies were less likely to develop a strong immune response to the vaccine."That may limit the use of this vaccine," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine."If you`re comparing vaccines, the adenovirus ones so far seem to be on the lower end of the spectrum," he added. However, the results of this vaccine are based on data from a short period, and it is unclear how long its protection might last.In addition, the researchers reported to have tested three doses and said that the highest dose seemed to be the most effective. But people who got the highest dose also experienced the most side effects, such as pain at the injection site, fever, fatigue, headaches, and muscle pain. Mumbai: Tall claims by the Indian Railways and the Maharashtra government of helping guest workers reach their native places fell flat after two incidents came to light on Saturday. The Vasai Road-Gorakhpur Sharmik Special to Uttar Pradesh, which left Mumbai on May 21, was diverted to a different route via Odisha due to "heavy traffic congestion". In another incident, a group of guest workers were left stranded at Wadala TT police station since Saturday morning. The workers were informed by the police three days ago that their journey back home had been finalised. However, at the last moment they were told that their train has been cancelled. As a result, these migrant workers had to wait at the police station for almost an entire day. They had sought police permission to return to their home states at the beginning of May. A 30-year-old construction labourer Mubarak Hussain, resident of Bharati Kamala Nagar in Wadala, said he submitted an application to the Wadala TT police in the beginning of May along with 25 other guest workers. Out of the total 25 workers, 15 have commenced their journey either by boarding a truck, by riding a bicycle or walking. There are still 10 workers, hoping to get a seat in a Shramik Special train. Hussain said, The police have been calling us since May 21 everyday to inform us that our names have been finalised for travel. On May 23, we received a call at around 2 am (on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday) for the same. We arrived with our luggage at 5 am in the morning and later around 9 am, we were told that the train has been cancelled. Another labourer Istak Ahmad (39) said that he had also submitted the application in the start of May but did not get any response. Hence he decided to cycle back to his native. I cycled up to Bhusawal and later boarded a truck for Basti district in UP, he added. Refuting allegations of the migrant labourers, Dr Saurabh Tripathi, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) of zone-4, said, These are base allegations. We have been only intimating them to prepare themselves to leave in short notice. That is how we alert them generally because arriving at the police station without confirmation is of no use. We request the public not to gather near police stations and risk their life as well as others. In another incident, The Vasai Road-Gorakhpur Shramik Special train to Uttar Pradesh was diverted to a different route via Odisha due to heavy traffic congestion. The train that left Vasai Road station in Mumbai on May 21 was diverted via Bilaspur, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Adra and Asansol stations, Western Railway PRO Ravindra Bhakar said. Due to heavy traffic congestion on Itarsi-Jabalpur-Pt. Deen Dayal Dayal Nagar route, trains will now run on the diverted route through Bilaspur, Jharsuguda and Rourkela stations in Odisha, he said. Meanwhile, the railways has ferried around 32 lakh migrant workers on board 2,570 Shramik Special trains since May 1, according to official data. It also said that over the next 10 days, it will operate 2,600 more trains ferrying 36 lakh guest workers home. The railways is bearing 85 per cent of the total cost of running each of the trains while the rest is being borne by the states in the form of fares. Hamirpur district continues to have the highest number of novel coronavirus cases in Himachal Pradesh with two more persons, both of whom recently returned to the state from outside, testing positive for the disease on Sunday, deputy commissioner Harikesh Meena said. The number of infected people in Hamirpur district has risen to 62 out of total 204 in the state. The district now has 56 active cases out of total 137 active cases in the state. One COVID-19 patient has died and five have recovered, according to state government data. Meena said that a 20-year-old woman from Baragram in Badsar area and a 56-year-old man from Bagehra lower area of the Sujanpur sub-division tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. The woman had returned from Delhi along with her relatives on May 18 and was quarantined at the government high school, Baragram, whereas the man came back from Noida in a taxi on May 20 and was institutionally-quarantined at Government Senior Secondary School at Bir Bagehra, he added. The DC said about 10,000 people have returned in the last four weeks from red zones to Hamirpur district. Over 16,000 people returned from other states to Hamirpur district between April 26 and May 23, he said adding that of them, nearly 10,000 returned from red zone areas. Meena said the process of collecting samples of people coming from red zones was expedited. So far, over 4,500 samples have been taken in the district and around 3,500 of them are from red zones, he added. About 170 more people are soon returning to Hamirpur from red zones of Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Thane in Maharashtra in two trains, he added. The DC maintained that over 13,000 people have completed their quarantine period in the district. Meena paid surprise visits to various institutional quarantine centres on Sunday and directed staff posted there to take proper care of the people coming there. Meanwhile, the officer declared ward numbers 5 and 6 of Dugha gram panchayat of Hamirpur subdivision as containment zones after detection of a COVID-19 case there recently. Meena also declared three wards of gram panchayat Booni in Nadaun subdivision and Pahloo gram panchayat of Badsar subdivision as containment zones following detection of two coronavirus positive cases there recently. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Anas Aremeyaw Anas, the once so-called ace Ghanaian Investigative journalist with many international and national awards to his credit has once again nabbed programme host Kweku Annan of Hot FM and Net2TV. He has used his same decried improvised modus operandi only acceptable in Ghana to claim to have caught Kweku Annan take bribe as per the content of the weblink below. Read More: Anas #12 Again: Ken Agyapong Boy Admits Pocketing Cash To 'Dirty' Anas When will Anas learn his lesson? Is he trying to fault Kweku Annan for being harsh on him by assisting Kennedy Agyapong (Hon) to expose him (Anas) beyond repair? Anas has lost the plot and to those of us who are conversant with investigation procedures, I find Anas as too desperate to redeem his shattered image for being a blackmailer, extremely corrupt and a total criminal. Once more, let me tell Anas that you cannot conduct investigation without a crime committed or suspicion of a crime about to be committed based on intelligence report. When Anas sends his agent to Kweku Annan to negotiate a contract to assist him (the agent) or his(the agent's) uncle to exonerate himself from the grips of Anas as a result of his bogus and criminal entrapment methodology used to tag him as a corrupt person, and pays Kweku Annan a deposit for his job, how can that be used against him as taking a bribe? Is Kweku Annan paid to do a charity job for the nation for which he is forbidden to take another legitimate payment? Are those people in the media prohibited from doing private jobs? Was the money given to him meant to set Anas up and if yes, did he set him up? Was it Kweku Annan who asked the imposter (agent of Anas) to give him money? Did he ask the imposter not tell anyone that he, the imposter, had paid him some money? There are many questions to be asked but I rest my case here. With a level of investigative background, I find Anas' methods of conducting criminal investigations highly bogus and substandard. He will only always be upheld as an ace investigative journalist in Ghana and other African countries but will never be admitted in any of the civilized white man's country. He would long be in prison if he were to use his methods of investigations in the United Kingdom, France, America and Germany, just to mention a few countries. Anas is a funny guy. He has lost the battle already. If Kweku Annan were say, a judge, presiding over a case, and had asked for a bribe to twist justice in favour of the otherwise guilty party, or had been offered a bribe on condition that he judges in favour of the person paying him the bribe, and he did same as had been agreed, then he could be accused of taking bribe. However, under the condition of doing a job for you of which he spends his private time or engages the services of his private investigation company, and is paid a fee, how can that be said to be taking a bribe? Is it not true that Anas is a criminal duping people? Has he not been exposed beyond every reasonable doubt? Has Kweku Annan not been set up here even if we should assume that he has no any private investigation company? Does Anas think by tagging Kweku Annan as corrupt could save him from the grips of the law where he has been caught usurping other people's lands and extorting money from them? He must be joking! I pray Ghana courts to speed up any court case before them in which Anas and all those that he had ever investigated are involved. Please stop the dilly-dallying for justice delayed is justice denied. Rockson Adofo Sunday, 24 May 2020 People enjoy the boardwalk during the Memorial Day holiday weekend amid the CCP virus pandemic in Ocean City, Md., on May 23, 2020. (Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images) FDA Head Issues Memorial Day Warning: CCP Virus Is Not yet Contained The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to Americans celebrating Memorial Day to follow federal guidelines meant to curb the spread of the CCP virus. With the country starting to open up this holiday weekend, I again remind everyone that the coronavirus is not yet contained. It is up to every individual to protect themselves and their community. Social distancing, hand washing and wearing masks protect us all, Dr. Stephen Hahn said in a Twitter post on Sunday. His remark comes as most states start to allow more businesses to reopen and allow people to go to churches, beaches, cookouts, bars, and restaurants. And some states such as Connecticut, Delaware, and New York have allowed beaches to open ahead of the holiday. But other health experts have warned that the United States isnt in the clear yet. Even as states and some state officials rush to reopen its on us to make smart and safe decisions, Dr. Seema Yasmin, a former disease detective at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNN on Saturday night. Meanwhile, White House pandemic task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading U.S. expert on infectious diseases, said that people should exercise caution. Go out, wear a mask, stay 6 feet away from anyone so you can have the physical distancing, he said during a CNN virus town hall. Go for a run. Go for a walk. Go fishing. As long as youre not in a crowd and youre not in a situation where you can physically transmit the virus. People utilize the Echo Park Lake recreation area in Los Angeles, Calif., on May 23, 2020. (Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo) Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus task force coordinator, appeared on multiple news programs Sunday to urge people to keep wearing masks. She also stressed on ABC News This Week that people can proceed with their day-to-day life activities, but she called on Americans to engage in social distancing and wear masks. I think its our job as public health officials every day to be informing the public of what puts them at risk, Birx said. And weve made it clear that theres asymptomatic spread. So we really want to be clear all the time that social distancing is absolutely critical. And if you cant social distance and youre outside, you must wear a mask. So far, more than 1.5 million people in the United States have contracted the CCP virus, and more than 97,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. Over the past two months, more than 35 million people have filed for unemployment as states ordered people to stay home. 118 Shares Share When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it revealed a troubling paradox in Vermonts healthscape. Monopoly-creating laws and regulations (like the Affordable Care Act and the Certificate of Need program) have artificially reduced the states health facilities and resources. Vermonters must contend with fewer hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, and reduced access to medical imaging technology. On the one hand, insufficient health care capacity increased the risk of COVID-19 cases overwhelming the system and undermined the states ability to take care of all patients requiring hospitalization and respiratory support. On the other hand, the pandemic worsened the financial challenges of many Vermont hospitals that were already teetering on bankruptcy. Vermont hospitals and physician practices have been financially struggling for years due to workforce shortages and a declining population. In FY 2019, half of the states hospitals experienced operating losses, and six of fourteen have seen operating losses for three or more consecutive years. Hospitals have also been forced to cut services and staff because rationing of care has been taking place under the aegis of the Vermont All-Payer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model. Created in 2016, the model is a state-federal experiment in health care payment and delivery, run by a for-profit organization called OneCare Vermont. A number of primary care and specialty physicians, hospitals, and post-acute care facilities across the state participate in this experiment. Decreased utilization of primary care physicians, specialists, and diagnostic X-rays from 2016 to 2018, yearly worsening health care quality indicators, and growing evidence of long waiting lines to receive treatment prove that OneCare has been restricting access to hold down costs. Further, in preparation for the projected surge of COVID-19 patients, Vermont hospitals canceled elective and non-urgent procedures. As a result, hospitals are now facing a fifty to seventy percent reduction in revenues an aggregate loss of $115 million per month. In truth, the pandemic has had a relatively mild impact in Vermont. As of May 1, eleven people in Vermont are hospitalized, and 20 are being monitored for symptoms. The infection rates are concentrated in the Burlington metropolitan area, while the rest of the state has seen far fewer cases. Michael Pieciak (commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation) noted that the number of new COVID-19 cases has declined, and Vermont has peaked regarding the demand for hospital resources. Yet, hospitals outside Vermonts coronavirus epicenter have not resumed elective procedures. On the contrary, OneCare claims that the pandemic has inundated health care providers. In an April 8 presentation to the Green Mountain Care Board or GMCB (a five-member committee charged with oversight), the organization stated: Providers and facilities are intensely focused on delivering essential life-saving emergency and urgent services to Vermonters and have no choice but to defer many of the preventive and comparatively less urgent follow-up services that are intended to achieve the quality and population health targets outlined in Vermonts agreement. Members of the GMCB (who have a demonstrated record of playing advocate instead of referee) agreed with OneCare. They sent a letter to CMS asserting that the pandemics unprecedented scale and strength prevents providers in the all-payer ACO model from both responding to COVID-19 and meeting health care quality and population health targets that are required by the federal-state contract. The Board has asked CMS to make 2020 a reporting only year, wherein providers will not be held responsible for meeting these targets. The GMCB is also asking the federal government to allow the models participating providers to keep all savings and pay no penalties for operating losses this year. In other words, OneCare wants to privatize profits and socialize losses. It wants to treat profits as the property of the organizations stakeholders, and losses as a burden to be borne by the general public. Besides plummeting Vermont to the bottom in health care openness and access, the all-payer ACO model has constructed a billion-dollar bureaucracy in a largely rural healthscape grappling with monopoly-induced shortages and insolvency. The pandemic has unmasked this mangled health care system. Meg Hansen is executive director, Vermonters for Health Care Freedom. Image credit: Shutterstock.com The Armenian side regrets that the incorrectly interpreted statement by the health minister Arsen Torosyan upset the Georgian colleagues, Georgian FM David Zalkaliani said on the Imedi TV channel, News.am reports. According to some Armenian media reports, Torosyan said that the anti-epidemiological system in Georgia is different from the Armenian one, and not for the better. Torosyan believes that the small number of infections and deaths among COVID-19 in Georgia can be explained by shortcomings in terms of the methodology and quality of tests carried out in a neighboring country. These reports were followed by an acute reaction from the medical establishment of Georgia. Senior health officials assured that the country's COVID-19 statistics are completely transparent, News Georgia reported. According to Zalkaliani, through diplomatic channels, the Georgian side demanded clarifications from the relevant government departments of Armenia. Zalkaliani said that Armenian health ministry stated its position through the Georgian Embassy in Yerevan. The FM noted he has received a call from the embassy in Yerevan and was informed that Armenian health ministry called the embassy and expressed their regret that Torosyan's statement, which was incorrectly interpreted, upset Georgian colleagues. The Armenian side noted that the health minister's statements were misinterpreted. The Georgian Foreign Minister believes that this information must be double-checked and specified. The Georgian FM also recalled that Georgias efforts in the fight against COVID-19 are highly appreciated by international partners, including the World Health Organization. More than a quarter of a million small businesses are not fully eligible for JobKeeper because the payment is restricted to one partner in a partnership. The federal government structured it this way despite lobbying from the accounting industry to extend it to at least two partners to cover the vast majority of business partnerships. Fiona Gohari and Bobby Aazami are wedding photographers in a family partnership but the business can only receive JobKeeper for one of them. Credit:James Brickwood The decision affects partnerships such as Fiona Gohari and Bobby Aazami from Lane Cove, who are married and also work as wedding photographers in their business, Fiona + Bobby Photography. "When we heard about JobKeeper, we thought it was just such an amazing thing but there was a part of us that felt like maybe it's too good to be true," Ms Gohari said. "When we found out that only one of us qualifies, it just didn't make sense and it was really disappointing." The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a massive increase in the use of video conferencing software. Lockdown regulations and travel restrictions mean most businesses are unable to conduct their usual meetings and interactions both internally and with clients. There are various video conferencing software options available to businesses, the most popular of which for some time was Skype. However, Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams are now the go-to options for many and Microsoft has stated Teams will replace Skype for Business in 2021. Zoom Zoom has become a big player in the video conferencing market this year, and its platform has experienced exponential growth during the pandemic. Zoom CEO Eric S Yuan said in December that the maximum number of daily meeting participants across both its free and paid services was about 10 million. In March, this figure surpassed 200 million daily participants, and in April it surpassed 300 million. A daily meeting participant refers to a session within a meeting; therefore 300 million daily meeting participants does not mean 300 million different users are accessing the platform each day. Zoom does not provide its active user statistics. Zooms biggest struggle during the pandemic has not been scaling its services, however, but rather negative press regarding its security. Online trolls were entering web meetings and disrupting them with inappropriate content simple actions that researchers were worried could lead to more harmful attacks in the future. Zoom has also apologized for incorrectly suggesting that Zoom meetings were capable of end-to-end encryption. Its case has not been helped by reports that the login details of over 500,000 Zoom users have been placed on sale on the dark web. Microsoft Teams Microsoft recently announced it has 75 million daily active Teams users, which is up from 32 million daily active users on 11 March. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in an earnings call that Microsoft reached 200 million meeting participants in a single day during April. The benefit of using Teams is that is offers integration with Microsoft 365, allowing users to access, share, and edit Word docs, PowerPoint, and Excel files in real time. Security research company Abnormal Security has discovered two types of phishing attacks which attempt to take advantage of Teams, however, by directing victims to fake Teams login pages. Users who fall victim to the phishing attacks will have their credentials compromised, allowing attackers to gain access to files and information stored on their accounts, which could include sensitive company information. Microsoft Teams users are encouraged to check that the URL of the login page matches https://login.microsoftonline.com to ensure that they are using the correct portal. Google Meet Googles primary offering in the video conferencing market is its Meet platform. Google claims it is adding about 3 million new Meet users every day, and recently reached over 100 million daily meeting participants. It added that daily usage has increased 30-fold since January, and it now hosts about 3 billion minutes of video meetings each day. Google also recently made the premium version of Meet free for anyone who has a Google account. This means that until 30 September, users will be able to host and partake in meetings with unlimited duration. After this date, the length of meetings on the free tier will be limited to 60 minutes which is longer than Zooms offering of 40 minutes for free. It also matches Zooms 100 participant support in video calls, and therefore offers a comparable alternative for large businesses. WhatsApp While it is not as feature-packed as Zoom, Teams, or Meet for large business calls, everyday users will still find tremendous value in WhatsApp video call functionality. The platform makes it quick and simple to contact colleagues or clients, and WhatsApp recently increased its video call capacity to eight people up from four people. Other platforms that are suited for simple video calls include Google Duo and FaceTime on iOS. Kanwal Sibal By The WHO draft resolution sponsored by 61 nations, including India, is an eye-wash, as it lets China off the hook completely. There is no call in it for any independent investigation into Covid-19 origins. China or Wuhan is not mentioned directly or indirectly in the text. The words transparency and accountability are missing too. That would explain Russias support. India had no reason to opt-out of an anodyne draft. With China now supporting it, there is no reason for Beijing to be upset by Indias position. The word as appropriate is mentioned in critical parts of the draft, which provides a lot of discretion in implementing the operative paragraphs. Even data is to be shared as appropriate, which implies that China has no obligation to share the data at its disposal as the source of the virus. WHO is to work, not with China, but with the World Organisation of Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organisation to identify the zoonotic sources of the virus and its transmission to the human population through scientific and collaborative field missions to reduce the risk of similar events and prevent the establishment of new zoonotic reservoirs etc . This is looking to the future, not probing what occurred in Wuhan and Chinas handling. It would be misleading to interpret the call to initiate a step-wise process of impartial, independent, and comprehensive evaluation to review experience gained and lessons learned from the WHO-coordinated international health response to Covid-19 and the actions of the WHO and their timelines pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic as China-directed. It is directed at the functioning of the WHO to improve global pandemic prevention, preparedness etc, with the future in view. Australia had shown considerable political grit in pursuing its call for an independent investigation into the origin of the virus and seeking transparency, notwithstanding boorish diplomatic threats of trade sanctions by China and opposition from domestic business circles tied to the Chinese market. The EU, which has China-friendly member countries, has been ambivalent about putting China on the mat, which is why even in the G7 meeting, US pressure to identify Wuhan as the source of the virus was resisted to the point that no joint statement could be issued. The EU-led proposed resolution reflects this disinclination to press for transparency and an independent international probe. Its foreign affairs spokesperson has opposed playing any blame game when the immediate need is to focus on combating the virus. The upshot of all this is that China, while imposing heavy tariffs on Australian barley exports, has mocked Australia on losing the battle for an independent probe. China has no doubt scored diplomatically in the tussle at the WHO, and may feel emboldened to continue its disruptive policies. The world order is in a flux, and growing US-China rivalry will shape its contours. China as the source of the virus and the US as its biggest victim will get increasingly locked in confrontation, which has become broad-based with technology denial moves by the US. Trump has made a strategic error of alienating the Europeans, whose active cooperation is needed to curb Chinas ambitions. New world order is not for tomorrow; the present fluidity will continue, with the US and China as the principal protagonists.The impact of Chinas hegemonic ambitions on India will remain a serious problem, requiring, as before, engagement and hedging. While lines with China should remain open, the links with the US, Europe, Japan, Australia and others who have concerns about Chinas authoritarian rise should be strengthened. Dividend paying stocks like China 21st Century Education Group Limited (HKG:1598) 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. The company also bought back stock during the year, equivalent to approximately 1.2% of the company's market capitalisation at the time. Some simple analysis can offer a lot of insights when buying a company for its dividend, and we'll go through this below. Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis SEHK:1598 Historical Dividend Yield May 24th 2020 Payout ratios Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. So we need to form a view on if a company's dividend is sustainable, relative to its net profit after tax. Looking at the data, we can see that 29% of China 21st Century Education Group's profits were paid out as dividends in the last 12 months. A medium payout ratio strikes a good balance between paying dividends, and keeping enough back to invest in the business. One of the risks is that management reinvests the retained capital poorly instead of paying a higher dividend. While the above analysis focuses on dividends relative to a company's earnings, we do note China 21st Century Education Group's strong net cash position, which will let it pay larger dividends for a time, should it choose. We update our data on China 21st Century Education Group every 24 hours, so you can always get our latest analysis of its financial health, here. Dividend Volatility One of the major risks of relying on dividend income, is the potential for a company to struggle financially and cut its dividend. Not only is your income cut, but the value of your investment declines as well - nasty. This company has been paying a dividend for less than 2 years, which we think is too soon to consider it a reliable dividend stock. Story continues We like that the dividend hasn't been shrinking. However we're conscious that the company hasn't got an overly long track record of dividend payments yet, which makes us wary of relying on its dividend income. Dividend Growth Potential The other half of the dividend investing equation is evaluating whether earnings per share (EPS) are growing. Growing EPS can help maintain or increase the purchasing power of the dividend over the long run. China 21st Century Education Group's earnings per share are up 4.5% on last year. We're glad to see EPS up on last year, but we're conscious that growth rates typically slow as companies increase in size. A payout ratio below 50% leaves ample room to reinvest in the business, and provides finanical flexibility. However, earnings per share are unfortunately not growing much. Might this suggest that the company should pay a higher dividend instead? We do note though, one year is too short a time to be drawing strong conclusions about a company's future prospects. Conclusion To summarise, shareholders should always check that China 21st Century Education Group's dividends are affordable, that its dividend payments are relatively stable, and that it has decent prospects for growing its earnings and dividend. We're glad to see China 21st Century Education Group has a low payout ratio, as this suggests earnings are being reinvested in the business. Unfortunately, earnings growth has also been mediocre, and we think it has not been paying dividends long enough to demonstrate resilience across economic cycles. Overall we think China 21st Century Education Group is an interesting dividend stock, although it could be better. Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for China 21st Century Education Group that you should be aware of before investing. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of dividend stocks yielding above 3%. Love or hate this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email 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. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. TORRANCE, Calif. - The California murder trial of real estate heir Robert Durst is likely to move to a new venue this summer, depending on how a judge rules on a defence motion for a mistrial. The case against the 77-year-old scion of one of New Yorks wealthiest real estate dynasties is expected to move to the Inglewood courthouse from Los Angeles, The Daily Breeze reported Friday. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark Windham will consider the defences mistrial motion in a hearing scheduled for June 23, court spokeswoman Mary Hearn said. Dursts defence team filed the motion in April, arguing he cannot get a fair trial because of a long pause in the proceedings brought on by coronavirus court closures. The attorneys say the stoppage, which is expected to end with a scheduled resumption of the trial July 27, makes it unrealistic the jury will be able to perform its functions. The risk that jurors will not be accurately able to recall the evidence introduced prior to adjournment is heightened here, the motion says. Durst is on trial in the killing of his best friend, Susan Berman, in her home in Beverly Hills in December 2000. Prosecutors argued in opening statements that Durst shot Berman because she knew Durst had killed his wife, who disappeared in 1982. Durst has never been charged in his wifes killing and denied having any role in either death. The jury had been hearing the case in a courtroom at the Airport courthouse near Los Angeles International Airport before the COVID-19 pandemic forced officials to close the countys courthouses to all but time-sensitive, essential matters in March. Moving the trial from the courtroom where it was being heard to a larger venue at the Inglewood courthouse will better enable the court to implement social-distancing protocols, Hearn said. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover. New Delhi: French defence contractor and shipbuilder DCNS has suffered a massive data leak, raising doubts about the security of one of the worlds biggest defence projects, including Indias new $3.5bn submarine fleet, The Australian newspaper reported on Wednesday. The leak contains more than 22,000 pages outlining the secret combat capability of six submarines that DCNS has designed for the Indian Navy. The leaked documents have the sensitive combat capabilities of Indias new submarine fleet and would be a threat to country's defence programme if obtained by Indias rival countires like Pakistan or China. [ALSO READ: Defence Minister Parrikar asks Indian Navy chief to study what has been leaked] Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has sought report from the Navy on the issue. "It appears that the source of leak is from overseas and not in India," Indian Navy said in a statement on Scorpene submarine project leak on Wednesday. [ALSO READ: Indian Navy's ambitious Scorpene submarine project: All you need to know] A Reuters report quoted a DCNS spokeswoman as saying, "As a serious matter pertaining to the Indian Scorpene program, French national authorities for defence security will formally investigate and determine the exact nature of the leaked documents." Earlier this year, DCNS had won a $38.06 billion contract to build Australias next generation of submarines. (With inputs from Agencies) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Police arrested about 60 protesters on Saturday as part of city-wide demonstrations against restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, German newspaper Tagesspiegel reported. The protesters had violated official guidelines to keep the virus contained, and some had attacked police officials, the newspaper said, citing a police spokesman. Two police officers were slightly injured, the paper added FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Police arrested about 60 protesters on Saturday as part of city-wide demonstrations against restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, German newspaper Tagesspiegel reported. The protesters had violated official guidelines to keep the virus contained, and some had attacked police officials, the newspaper said, citing a police spokesman. Two police officers were slightly injured, the paper added. Berlin police were not immediately available to comment. Protests against the measures Chancellor Angela Merkel insists are needed to slow down the coronavirus outbreak have become more vocal and demonstrators have filled the streets of the German capital for the third weekend in a row. The number of confirmed cases in Germany rose by 638 to 177,850, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday. The reported death toll rose by 42 to 8,216, the data showed. Merkel, in a podcast published earlier, defended the measures, including social distancing rules, adding she was aware of the concerns some had about how they interfered with their human rights. "Yes, I can understand these concerns," Merkel said. "This virus is an imposition for our democracy." She still said that lockdown restrictions had been necessary to make sure Germany's health system does not get overstretched, adding this has been achieved so far. (Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Ros Russell) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Indore, May 24 : A special evacuation commercial flight of Air India carrying 93 passengers from London via Mumbai landed at Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport here on Sunday. The passengers have been brought home under 'Vande Bharat' mission. The passengers were later taken for primary health check-up soon after landing. Some passengers downloaded 'Aarogya setu App' at the airport only. Airport director Arysma Sanyal said the passengers' Aarogya Setu App status was also examined. No symptoms of any illness were found, said the airport authorities. All the passengers were later taken for 14 days' mandatory quarantine at Hotel Amar Vilas and Hotel Regenta. Some passengers were to continue onward travel to other neighbouring states. They will be allowed to move to their respective states after 24 hours' quarantine. Stratford District Council no longer has an entirely male senior management team, following the appointment of its new head of community and operational services this week. Julie Lewis started her new role on Monday, joining Stratford from Daventry District Council, where she held the role of deputy executive director in the business team. Cllr Tony Jefferson, Leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council says: I am delighted to welcome Julie to the SDC family. She joins us at a very unique and strange time, but will be a welcome and strong addition to the leadership team. There will be enough challenges for her to get her teeth in to. Julie added: I am really excited to join such a forward thinking and dynamic council, albeit in very unusual and even more challenging than usual circumstances. The appointment has been welcomed by Cllr Kate Rolfe, who has previously spoken about the need for the authority to do more to encourage women to apply for senior management roles. Cllr Kate Rolfe, said: Im delighted that there is no longer an all-male senior management team. In an ideal world there would still be a more equal gender balance, but all appointments are made on the basis of finding the best person for the job, Im just glad that in this case the best person for the job was female. Last year an independent report concluded that it was unfair to brand Stratford District Council as a sexist organisation, but the authority has made changes to make it easier for staff to report any issues they may have. That report followed an investigation into allegations of sexist behaviour at the authority, sparked by comments made by outgoing former executive director Isabel Edgar Briancon, which resulted in two councillors apologising for their conduct. Actor Nawazuddin Siddiquis wife, Aaliya, who is embroiled in a bitter divorce dispute with him, has spoken about his controversial autobiography, that was pulled from the shelves after numerous complaints in 2017. Aaliya, who has accused Nawaz of being an absent father, of disrespecting her throughout their relationship, and of distancing himself from her in public, has said that she warned him against writing the book, in which he made startling personal revelations. Nawaz had spoken candidly about past relationships and flings, leading the women named in the book to protest. Also read: Nawazuddin Siddiquis wife Aaliya says he humiliated her in front of Manoj Bajpayee, makes excuses to avoid meeting his kids Aaliya told The Times of India in an interview, When a person tries to be smart toh woh ulta pad jata hai (being cunning often backfires). If you are truthful then maybe the world would accept you. She added, You wrote about your girlfriend and affairs, I told him not to write about someones personal life and we have also fought over it but he believes that at times such things make you mahan (great). They dont make you mahan but your character is revealed. Expressing concern about the ethics of naming people in the industry, Aaliya continued, She is a girl working in the industry, how can you ruin someones image with whom youve been in a relationship? I have seen his world and have decided to stand for myself. Why should I save his respect when he doesnt respect anyone. How long will a person suffer? It has been 10 years. What you see is not always the truth, to know him you have to spend time with him, which I have done. Also read: Nawazuddin Siddiquis wife Aaliya claims they have been living separately for past 4-5 years Aaliya, who has been married to Nawaz for a decade and has two children with him, served him divorce papers via email and WhatsApp earlier this month. According to her lawyer, the actor, who is quarantining in his hometown of Budhana in Uttar Pradesh, is yet to respond. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON . The worsening effects of the COVID-19 pandemic seem to have pushed political and popular expressions into a petitionary mode. In such a mode, unlike the legal petition driven by a procedure, a rhetorical performance is at play calling out for the ethical and moral capacity of both the state as well as the people in distress. In such a petitionary genre, the capacity of expression gets mediated by the force of moral appeal that entails the invigoration of the conscience, which, in turn, makes it necessary to put compassion before reason and apology before ideological arrogance. Thus, the state, on priority, needs to be compassionate in mobilising various resources, such as transport, food, and medicine, for the footslogging workers. An appeal as a moral force seeks to compel the state and political actors to shake off complacency and the sense of arrogance that is informed by both ideology and politics. Apology, thus, comes as a subtext of appeal. There is a wider spectrum on which the word appeal seems to be operative. It has almost a paradigmatic range. Put differently, the word currently under reference finds its public expression at different levels with distinct meanings. For example, the appeal made by the spokesperson of the state to the people to observe social distancing or the appeal to migrant workers to stay wherever they are wherever they are addresses this issue at wider levels and is infused with the meaning. Such meaning suggests that the state is not fully equipped to control the situation and is unable to provide adequate help to the workers in distress. On the other side of the spectrum, the workers, farmers and television artists have been appealing to the government to provide the former with immediate help for fulfilling different but dire needs. For example, workers have been making repeated appeals for transportation. The belief and knowledge of these sections that the state has resources to provide immediate help to the former form the basis of their appeal. On yet another end of the spectrum, the industrialistsbig and smallhave been appealing to the central government for help. Apparently, such appeal may contain an altruistic meaning, which is to say that the interest of the workers are more important than private interests. The confirmation that my freedom to do as I please had ended came as my hair fell in clumps onto the floor around the barber chair. If Id had my druthers I would not have chosen a buzz cut. But it was the second day into my life in the military; the first was spent marching in the rain after arriving at boot camp. My life and those of my new buzz-cut companions had changed dramatically. Freedom. Weve heard a lot about freedom lately and the threat to our liberty to do as we please because of the rules associated with efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Fortunately the brave hearts of the state Supreme Court majority stepped in to stop the assault on freedoms such freedoms as going without a face mask or assembling in large crowds without regard for medical advice that such practices were putting others at risk. But I digress. My freedom to do as I please did not include deciding whether to join the military; my number came up in 1964 and I became part of the 2.2 million drafted for the Vietnam War out of an eligible pool of 27 million. That made us part of a much larger contingent of men who were notified by the Selective Service System that their time to serve had come some 50 million in World War II alone of whom 10 million were inducted. In the Korean War, 1,529,539 were inducted. Thats a lot of curtailed freedom. But those were tumultuous times and Id bet that, given a credible threat to our country and way of life, the government would turn again to conscription. Before the start of World War II there was a recognition that the United States would be drawn into the fighting, so Congress on Sept. 16, 1940, passed the first peacetime conscription in U.S. history. The draft for World War I was established when attempts to build the army with volunteers failed. The Civil War had a draft, but those drafted could pay a substitute. Not so for those drafted since then. At the end of WWII, the draft law was allowed to expire, but it was re-enacted to boost readiness in the Cold War. From 1948 until 1973, during both peacetime and periods of conflict, men were drafted to fill vacancies in the armed forces which could not be filled through voluntary means, according to the Selective Service System online history. Induction authority expired in 1973, but the draft remained in existence in standby to support the all-volunteer force in case of an emergency. Registration was suspended early in 1975. In the summer of 1980, registration was resumed. Presently, men must register within 30 days of their 18th birthday. Failure to register violates the Military Selective Service Act and conviction for such a violation may result in imprisonment for up to five years and/or a fine of not more than $250,000. Hows that for a threat to personal freedom? On Memorial Day, we honor those, both conscripts and volunteers, who paid the ultimate price for their service to our country. Their sacrifice and the freedoms given up by the millions who have been called to serve the nation, greatly diminish by comparison the weight of the restrictions so vehemently protested in our present circumstances. What has transpired with the Selective Service System, the draft, has come in the name of national security. We are in circumstances now that pose a threat, while not a war, although some would liken it to war, to our nations stability and standing in the world. Yes, we must rebuild and reopen our economy, but not at the cost of disregard for dealing with the pandemic. If we feel put upon to observe rules of safety and respect for others, we might remember the comparison with the personal liberties that have been curtailed in the past so that we might have the right to protest and feel deprived. Love 5 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 4 Liz Hurley has fallen victim to luxury luggage-loving thieves who got into her car, she fears, by copying the code from her wireless key fob. It happened when Liz, 54, parked at a motorway service station. She told a podcast: I have a keyless car. When you come out of it and lock it, they can pick up the signal of your transmitter. I parked at one of those big service stations with a food court and went inside. Liz Hurley attends the Future Dreams Ladies Lunch 2019 supported by Estee Lauder at The Savoy Hotel on October 7 last year in London, England The actress pictured laden down with luggage while wrapping up warm in a camouflage coat during an outing in London in January this year (file photo) I came back, drove home and noticed someone had stolen my hand luggage. That is a horror. I felt I had been pillaged really badly. Poor Liz, but the big question for me is, what on earth was the regal actress doing at a motorway service station? And did she opt for KFC or Burger King? If you spot Michael Palin in the street and quote Monty Python to him, dont be offended if he stares back blankly at you. The 77-year-old star has admitted he cant remember any of the lines from the famous films. Im always a bit outwitted when people come up and say something from Monty Python. Im like, Oh, thats quite funny. Where did you get that from? They go, Its in your film. Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith knows the secret of a happy life two happy marriages, two great children and two glasses of wine every night. Prue Leith pictured at The Oldie Literary Lunch in 2019. The Great British Bake Off judge said she doesn't go a 'single evening without a glass of wine' Im afraid Im a bit of a toper, admits 80-year-old Prue. I dont go a single evening without a glass of wine, in fact a good two glasses of wine. 'If I havent got a drink in my hand by seven oclock, I start thinking, Its definitely time. Germans usually love their sun-soaked summer holidays abroad. But fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections have prompted a new holiday destination of choice: their home country. On a recent public holiday, it was only 17 degrees Celsius (62 degrees Fahrenheit) in the seaside resort of Binz on the island of Ruegen. But in the bright sunshine, with families playing ball on a sandy beach and couples lounging around with ice creams, it already felt like the height of summer. It was almost as though the virus and weeks of lockdown since mid-March had all been a bad dream. Few of the tourists wandering along the promenade were observing social distancing rules, and apart from restaurant staff and ice cream sellers, no one was wearing a mask. At the start of this week, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the northern German state least affected by the coronavirus pandemic, reopened its hotels, initially just for locals. From Monday, Germans from all over the country will be able to join the fun. For local resident Regina, it's a relief to see people milling around again on the promenade on the Baltic Sea, with its pretty white houses. "It is nice. We've been feeling very lonely in Binz lately," the 69-year-old said. "It feels good, liberating, to be here again!" said Julia Holz, 34, who came to Binz with her husband and two children to visit family and enjoy the beach. - 'Sense of security' - While half of Germans like to spend their summer holidays elsewhere in Europe, with Spain the top destination, more than a third preferred a staycation even before the coronavirus, according to official statistics. Apart from Ruegen and the Baltic Sea coast, Bavaria is also a popular choice, with its mountains and romantic castles. But this year, according to Munich-based tour operator FTI Group, demand for holidays at home has gone through the roof. "Bookings by German holidaymakers in their own country are well ahead," said director Ralph Schiller, noting a "clear upward trend" in stays of at least one week compared to last year. Story continues This is partly down to continued uncertainty around travel restrictions. But even if borders are reopened, tourists will still have many unknowns to navigate, according to Norbert Kunz, president of the German Tourism Federation. "What security measures are in place? What happens if a new wave of coronavirus breaks out in the destination country or at home, and if it leads to new travel restrictions?" he points out. Compared to its neighbours France and Italy, Germany has so far managed to stay on top of the crisis and prevent its hospitals from being overwhelmed. There is a "sense of security" in staying at home, according to Binz resident Regina, who won't be holidaying abroad this year. - Rooms kept empty - Germany is preparing to lift an official ban and allow travel to some European countries from mid-June, meaning trips to the Mediterranean will theoretically be back on the menu. But politicians are taking pains to keep stressing the risks. "Be under no illusions: There will be no quick return to 'business as usual'," Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has warned. Having brought home some 240,000 Germans stranded abroad in recent weeks, the government has warned there will not be another costly effort on this scale in the event of a second wave of the virus. Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder has even proposed introducing bonuses such as tax breaks to promote holidays in Germany, especially for less wealthy families. But there remains "the problem of accommodation capacity for holidaymakers", stresses Aage Duenhaupt, a spokesman for tour operator TUI -- plus the fact that virus regulations still differ from region to region. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, hotels are permitted to use only 60 percent of their capacity, while in other regions there are no limits. "We hope this restriction will be lifted soon, perhaps next week," said Oliver Gut, director of a boutique hotel chain in Binz. "The situation remains very tense" financially, according to Kunz of the tourism federation. He estimates that the sector lost around 35 billion euros ($38 billion) in revenues between March and May, and is calling for a state support plan with immediate aid and investment. "It will be a long time before we get back to normal," he said. Indian skies will open up for domestic passenger flights from Monday after a gap of two months but there was confusion following the imposition of own set of conditions and rules by several states which are at odds with each other. Many states like Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu were opposed to opening up of their airports in view of rising cases of the coronavirus infection, making it difficult for the airlines as well as the civil aviation authorities to resume services. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are home to some of the busiest airports in terms of passenger traffic. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Twitter on Sunday that it is "extremely ill-advised" to reopen airports in red zones. Echoing similar sentiments, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she will urge the Centre to postpone the resumption of domestic flight services at Kolkata and Bagdogra airports by a few days. On Sunday afternoon, AirAsia India said on Twitter that all passengers must read the health protocols of the destination states and it would "not be responsible for repatriating or bearing any quarantine or related costs of any guests". In the midst of uncertainty and confusion, representatives of airlines and several states held multiple meetings with top officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry on Sunday covering a range of contentious issues like quarantine rules for flyers and standard operating procedures for leading airports, officials said. The focus of the deliberations was to have uniform quarantine rules following the announcement of separate conditions by various state governments. However, it is not immediately clear whether uniform quarantine rules as envisaged could be finalised in the meetings. Officials said the first flight on Monday is scheduled to depart from Mumbai for Patna at 4.20 AM. Similarly, the first flight from Delhi airport would depart for Kolkata at 4.30 AM. Both flights are from IndiGo airline. At the same time, they did not rule out a change in the schedule if the West Bengal government unilaterally decides not to allow flight operations. As airlines were making preparations to resume their operation, scores of pilots and first officers PTI spoke to seem to be concerned about the lack of clarity on quarantine requirements for them. Many of them raised concerns over issues like quarantine procedures, personal and family safety, and flying into regions badly hit by the pandemic. "There is no clarity on whether I need to go into home quarantine for 14 days after returning to my base or show up for duty on Monday," a pilot said, requesting anonymity. The government last week announced the resumption of domestic flight services from May under specific rules and guidelines like a cap on ticket pricing, wearing of face masks by passengers, no food served onboard planes and making available details of medical conditions by travellers through Aarogya Setu app or by filling up of a self-declaration form. The government's decision came as the aviation sector was reeling under severe stress triggered by the coronavirus lockdown that began on March 25. However, many states expressed serious reservations about the Centre's decision to start flight services. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, Punjab, Assam and Andhra Pradesh have announced their respective quarantine measures for passengers arriving at their airports. Some states decided to put passengers on mandatory institutional quarantine while several others talked about putting them under home quarantine. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday questioned the need for quarantine if a passenger is shown green status in Aarogya Setu app. The green status signifies that a passenger is safe. However, as the states remained adamant on the matter, the central government is trying to create coherence in quarantine rules for flyers, officials said. They said bookings have been opened for around 1,050 domestic flights that will operate on Monday. Several executives from a number of airlines said since Mumbai and Kolkata airports handle a significant share of domestic flights, the operators are expecting the Centre to clarify the "prevailing confusion" relating to quarantine. "Clarity is required on matters regarding quarantine and flights to Mumbai and Kolkata as it is affecting our bookings. Passengers are reluctant to book in such an environment," said an executive of a low cost carrier. The Jammu and Kashmir government said on Saturday that all incoming passengers will have to undergo "administrative quarantine" for a fortnight. Similarly, the Kerala government said on Friday that all flyers will be put into 14 days' home quarantine and that it has made an exception for those coming for business purposes or for a short duration. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had said all incoming passengers will be put in home quarantine for 14 days while the Bihar government said that travellers will be put on "paid quarantine" for the same period. Passengers coming to Andhra Pradesh would be put under home quarantine, said the state government, adding that once their test results for COVID-19 come negative, they will be relieved from quarantine. The Assam government on Friday said it will be putting flyers on a 14-day quarantine. The passengers might be distributed equally in home quarantine and government quarantine, it clarified. Karnataka government's health ministry made it clear said that anyone coming from states where there is "high prevalence" of COVID-19 will be kept in institutional quarantine for seven days and if tested COVID-negative, the passenger will have to spend the next seven days in home quarantine. Karnataka has classified Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as "high prevalence" states. The passengers coming through remaining states in the country to Karnataka will have to undergo 14 days of home quarantine. However, the Karnataka health department clarified that special cases where businessmen are coming for urgent work will not require to undergo any quarantine if they bring test results that are not more than two days old and show them COVID-negative. Puri's announcement on Wednesday that airlines will resume domestic passenger flights from Monday came as a big breather for the aviation sector. Saujanya Shrivastava, Chief Operating Officer - Flights, MakeMyTrip and Goibibo, said: "With domestic flights taking off after 61 days of lockdown, there is an understandable apprehension amongst flyers. That said, we expect the situation to smoothen out as flyers gradually get attuned to the new safety protocols." Aloke Bajpai, Co-founder and CEO of Ixigo, a flight booking platform, said,"There is still no official directive from state governments or airlines regarding quarantine protocols for different cities. We are closely monitoring the situation and will update our users on any official mandate which might affect their travel plan." In the meantime, the Health Ministry on Sunday issued guidelines for domestic travel, advising passengers to download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile devices and asking states to ensure thermal screening at the departure point of airports, railway stations and bus terminals. Asymptomatic passengers should be permitted to travel after being asked to self-monitor for 14 days, the ministry said. Dos and Don'ts shall be provided along with tickets to travellers by the agencies concerned, said the ministry's guidelines for domestic travel (air/train/inter-state bus travel). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) McGee Group, a London-based, Irish-founded and owned demolition firm that has worked on many landmark and well-known buildings there, has become an employee-owned company. The firm, which was founded in 1959 by Longford native Tom McGee, had revenues of 112m (100m) and a profit of 8.37m in its most recent accounts for 2018. It has worked on some of the city's biggest construction projects, including the Lloyd's building, the British Library, Heathrow and Gatwick airports, Harrod's, Tate Britain, Wimbledon, several tube stations and Battersea Power Station. For the five-star Claridge's Hotel - to whose owners developer Paddy McKillen is a consultant - the firm worked 24 hours a day on an award-winning so-called iceberg basement, creating 65,000 sq ft of additional space containing a spa, swimming pool, wine cellar and other facilities. Extending five storeys underneath the existing grade-two listed building, it has been acclaimed around the world as a considerable feat of engineering, having been overseen by Donegal man Jim Mackey and his daughter Michelle. McGee Group said there will be no change to how it operates day to day. "This secures the future of the business, continuing the legacy that our father started in 1959, and rewards our employees who have made the business the success it is today," said chairman Brian McGee. The McGee family will continue to support the business. Tom McGee - the third generation of the family - has joined the company board. "At this time of crisis in the industry, our transition to employee ownership will serve as fuel for our business and will help enable us to emerge stronger," said managing director Seb Fossey. Every employee of the business with at least a year's continuous employment has become a beneficiary of the new employee-owned trust. A new bonus scheme, linked to the profit of a group holding company, will see employees eligible to receive a bonus of up to 3,600. The Governor of Kano State, Umar Ganduje reportedly attended the Eid-il Fitr prayers held today, accompanied by his Deputy, Nasiru Gawuna. The prayers are said to be the first attended by His Highness the Emir of Kano and Chairman of the Kano State Council of Emirs Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero. Viewers of the Twitter post by a user simply identified as Dawisu commented on the lack of social distancing, and the obvious gap between the elites present, and the masses crowded outside. His Excellency, Governor Umar Ganduje and his Deputy His Excellency Dr. Nasiru Yisuf Gawuna attended the Eid-il Fitr Prayers today, which was also the first Eid prayer of His Highness the Emir of Kano and Chairman of the Kano State Council of Emirs Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero. The prayers were led by the Chief Imam of Kano, the post is captioned. H.E @GovUmarGanduje and his Deputy H.E @DGawuna attended the Eid-il Fitr Prayers today, which was also the first Eid prayer of His Highness the Emir of Kano and Chairman of the Kano State Council of Emirs Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero. The prayers were led by the Chief Imam of Kano. pic.twitter.com/xBo0uOZe6F Peacock (@dawisu) May 24, 2020 Social Distancing (inside Cubicle) Zero Social Distancing (Outside Cubicle) Hypocrite at its peak, one user replied beneath the post. Social Distancing (inside Cubicle) Zero Social Distancing (Outside Cubicle) Hypocrite at its peak.? Madam O TO GE (@MissOzil10) May 24, 2020 The poor people outside the cubicle doesnt matter in the scheme of life, another user responded. The poor people outside the cubicle doesnt matter in the scheme of life. DEMAGOGUE PhD.?senior advocat? (@von_Bismack) May 24, 2020 Kano Elites in VIP section, observing the social distancing as recommended by WHO and observed by @HaramainInfo, d rest sai dai ta Allah. Ko face mask ma babu ballantana social distancing.Haba yakamata ace anyi advocating wa mutane akan hakan. Taya Allah kiwo, yafi Allah na nan Farida Ujudud Shariff (@FaridaShariff) May 24, 2020 By Express News Service CHENNAI: Chennai police are yet to narrow down on the 45-year-old coronavirus positive patient who had fled from the Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital (RGGH) on Friday An official source informed The New Indian Express that during the time of the admission, the patient gave a fake address without a phone number. "He just mentioned his area as Ayanavaram with a door number which was fake. He apparently told the hospital staff that neither he nor his family members use a cellphone." "He volunteered himself for testing at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital as he was sick and was admitted because he was showing symptoms," police sources said. However, it was not clear whether the patient absconded after his result came back positive or his result came after he absconded from the hospital. This is the second such incident of a COVID-19 patient absconding from the RGGGH. Last month, a mentally disturbed patient who was under treatment for COVID-19 managed to escape and walk back to his house in Pullianthope. At that time, the Chennai Corporation officials and police personnel convinced him and brought him back to the hospital after a day of struggle. Una : , May 24 (IANS) Optimum production of potatoes this season has brought cheers on the faces of growers of Una district in Himachal Pradesh as they were apprehensive about its harvesting and marketing owing to the nationwide lockdown amid coronavirus pandemic. Officials with the state Agriculture Department said in the state's prominent food bowl Una district the potato production during the Rabi season was 13,830 tonnes, a bumper for the second consecutive time. The potato sowing area was 922 hectares this time, slightly less than 947 hectares in the previous Kharif season. In the previous season, its yield was 14,205 tonnes. The cash crop potatoes grown in the hill state, twice in a year, sell like hot cakes in the markets of the north Indian states of Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana and Delhi. "Most of the farmers in the area were initially apprehensive about the marketing of the crop that was bumper this season," Satinder Bains, a prominent potato grower on the outskirts of Una town, told IANS. He said there was also a shortage of labour as a majority of them migrated to their native places with the nationwide lockdown began on March 25. "But the state government came to the rescue of farmers by providing timely lockdown passes so that they could sell their produce in the market," Bains added. Another farmer Karamvir Gill of Amb tehsil said with the transport arrangements also helped marketing of produce in the neighbouring states where the crop commanded comparatively good price. Agriculture Department Deputy Director Suresh Kapoor told IANS the government had provided Kufri Jyoti potato seed variety to the growers in the Una district and its yield was bumper this season. He said the farmers are currently getting the price between Rs 1,800 and Rs 2,200 per quintal of potato and it is highly remunerative. Kapoor said the farmers were in despair about the crop. They feared the crop would rot in the fields owing to the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown. The department made special arrangements for its harvesting and marketing. Over 4,400 curfew passes were issued to the farmers and labourers by the department to harvest their crops and then market it. He said the department had also made arrangements to provide the masks and hand sanitizers free of cost to the growers and also educated about the social distancing to contain the coronavirus. Now the department has made preparations for sowing of Kharif crop in the district. For this, it has procured maize, jowar and millet seeds and they will be provided to farmers with 50 per cent subsidy, the official added. Potato is one of the major cash crops grown in the lower and mid-hills of the state. Una district alone harvests potatoes nearly 900 hectares, besides cultivating wheat on 29,000 hectares. The production of potatoes in the state was 1.87 lakh tonnes in 2018-19 as against 1.99 lakh tonnes in 2017-18, according to the state Economic Survey for 2019-20. Besides Una district, the table potato is also cultivated in Bilaspur, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, Solan and Kullu districts. The Lahaul Valley in Lahaul-Spiti district is known for producing virus-free potatoes that mainly find a market for plantation. Currently, potatoes are being retailed at Rs 25-30 per kg in the region. Himachal Pradesh annually earns Rs 2,500 crore from the cultivation of vegetables, while horticulture generates more than Rs 3,200 crore annually. (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in) The COVID-19 stay-home order came at an especially hard time for the Kelso-Longview areas small Islamic community, as it overlapped with Ramadan, the month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community. But local Imam Brian Shaheed is staying positive for the Masjid Al-Rahman, the only mosque in Cowlitz County. Only about 15 to 20 regularly visit the mosque for Friday services, Shaheed said, though travelers on the freeway occasionally stop by. For now, members of the mosque are praying at home and keeping in touch by email, Shaheed said. Theres no safe way to practice social-distancing prayer in the small West Kelso mosque, and Shaheed doesnt want to resume in-person prayer until its absolutely safe to do so under the governors order. Outlined explicitly in our faith, were very anti-social distancing, Shaheed said with a laugh. In our prayer, you stand feet-to-feet, shoulder-to-shoulder. Masjid Al-Rahman is just one of more than 150 local faith groups adjusting to a new world of worship. Theyve struggled with the loss of seeing each other in person and performing important rites. But for some, its been a chance to find new ways to reach their congregation. And for many, keeping the faith becomes more meaningful in times of hardship. Praying together, in person, is essential to their service, Shaheed said. So theres no real way to hold services online. And the pandemic coincides with the end of the month of Ramadan and the celebration of Eid al Fitr this weekend, when Muslims end their fast. We have huge banquets where we get together. Family members see each other. We travel oftentimes. We share gifts. So, unable to gather and celebrate, the congregation has been understanding but dismayed, Shaheed said: Its kind of like canceling Christmas. Shaheed converted to Islam in 1996 at the age of 19. Hes lived in the area since 2002 and graduated from Lower Columbia College and Whitman College in Walla Walla, where he studied religion. Since then, hes worked as a Muslim chaplain for inmates at state penitentiaries. Hes also a stay-at-home dad for two disabled children and does web design and computer maintenance work on the side. The community set up the mosque around 2011. There have been Muslims in the area since at least the seventies, Shaheed said, but they used to visit Vancouver or Portland for services. We dont have a neon sign saying Muslims are here right outside our mosque, he said with a laugh. Weve just wanted to be like any other community member. There was apprehension in starting a mosque in such a small, primarily Christian community, Shaheed acknowledged. Hes received death and bomb threats at an interfaith religious gathering in Vancouver and been told to Go back to your country. Im from California, he said. I know it seems like another country. But the community has been incredibly supportive locally, Shaheed said. Kelso PD reached out to them in the aftermath of the 2019 New Zealand Christchurch mosque shootings. Theyre part of an interfaith community with other local groups. And in the only troubling incident theyve had a drunk man who shouted terrorists one evening that man came back about a week and a half later to apologize and shake hands, Shaheed said. The shutdown is a situation Shaheed has never experienced in his faith, but its not an unprecedented challenge in Islams history. We view it as a very difficult trial from God," Shaheed said. Will we give up, turn our backs, fall into despair? Or will we become better from this and actually increase our faith? Thats the test for us. Before the virus, Kelsos First Baptist Church had never held a video service, and the best recordings it had were on cassette tapes. But the last few months have warranted a technology upgrade, Pastor Bill Hale said. Over the last three months, theyve gone from using an iPhone to installing new video equipment. Theyre now recording services to the church website, Facebook and Youtube, and are even looking at going live. This is a big step for this church, Hale said. Father Bryan Ochs, the pastor of St. Rose and several other Catholic churches in the area, said the church now holds English and Spanish Facebook live streams every Sunday. Around 120 to 160 households tune into the English Mass and roughly 40 to 70 tune into Spanish Mass, Ochs said. But virtual services cant replace everything. Obviously, you miss the people, Hale said. You miss being able to banter with them. One gentlemen comes in, has a couple of jokes (or) the hugs from some of the little old ladies that grab hold and wont let go. Parishioners cant fully receive Communion over a screen, Ochs said. Thats the biggest setback to watching a live stream or Mass on video, Ochs said. Its huge. Its sort of the most important aspect of Catholic worship, and since they cant receive Communion, thats the big difference. We offer a prayer called the act of spiritual Communion, but ... it falls beneath the actual experience of receiving Communion. Theres really no substitute for that. But social distance might produce spiritual hunger for the real deal, Ochs said. When we are able to return to in-person Masses, I believe peoples desire for Communion will be stronger. I think their participation in the Mass will be, for many people, stronger than it was before the pandemic, he said. Online turnout is only about a quarter of the Kelso First Baptist Churchs regular attendance, Hale said, partially because its an older congregation that isnt as technologically connected as younger generations. But curiously, theyre getting far more views, and from a wide range of ages, on Youtube. Hale said that indicates there may be more people tuning in who wouldnt otherwise have stepped into church before. Were a little congregation, he said. Its not a secret that the younger generation coming up now has ... kind of a general distrust of organized religion. They are tuning in from living rooms, or wherever theyre isolating or watching, but they would have never ever stepped foot into our church. ... Theres not that stigma of Gee, I dont fit in here. Both Ochs and Hale said they plan to continue live-streaming services even after the pandemic subsides. Theyre looking forward to in-person services but will be patient and wait until its safe and legal under the governors order to do so. Were convinced that we would follow whatever the state rules mandate, Hale said. I would feel real bad if the church tried to jump the gun or ignored them, and you were the cause of an outbreak. He anticipated they might open sometime in June, and may add a second service in order to keep the congregations from being too crowded. And Ochs, Hale and Shaheed all said their finances have not withered under the strain of the disease and the governors order. People have been really generous, Ochs said. Some people have let us know that theyre not able to give like they used to, but weve gotten some bigger than normal gifts too, so were holding steady in terms of our giving. A member of the Masjid Al-Rahman congregation owns the mosque building, and they have only modest utility costs, Shaheed said. Kelso First Baptist started the year with donations down slightly, but their giving doubled in the first month of COVID-19 restrictions, Hale said, and has remained high. So we were greatly, greatly appreciative and feel blessed, He said. Giving waxes and wanes. ... We started the year off low, and when COVID hit, I thought, boy, we were going be in trouble. (But) people stepped in. Love 5 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 4 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. A students father has brought a class-action lawsuit against Rutgers University, seeking refunds for tuition, fees and room and board after the school moved classes online to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. The suit, filed May 20 in Middlesex County Superior Court, accuses the university of breach of contract, unjust enrichment and conversion for continuing to reap the financial benefit of millions of dollars from students." Colleges first announced they would conduct classes remotely in March, with many making the call before Gov. Phil Murphy ordered all schools in the state to close. But as the coronavirus continued to spread, ultimately hitting New Jersey harder than any other state but New York, colleges canceled in-person instruction for the rest of the semester and postponed graduation ceremonies. The suit follows a national trend, as institutions like Boston University, Vanderbilt University, Brown University and others face such accusations. Another student brought similar action against Montclair State University late last month. While many say they understand the public health need to empty campuses, they say colleges cant justify high price tags for online education. We understand that universities have been put under unforeseen circumstances and had to act quickly in the face of the pandemic, but we also believe that is no excuse to ignore the rights of students and others paying for access to campus amenities, in-person education and all the other benefits commonly afforded to them in a typical semester, Steve Berman, an attorney for the students, said in a statement. The suit was filed by a man identified only as John Doe, the father of a student enrolled at Rutgers during the spring 2020 semester. It claims the student missed opportunities to view videos or listen to recorded lectures because professors sometimes sent links incompatible with her computer. Instead, she had to rely on lecture slides with bullet points as a substitute for the classroom experience. As students left campus, they also lost use of university resources, like the library, health facility and certain technology, the claim states. In March, Rutgers announced it would give students prorated refunds for room and board, beginning March 23. But according to the lawsuit, many students had to leave their dorms on March 12. The action demands the university give room and board refunds for those days, too. Rutgers charges in-state students $15,407 a year for tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $32,189, according to its admissions site. As some students and their families face lost income following the economic shutdown of the state, a rising number have called for refunds. Earlier this month, a state senator introduced a bill that would require colleges and universities to issue 25% tuition refunds to students for the spring semester. But colleges say they feel the crunch, too, as state and federal funding dries up and they must act quickly to make their campuses as safe as possible amid the outbreak. And even though the campus buildings sit empty, they remain costly to maintain. Many colleges face multi-million dollar budget gaps that could result in layoffs as well as reductions in financial aid, course offerings and campus services. Montclair State has already had to close its School of Conservation. As the schools look to the fall, many do not know if they can open their campuses entirely, and some students have hesitated to commit to the pricey institutions when the offerings remain unclear. A Rutgers spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Amanda Hoover may be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. India on Sunday welcomed the announcement of a three-day ceasefire in Afghanistan by the Taliban and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the occasion of Eid, and hoped that it will be extended further to pave the way for durable peace and stability in the country. The Taliban and Ghani on Saturday announced a three-day ceasefire ahead of Eid. The Ministry of External Affairs said India stands with the people of Afghanistan in their quest for enduring peace, security, sovereignty and prosperity. "India welcomes the understanding reached for a ceasefire in Afghanistan for three days during the Eid," the Ministry of External Affairs said. "We hope that this ceasefire would extend further and become permanent to address the dire humanitarian situation resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and pave the way for durable peace and stability for the people of Afghanistan," it said in a statement. India has been keenly watching the evolving political situation after the US inked a peace deal with the Taliban in February. The deal provided for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, effectively drawing curtains to Washington's 18-year war in the country. The US has lost over 2,400 soldiers in Afghanistan since late 2001. India has been a key stakeholder in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan controlled. India has also been maintaining that care should be taken to ensure that any such process does not lead to any "ungoverned spaces" where terrorists and their proxies can relocate. India has been calling upon all sections of the political spectrum in Afghanistan to work together to meet the aspirations of all people in that country including those from the minority community for a prosperous and safe future. There have been global concerns over Pakistan's support to Taliban and other terror groups operating in Afghanistan. Days before inking of the peace deal between the US and Taliban, India conveyed to the Trump administration that pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terror networks operating from its soil must be kept up. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hong Kong, a financial centre less known for its biotechnology industry and even less for its expertise in animal health technologies, is home to one company with global ambitions in the animal vaccine business. Pacific GeneTech this month partnered with Rhode Island, US-based EpiVax to develop vaccines for African swine fever (ASF), said CEO Tim Collard, who started his pharmaceutical career in the 1970s at Connaught Laboratories, which supplied vaccines to Hong Kong. "EpiVax has developed computational and genetic tools to develop vaccines for humans and animals, to facilitate selection of the best components from circulating viruses for making vaccines," he said in an interview. "Many vaccines being pursued are unlikely to be effective because ASF is a very tricky virus with multiple strains, which has caused big problems in Asia, Russia and parts of Europe ... it is a matter of time before it spreads to the United States." The EpiVax approach is based on a strategy to provide immunity through antibodies that neutralise the virus, and also induce immune cells to kill it, he noted. Antibodies can no longer reach the virus once it enters the cell. Pacific GeneTech plans to conduct its "proof-of-concept" clinical trial on 120 pigs in high-security facilities in North America, which is expected to cost up to US$500,000. It also hopes to do trials in Vietnam, China, Europe and Russia. ASF has resulted in hundreds of millions of pigs either dying or being culled globally. No effective vaccine has been commercialised. China has seen ASF cases rising recently as the easing of coronavirus pandemic lockdowns has freed up the movement of livestock and people, noted Rabobank senior analyst Christine McCracken. "Given continued ASF challenges in China, we maintain our view that pork production will decline by 15 to 20 per cent this year, which will support strong pork prices and imports," she wrote in a report. China's pork prices are more than double what they were a year ago. Story continues Globally, some 15 research institutes in eight nations are conducting ASF vaccine research using six different technologies with varying safety and efficacy profiles, according to a Dongxing Securities report. Phibro Animal Health, based in New Jersey, US, said last year it has made "significant" progress in developing an ASF vaccine by identifying epitopes " key parts of antigens recognisable by pigs' immune systems " that showed "strong potential" to form the basis for a vaccine. Commercialisation is not expected until three to five years later, it added. Researchers at Harbin Veterinary Research Institute " a unit of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences " said in February in a paper published in the China Life Sciences journal they have developed a safe and effective vaccine. It is a live vaccine with weakened virulence, which can be removed entirely by the body within two weeks, they said. Scaled production is "feasible and cost effective" since each piglet can produce at least 200,000 doses from bone marrow cells, they added, without saying when it may be field tested and whether it is effective on multiple virus strains. The institute did not respond to faxed queries. The global ASF vaccine market could one day be worth US$1 billion to US$2 billion, according to an estimate by investment advisory firm Guggenheim Partners' analyst David Westenberg, cited by Animal Pharm. In China, the world's biggest pigs breeder and consumer, the market potential of an ASF vaccine could exceed 5 billion yuan, estimated Dongxing's analyst Cheng Shiyue. When it was founded, Pacific GeneTech licensed from a consortium of North American universities vaccine technologies that could potentially provide protection against multiple strains and species of pathogens. It has developed an avian vaccine against Salmonella bacteria, which is pending US regulatory approval and was last month licensed to Iowa-based Kemin Industries for international development and commercialisation. Pacific GeneTech has raised over US$10 million from investors, including San Francisco-based AVG Ventures, Taiwan's Yuanta Asia Investments and Indonesian poultry pharmaceutical and vaccine producer Medion. Co-founded in 2009 by Louis Bowen " chairman of investment firm Asia Capital Management and a former Citigroup banker " it has 12 staff in Hong Kong, Kansas City in the US, and Oxford, UK. 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. Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], May 24 (ANI): As many as 93 nationals arrived in Madhya Pradesh's Indore from London on Sunday morning in a special Air India flight which has been spearheading the government's ambitious 'Vande Bharat' mission to bring stranded citizens back home owing to the covid lockdown. All passengers were examined for the virus by the authorities of the state health department at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport in Indore. Dr. Amit Malakar told ANI that after the checking procedures, arrangements were made for all passengers to send them to different cities, where they would remain in quarantine for 14 days. The passengers who belonged to Indore city itself have also been sent to quarantine centers. The evacuations are being conducted under the second phase of 'Vande Bharat' mission which was initiated on May 16 and aims to bring stranded Indians from 40 different countries across the globe. More countries have been added in the second phase of Vande Bharat Mission. Now, stranded and distressed Indians from Finland, South Korea, Belgium, New Zealand, Netherlands, Kenya, Mauritius, Spain, Myanmar, Maldives, Egypt and Sri Lanka will also be able to return on special flights, according to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. (ANI) Michael Jones and Lester Lofton, who often have lunch together at Colliers Ferry Park, kicked off Memorial Day weekend by sitting. Im not planning on doing anything special, said Jones, as the two friends waited under one of the parks picnic pavilions, holding the space for a group having a get-together later in the afternoon. Both men said they would normally spend the holiday weekend with a group, family or friends, but both knew things would be different this year due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lofton said people in public seem to be acting more responsibly, but he remains worried they arent respecting each others space sufficiently. Hes not the only Southeast Texan playing it safe. The staff at Forest Lawn Memorial Park is not inviting the public to its annual Memorial Day ceremony for the first time since the tradition began nearly 70 years ago. The day in photos: SE Texas Scouts pay Memorial Day tribute General manager Danny Blanchard said it will instead live-stream the event, including speakers and a small group of guests laying wreaths at the military monument there, on Forest Lawns Facebook page. Its tough, but everything has been tough lately, Blanchard said. The funerals we do and the people we serve, were trying to do the best we can to comfort people. It saddens us not being able to do the full ceremony. Scouts from five groups across the area met at Forest Lawn Saturday morning to place around 6,000 flags at veterans graves. In Kountze, another business usually in high demand during the holiday also had to make some tough decisions. Ronnie Stockholm, owner of Indian Springs Campground, said he turned some campers away so he could maintain a safe distance between guests. It's one of those things where people want to get and go camping, but you are limited to where you can put them and still give them some kind of privacy, he said. We want the ones who are here to have some kind of peace of mind. Doing so left the park filled at just 25% to 30% capacity. Stockholm said he decided on spacing out campers after consulting with Hardin County Judge Wayne McDaniel. He said he especially hates to turn away the senior citizens looking for a place to spend the weekend where their grandchildren can play. Luckily, the campground is close enough to the recently opened trails at the Big Thicket National Preserve so people can enjoy the outdoors without overlapping too much in the park. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox Another holiday tradition seems to be surviving this year. At Charlies Bar-B-Que on College Street in Beaumont, owner Charles Brewer said orders for links, ribs and brisket had been coming in since Tuesday and were still coming in on Saturday. Demand for smoky Memorial Day food even seems a little higher than usual, Brewr said. His biggest challenge has been a shortage of meat, especially brisket, available from suppliers. Ive had to put a limit on some of the amounts per order, he said. It was pretty bad. I had to go between Houston and Silsbee searching meat markets for enough meat. Its gotten a lot better now. Charlies, which last year made the Texas Monthlys list of 25 Best New and Improved Barbecue Joints, is still drive-thru only right now. But Brewer said he is looking forward to the day he can invite guests back. I know people would rather sit and eat their barbecue, he said. Its not something you want to drive four or five miles with and let it get cold. You want to eat it on the spot. jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/jdickjournalism Advertisement A powerful New York Times cover features the names of 1,000 people who have died from the coronavirus - but they are just one per cent of the total death toll. The striking front page of Sunday's paper was shared across social media platforms on Saturday evening and had the headline: 'U.S. deaths near 100,000, an incalculable loss.' 'They were not simply names on a list. They were us,' the page reads. Attached to each person's name is their age and a few details about their lives. A powerful New York Times cover for Sunday's edition features 1,000 names of people who have died from the coronavirus Names continue to be listed inside, along with an essay from Times reporter Dan Barry. The project was spearheaded by Simone Landon, assistant editor of the Graphics desk for the New York Times , who wanted to show the 'vastness and the variety of lives lost' The project was spearheaded by Simone Landon, assistant editor of the Graphics desk for the New York Times, who wanted to show the 'vastness and the variety of lives lost.' Landon and her colleagues also felt that 'both among ourselves and perhaps in the general reading public, there's a little bit of a fatigue with the data,' the New York Times reports. 'We knew we were approaching this milestone,' Landon added. 'We knew that there should be some way to try to reckon with that number.' Landon thought of the idea of compiling obituaries and death notices of coronavirus victims, using clips from newspapers across the United States. She was against using dots or stick figures to represent the deaths because it 'doesn't really tell you very much about who these people were, the lives that they lived, what it means for us as a country.' Researcher Alain Delaqueriere assisted in compiling the names by combing through online obituaries and death notices that had coronavirus listed as the cause of death. 'NOT SIMPLY NAMES ON A LIST' Clair Dunlap, 89, Washington, pilot still teaching people to fly at 88. Richard Passman, 94, Silver Spring, Md., rocket engineer in the early days of supersonic flight. Fred Walter Gray, 75, Benton County, Wash., liked his bacon and hash browns crispy. Alan Finder, 72, Ridgewood, N.J. unflappable New York Times journalist. Romi Cohn, 91, New York City, saved 56 Jewish families from the Gestapo. Lorena Borjas, 59, New York City, transgender immigrant activist. Albert Petrocelli, 73, New York City, fire chief who answered the call on 9/11. Lila A. Fenwick, 87, New York City, first black woman to graduate from Harvard Law School. Leo Sreebny, 98, Seattle, preferred bolo ties to neckties, suspenders to belts. Timothy Branscomb, 32, Chicago, always busy looking out for others. Advertisement A team of editors and three graduate student journalists then assisted in going through the 1,000 names he compiled, pulling information about each person. Marc Lacey, National editor for The Times, informed chief executive officer Tom Bodkin that the milestone was approaching. 'I wanted something that people would look back on in 100 years to understand the toll of what we're living through,' Lacey said. Bodkin had two ideas for the page: either a grid of hundreds of pictures for those who have died from the virus or an 'all type' concept. He noted that he did not remember a front page without images during his 40 years at The Times. Students in Years 2-10 head back to their classrooms on Monday, marking the final stage of the reopening of Queensland schools after more than a month of learning from home. In further good news for Queensland children, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Sunday announced community sporting clubs could restart "small group training" from 11.59pm on June 12. A school student wears a surgical mask as he returns to the classroom. Credit:Dan Peled - AAP Queensland had one new COVID-19 case on Sunday, a patient from Cairns in the state's far north, which had been a hot spot of community transmission, along with Brisbane and the Gold Coast. "Its only a late positive, so we are not too concerned about that but we will be getting some further updates tomorrow [Monday] from the Chief Health Officer about that," Ms Palaszczuk said. San Antonio artist Lisa Nigros Phoenix Rising sculpture, a 12-foot-tall winged creation featuring a flamethrower to make it breathe fire, appeared at last years Burning Man counterculture celebration in Nevadas Black Rock Desert. Its the last time she laid eyes on the steel bird. Nigro, 57, accuses the movers she paid to ship the sculpture back to San Antonio of trying to get her to pay additional monies for its return. Shes suing the movers and the companies that were allegedly involved in arranging the move to get the sculpture and other belongings back. If anything weirds gonna happen, it always happens to me, Nigro said with a laugh. This is pretty weird. Seriously, you dont want to give me my stuff? Youre trying to milk an artist? I dont understand where this guys coming from. Related: Prep early to avoid moving scams and mishaps Nigro built Phoenix Rising mostly with 55-gallon steel drums. Its more than 30 feet long and has a wingspan of about 25 feet. It was primarily funded by Burning Man, the annual event that attracts celebrities, wealthy tech execs and social media influencers. Inspiration for the sculpture came from our need as humans to shed our skin, destroy what is old and regenerate through the mythos of the Phoenix Rising from its own ashes to re-emerge anew, according to a website about the sculpture. The sculpture took about nine months to complete. Nigro estimates that its value is anywhere from $50,000 to $70,000. The sculpture now is believed to be stored in a trailer somewhere in North Texas. Last summer, when Nigro wanted to ship the sculpture to the Burning Man event, she said a friend referred her to Houston-based Lower 48 Transport Property Services LLC, an interstate property broker. Lower 48 isnt authorized to broker interstate shipments, the website of the U.S. Transportation Departments Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shows. The companys operating authority was involuntarily revoked in 2017, apparently for failure to provide proof of insurance. Nevertheless, Nigro had no issues with the carrier, which transported the sculpture to Nevada. She would liked to have had the same carrier for the return trip, but a broken truck axle nixed that plan. Setting up the sculptures return trip oddly involved three additional parties. According to Nigros lawsuit, Lower 48 brokered a contract with Patton National Enterprises Inc., an interstate general freight carrier based in Lufkin, to ship the sculpture. The FMCSAs website shows that Patton currently does not have authority to operate. A Patton representative didnt respond to a request for comment. Patton, through Lower 48, dispatched the job to Lubbock-based Brooks Transportation LLC. It assigned the job to Mesquite driver Fernando Perez, the suit says. The complaint describes him as an independent contractor with his own truck. Albert Brooks, Brooks Transportations principal, said Perez used his companys name without permission for the job. I didnt havent anything to do with it, Brooks said. He dragged me into it by using my name. Records show Alejandrina Ramirez, identified in the suit as Perezs wife, incorporated Perez Transport LLC in 2015. But no Mesquite company by that name shows up in a search of the websites of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and FMCSA. Perez arrived at the Burning Man event with Ramirez and four children to transport the sculpture. After loading the sculpture and Nigros other property, including equipment, flame-effect components and camping gear, Perez told her she would need to pay him an additional $1,000 on top of the original $3,000 charge. He also required the payment upfront rather than after delivery, as the contract specified, the suit says. He definitely tried to extort more out of her than what the contract was worth, said San Antonio attorney Jon Powell, who represents Nigro. Texas Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox Nigro wrote two checks to Ramirez. Later, after seeing in the contract that she was supposed to pay on delivery, Nigro placed a stop payment on the checks as a means to protect herself from fraud, the suit says. Payment was stopped on the $3,000 check, but not on the $1,000 check, she said. Nigro said she was under a lot of pressure to get the sculpture out of Black Rock Desert, which is a national conservation area. She said she also couldnt call anyone because of limited cellphone service. She told Perez what she had done. He then refused to return the sculpture and other items unless she sent payment using an app. A $2,500 payment was accepted, and Nigro received a receipt, the suit says. Perez made a criminal complaint with Nevada law enforcement, alleging that Nigro had passed hot checks, the suit says. No charges were ever filed against Nigro, Powell said. An email and phone call to Perez were not returned. Lower 48 principal Nicholas Susco was upset with Nigro, saying she wasnt honest about the amount of belongings she wanted shipped and for writing two hot checks. She wants to blame other people for her not paying her bills, Susco said. Nigro is suing Lower 48, Patton, Brooks Transportation, Perez and Ramirez for fraud, breaches of contract, violations of the states Deceptive Trade Practices Act and defamation. The last claim relates to the allegation that she wrote hot checks. She seeks less than $200,000 in damages. The suit was filed this month in state District Court in San Antonio. Before the pandemic, Nigro had plans to show the sculpture at other events, including in Telluride, Colo., and Miami. If it had gotten shown in other places, that would have given me more opportunities to build other work, she said. That is the most hurtful part for me as an artist. Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. To read more from Patrick, become a subscriber. pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD One man was pronounced dead and another faces homicide charges following a shooting Saturday afternoon in Allentown, authorities said. Rolando Tubens, 25, of Allentown, was shot to death about 3:39 p.m. in front of a home in the first block of East Cumberland Street, Lehigh County Chief Deputy Coroner Raymond Anthony said in a news release. Deputy Coroner Cassandra Schiffner pronounced Tubens dead at the scene at 4:26 p.m. The cause was a gunshot wound to the body, and the death was ruled a homicide. Allentown police investigators identified the alleged gunman as 40-year-old Alex De Jesus. He will face a homicide charge, as well a count of illegally possessing a firearm, Capt. Michael Becker said in a news release. De Jesus, who lives on the block where the shooting occurred, will be committed to the Lehigh County Jail without the possibility of bail on the homicide charge. A preliminary hearing will be scheduled for De Jesus to see if there is sufficient evidence to send the case toward trial in Lehigh County Court. Continuing to investigate the incident with police and the coroners office are the Lehigh County District Attorneys Office and Lehigh County Homicide Task Force. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. The government on Sunday, in its release on domestic travel, said that state governments will be able to develop their own quarantine and isolation protocols as per their assessment. This came amid concerns raised by various states as the government lifted curbs on air travel and is set to run 200 passenger trains from June 1 amid Covid-19 lockdown. States like Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Karnataka, among others, maintained that passengers arriving via domestic flights will need to be quarantined. It is comprehensive list of guidelines for passengers, undertaking domestic travel via flights, trains or through inter-state bus services amid Covid-19 lockdown, the Ministry of Health stated that all domestic travellers are required to follow social distancing at all times and wear protective masks. Aarogya Setu mobile app should be installed by all passengers. Asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to go home, observe their health for 14 days and report in case symptoms arise. Passengers displaying mild symptoms will be given the option of home isolation or to isolate at Covid-19 Care Centres at various public and private facilities. The guidelines come in the wake of resumption of domestic air services from Monday and with 100 pair of trains resuming service on June 1. Also read: Oxfords Covid-19 vaccine trial has 50% chance of success, says project leader Heres taking a quick look at the guidelines: 1) Dos and Donts shall be provided along with tickets to the travellers by the agencies concerned. 2) All passengers shall be advised to download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile devices. 3) Suitable announcement about Covid-19 including precautionary measures to be followed shall be made at airports/railway station/bus terminals and in flights/trains/bus. 4) The States/UTs shall ensure that all passengers undergo thermal screening at the point of departure and only asymptomatic passengers are allowed to board the flight/train/bus. 5) During boarding and travel, all passengers shall use face covers/mask. They will also follow hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene and maintain environmental hygiene. With domestic civil aviation starting on 25th May, here are the latest guidelines on domestic travel issued by @MoHFW_INDIA. Travellers are requested to strictly follow these self-regulatory norms & help in India's fight against #COVID19 #WeShallOvercome#IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/3xwkazvvUc MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) May 24, 2020 6) At airports/railway stations/ bus terminals required measures to ensure social distancing shall be taken. 7) Airports/railway stations/bus terminals should be regularly sanitized/disinfected and availability of soaps and sanitizers shall be ensured. 8) Thermal screening at exit point shall be arranged. 9) Asymptomatic passengers will be permitted to go with the advice that they shall self-monitor their health for 14 days. In case, they develop any symptoms, they shall inform the district surveillance officer or the state/national call centre (1075). 10) Those found symptomatic will be isolated and taken to the nearest health facility. They will be assessed for clinical severity at the health facility. 11) Those having moderate or severe symptoms will be admitted to dedicated Covid-19 health facilities and managed accordingly. 12) Those having mild symptoms will be given the option of home isolation or to isolate in the Covid Care Centre (both public & private facilities) as appropriate and tested as per ICMR protocol. If positive, they will continue at Covid Care Centre and will be managed as per clinical protocol. If negative, the passenger may be allowed to go home, isolate himself/herself and self monitor his/her health for further 7 days. In case, any symptoms develop they shall inform the district surveillance officer or the state/national call center (1075). A 52-year-old woman, who returned to Faridabad from London on May 16 and was lodged in a quarantine facility, tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Saturday. According to the district administration, this is the first instance of foreign returnees found to be Covid-positive in the district. Officials said upon her return, she was placed under quarantine in a three-star hotel in Faridabad. Thirteen new coronavirus cases were reported from the district on Sunday, taking the districts tally to 208. Yashpal Yadav, deputy commissioner, Faridabad, said that during her 14 days quarantine period, her samples were taken again and she has tested positive. We have shifted her to a room in a hotel in Faridabad and have placed her in isolation, he said. He said there are 221 foreign returnees in Faridabad who had landed in Delhi this month and were placed in quarantine in different hotels in the city. Ten people were shifted to Sonipat, two were shifted to Nuh, four to Jind, and 61 to other districts. Ten people were released after they completed their 14-days quarantine period, said Yadav. The health department said a total of 134 people are currently in quarantine ward in ESIC Medical College and Hospital, out of which 110 tests were conducted and one woman was found to be positive. According to officials, the district has so far recorded 208 cases of coronavirus, of which 115 people have recovered. The administration last week had added 12 new areas to the revised list of containment zones, while two zones in the district were de-notified after no Covid-19 cases were reported from these areas in the last 28 days. The deputy commissioner further said, We had sent the samples of 9,288 people, of which 208 tested positive and the results of 550 are awaited. At least 80 people are currently hospitalised. The infected people have been admitted to the ESIC hospital, officials said, adding that at least 9,285 people are under home quarantine in the district and 7,449 people are on surveillance for influenza-like illnesses. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 20:06:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Members of a Chinese medical team pose for a photo upon their arrival at the airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shoubao) The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa expressed its keen interest to deepen partnership with China with particular emphasis on building Africa's socio-economic condition back to normal in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period. ADDIS ABABA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on Saturday expressed its keen interest to deepen partnership with China with particular emphasis on building Africa's socio-economic condition back to normal in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period. The remark was made by Antonio Pedro, Director of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Sub-regional Office for Central Africa, as he emphasized the need to strengthen global partnership and collaboration in building back Africa after COVID-19 pandemic. "The day after COVID-19 should not be the same as before COVID-19," Pedro said in exclusively with Xinhua on Saturday, as he recalled a similar recent remark by the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the need to build climate-friendly economies in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. "We are looking for a world that's greener with green economies and green jobs where impacts of climate change will be addressed, where our energy intensity will be reduced, and where we will have what we call the deep de-carbonization," the ECA director said. Members of a Chinese medical team pose for a group photo after donating medical supplies to Mvurwi Hospital in Mvurwi, Zimbabwe, May 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuliang) "Here, China is leading in many of these areas such as in electric cars, which will reduce carbon emissions," Pedro told Xinhua on Saturday, as he emphasized that "all of these efforts are part of the package on building back better in terms of energy transitions as well as electrification of the transport systems." "We are looking for collaboration and partnership with China on that area as well. We will facilitate Africa's participation in global value chains that we add value to our product so that we can generate more employment; because one of the unfortunate faces of COVID-19 is that the race of unemployment in Africa is already increasing," said Pedro. "It's important that in building back better, we create more jobs on the continent and this, among other things, requires industrialization," he said, adding that "we are looking forward to more of this collaboration and we appreciate the efforts that has been done so far." Commending the Chinese engagement and support to African governments and Pan-African institutions, such as the African Union, in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, the ECA director also called on countries across the globe to emulate China's positive engagement in strengthening the global solidarity against the COVID-19 pandemic. Noting the need to strengthen the global solidarity in order to effectively contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in building back better after the coronavirus pandemic, Pedro also singled out China as a major player in propelling the much-needed global partnership and collaboration towards combating the virus. "We see the Chinese engagement and the support that it is providing to African governments and to the African Union in terms of access to medical supplies, masks and other things as part of the global solidarity against the COVID-19 pandemic," Pedro told Xinhua on Saturday. Chinese Ambassador to Ghana Wang Shiting (C) donates food items to Ghana's local communities in Accra, capital of Ghana, on April 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng) According to Pedro, among the areas in which the UNEAC presently collaborating with China is the facilitation of access to business opportunities for Africa companies in China and beyond, which includes the ongoing partnership with the Chinese Alibaba Group's Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) initiative that envisaged the promotion of African products in the global market. The ECA regional director's remarks in deepening partnership with China on building Africa's socio-economic condition back to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic came as the UNECA recently disclosed that a one-month full lockdown across Africa would cost the continent about 2.5 percent of its annual GDP, equivalent to about 65.7 billion U.S. dollars per month. Earlier this month, a UNECA report entitled "COVID-19: Lockdown Exit Strategies for Africa," which indicated that at least 42 African countries applied partial or full lockdowns in their quest to curtail the pandemic, mainly proposed to African nations various COVID-19 exit strategies following the imposition of lockdowns that helped suppress the virus but with devastating economic consequences. The report, among other things, proposed seven exit strategies that provide sustainable, albeit reduced, economic activity. The report also sets out some of the exit strategies being proposed and tried around the world and outlines the risks involved for African countries. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) disclosed that the number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases across Africa surpassed 103,933 as of Saturday morning as the death toll surpassed 3,183. Some 41,473 people had also recovered from the infectious virus so far. Mangaluru, May 24 : At the end of month-long Ramadan fasting, Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated in coastal districts of Karnataka on a subdued note at homes due to ban on mass gathering in mosques amid lockdown across the southern state to contain the coronavirus spread, an official said on Sunday. "As decided by Markazi Ruet-e-Hilal committee member Maulana Maqsood Imran Rashidi sahib on Saturday after Maghrib, Eid is being celebrated in the state's coastal region today (Sunday) and on Monday in other parts of the state though the moon could not be sighted on Saturday night," said Maulana Sagheer Ahmed Rashadi in a statement here. The port city of Mangaluru is about 360km southwest of Bengaluru. The state's coastal region comprises Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu and Chikkamagalur districts off the Arabian Sea. "All the devout Muslims offered Eid prayers (namaz) at their home and greeted each other from a distance to maintain physical distancing. Attired in new clothes, all of us part-took the festival dishes, including biryani and kheer," Urdu teacher Habibur Rahman told IANS on phone. As the state government decided to enforce a strict lockdown on Sunday the people completed shopping for new dresses and groceries for the feast by Saturday evening. "This is the first time in our life we are celebrating Eid at home as we are unable go to mosque for prayers or greet others due to the extended lockdown, which also made us observe fast during the month-long Ramadan at home," recalled Rahman. The first day of Shawwal (1441 Azli Fazli) will be on Monday. In a video message, Jamia masjid Imam Maulana Abdul Aleem of Bhatkal in the northern coastal district urged the people to maintain peace and harmony and bear the inconvenience due to the lockdown with fortitude. "May this special day bring peace, blessings and happiness to all. Pray Allah to accept our prayers on the Eid," the Maulana said on the occasion. Bhatkal is about 460km northwest of Bengaluru in the southern state. The Imam also hoped (Inshallah), COVID menace would soon end so that all could get back to normal life and meet relatives and friends again. Latest updates on Eid al-Fitr 2020 -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Muslims around the world on Sunday began celebrating Eid al-Fitr, a normally festive holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, with millions under strict stay-at-home orders and many fearing renewed coronavirus outbreaks. The three-day holiday is usually a time of travel, family get-togethers and lavish daytime feasts after weeks of dawn-to-dusk fasting. But this year many can only celebrate at home with immediate family, with virus fears dampening the holiday spirit. Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, has reported nearly 22,000 infections and 1,350 fatalities, the most in Southeast Asia. Lockdown orders intended to contain the pandemic mean there will be no congregational prayers at mosques or even open fields, no family reunions, no relatives bearing gifts for children. Some countries, including Turkey, Iraq and Jordan, have imposed round-the-clock holiday curfews. But even where many restrictions have been lifted, celebrations will be subdued because of lingering fears and concerns about the economic fallout from the pandemic. The virus causes mild to moderate flu-like symptoms in most patients, who recover within two to three weeks. But it is highly contagious and can cause severe illness or death, particularly in older patients or those with underlying health conditions. In deeply conservative Aceh, Indonesia's only province enforcing Islamic law, public Eid prayers can still be performed at mosques and fields, but without shaking hands and with shortened sermons. An annual parade was scrapped this year, even though the province experienced only a small outbreak and has reported no new cases in weeks. In the rest of Indonesia, authorities have extended virus restrictions to June 4, suspending communal gatherings and banning private cars from leaving the capital, Jakarta. In neighbouring Muslim-majority Malaysia, businesses have mostly reopened after weeks of lockdown. But mass gatherings are still banned and people are not allowed to travel back to their hometowns for the holiday. Police have turned away more than 5,000 cars and have warned of strict penalties for those who try to sneak home. The pandemic has also led to the cancellation of the open house tradition, where Muslims invite family and friends to their homes for a feast. The prime minister and government officials usually host open house events that attract thousands of people. This year, the government allowed family members living nearby to visit each other on Sunday only, but the gatherings must not exceed 20 people in the same house. Mosques have reopened but are limited to small congregations of up to 30 people. Rohaizam Zainuddin said he felt blessed he could celebrate Eid with his elderly parents living nearby, but his sister in another state could not return home. We feel sad and, being human, we are frustrated that celebration this year is not the same," he said. "But there is no point getting angry. We just have to accept it, life goes on. He and his family members are still wearing new clothes and preparing traditional dishes. Plates of cookies are set out for any visitors, alongside a thermometer and hand sanitizer. Malaysia has reported 7,185 infections and 115 deaths. In Pakistan, Eid is being celebrated in the shadow of the coronavirus and in the wake of a passenger plane crash near Karachi on Friday that killed 97 people. For the first time, Pakistan is celebrating Eid countrywide on the same day, ending an annual controversy between rival committees over the moon sighting that signals the start of the holiday. Pakistan has taken measures to control the spread of the coronavirus since mid-March, but Prime Minister Imran Khan refused to close mosques during Ramadan, despite pleas from doctors and a rising number of infections. Pakistan has reported more than 52,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths. More than 1,000 worshippers gathered and prayed shoulder-to-shoulder in a open field in Karachi on Sunday, with only a few of them wearing masks. In neighbouring Afghanistan, the government and Taliban insurgents announced a three-day cease-fire in honour of the holiday. Iran, which is battling the deadliest outbreak in the Middle East, allowed communal prayers at some mosques but cancelled the annual mass Eid prayers in Tehran led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has reported over 130,000 cases and more than 7,000 deaths. Virus restrictions also remain in place in the mostly-Muslim Balkan countries of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. Naim Ternava, the mufti of Kosovo's Islamic community, led prayers in a mosque in front of a small group of imams sitting 1.5 meters (yards) apart, with the sermon broadcast outside on loudspeakers. In the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, mosques reopened on May 6 after seven weeks of lockdown. Worshippers must wear masks and practice social distancing, and older individuals are urged to continue praying at home. In Jerusalem, Israeli police said they broke up an illegal demonstration and arrested two people outside the Al-Aqsa mosque, which Muslim authorities have closed for prayers since mid-March and will not reopen until after the holiday. Al-Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam and would ordinarily welcome tens of thousands of worshippers during the Eid. The hilltop compound is also the holiest site for Jews, who know it as the Temple Mount. The site has long been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 05:48:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Burak Akinci ANKARA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Turkish producers hail China's decision to give the green-light for imports of Turkey's milk and dairy products as it will be a vital income for producers who have seriously felt the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was announced on Thursday by Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan. "The obstacles in exports of milk and dairy products have been lifted," she said in a series of tweets. The minister said that 54 Turkish companies have been cleared to start exports to China, which is one of the world's largest dairy importers. According to a separate statement by the trade ministry, Turkish dairy companies exported products worth of 364 million U.S. dollars around the world in 2019. The ministry said that Turkey will continue its efforts to ensure market diversity and increase the market share of its agricultural products, especially dairy products, such as butter, milk and milk powder, in China. Setbir, Turkey's milk, meat and food industrialists and manufacturers association, welcomed the start of exports to China as "very important for our producers who are suffering from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic." "This is a very important development for our industry and we have to make the most of it by exporting quality products to China which is a major market," Setbir president Tarik Tezel said in an interview to A Para broadcaster. Tezel indicated that the Turkish dairy sector had been impacted by the plummeting exports over the coronavirus pandemic. "Exports of milk and dairy products dropped considerably during the last months, putting pressure on producers," he remarked. "Our target should be to remain a sustainable supplier of the Chinese market so that our industry would benefit as a whole," the industrialist said. Tezel added that exports would begin in late June. "This is a great opportunity as there's a big potential in China which is the main player of the world's milk market," said Muhittin Ozder, president of the Turkish Milk Council (USK), an organization established to promote Turkish dairy products. Chinese embassy in Ankara also praised the decision in a statement, noting that it would "open a new page in bilateral agricultural products' cooperation." With the daily confirmed cases and death toll now falling, Turkey is easing lockdown restrictions in order to kickstart the vulnerable economy. In these volatile times, the news of the start of exporting milk and dairy products to a huge market such as China comes as a lifeline for producers. "I am happy and we were depressed because of the current (virus) situation ... but now, we have something to be hopeful about although things will not be fully normal for a time," Suleyman Kocak, milk producer from capital Ankara's Kazan suburb told Xinhua by phone. Kocak, head of a family firm, is one of the 54 dairy suppliers to China. "This decision will have a favorable effect on our region's farming and livestock industry which is undergoing difficulties for some time. We are thankful to the authorities of both countries for this move," he said. Enditem Haryana Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta on Sunday complained to Chief Minister M L Khattar that some government officials were not responding to the phone calls of MLAs. Gupta said Khattar took cognizance of the matter and has instructed government officials to pay attention to their queries. "I met the chief minister and gave feedback regarding the video-conferencing I had with the legislators over two days on various issues in view of the present COVID-19 situation. I apprised the CM that all MLAs cutting across party lines have extended their cooperation in the state's fight against coronavirus," the speaker said. The legislators had complained that some officials, especially those in districts, do not respond to their phone calls. I brought this matter to the chief minister's notice, he said. On Friday, Haryana's Home Minister Anil Vij had said that the officials have to listen and respond to queries of members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) and work with them, warning them not to ignore legislators. If (officials) they have to work in Haryana, then they will have to listen to what MLAs have to say, Vij had warned. Gupta had told reporters last week that the MLAs complained of officials' non-responsive attitude during a video conference that he held with 20 lawmakers of different parties to know the situation in their respective areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The speaker had said some MLAs complained that some officials do not respond to their phone calls and don't give answers to their queries. The legislators pointed out that being public representatives, they were answerable to the people of their constituencies. Gupta had also said if officials do not give response to public representatives, it amounts to breach of privileges of the elected members. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ruling party must show where it stands on former activist With the controversy over lawmaker-elect Yoon Mi-hyang, former chief of a wartime sex slavery victims' advocacy group, showing no signs of abating, the conundrum deepens for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). Since survivor Lee Yong-soo on May 7 publicly raised question about inappropriate management of funds donated for the victims, answers from Yoon and the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issue of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan have not been satisfactory. As one allegation after another emerges, it is hard to suppress the question of "is there anything more we need to know?" about the high-profile civic activist who has now entered politics. In a near dereliction of duty, the DPK has been flip-flopping on its stance before finally saying determining facts precedes action. Related government agencies and the prosecution are investigating the latter aggressively as the 21st National Assembly inaugurates on May 30. An incumbent lawmaker is given immunity from arrest, making it more difficult for prosecutors to summon Yoon if needed. The ruling party in the pending timeframe should clarify where it stands with regards to Yoon. Yoon should proffer clear-cut explanations regarding the many controversies at the heart of which lies questions about her financial transparency as a civic group leader. It would be improper for her to expect to begin her legislative tenure without that due process. Cautiously, a few in the liberal political bloc have floated the idea that Yoon resign. Veteran liberal leaders including minor Justice Party leader Sim Sang-jung have publicly expressed the sentiment that Yoon's explanations are no longer persuasive. The ruling party's hesitation to act against Yoon may be in deference to the movement's legacy. The survivors, Yoon and the council together have achieved much for the surviving victims of wartime sex slavery in the past near three decades. The Wednesday rallies staged in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul have transformed into a larger peaceful civic women's rights movement. But the party's reluctance however may well be an admission of insufficient screening of proportional representation seat candidates even if they were done by the former satellite party Civil Together for the April 15 general election. The DPK and Yoon should own up to any mistakes, and take the responsible step forward. Lee is expected to hold a press conference Monday. She has asked Yoon to attend, and so have several ruling party lawmakers, reportedly. Yoon and the DPK should act to ensure that the legacy and legitimacy of the longtime advocacy group's work is not impacted over the controversy of funds mismanagement. Gov. Kate Brown rescinded her statewide stay-at-home order May 15 and gave the green light for what now amounts to 34 of Oregons 36 counties to reopen dine-in restaurants and bars, gyms, hair and nail salons, barber shops and shopping malls. Washington County has applied and hopes to get approval to open June 1. That would leave Multnomah County as the only one in the state that hasnt yet entered Phase 1 of the states reopening plans. The Oregonian/OregonLive asked experts about the safety of going out in Oregon today. Heres what they -- and the latest body of scientific studies -- say about dine-in restaurants and bars: Part of the problem with dining out is that customers cant wear masks while eating. That, coupled with indoor spaces gives many experts pause. A study published in the CDCs Emerging Infectious Diseases journal documents how a diner who hadnt yet shown symptoms ended up infecting nine people, including some who were sitting at different tables more than 6 feet away, at a large restaurant in Guangzhou, China. The restaurants air conditioning system was credited with moving the virus about in the enclosed space. The study has led many experts to call for restaurants to reconfigure their ventilation systems or open doors and windows to create cross ventilation. Even better: Serving patrons on decks, patios or sidewalks outside, where the risks drop dramatically. The Oregon Health Authority is requiring restaurants and bars to space tables at least 6 feet apart. Employees also must wear face coverings. Tables, seats and menus must be disinfected between each group of customers. Read the full guidelines here. Professor Chunhuei Chi, the director of the Center for Global Health at Oregon State University, said its generally safer for Oregonians to dine out if they live in counties with a relatively low number of cases or no cases at all. But even then, dining out could be risky because people -- and the virus along with them -- travel across county borders. The general public should not have a false sense of security, Chi said. Chi said for those who do choose to eat out, its a good idea to first call ahead and get a sense of how meticulous the restaurant is about sanitation and reducing occupancy so customers arent packed in. He said restaurants in Taiwan, which he has studied as a success story in beating back COVID-19, check the temperature of guests and spray their hands with alcohol upon arrival. Read The Oregonian/OregonLives full guide to what you need to know as Oregon reopens. Some folks, well, some folks just like taking matters into their own hands. And putting them on the steering wheel. As the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the industry, the demand for travel is slowly - slowly - creeping back up again. But many remain wary of getting on a plane, a train or a cruise ship and being packed tightly in with strangers, never knowing if everybody is going to be wearing a mask, never knowing if somebody is unknowingly carrying the virus, never knowing if a flight is going to be empty enough for social distancing - or perhaps not. Welcome to what could be the year of the recreational vehicle, more commonly known as the beloved RV. With experts predicting that any return to travel will likely start with short, domestic trips, the RV could, literally, become the go-to vehicle for travel this summer. Though the outlook for RV sales entering the year was grim - 504,000 RVs were sold in 2017 and that number slipped to 364,000 last year - many dealers across the country are reporting an unexpected uptick in sales. Shannon Nills, owner of Guaranty RV in Eugene, Ore., told KMTR-TV that he sold 52 units the first weekend in May and "that's almost double what we sell in a given weekend." Sutton RV in Eugene is also seeing this soar in customers. General manager Lisa Bottorff says traffic on their website has more than tripled. "Interest has increased tremendously; some people are making appointments, some people are coming in physically," Bottorff said. It's a trend that's playing out nationwide, says LCI Industries' CEO Jason Lippert. His company supplies highly engineered components for the leading original equipment manufacturers in the recreation and transportation product markets. "RVs and boats provide attractive alternatives to vacation more safely as families are eager to get out of the house," Lippert told Fox Business. "At the same time, RVing and boating offer a great solution to social distancing for families that want to travel the country and experience the great outdoors. Air travel, cruise ships and hotels are likely going to be less popular, at least in the near term. As a result, the outdoor recreational products business is expected to accelerate." In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo began a phased-in approach to reopening the state to business, and one of his first directives was to allow car and RV dealerships to conduct on-site visits from potential customers, albeit by appointment only and not walk-in. Still, it was welcome news. "Getting the news that we can open by appointment only and start bringing in some essential people back to assist with that is the news that we are going in the right direction," said Jason Rattray, general manager of Alpin Haus RV Dealership Group in Amsterdam, N.Y. Rattray says, when it comes to selling an RV, it is all about the in-person experience. "It's hard to really get a feel for what the RV layout is from looking at pictures and videos. I think a lot of it is just the feeling when you get inside and start to take mental ownership of certain spaces," he said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that "Traveling by RV means you may have to stop less often for food or bathrooms, but RV travelers typically have to stop at RV parks overnight and other public places to get gas and supplies. These stops may put you and those with you in the RV in close contact with others who could be infected." Nonetheless, it's far less of a risk than traveling by plane, train, cruise or automobile. Craig Kirby, president of the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, told Forbes magazine that RVing offers a sense of independence not found elsewhere. "Americans love the space and freedom of the outdoors and the enrichment that comes with living an active outdoor life. RVs not only enable this lifestyle; they also provide a self-contained existence that other forms of travel don't allow," Kirby said. "After an indeterminate period of isolation, we believe families will be more enthusiastic than ever to get outside and see new places, even within their own states," Kirby said. "RV travel allows people to sleep in their own bed, cook gourmet meals, and control where they go. Once federal and state restrictions are lifted, they'll be able to experience the endless range of outdoor wonders throughout the country and the freedom of independent travel that RVs offer. This includes the option to forego a campground since RVs have everything a family needs to camp remotely." Kirby called RVs the ultimate self-contained units. Some, in fact, are designed to be completely self-contained with generators, solar panels and laundry facilities, allowing RVers to live off-the-grid for weeks at a time. "RVs provide travelers control: they allow people to travel where they want, when they want, and offer a unique travel experience that allows people to pursue their favorite activities and experience places in the country they may have only seen pictures of in a coffee-table book or on Instagram," Kirby said. "They can do this all with the ability to stay connected to family and friends. These are all positive features, but particularly attractive during this most unprecedented time. RVs provide a wonderful opportunity for people to continue to enjoy vacations with their families, while still adhering to social distancing, which will likely stay in place in some form for the foreseeable future." ___ (TravelPulse is a leading travel authority on the web, providing consumer travel news and insider tips and advice for an ever-changing travel world. Read more stories at travelpulse.com) Visit Travelpulse at www.travelpulse.com Jail inmates who are above 60 years of age will be granted emergency parole in view of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Delhi Prisons department New Delhi: Jail inmates who are above 60 years of age will be granted emergency parole in view of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Delhi Prisons department. A circular issued earlier this week stated that the convicts in this age group are more susceptible to COVID-19 and the emergency parole will be given to decongest the jails, officials said on Saturday. If an inmate has been convicted for less than five years and has already completed three months in jail, he or she is eligible for the emergency parole, the circular stated. For jail term of more than five and up to 10 years, only those convicts will be released who have completed a stay of six months and their appeal is not pending in the court. For prisoners having more than 10 years sentence and life convicts, except those having specific direction not to be released before a specific period or not to consider them for remission, they should have completed six months or more as convict and overall period of custody undergone should be one year, it said. The parole will be for eight weeks. For the emergency parole, the convicts behaviour in the jail will also be considered. The convicts whose appeal against conviction is pending in High Court or Supreme Court will not be eligible for it, said Sandeep Goel, Director General (Prisons). I am sick and tired of the unconstitutional (both federal and Oregon) acts which Gov. Brown has done. Making the cap and trade provisions made into an executive order, defy the Legislature. Her recent decisions to close churches deny First Amendment rights to freedom of religion and assembly. Heaven's help is the only aid we should be trying to get. Our economy is destroyed, our agricultural businesses are throwing away food because restaurants and schools can't buy it, which will ultimately result in raised prices on goods and services, and food shortages. Recall is the only way to get rid of Kate Brown, as the Oregon Constitution is the only one in the United States that lacks impeachment power over elected and appointed state officials. There have been bills in the last five legislative sessions to correct this defect. Some have made it through House committees, and have been passed on the floor. The bills not permitted by Peter Courtney to have hearings in the Senate, even though he promised hearings. I am in full support for any attempt to recall Brown. I highly recommend resurrecting the impeachment power bills, and getting them to a vote in the next election. I am sure they would have plenty of citizen support. By the way, to the gentleman who said that the sanctuary city policy was in the Oregon Constitution, you are wrong. It was enacted by the Legislature and signed by one of our Democrat governors. Do your homework. Erin Bruce Thurber Sweet Home Love 12 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 0 T P Reserve Wine Its a bit of Americana, a light-hearted acknowledgement of the times were living through, something fun and playful, says winemaker Grant Long Jr. Winemaker Grant Long Jr. is introducing three Toilet Paper Reserve wines. These are wines of the moment. We wanted to present something whimsical and delicious in these complicated times, he said, in announcing the new wines. The wines are 2019 Chardonnay ($24.99), 2018 Red Wine Blend ($34.99) and 2018 Grenache ($24.99). The Chardonnay and Red Wine Blend are sourced in the Napa Valley; the Grenache comes from the El Dorado foothills. Long, the owner and winemaker for Aonair, Reverie and Misc. Wines, among others, conceived the idea for a line of wines to put a smile on peoples faces. Its a bit of Americana, a light-hearted acknowledgement of the times were living through, something fun and playful, he explains. The label, designed by the winerys Creative Director, Clara Meinen, features a stylistic unspooling roll of toilet paper; the cork is custom-branded, with a top-down view of a toilet paper roll. Its an iconic image rendered in an anthem of white with a touch of elegance, Meinen says. Long and his wife Megan Long are considered one of Napa Valley's younger first-generation winery owners and entrepreneurs. Because of my connections for sourcing my other wines in Napa Valley and the El Dorado foothills, I secured superb fruit and was able to pack a lot of value into these wines, he adds. We wanted to offer a flavorful and enjoyable wine at an affordable price, he explained. Coming up with the T.P. Reserve wines was a way for my winery team and I to pivot and show our flexibility. We had to adapt and be creative and still be respectful of the climate, he said. Long is proud that he was able to keep all of his winery employees employed, rather than having to furlough or let anyone go, as many wineries have had to do recently. If these wines offer some levity in a stressful time, then we will have done our job, he continued. Partial proceeds from the sale of the T.P. Reserve wines will be donated to Napa Valley Food Bank which is currently distributing boxed groceries by drive-through daily to families in need. Its parent organization, Community Action of Napa Valley, was founded in 1965 and its programs also include Head Start, Clinic Ole, Legal Aide, The Hispanic Network and others. Community Actions mission is to provide basic needs food and shelter along with other programs to support people become self-sufficient. The 2018 Red Wine Blend combines fruit from vineyards in the Coombsville, Atlas Peak, Calistoga, and Oak Knoll sub-appellations of Napa Valley. The wine has a dark ruby appearance with rich aromas and flavors of plum and savory herbs and notes of blackberry cordial, black currants, cedar box, and sage. It is an elegant wine with velvety tannins and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Verdot. The 2019 Chardonnay, sourced from multiple clones of Chardonnay grown in the Napa Valley, has a beautiful golden, sunflower-yellow appearance with aromas of pineapple, lychee, creme brulee, hazelnut and brioche. The palate offers bright, delicious notes of golden apple and pear, followed by citrus notes of lemon curd and Cara Cara orange that offer the perfect amount of acidity. The 2018 Grenache, a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, grown in the El Dorado foothills, has a brilliant ruby color with aromas of cranberries, rhubarb and violet. On the palate there are flavors of blueberry, Bing cherries and wild strawberry. T. P. Reserve wines may be purchased online and shortly at retail outlets around the country. In addition to the website, you can follow T.P. Reserve wines online on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. As President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the downgrade to Level 3 of the national Covid-19 lockdown, he thanked scientists for challenging and pushing the government's response to the global pandemic. "We appreciate the diverse and sometimes challenging views of the scientists and health professionals in our country, which stimulate public debate and enrich our response," he said in his address on Sunday evening. Ramaphosa announced that most of the economy, which came to a grinding halt under Level 5 restrictions on 27 March, would begin moving again as more of the population returned to work. News24 reported that the Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) on Covid-19 came out in support of Professor Glenda Gray, who spoke out against some of the government's regulations during lockdown. She accused the government of not consulting the country's top scientists on lockdown regulations. Professor Francois Venter on Sunday told News24 it was unclear who was advising the government on the regulations. Venter is one of 51 academics who publicly pledged their support to Gray on Saturday after the health department's acting director-general, Dr Anban Pillay, formally requested the South African Medical Research Council, of which Gray is CEO and president, to investigate her comments to News24. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize rebuked Gray's comments on Wednesday, calling it "destructive behaviour". Ramaphosa praises Ministerial Advisory Committee On Sunday, Ramaphosa was far more congenial than his Cabinet colleague, saying the government had consulted the MAC since the start of the crisis. "We are extremely grateful for the work they have done and continue to do to ensure that our response is informed by the best available scientific evidence." Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines South Africa Business Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. He said the government was also guided by advice from the World Health Organisation and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. "As we are dealing with a pandemic that affects the lives and livelihoods of all South Africans, it was important that we consult as widely as possible. These consultations have been both necessary and worthwhile, in that we received several constructive suggestions." He said the consultations had enriched the thinking in the government, "providing a direct view of the challenges that our people in different constituencies confront". "The groups we consulted are as diverse and as varied as the South African people themselves, and all agree that we acted appropriately and decisively to slow the spread of the virus." Source: News24 The ruling Shiv Sena on Friday said the Maharashtra BJP's agitation against the Uddhav Thackeray-led government during the COVID-19 pandemic will boomerang on the opposition party. An editorial in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana' slammed state BJP president Chandrakant Patil for comparing the Maha Vikas Aghadi government's handling of the pandemic with Kerala's model. "Looks like Patil hasn't studied the Kerala model. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan doesn't follow Centre's guidelines and feels participating in video-conference meetings with Prime Minister Modi was a waste of time," the editorial claimed. Instead of protesting in Maharashtra, Patil and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should instead stage their agitation in Kerala, the Marathi daily stated, taking a dig at the two senior BJP leaders. There was a health emergency in the country and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was helming the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the publication said. "If the opposition feels for the state and has any suggestions about fighting the pandemic, they should discuss it with the Chief Minister. Is the opposition party ashamed to do so or has it lost its self-confidence?" it questioned. For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here The editorial also highlighted the fact that although COVID-19 cases in the state were rising by the day, most of the patients were also recovering from the infection. "If 10,000 patients have recovered, what does that indicate?" the editorial asked, citing the progress the state had made in fighting the virus. The editorial went on to ridicule the BJP's 'Maharashtra Bachao' agitation, saying it was time to save the state from the opposition party. Whatever issues the state BJP has raised was in the Central government's jurisdiction and the Chief Minister should send a delegation led by Fadnavis to the Centre with a list of demands from the state, the editorial suggested. CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH The BJP has been critical of the Shiv Sena-led government over its handling of the coronavirus crisis in the state, which has so far recorded 41,642 cases. The BJP has asked its workers to hold black placards and wear masks of the same colour while registeringtheir protest on Friday without violating social distancing norms. Indecisiveness and strategic errors of the Maharashtra government have aggravated the COVID-19 crisis in the state, Fadnavis said on Thursday and accused Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray of over dependence on bureaucracy as he is "scared" of taking initiatives. Himachal Pradesh has recorded 10 more cases of COVID-19, taking the tally in the state to 196, officials said on Sunday. Two coronavirus patients from Bilaspur district have recovered from the disease on Sunday, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R D Dhiman said. Four of the fresh cases were reported from Una and one each from Bilaspur, Chamba, Mandi, Kangra, Hamirpur and Solan districts, they said. All the new cases had recently returned from other states including six from Mumbai, Maharashtra, three from Delhi and one from West Bengal, they added. Una Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar told PTI that a woman, her brother-in-law and two sons, who had returned from Mumbai recently, have tested positive for coronavirus. In Mandi, a 19-year-old asymptomatic woman from Dharampur in Sarkaghat tehsil tested positive for COVID-19 and is being shifted to a COVID-19 care centre at Dhangshidar, a district official said. She too had recently returned from Mumbai with her parents and all of them were in an institutional quarantine centre in Dharampur, he said, adding that the woman's parents tested negative for the virus. In Chamba, a 30-year-old youth tested positive. He was institutionally quarantined after recently returning from Mumbai and is being shifted to a COVID care centre at Balu, a district official said. In Bilaspur, a man has tested positive days after returning from Delhi on May 21, deputy commissioner Rajeshwar Goel said. A permanent resident of Mandi district, he was institutionally quarantined at Bilaspur's Swarghat on the Himachal Pradesh-Punjab border since his arrival from Delhi, he added. In Kangra, a man from Palampur's Panchrukhi tested positive for the virus, Superintendent of Police Vimukt Ranjan said, adding that he had returned from Delhi a few days ago and was kept under quarantine at a facility at Baijnath. Hamirpur Deputy Commissioner Harikesh Meena said that a 20-year-old woman has tested positive for COVID-19. A resident of Baragram in Badsar area, the woman had returned from Delhi along with her relatives on May 18 and was quarantined at government high school, Baragram, he added. The number of active COVID-19 cases in Himachal Pradesh now stand at 129 and 63 people have recovered so far, according to the officials. Hamirpur has the maximum number of active cases in the state at 55 followed by 36 in Kangra, 11 in Solan, nine in Mandi, seven in Una, four in Bilaspur, three in Chamba, two in Sirmaur and one each in Kullu and Shimla, they said. Four people have died due to COVID-19 in the state so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who would be completing a year in office on May 30, has called upon the people to review the welfare and developmental schemes taken up by his government in the last one year. Starting Monday, the government will take up a series of brainstorming sessions in the name of Mana Paalana-Mee Soochana (Our government-your suggestions) till May 29, seeking to interact with a cross-section of people including experts, intellectuals and other stakeholders to review the schemes. According to state planning secretary GSRKR Vijay Kumar, the chief minister will interact with all stakeholders and take feedback from them at all levels on whether the schemes impacted the lives of citizens like they were supposed to. Also read: Passenger train services to begin from June 1 - All you need to know The government intends to assess the ground realities and impact of its numerous initiatives and also to get feedback from different stakeholders like user groups/beneficiaries to further consolidate the efforts and devise a future action plan, Vijay Kumar said. As per the agenda for the daily discussion, governance and welfare will be discussed on Monday, agriculture and allied activities on Tuesday, education on Wednesday, industries and infrastructure on Thursday and health on Friday. On May 30, which marks the completion of the first year of YSR Congress government, the chief minister will inaugurate Rythu Bharosa Kendra, which would look after disbursement of direct cash transfer scheme for farmers. Vijay Kumar said these sessions would be conducted both at the state and district level. While state-level sessions will be chaired by CM Jagan in the forenoon session, district in-charge minister will chair the district level sessions in the afternoon. The chief minister and the ministers will take feedback directly from the beneficiaries and other stakeholders, he said. In tune with the Covid-19 regulations, not more than 50 people including beneficiaries and experts would attend the sessions, the planning secretary said. Earlier, in normal times, markets in the metropolis used to be flooded with people busy shopping for Eid. Mumbai: The Eid-ul-Fitr festival has lost its sheen this year due to COVID-19 outbreak and many Muslim community members in Mumbai have decided to keep the celebration a low key affair on Monday by offering namaz at home and not wear any new clothes on the occasion. During the entire month of Ramzan, mosques in the city remained closed and people offered prayers in their homes. Earlier, in normal times, markets in the metropolis used to be flooded with people busy shopping for the festival, and streets in some community-dominated areas could be seen lined with stalls selling food items like 'sheer kurma', sewai', dry fruits, among others. Thousands of people earlier used to assemble at prominent places like the Minara Masjid in south Mumbai, Haji Ali Dargah and the mosque outside the Bandra railway station, but this year these places wear a deserted look in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. "This Ramzan, we missed the non-vegetarian foods and the beauty of our markets. There were no Ramzan prayers in mosques, so how can we celebrate Eid this year?" Shadab Ansari, who runs a provisions store in Kalina, told PTI. Some people said they are not even decorating their houses as they are unable to invite relatives and friends for the festival. "With so many people dying of COVID-19, we are not happy this year and have decided not to celebrate Eid," said Parveen Qureishi, a resident of suburban Kurla. Many are facing cash crunch and since markets are also closed, a number of people have decided not to buy or wear new clothes on the occasion. Follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak here A woman from Santacruz, who did not wish to be named, said she was blessed with a son four months ago, but she has been unable to buy new clothes for him despite it being the child's first Eid. "I had earlier thought I would enjoy the festival with my child, but everything has changed now," she said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. Babygirl Lisa Hamme and Usman Umar have one of the more controversial 90 Day Fiance relationships. Theyve both been accused of cheating, for one. And, more recently, Lisa admitted to calling her husband the N-word and has been on the receiving end of a lot of backlash ever since. Lisa Hamme and Usman Umar | Instagram @baby_girl_lisa_2020 In an interview Babygirl Lisa did with The Domenick Nati Show on May 22, she spoke about her marriage with Usman. She says she feels the 90 Day Fiance audience doesnt realize that Usman and I have been together three years. Well be married a year in August. Babygirl Lisa Hamme says she and Usman Umar are very happy with [their] sex life As for their sex life, Babygirl Lisa spoke about that, too. She wants the shows fans to know that she and Usman are good in that department, especially because Usman sort of hinted that it could be better. Everybody wants to know because they didnt understand what Usman said on the show. That Im 70% good. To him, he thought he was being kind about it. He didnt realize it would be offensive to Americans. Im like, Usman, you just insulted all the women in America, she said, adding that Nigerian men prefer heavy set women. Truly they do. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Geoffrey Opens up About His Friendship With Babygirl LisaI See Behind the Scenes But the intimate part of the relationship: we blended two cultures together, two countries together, we came together, hows that? she continued. Usman and I are very happy with our sex life. Babygirl Lisa talks Usman staying faithful to her and having kids Babygirl Lisa also said that she feels, right now, Usman is being faithful to her, because they have a system. Anytime he calls me or I call him we automatically answer no matter where were at, if were in the bathroom or shower, we stop what were doing and hit that video button so we can talk to one another. So at any given time he can ring my phone, like right now. Hes probably like, Oh, let me hit this button. Whos she talking to? she said. RELATED: The 90 Day Fiance Star Who Doesnt Think Usmans Music Career Is Going Anywhere in the U.S. Lisa also said that she and Usman are going to try and have children. If they cant, he may take a second wife. But, according to Lisa, Usman can only do that if he can fully financially provide for Lisas lifestyle. As far as children, were definitely going to try. And if it does not happen, in Nigeria, he is entitled to take four wives. But people dont understand the complete law of that. I am the first wife. I carry the highest title. The second, third, fourth, are below. So he may take a second wife so long as he can take care of my house, my bills, and I live comfortably. I dont have to pay for anything, he has to pay for it all before he can take a second wife, she said. Read more: 90 Day Fiance: Babygirl Lisa Hamme Says Very Famous People Have Been Giving Her Advice About Her Using the N-Word Australia's education system is above the OECD average in a number of depressing ways, notably the gap between those most advantaged and those who are disadvantaged. Our schools serve as cushions for these effects, but it is beyond the scope of education to solve these issues. It is not news to my teaching colleagues, those who prop up a flawed system with their overwork, that some students will be disadvantaged during this recent period of remote learning. Our Prime Minister said: We know for some families and students distance learning won't be possible and their education, what they learn, is at great risk of suffering this year. Any drawbacks from remote learning can be quickly overcome; issues affecting education are more systemic. Credit:AP This is true of a great many students learning remotely or not. This will persist unless desperate action is taken. UK unemployment is on the rise (Getty) Leading economists have warned that UK unemployment could return to the dark days of the 1980s, according to a report in The Sunday Times. A rise to 10% in the unemployment rate this year would see nearly 3.5 million people out of work, similar rates to those experienced three decades ago. The Resolution Foundation think tank believes high unemployment rates could last for the next five years unless the government follows up the furlough scheme with active labour market measures to get people into work. Official figures last week provided the first glimpse of the jobless surge to come, with a record rise of more than 850,000 in universal credit claimants, taking the total to 2.1 million last month despite the governments furlough scheme, which is intended to cushion the impact of the crisis on unemployment. The foundation said: Returning to the chronic 10% average structural unemployment rate seen throughout the 1980s could entail a cost to the public finances of about 175bn ($212.91) in lost taxes and higher benefit spending over the next five years. To ease the burden on companies after furloughing ends, ministers are mulling reviving the redundancy loan scheme, a rarely used part of the insolvency process that allows firms to take interest-free loans to cover the cost of laying off staff. READ MORE: Employers to pay up to 30% furloughed wages The job retention scheme will continue until October, but the level of state support will be reduced from August, after which analysts expect a spike in redundancies. The loan scheme lets companies borrow public funds to cover redundancy costs that might otherwise send them into administration. From August employers will be expected to pay up to 30% of furloughed wages in new plans drawn up by the government. The Treasury will be asking businesses to cover 20% to 30% of people's wages in the job retention scheme. The initiative was extended by four months on 12 May in a bid to prop up the UK economy during the coronavirus pandemic. Story continues Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to announce the changes next week. He previously said the furlough scheme would be in place until at least October with companies asked to "share" the cost from the start of August. Sunak said on Friday that Britain was facing a very serious economic crisis and jobs would be lost in the days, weeks and months to come. On the other hand, the Public Administrations situation is very different: the timid correction experienced over the last few years breaks, with debt rising again to 132%. This is the highest level for five years and more than three times that in 2007. The Spanish economys total debt (in volume) increased in 2019 by 2.8%, the highest rate in seven years, to 3.51 trillion euros; however, as nominal GDP grew more strongly (3.6%), the debt in relative terms fell by 2.2 percentage points to 282% of GDP, the lowest ratio since 2008. The strong correction in private borrowing was partly offset by the increase in public spending, with the debt standing at 132% of GDP, almost three percentage points higher than in 2018 and a peak since 2014. As for the non-financial private sector (families and companies), debt was reduced by 5.1 points to 150% of GDP: we would have to go back to 2003 to find a lower ratio; in consolidated terms, private debt stands at 129.7%. From its highs, private debt has accumulated a drop of more than 76 percentage points of GDP, while public debt has increased from its lows by just over 92 percentage points. Corporate debt also falls to minimums of 16 years For the first time in 10 years, consolidated corporate debt (loans and debt securities, excluding amounts owed to other companies) increased slightly in 2019, up 0.4% at 906.556 billion euros. That said, in GDP terms it was at a minimum level since 2003 (72.8% vs the previous 75.1%). The drop from highs amounts to 76.1 percentage points of GDP. Net debt incurred by companies (also in consolidated terms) increased last year by 6.513 billion euros, almost double that of 2018. The increase in debt securities (13.725 billion euros), mainly in the hands of the rest of the world, more than offset the reduction in loans contracted (7.213 billion), especially with monetary financial institutions; if repayments are added to this amount, the balance of these loans falls by 10.428 billion euros to a total of just over 435.0 billion, the lowest volume since 2003. With regard to companies financial assets, the total balance increased strongly, by 7.6%, to over 2.79 trillion euros: on the one hand, there was a notable revaluation of assets, amounting to 138.4 billion euros; on the other hand, the net acquisition of assets was also very high, almost 64 billion. However, this is the lowest figure since 2014 (113.6 billion euros in 2018). Goa: Sanitisation process and other preparations underway at Goa Airport as domestic flights will resume operations from tomorrow in the country amid #COVID19 lockdown. pic.twitter.com/FayvQ6I0VA ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 5.38 PM: Resumption of domestic flights will generate a requirement for hotels in order to facilitate the stay for travellers. Hence hotels should reopen with some conditions. We have also planned to begin the tourism industry step by step, says Karnataka Tourism Minister CT Ravi. 5.25 PM: Bank of Maharashtra has sanctioned loans amounting to Rs 2,789 crores under Agriculture, Self Help Groups (SHGs), Retail, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with almost 1 lakh beneficiaries between March 2020 and May 2020, says Bank of Maharashtra. Bank of Maharashtra has sanctioned loans amounting to Rs 2789 crores under Agriculture, Self Help Groups (SHGs), Retail, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with almost 1 lakh beneficiaries between March 2020 and May 2020: Bank of Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/geO1o4g3ja ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 5.17 PM: Prepared to deal with the most anomalous situation, says Health Minister Harsh Vardhan 5.10 PM: More cases reported in Kerala Number of active COVID-19 cases rises to 322 in Kerala, with 53 more people testing positive today. 5.04 PM: Job searches for remote work jump 377% In wake of the coronavirus crisis, job searches for remote work in India have soared over 377 per cent during February to May, reveals a recent report. Not only this, even job seekers are ready to take a salary cut to have access to remote working options. According to employment-related search engine Indeed, job seekers are showing greater interest in working remotely, with a rise in search for terms like 'remote', 'work from home' and related phrases. During February to May 2020, searches for remote work have jumped over 377 per cent as a share of all searches on Indeed India, it said. 5.00 PM: Coronavirus cases in Uttarakhand Fifty-four more people test positive for COVID-19 in Uttarakhand, taking total number of cases to 298 in the state. 4.45 PM: Coronavirus cases in Chandigarh The total number of positive cases in Chandigarh is now 238 including 186 discharged cases. The death toll stands at 3. Three more cases of COVID-19 in Ladakh. Now Ladakh has 9 active cases with 1 in Leh and 8 in Kargil district. Three more cases of COVID-19 in Ladakh. Now Ladakh has 9 active cases with 1 in Leh and 8 in Kargil district.https://t.co/E2crIioLvi pic.twitter.com/8wGYnbLiuc DIPR Leh Ladakh (@DIPR_Leh) May 24, 2020 4.39 PM: Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine trial has 50% chance of success: Adrian Hill University of Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine trial has only a 50 percent chance of success as the coronavirus seems to be fading rapidly in Britain, the professor co-leading the development of the vaccine told the Telegraph newspaper. Adrian Hill, director of Oxford's Jenner Institute, which has teamed up with drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc to develop the vaccine, said that an upcoming trial, involving 10,000 volunteers, threatened to return "no result" due to low transmission of COVID-19 in the community. "It's a race against the virus disappearing, and against time", Hill told the British newspaper. "At the moment, there's a 50 percent chance that we get no result at all." - Reuters 4.35 PM: Around 23 lakh people have been brought back to the state of Uttar Pradesh from different states, amid the coronavirus lockdown, says UP Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi. 4.30 PM: Mayawati slams BJP, Congress for migrant crisis BSP chief Mayawati has slammed both the Congress and the BJP for migrant crisis. She said after independence, Congress stayed in power for long and ruled in many states. Mass migration from villages to big cities occurred under their reign as weaker sections of society including dalits, farmers and tribals found it hard to procure means of livelihood, she said. "The Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress both share equal responsibility for the current situation of the migrant workers. It would have been better if before announcing the COVID-19 lockdown, migrant workers would have been given some time and facilitated to their native places," says BSP chief Mayawati. After Independence, Congress stayed in power for long and ruled in many states. Mass migration from villages to big cities occurred under their reign as weaker sections of society including Dalits, farmers&tribals found it hard to procure means of livelihood: BSP chief Mayawati pic.twitter.com/zi9dOK4pxp ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 4.18 PM: Three employees at Hyundai's Chennai plant test positive for COVID-19. 4.10 PM: Low-cost carrier Air Asia India starts bookings for 21 destinations ahead of resumption of domestic flight operations from Monday. 4.03 PM: COVID-19 tally breaches 2K mark in Karnataka COVID-19 cases in Karnataka breached the 2,000 mark on Sunday with the detection of 97 cases, most of them returnees to the state from Maharashtra, the health department said. It said the total number of positive cases was now 2,056, including 634 discharges, 1,378 active cases and 42 deaths. Of the total number of cases, 73 had returned from Maharashtra and 41 among them were women. 3.56 PM: After row, UP govt withdraws order on cellphone use The UP govt has withdrawn the order that banned the use of mobile phones by patients in isolation wards of L-2 and L-3 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. The state govt had issued an order on Saturday banning use of mobile phones by patients in isolation wards. UP govt withdraws the order that banned the use of mobile phones by patients in isolation wards of L-2 & L-3 dedicated #COVID19 hospitals. The state govt had issued an order y'day banning use of mobile phones by patients in isolation wards of L-2 & L-3 #COVID19 hospitals. pic.twitter.com/7EA7fxB1xh ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 24, 2020 3.50 PM: MP Issues Travel Advisory All passengers coming by flights will be scanned for COVID-19 on their arrival at the airport in Madhya Pradesh. If anyone is found symptomatic, they will be sent to quarantine and their samples will be collected for testing, says the Madhya Pradesh government. 3.39 pm: Tamil Nadu lockdown latest updates Markets witness relatively low footfall in Chennai ahead of EidUlFitr as COVID-19 induced lockdown continues. A shopkeeper in Triplicane area says, "The sheen of Ramzan & Eid is missing this year. Our business is badly hit as sales have gone down". Tamil Nadu: Markets witness relatively low footfall in Chennai ahead of #EidUlFitr as COVID-19 induced lockdown continues. A shopkeeper in Triplicane area says, "The sheen of Ramzan & Eid is missing this year. Our business is badly hit as sales have gone down". pic.twitter.com/MfDXL3nB7X ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 3.24 pm: Kerala issues exhaustive guidelines for domestic flights to the state Issuing detailed guidelines for domestic flights to the Kerala, the state said that passengers travelling to Kerala must obtain digital passes by registering themselves in the COVID-19 jagratha portal. It added that travellers can use their own vehicle or rented ones to commute home, 14 days home quarantine is compulsory for all passengers coming to Kerala, in case, the LSGI (Local Self-Government Institutions) does not confirm the availability of proper home quarantine facility, the person will be shifted to an institutional quarantine. 3.15 pm: Andhra Pradesh coronavirus cases State reports 66 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday taking its total count to 2,780, Andhra Pradesh health department said. 3.00 PM: China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on COVID-19 "World will not be same again and China will not stop moving forward. COVID-19 has been an all around test on Chinese social system and governance capacity. China stood the test, displayed its national strength and shown itself to be a responsible major country." 2.50 PM: "Labour reforms do not mean abolition of labour laws. Rs 20 lakh crore COVID-19 economic stimulus package to revive aggregate demand," says Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar. 2.42 PM: A total of 52 new COVID-19 positive cases reported in Rajasthan today. The total number of positive cases in the state now stands at 6,794, says the Rajasthan Health Department. - ANI #COVID19 drives home once again that no country, no matter how strong it is, can insulate itself from a global challenge. The disaster wrecks havoc watching from an apparently safe distance & sitting idle will eventually backfire: Chiese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pic.twitter.com/F0CyDP8awf ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 2.34 PM: Hardeep Singh Puri: "Prescribed clinical protocol will be followed in case any domestic or international traveller shows symptoms of COVID-19. States can also develop their own protocol for quarantine and isolation as per their own assessment." 52 new COVID19 positive cases reported today; the total number of positive cases in the state now stands at 6794: Rajasthan Health Department pic.twitter.com/zNGMOM3Ebo ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 2.33 PM: Hardeep Singh Puri: "Only for exceptional & compelling reasons such as cases of human distress, pregnancy, death in family, serious illness & parent(s) accompanied by children below 10 yrs, as assessed by the receiving states, home quarantine may be permitted for international travellers for 14 days." 2.32 PM: Hardeep Singh Puri: "In case of international travellers, they shall give an undertaking that they would undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days including 7 days paid institutional quarantine at their own cost, followed by 7 days isolation at home with self-monitoring of health." 2.31 PM: Civil Aviation ministry issues new guidelines for travellers Those found negative at airports to be allowed to go home and quarantine themselves for 7 days at home. According to the guidelines, asymptomatic domestic passengers will be permitted to go with the advice that they shall self-monitor their health for 14 days. In case, they develop any symptoms, they shall inform the district surveillance officer or the state/national call center. 2.30 PM: Uddhav Thackeray on resuming flights, opening of schools "I have spoken to Hardeep Puri. I have told him that let us take stock of the situation, we want to open up. But, how the travellers will board and how will staff of airport commute...all this needs to be checked. We have also formed a group on how we can start the schools, we are looking at how education can restart and exams be taken. We are preparing for this." 2.22 PM: Further easing lockdown curbs, Tamil Nadu government allows 17 industrial estates in Chennai to resume work from Monday with conditions, including confining the workforce to 25 per cent and implementing safety measures. 2.18 PM: A flight carrying 132 Indians stranded in Muscat lands at Gaya airport in Bihar. 2.10 PM: Akhilesh slams the BJP over migrant crisis 'Government for everyone', it should not be a slogan but a resolution: Akhilesh to the Modi government. Latest guidelines on domestic & international travel have been issued by @MoHFW_INDIA. I hope travellers strictly follow these self-regulatory norms & strengthen India's hands in this fight against COVID19. Remember, each one of us is a soldier against the pandemic.@MoCA_GoI pic.twitter.com/xVbTG1K44n Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 24, 2020 2.07 PM: Akhilesh on Yogi's decision to ban cellphones inside isolation wards The Uttar Pradesh government's decision to prohibit coronavirus patients from using mobile phones inside isolation wards of hospitals has been put in place to hide "poor condition" of hospitals in the state, says Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Health infrastructure should be ramped up to ensure preparedness for the next two months in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, government conveys to 11 municipal areas that have accounted for 70 per cent of the country's coronavirus case load. 1.53 PM: Coronavirus cases in Germany The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 431 to 178,281, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday. The reported death toll rose by 31 to 8,247, the tally showed. - Reuters 1.45 PM: Medical insurance worth Rs 25 lakh for 11 sewadars Free medical insurance of Rs 25 lakh has been provided to 11 sewadars performing langer sewa at Gurudwara Shaheed Baba Deep Singh in Ludhiana's Model Town Extension, with the efforts of Punjab Youth Development Board Chairman Sukhwinder Singh Bindra. . . , . . Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) May 24, 2020 1.30 PM: Ready for fight against coronavirus: Thackeray "The fight against COVID-19 is going to be tougher now but there is no need to panic as we are prepared with extra health facilities," says Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Punjab: Free medical insurance of Rs 25 lakh has been provided to 11 sewadars performing langer sewa at Gurudwara Shaheed Baba Deep Singh in Ludhiana's Model Town Extension, with the efforts of Punjab Youth Development Board Chairman Sukhwinder Singh Bindra. pic.twitter.com/uburF8EWUz ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 1.05 PM: Russia reports 9,434 new coronavirus cases Russia said on Saturday that 9,434 new cases of the novel coronavirus had been reported in the last 24 hours, pushing its nationwide tally to 335,882. The country's coronavirus crisis response centre reported 139 new fatalities after a record of 150 deaths the day before, bringing the death toll to 3,388. - Reuters 12.53 PM: 14-day quarantine must for returnees in Odisha The 14-day quarantine will be compulsorily for the returnees in Odisha. In rural areas, seven-day institutional and seven-day home quarantine. In urban areas, 14-day compulsory home quarantine, says the Odisha government. CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray addressing the State https://t.co/YA14xh2GWf CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) May 24, 2020 12.47 PM: Delhi resisters 508 new cases. As many as 6,267 people have recovered in Delhi, while 231 patients succumbed to the coronavirus disease 12.38 PM: Australia seeks exemption from UK quarantine Australia, after bringing its coronavirus outbreak largely under control, said on Friday it is seeking an exemption from a requirement that travellers arriving in the UK quarantine for 14 days to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The British government is planning a 14-day quarantine for most people arriving in the country in the coming weeks to try to prevent a second peak of the pandemic, with details to be finalised next month. - Reuters 12.34 PM: Italy's daily coronavirus death toll dips Italy recorded 119 new deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic on Saturday against 130 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new cases rose marginally to 669 from 652 on Friday. The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 now stands at 32,735, the agency said, the third highest in the world after those of the United States and Britain. - Reuters 12.30 PM: MLA distributes masks to newly-wed couples in Karnataka BJP MLA MP Renukacharya distributes masks to three newly-wed couples in Honnali area of Davanagere. The state govt has allowed pre-scheduled wedding on Sundays (May 24 and May 31) when the state observes complete lockdown which has been induced by COVID-19 pandemic. The 14-day quarantine will be compulsorily for the returnees in Odisha. In rural areas, 7-day institutional and 7-day home quarantine. In urban areas, 14-day compulsory home quarantine: Government of Odisha#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/bqSkVWWwzF ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 12.23 PM: US tally reaches 1,595,885 cases, 96,002 deaths The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 1,595,885 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 24,268 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,852 to 96,002. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on May 22, compared with its count a day earlier. - Reuters 12.20 PM: INDIA COVID-19 TRACKER The number of COVID-19 cases in India has now surged to 1,31,868, including 73,560 active cases, 54,440 recoveries, 1 migrated, and 3,867 deaths. 12.14 PM: Coronavirus cases in Rajasthan Rajasthan reported 52 fresh positive cases of coronavirus and one more death, the state government said today. The tally in the state stand at 6,742, including 3,786 cured and 160 deaths. 12.05 PM: Coronavirus cases in Himachal Hamirpur district reports another positive coronavirus case, a Delhi returnee who tested positive on Sunday. The district continues to have the highest number of novel coronavirus cases. The total cases in the state are 185, including 61 cured and 3 deaths. 11.57 AM: 87 more cops test positive Maharashtra A total of 87 police personnel of the state found COVID-19 positive in last 24 hours taking total number of affected cops to 1,758 out of which 18 have died due to the virus and 673 have recovered. Karnataka: BJP MLA MP Renukacharya distributes masks to three newly-wed couples in Honnali area of Davanagere. The state govt has allowed pre-scheduled wedding on Sundays (May 24 & May 31) when the state observes complete lockdown which has been induced by #COVID19 pandemic. pic.twitter.com/VFlvidcfDN ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 11.45 AM: 132 people reach Gaya under Vande Bharat Mission A total of 132 people reach Gaya in a Oman-Delhi-Gaya repatriation flight under Vande Bharat Mission. Gaya DM Abhishek Singh says: "Sixteen returnees hail from Jharkhand and we will send them to Ranchi by a bus. Rest of them will be sent to 14-day quarantine in Bodh Gaya." Maharashtra: 87 police personnel of the state found COVID-19 positive in last 24 hours taking total number of affected cops to 1,758 out of which 18 have died due to the virus and 673 have recovered. pic.twitter.com/gnA4bLRgt9 ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 11.35 AM: Yogi holds review meeting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath holds a meeting with the senior govt officers over COVID-19 situation in the state. The coronavirus tally in the state has reached 6,017, included 3,406 cured and 155 deaths. 11.29 AM: Country will win over COVID-19: Naqvi For the first time, we will offer prayer & celebrate Eid-Ul-Fitr at home due to COVID-19 pandemic but that will not affect the festive spirit. We will pray that the country gets rid of COVID-19 at the earliest, says Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. -ANI Bihar: 132 people reach Gaya in a Oman-Delhi-Gaya repatriation flight under #VandeBharatMission. Gaya DM Abhishek Singh says, "Sixteen returnees hail from Jharkhand & we will send them to Ranchi by a bus. Rest of them will be sent to 14-day quarantine in Bodh Gaya". pic.twitter.com/Y6UoUHjVl9 ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 11.25 AM: Sanitisation drives at Delhi airport Domestic flights to resume in the country from Monday, May 25. Sanitisation and preparations to ensure social distancing underway at Delhi's Terminal-3 from where flights will operate. - ANI Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath holds a meeting with the senior govt officers over #COVID19 situation in the state. pic.twitter.com/91NVfrglZQ ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 24, 2020 11.18 AM: Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane: In view of upsurge of cases in the state via railways, roadways and others, I will be meeting the Goa CM to brief him on the present status in order to curb the rising cases. We will be requesting him to implement stringent measures for passengers entering the state of Goa with a mandatory COVID-19 negative certificate that will be valid for 48 hours from the time of issue. We are going to unitedly fight this menace of COVID-19. 11.10 AM: Coronavirus cases in Goa State Health Minister, Vishwajit Rane: A total of 11 passengers who arrived from Mumbai yesterday via Rajdhani express have reported positive on the TrueNat device. This brings the total number of active cases in the state of Goa to 50. For the first time, we will offer prayer & celebrate #EidUlFitr at home due to #COVID19 pandemic but that will not affect the festive spirit. We will pray that the country gets rid of COVID-19 at the earliest: Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi pic.twitter.com/dVdusITj72 ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 10.58 AM: Coronavirus cases in Odisha The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Odisha now stands at 1,336, with 67 new positive cases reported yesterday. 10.53 AM: 93 Indians return to Indore from London. On Saturday, 2,441 more people returned on 15 flights from Jakarta, Toronto, Dubai, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Melbourne, Sydney and Male. 10.44 AM: UP bans cellphone use in isolation wards UP govt bans use of mobile phones by patients in isolation wards of L-2 & L-3 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. The mobile phones of such patients needs to be submitted to the ward incharge of the COVID care centre so as to ensure mobile phone infection prevention norms. Domestic flights to resume in the country from Monday, May 25; sanitisation and preparations to ensure social distancing underway at Delhi's Terminal-3 from where flights will operate. pic.twitter.com/06vAlBZa7W ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 10.40 AM: Senior doctor at AIIMS, Delhi, dies of COVID-19 A senior doctor at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) died of coronavirus on Saturday. The deceased, Dr Jitendra Nath Pande, was director and professor of the Pulmonology Department at AIIMS Delhi. Dr Pande and his wife tested positive for the infection on May 19, Tuesday with mild symptoms. AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria said that after the couple was detected with COVID-19 symptoms, they decided to remain under home isolation. However, on Saturday, Pande's wife was hospitalised after her health condition worsened. Also read: Coronavirus: Senior doctor at AIIMS Delhi dies of COVID-19; wife hospitalised 10.35 AM: RML College dean tests positive Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital medical college dean and the head of urology department has been tested positive for novel coronavirus. 10.25 AM:Highest single-day spike in U'khand Uttarakhand sees its highest single-day spike of 92 COVID-19 cases, 55 of them from Nainital, state's tally reaches 244; death toll rises to two after woman succumbs to infection at AIIMS Rishikesh. 10.15 AM: PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry report on media Media one of the most adversely affected sectors due to COVID-19 pandemic with significant decline in ad revenues, says a research report of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 10.12 AM: Jail inmates who are aged above 60 will be granted emergency parole in view of COVID-19 pandemic, says Delhi Prisons department. 10.06 AM: Chhattisgarh records biggest increase Chhattisgarh records its biggest one-day increase in COVID-19 cases with 44 people testing positive, state's tally now 216, says health officials. 9.57 AM: Employee who tested positive stable: Maruti An employee at the company's Manesar plant tested positive for COVID-19 on May 22. His last attendance at the plant was on May 15. The employee has been admitted to a hospital and his condition is stable, says Maruti Suzuki. 9.52 AM: People in Malapurram, Kerala, offer Eid-Ul-Fitr prayers at their homes as mosques remain closed for devotees, amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Update: 11 passengers who arrived from mumbai yesterday via Rajdhani express have reported positive on the TrueNat device. This brings the total number of active cases in the state of Goa to 50. VishwajitRane (@visrane) May 24, 2020 9.51 AM: A total of 52 new COVID-19 positive cases reported in Rajasthan in the past 24 hours. The total number of positive cases in the state now stands at 6794. 9.40 AM: Rani Chennamma Circle in Hubli, Karnatak, wears a deserted look as state-wide total lockdown has been imposed today, to contain the spread of COVID-19. UP govt bans use of mobile phones by patients in isolation wards of L-2 & L-3 dedicated #COVID19 hospitals. The mobile phones of such patients needs to be submitted to the ward incharge of the COVID care centre so as to ensure mobile phone infection prevention norms. pic.twitter.com/uMAZWDmsVK ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 23, 2020 9.37 am: Delhi coronavirus news Dean of Ram Manohar Lohia Medical College Hospital and head of Urology department tests COVID-19 positive. 9.28 am: Coronavirus deaths in India The country recorded 138 deaths in the last 24 hours taking India's toll to 3,867, according to Union Health Ministry's update on Sunday. 9.15 am: Biggest 1-day spike in COVID-19 cases in India The country recorded 6,797 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking India's tally past 1.31 lakh, as per the Union Health Ministry. 9.09 am: India's total COVID-19 cases cross 1.31 lakh The total count of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country jumped to 1,31,868, including 73,560 active cases, 54,440 recoveries, 1 migrated, and 3,867 deaths, according to the Union Health Ministry. 9.03 am: West Bengal coronavirus lockdown news State CM urges Centre to defer flight resumption from May 25 in view of cyclone Amphan 8.54 am: COVID-19 vaccine latest updates Meanwhile, as Indian firms are in race to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, experts are of the opinion that research in India is still at an early stage. PM CARES Fund Trust has taken the decision to earmark Rs 100 crore assistance to coronavirus vaccine development measures. 8.45 am: Coronavirus cases in India India's total count of confirmed COVID-19 cases currently stand at 1,25,101, including 69,597 active cases, 51,783 recoveries, 1 migrated, and 3,729 deaths, according to Union Health Ministry. 8.30 am: Maharashtra coronavirus lockdown: State govt opposed to flights' resumption from Monday Maharashtra is opposed the Centre's announcement to resume flight operations from May 25. In a late-night tweet, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh cautioned against the same making it clear that arranging adequate transport under the present circumstances would be difficult and would only add to the stress on the red zones. MIDLAND, MI Volunteers are needed this weekend at Midlands Heritage Parkafter catastrophic flooding damaged historical artifacts at the site. The historical campus, operated by the Midland Center for the Arts, is seeking people to help remove all artifacts, damaged and otherwise, from the site, according to a release issued by the Michigan Museums Association Saturday, May 23. Heavy rains across the state early last week led to the collapse of the Edenville Dam Tuesday, May 19, displacing thousands of people and bringing national attention to Michigan as floodwaters filled the Midland area. Our initial review of the historic campus reveals some hope after a gloomy few days for Midland County, said Midland Center for the Arts President and CEO Terri Trotter in a prepared statement. "The flood waters have caused damage to the facilities, with mud and debris scattered throughout the Midland County history museums. "Our biggest concern is for the thousands of papers, artifacts and photographs that celebrate our rich history in Midland County, and most of those valued treasurers are safe. The museum is seeking volunteers with collections or curatorial training to lead small teams of volunteers with the removal, and people with facilities and construction training to remove walls and make building modifications to protect structures at the site. Museum officials ask anyone able to travel to Midland to contact Julie Johnson by emailing johnsonj@midlandcenter.org. The historical site is also seeking help with locating freezer storage. Damage is more significant than initially thought and many usual resources are not available due to COVID-19, the release said. If you have any connections with sources for freezer space in the area or that can be moved there, please ask if it can be utilized and then Julie know necessary contact information. More on MLive: Flooding in Michigan: Everything we know about Midland County dam break Video shows Michigan dam break as it happened: Catastrophic is the only thing I can call it Fisherman mourns loss of Wixom Lake in wake of dam break and flood Our whole life is gone, says woman whose Sanford home was washed away in Midland floods Failed dam owner fought with state over Wixom Lake levels before flood Feds warned years ago Edenville Dam couldnt handle a historic flood Filmmaker Farah Khan took to Instagram to share an adorable yet hilarious post on her husband Sirish Kunder's birthday on Sunday. The Tees Maar Khan director shared a throwback picture of the two from fifteen years ago. In the picture, Farah was seen hugging the Joker director from behind. Even whn the world is upside down n things look like they r off track.. remember its all good.. coz i got ur back! Happy birthday @shirishkunder .. I repeat.. an ok husband but a great father. ( Melbourne throwback @mitulange 15 yrs ago) (sic), she wrote. Check it out below: Sirish and Farah tied the knot in 2014 after falling in love during the shoot of Main Hoon Na. They are parents to triplets Diva, Anya and Czar who were born in 2008. On the work front, Sirish Kunder last directed the Netflix film Mrs Serial Killer with Jacqueline Fernandez, Manoj Bajpayee and Mohit Raina. Farah Khan will be next collaborating with Rohit Shetty in an untitled big budget project, where she will be directing it and the Sooryavanshi director will be producing the film. It has been reported that the film will be a remake of Satte Pe Satta starring Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini. Follow @News18Movies for more A new study says hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, puts COVID-19 patients at a higher risk of death. The study, titled Chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19: Why might they be hazardous? published on Friday in the Lancet journal, highlighted that patients who took chloroquine, which hydroxychloroquine is derived from, were also more likely to develop irregular heart rhythms. Chloroquine is a synthetic drug introduced in the 1940s. It is a member of an important series of chemically related agents known as quinoline derivatives. Hydroxychloroquine is a related compound that was introduced in 1955. Both drugs are used in the treatment of tropical diseases such as malaria and amebiasis, a parasitic disease also known as amebic dysentery. They are also useful in the treatment of various skin conditions and diseases of the joints such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. U.S. President Donald Trump had at a press briefing in the White House said he had been using hydroxychloroquine to protect himself against COVID-19. However, Nigerias Presidential Task Force (PTF) on coronavirus at a daily briefing warned Nigerians against using the drug. It said the drug has not been declared a cure for the disease and further warned of the possibility of chloroquine poisoning if one indulges in self-medication with the drug. Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, who was the index case of COVID-19 in his state, had told journalists early this month that he was administered with Chloroquine, Zithromax, and Vitamin C during his successful treatment for the disease. The governor said COVID-19 patients in the state would, henceforth, be treated with the drugs. He said he would rather ask medics managing the states COVID-19 patients to treat them with chloroquine and Zithromax than watch them die of the disease. The National Agency for Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC), in an apparent reaction to the governors statement, warned Nigerians not to use any drug for the treatment of COVID-19 that is not approved by the NCDC. The agency is concerned about reports on social and other media of drugs or vaccines to cure COVID 19, NAFDACs Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, had said in a statement. Chloroquine was widely used in Nigeria and other parts of the world where malaria is endemic until it was abolished after people started developing resistance to it, a senior resident neurologist with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Daniel Otokpa, told PREMIUM TIMES. He said some chloroquine also affects the proper functioning of the eyes and the ears. But that wasnt the reason it was abolished, he said, stressing that it was dropped because studies revealed that people were developing resistance to it. Methodology The new study on the drug and COVID-19 looked at more than 96,000 patients from 671 hospitals across six continents. Researchers of the study at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Womens Hospital and other institutions looked at patients who were hospitalised with COVID-19 between December 20 and April 14. Findings It said 14,888 patients were treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, either alone or in combination with a macrolide. The remaining 81,144 patients were in the control group. It said nearly 10,700 patients died in the hospital. The study found that after controlling for multiple factors, including age, race, sex and underlying health conditions, there was a 34 per cent increase in the risk of mortality for patients who took hydroxychloroquine and a 137 per cent increased risk of serious heart arrhythmia. The study revealed that hydroxychloroquine is known to have serious side effects, including muscle weakness and heart arrhythmia. According to CNBC news, a small study in Brazil was halted for safety reasons after coronavirus patients taking chloroquine developed arrhythmia, including some who died. It said Hydroxychloroquine, which has been repeatedly touted by Mr Trump as a potential game changer in fighting the coronavirus, is also often used by doctors to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Numerous clinical trials are looking to see if it is effective in fighting the coronavirus, but it is not a proven treatment. Cyclone Amphan may have brought trails of misery for many, but it also did pleasantly surprise some migrant returnees who were asked to vacate the shelter homes in Odisha and undergo home quarantine to make space for the storm-hit people. Around 2,000 migrants in the coastal districts of the state were exempted from the mandatory institutional quarantine after they tested negative for COVID-19. "The returnees in temporary health camps (THCs) were subjected to COVID-19 test. And those who tested negative were sent to their respective homes," Jagatsinghpur District Collector Sangram Mohapatra said. "They were directed to remain under self isolation for 28 days." The move was aimed at vacating some of the temporary quarantine centres, which have now doubled up as cyclone shelters, too, he said. "Altogether 815 people quarantined in 39 health camps were provided with the opportunity to return home and maintain self isolation," Mohapatra said. "They have submitted a written undertaking that they would not violate the isolation norms." All health camps were thoroughly sanitised before converting them into cyclone shelters, he said. Nearly 45 lakh people in Odisha have been adversely affected by the extremely severe cyclonic storm Amphan, which fiercely went past the state coast and made landfall in West Bengal's Sunderbans last Wednesday At least two lakh people were evacuated from the vulnerable areas of the state ahead of the landfall. Several people have also been rendered homeless by the storm. In Kendrapara, around 250 migrant workers were sent home after their COVID-19 tests confirmed that they have not contacted the infection. "Eight health camps that had been housing quarantined people over the past two months are now serving as cyclone shelters. Over 250 have been asked to maintain self isolation at home," Kendrapara District Collector Samarth Verma said. Those sent home were provided with their COVID-19 test reports amid apprehensions that locals might stop them from entering the villages. "We have received no report of resistance shown to any of the migrants sent home," Verma said. Similar measures were undertaken in parts of Balasore and Bhadrak districts, officials said. A Gujarat-returned labourer, who was allowed to go home, said he cannot wait to meet his loved ones. "I had undertaken a long and painful journey to return to Odisha. I so wanted to go home and rest," said the migrant worker in Balasore who did not wish to be named. "Now that I have been granted permission, having tested negative for the disease, I can't wait to meet my family. That said, I will strictly adhere to the social distancing norms," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amateur radio today is as relevant as it was 95 years ago In a media statement about the SARL 95th anniversary, President Nico van Rensburg, ZS6QL said, "Amateur Radio has withstood the test of time because it is based on three major guiding principles: Communication between people, continuous technological development and self-education and training" SARL News reports: Amateur Radio's history dates back to the days of Marconi and other early radio experimenters. In the last years of the 19th century they stunned the world by showing that it was possible to communicate wirelessly. In South Africa, the early radio experiments were carried out by a telephone technician, Alfred Jennings, in Port Elizabeth who demonstrated wireless communication as early as 1899. Radio amateurs in various parts of South Africa established wireless associations which were amalgamated in 1925 into one national body, the SARRL. The word 'Relay' was dropped in 1947. It was the experimenters in the amateur radio fraternity who, in the early days of radio, proved that shortwaves propagate around the world. In modern days they showed the world the value of low earth orbiting satellites, today the backbone of GPS and soon the broadband satellite connectivity, once Elon Musk's Starlink constellation is complete. Since the beginning of the amateur radio service at the dawn of the previous century, radio amateurs have made significant contributions to radio technology and the understanding of radio science. This work continues today, as the primary purpose of the amateur radio service is the "continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art. Recent advances in the fields of computing, software defined radio and signal processing provide unprecedented opportunities to meet this mandate. These opportunities are already beginning to be realised with the advent of systems such as the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN), the Weak Signal Propagation Reporting Network (WSPRNet) and PSKReporter. In addition to enabling radio amateurs to make and contribute legitimate scientific observations, it will expose amateur radio to a wider community of people around the world interested in science. On the science front of Amateur Radio, the SARL is collecting data about the radio frequency noise floor. RF noise monitoring is part of an international campaign to quantify the increases in the RF noise floor because of the widespread use of devices that generate noise as an unintended consequence. The rapid increase in the radio frequency noise floor is of great concern as the reliance on radio is increasing at an exponential rate. Just think of cell phones, wireless internet connection and the whole world of IoT. The South African Radio League has developed a monitoring system powered by a Raspberry Pi and an RF dongle. There are currently too few monitoring points, hence the SARL is planning to reach out to universities and technical high schools to join the project and set up monitoring receivers on their campuses. Currently only a few radio amateurs are participating in the project but once the lockdown is something of the past, it is hoped that more radio amateurs, universities and high school science clubs will become involved. Radio Amateurs pioneered low earth orbit satellite communication and recently gained access to the first amateur radio geostationary satellite providing 24 hour communication across Africa, Europe and the Near East. A South African group, AMSAT SA, is currently constructing a Software Defined Radio (SDR) powered CubeSat as part of its ongoing amateur radio satellite technology development. Nico van Rensburg ZS6QL has said that one of the pillars of Amateur Radio is communication. It has withstood all the challenges of the internet and the mobile phone. Amateur Radio was in fact the world's first social network, decades before Twitter and Facebook. Talking to and making friends all over South Africa and the world is unchallenged and will always remain the reason why many remain involved and the younger generation is showing increasing interest. It is the magic of the ether waves that draws people together. As one of the astronauts speaking from the international space station said to a young person via an amateur radio link, the magic of radio surpasses everything, even here in space!" Source SARL News http://www.sarl.org.za/ What is Amateur Radio? http://www.essexham.co.uk/what-is-amateur-radio Free UK amateur radio online training courses http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2020/april/online-training-for-amateur-radio.htm https://www.aish.com/f/mom/A-Different-Shavuot-This-Year.html With none of the communal activities that normally accompany this holiday, we have a new kind of opportunity to appreciate the Torah. We are going away for Shavuot. Armed with our CDC-approved disinfectant, we have rented a house near the water along the California coast. In the past I would never have considered this. Leave the community for Shavuot? But this year there is no community interaction. Not going to shul on Shavuot? There is no shul. Even the gathering of women I like to host Shavuot morning can't take place. All the usual structures of the holiday have been removed except of course, the cheesecake, and cheese babka, and cheese blintzes Like all holidays, Shavuot is meant to be observed within a community. While the Passover Seder takes place in the home, Shavuot night usually sees synagogues filled with people learning all night and even a little shul hopping for different classes and different teachers. The streets are abuzz even in the middle of the night as eager students throng to their preferred study location. This year the streets will be empty. There will be no communal learning, no competition over which synagogue has the best midnight snacks, no difficult decisions over which class to attend, no friends to invite to share in the meal, no pre-Shavuot bake sales to raise money for worthy causes, no contest over creative cheesecake flavors. It will be different. It will be difficult. Like everything during this time, it will be a challenge. And, like everything during this time, it will be an opportunity. We just have to determine what that is. Ive identified a few that (I hope) will work for me. As opposed to community learning, this year Shavuot can be a chance for family learning in all sorts of permutations. All of us together, with my daughter, with my son, with my husband, with my grandchildren that are in lockdown with us there are a lot of possible permutations. This can lead to new ways to learn, new topics to learn (suited to my learning partner) and new ideas. Even though we may feel like we get a lot of family time under our current circumstances, the time on Yom Tov is different. During the week were distracted. Were still trying to work. Were all exhausted by the extra effort required to teach, listen, interact in any way over zoom. Were trying to be creative and engaged and were giving it our all. Shavuot will give us more relaxed time with each other, more focused time with each other, time to learn, grow and even play some games. But, most of all (at least for me), Shavuot is always a time of introspection which I hope will be facilitated by the lack of community (not that I dont wish it were otherwise!) and our anticipated proximity to the ocean. Its a time for contemplation and appreciation. As I ponder the receiving of the Torah, I cant help but reflect back on my life and, years later, still marvel at where Ive ended up. From small town, Canada, where I was the only Jew in my 2200-person high school (until my younger brother came) to big city, America where I've been a rebbetzin for 37 years (gulp). Such a journey would not be possible without the Almightys help. And I owe all the joy and meaning and blessing in my life to Him and His Torah. When I sit down to learn Shavuot, I take pleasure in the richness, breadth and depth of Torah and I am so grateful to my teachers who opened my eyes to the Torahs wonders and to the Almighty who gave us this gift. I dont usually express this gratitude. I may frequently take it for granted. Its just an instinctive part of my life. But Shavuot is the time to look at it anew. On Shavuot we receive the Torah anew. In fact, we should feel like that every day. But weak, distracted, and selfish as we are (I speak for myself), that is rarely the case. Shavuot is that opportunity to experience the Torah through fresh eyes, with excitement and appreciation. Even though the expected external structure of the holiday will be missing this year, the essence of it will be present. And I pray that I will really be able to focus on it. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 20:29:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on May 24, 2020 shows a children's playground closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo, Japan. The Japanese government plans to fully lift the state of emergency in the Tokyo metropolitan area and Hokkaido on Monday, economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said Sunday. Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama and Hokkaido were the last remaining areas under the state of emergency among the country's 47 prefectures. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi) TOKYO, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government plans to fully lift the state of emergency in the Tokyo metropolitan area and Hokkaido on Monday, economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said Sunday. The decision came as the number of new COVID-19 cases is on a declining trend and the medical system also improved. Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama and Hokkaido were the last remaining areas under the state of emergency among the country's 47 prefectures. Nishimura, who is in charge of the emergency response, said an advisory panel of health experts will meet on Monday morning to discuss the lifting of the emergency. "For the most part, there is no change in the trend of decline (in new infection cases)," Nishimura said at a press conference. The confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country increased by 26 to reach 16,569, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities on Sunday. The number excludes the 712 cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama near Tokyo. In Tokyo, 14 new infections were reported on Sunday, raising the total number in the prefecture to 5,152 so far, while nine deaths were confirmed on the same day. Enditem PREZ TRUMP ORDERING CHURCH REOPEN TESTS OF THE FAITH OF HIS CRITICS!!! True believers in MAGA and the Big JC still confront the same risks as everyone else. Authorities continue to advise against large gatherings. Many Democratic Party loyalists desperately want to return to church but rebuke any command from the President on the topic of faith & morals. Meanwhile, traditional conservatives who advocate small government and a separation betwixt Church & State bristle at the faith-based edict from the Commander-In-Chief which sets a dangerous precedent of White House control over religious institutions. Prez Trump Proclaims American Churches Are Essential Trump declares churches 'essential,' calls on them to reopen WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump on Friday labeled churches and other houses of worship as "essential" and called on governors nationwide to let them reopen this weekend even though some areas remain under coronavirus lockdown. The president threatened to "override" governors who defy him, but it was unclear what authority he has to do so. Priest Pushes Back Against Prez Trump Commandment Priest: Mr. President, we don't need to open churches to practice our faith CNN religion commentator Father Edward Beck writes about President Donald Trump's order to reopen churches and places of worship. He's afraid reopening churches now might risk many lives rather than nourishing them. Question Of Faith: White House Rules God's House??? Trump ordered states to open churches. Can he do that? President Donald Trump is making a show of siding with religious groups in their clashes with state and local authorities - but his own Justice Department's actions are exposing the challenges involved in trying to bring the federal government's power to bear on the issue. Church Provides No Sanctuary From Coronavirus Church-Related Coronavirus Outbreaks Reported As Trump Pushes For Reopening As President Donald Trump sides with churches that want to reopen faster than their state's safety guidelines will allow, new Covid-19 virus outbreaks associated with in-person religious services are being reported worldwide. Trump demanded Friday that states allow places of worship to reopen and even threatened to order them open himself if governors won't, though he doesn't have the authority under federal law. Prez Trump Proudly Defends Church Reopen Rights President Trump Sides With Churches Asserting A Right To Reopen Houses of worship around the country on Friday got a presidential green light to open immediately. "I call on governors to allow our churches and places of worship to open right now," President Trump said in remarks at the White House. "These are places that hold our society together and keep our people united," he said. Catholic Compromise Balances Faith & Reason After Trump call to reopen churches, Catholic doctor says it can be done safely by Michelle La Rosa Denver Newsroom, May 22, 2020 / 05:45 pm MT (CNA).- While President Donald Trump's May 22 call to reopen churches has become a source of national controversy, a group of Catholic doctors has offered a plan that could expedite that process. "I think that if we Good Faith Judgement??? Trump Is Desperately Trying To Escalate The Culture Wars By Demanding Churches Open President Donald Trump, deeming houses of worship "essential places that provide essential services," called Friday for governors to allow them to reopen immediately-regardless of whether he actually has the authority to impose such an order. Prez Trump Remains 'Chosen One' Amongst Religious Right Inside the Influential Evangelical Group Mobilizing to Reelect Trump "The Covid virus has been a gift from God," began Ken Eldred. "The kingdom of God advances through a series of glorious victories, cleverly disguised as disasters." In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Eldred noted, millions of Americans are turning to Christ, Walmart is selling out of Bibles, and online church broadcasts have hit record numbers. Local Troops Ordered To Stand Down For Memorial Day Mass Lenexa cemetery cancels annual Memorial Day Mass for vets, large gatherings still deemed unsafe LENEXA, Kan. - Even during a pandemic, some Memorial Day customs carry on. Metro families crowd into cemeteries this weekend, paying their respects while protecting themselves from coronavirus as they visit the graves of lost loved ones. However, directors at Resurrection Cemetery in Lenexa were forced to cancel the annual Memorial Day Mass, which dates back at least 20 years. Kansas City Practices Gentle Communion Toss Whilst Some Priests Still Prefer The Tongue Churches reopen with an emphasis on safety by Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Months after all public Masses in the archdiocese were canceled on March 17, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann announced last week that parishes were opening up - slowly and carefully. In a video message posted on the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas website, Archbishop Naumann announced the resumption of public Masses beginning May 9. Politics, science and a leap of faith confront Christians this Sunday in Kansas City and throughout the nation.The dilemma . . .Here are just a few moral dilemmas that this brilliant political posturing evokes . . .And so, to help unpack this Sunday soul searching, we share these national and local news links to contemplate . . .You decide . . . Next Sunday is the Feast of Pentecost, when it is believed the early disciples realized that their experience of Jesus is best lived in community, or church. A line in the May 20 issue of Commonweal Magazine jumped up at me: The coronavirus did in a weekend what it has taken the Second Vatican Council almost 60 years to try to get Catholics to do, which is to get out of their church buildings and talk with people about Jesus. Cut off from the experience of church, millions of Christians have been pushed into being church for themselves, their families, co-workers and neighbors. When we return to church, there will be a myriad of questions how it -- worship, leadership, authority, for starters -- will unfold. And it may not be the same as before. One question facing the Rev. Gary Grindeland, pastor of Grace Lutheran in Bayonne and Trinity and Redeemer Lutheran in Jersey City is, How do we embrace a nimble, creative and flexible expression of church without becoming trendy? He found one outlet for doing that during the pandemic. Each morning by now some 70 -- he situated himself vested in alb and cope in some place in Bayonne or Greenville and offered a two-minute reflection and prayer live streamed on Graces Facebook page, YouTube channel and website. For example, on April 1, he stood on the shore of the Kill van Kull with a tanker ship in the Staten Island dry dock as background and he asked the viewers: Are we a ship of fools or fools for Christ? After a brief Bible verse, he spoke and then ended by saying, Ive gotta go. Ive gotta a ship to take and Jesus is at the helm. Will you join me? He boasted that hes getting more viewers than his normal Sunday church attendance. Church buildings have been closed, not the reality and visibility of being Church, said the Rev. Anthony Randazzo, pastor of Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Westfield who once ministered at Our Lady of Mercy in Jersey City. Hes noticed that pandemic times draw out more mission and ministry in Christ. Healing and compassion are central to COVID-19 times, the very core of Jesus ministry. He, by the way, is an authority as a systematic theologian whose specialty is Christology, which he taught in the major seminary at Seton Hall. Sister Arlene Flaherty, left, is seen at St. Peter's Church on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with Sister Ann Scholz, center, and Sister Mary Ann Collinsas they prepared for civil disobedience in support of Dreamers back in 2018. Blauvelt Dominican Sister Arlene Flaherty, who resided in Jersey City for years, asserted, It cant be worship-as-usual-again. The Mass in church, for example, progresses in a timed manner with little space for personal reflection or pause. If anything, she noted, the pandemic has allowed for more contemplative time and space. A theme that resonated with all three is that the pandemic has expanded our awareness of our inter-relatedness and dependence on one another and our planet Earth, as Flaherty, who has worked in peace and justice ministry most of her religious life, put it. She is now the social justice director for the Notre Dame Sisters in Wilton, Connecticut. There is no vaccine that is going to inoculate us from the diseases that will be forthcoming from an increasingly contaminated earth, she said. "We must care for our suffering brothers and sisters and care for the planet," she said. "We have seen what the pandemic has done throughout the world. "We must see that faith is made manifest in service to others and the stranger, Grindeland added. And the sharing of our common home Earth is magnified a hundred times, Randazzo said. Church is caring relationships with others in and outside baptismal ministry, he added. Flaherty drew on Pope Francis image of the church as a field hospital asking, How are we present, ministering to the urgent needs of our day? As a priest shaped by the teachings of Vatican II, I realized early on in this pandemic that the institutional church cannot let go of control. We kick and scream as we move from uniformity to unity even though Francis is prodding us to go. Empowering the laity to be church is precisely what the pandemic did by cutting us off from all the trappings. Return will be slow in coming and will take months if not longer to recoup. But in the end, we will draw on the Spirit present to the apostles in next Sundays Scriptures to give us what we need to shape a post pandemic church. It wont be easy, but it will be exciting and more engaging. Crisis is the driver of transformation, Flaherty said. We, as church, are transformed. Big time. The Rev. Alexander Santora is the pastor of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph, 400 Willow Ave., Hoboken, NJ 07030. Email: padrealex@yahoo.com; Twitter: @padrehoboken. During a press conference on Friday, White House Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, revealed that United States President Donald Trump is giving $100,000 from his own quarterly salary as a donation to the Department of Health and Human Services. According to McEnany, Trump is donating in order to help DHHS in the development of drugs, therapies, and vaccines to combat and prevent coronavirus disease from further spreading in the US. McEnany, showed a cheque amounting to $100,000 in the briefing and said that it directly came from a portion of Trump's salary which he does not claim, instead he gives to different causes, especially during this time of a pandemic. The White House press secretary showed what looked like a full-page check that has already been signed. Trump's Banking Details Exposed However, the intent to highlight the noble efforts of President Trump seemed to have backfired on them as during the show and tell of the cheque, McEnany accidentally displayed personal banking details of the leader of the nation where the world's largest economy is. While people lauded the efforts of Trump, the check that was shown during the press conference contained complete details about Trump's banking account and it cameras from the press were quick to take photos of the cheque. After the reveal, speculations about the legitimacy of the cheque arose since some of the details contained in there were supposed to be confidential and that the White House staff are usually more careful than that. Read also: US-China Tensions Rise: World Leaders Urge Cooperation to Fight the Coronavirus Pandemic According to an administration official who talked to the New York Times, the check used during the said briefing were legitimate as they do not use mock cheques. They also added during the statement that the media should have focused on the nobility of the act rather than focus on whether the cheque is real or not. Moreover, they called out the media for making speculations instead of simply reporting facts. The incident caused alarm since revealing the said bank account information can make the President's account vulnerable to hackers and money phishers. However, some media outlets did the initiative to crop out important information on the cheque before posting it on their websites. According to a professor from the University of Notre Dame who teaches information technology, this incident revealed the real reason why during television game shows and programs, large promotional cheques. The reason being it does not only look good on stage but these large cheques also do not contain confidential banking information. Thus, he said that the White House could have been more careful not to reveal Trump's account details to the world. Making good on a promise While the reveal may have exposed the president to an accidental security risk, the donation showed how he made good on his promise to donate his entire salary to different government agencies instead of keeping. During his campaign in 2016, Trump said that his entire salary of $400,000 will not go to his pocket except for $ only to abide by the requirements of the constitution that he needs to be paid. Every quarter, it is revealed which government agency will be receiving the portion of the president's salary. Related article: Trump Does Not Want to Close US Borders Again if Second Coronavirus Wave Hits @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Newser) Israel's prime minister arrived in a Jerusalem court Sunday and denounced the corruption case against himalong with officials, journalists, and police he claims fabricated the evidence, the Times of Israel reports. "Elements in the police and State Attorneys Office banded together with left-wing journalists ... to fabricate baseless cases against me," said Benjamin Netanyahu, flanked by aides. "The goal is to oust a strong right-wing prime minister and to banish the right-wing camp from leadership of the country for many years." The embattled politician also slammed the nation's justice system for allowing a "fabricated and ludicrous" case to make it to trial, Al Jazeera reports. story continues below Hundreds of protesters gathered outside to support Netanyahu as he entered the hour-long hearing, where he spoke only to confirm his name. In three separate allegations, the 70-year-old is facing one count of bribery and three of fraud and breach of trust, per CNN, but government experts are divided over whether the trial is good for Israel. Some say the accusations will come down to conflicts of interest that pale in comparison to what Netanyahu might do to gain his freedom: "If, God forbid, we will have a war, is it going to be because there is a security threat, or because this is going to be a wag-the-dog kind of moment that you want to disrupt public opinion?" a legal scholar asks the New York Times. (Read more Israel stories.) A 49-year-old man has been arrested in Delhi for alleged involvement in armed robbery and attempt to murder, police said on Sunday. Acting on a tip off, the special cell of the Delhi Police nabbed Ajay Bidhuri after a gunfight near Mehrauli Badarpur Road on Saturday night, the police said. Bidhuri, alias Israel, who is a resident of Ghaziabad, was absconding for the past 10 months after jumping parole, officials said. The suspect, who was previously found involved in more than 20 cases, was a member of a biker gang, led was Om Prakash. The group had committed several sensational armed robberies in 2008, according to officials. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said Bidhuri had jumped parole last July and was now planning to commit armed robbery in the National Capital Region during the coronavirus lockdown. Around 7 pm on Saturday, Bidhuri was arriving on a motorcycle and he whipped out his pistol while seeing the police and threatened to fire. When asked to surrender, he fired a shot towards police personnel, who retaliated, but no one was hurt. Later, Bidhuri was overpowered and disarmed, Kushwah said. A single-shot pistol with three live cartridges was recovered from him at the time of his arrest, the DCP said. Om Prakash and his associate Rajesh died in an exchange of fire with Delhi Police on August 25, 2008, but Bidhuri managed to escape but he was subsequently arrested. He was convicted in four cases and remained in jail since then till June 2019, but was released on parole and has been absconding since then, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A big dissention has recently erupted, renewing tensions between the Chairman of the Nigerians In Diaspora Commission (NIDCOMM) Abike Dabiri- Erewa , and Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy in Nigeria. Mrs. Dabiri in an interview recently claimed that Dr. Pantami organized a forced evacuation of NIDCOMMs office in February. According to Dabiri, the office, which is located in the Nigeria Communications Commissions building was cleared out only two days after NIDCOMM moved in. She claimed that NIDCOMM has been without an office ever since, stating in the viral interview that office equipment, including laptops and printers were further locked up. In response, Dr. Pantami vehemently denied the accusations, placing special emphasis on denying the claim that NIDCOMM was manhandled by armed men. THIS IS A FAT LIE FROM HER: The owner of the building NgComCommission has faulted her lies on their social media platforms. The minister has never given that directives to any gunman. We need to be very objective in reporting. I have never sent any gunmen there, & I have no one, Dr. Pantami stated. THIS IS A FAT LIE FROM HER: The owner of the building @NgComCommission has faulted her lies on their social media platforms. The minister has never given that directives to any gunman. We need to be very objective in reporting. I have never sent any gunmen there, & I have no one https://t.co/SUi3n4Qs4E Isa Ali Pantami, PhD (@DrIsaPantami) May 24, 2020 Furthermore, Mrs. Dabiris claims were rendered increasingly vague by NCCs response in a press release signed by Dr. Henry Nkemadu Director, Public Affairs insisting that NIDCOMM was in no way hustled from the building, neither were they thrown out as earlier reported. Part of the statement reads: The attention of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been drawn to a video making the rounds on social media alleging that the Nigeria Diaspora Commission was ignominiously thrown out of the NCC building. It is therefore important that the general public is acquiesced with what really transpired with regard to the incident leading to the evacuation of the Diaspora Commission from the NCC building. At this time, only NCC Staff were accredited to have access within this premises as required by the security officials. All the properties belonging to the Diaspora Commission are safely warehoused in some of the Offices in the Complex. This is contrary to the position of the Director General of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa that the removal of her Commission from the building was punitive. This is not the correct position and we agree with her that there are always challenges in every human activity but the unforeseen challenges that arose in this case are not different but require understanding of all concerned, the statement read. The Nigeria Communications Commission further denied the alleged armed men accusations, saying: As is usual in ensuring security and accountability before, during and after presidential visits, the building had to be cleared to allow for only known and identifiable persons to have access within the Complex. Therefore the Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami could not have sent armed men to drive the staff of the Diaspora Commission out of the Communications and Digital Economy Complex. (Full Details Of NCCS Press Statement Below) Furthermore, NCC revealed that Mrs. Dabiri had in fact not visited the office complex to take charge, neither had NIDCOMM began any official use of the offices. Incidentally, after the offer of the office spaces to the Diaspora Commission, the Director General, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa had not visited the Complex to take possession of any of the offices and also the Commission had not started using any of these spaces as offices, the statement reads. NIDCOMM swiftly responded to NCCs press statement by posting a video showing NIDCOMMs secretary Dr. Bassi addressing staff after said evacuation. The posts headline states: The Secretary of NiDCOM, Dr. Bassi addressing the staff of the Commission shortly after being locked out of their office on the order of the Minister @DrIsaPantami on the 11th of February, 2020. Notice of evacuation was given via a text message on the 9th of February, 2020 VIDEO: The Secretary of NiDCOM, Dr. Bassi addressing the staff of the Commission shortly after being locked out of their office on the order of the Minister @DrIsaPantami on the 11th of February, 2020. Notice of evacuation was given via a text message on the 9th of February, 2020 pic.twitter.com/unpHx6EGaa Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (@nidcom_gov) May 24, 2020 Additionally, Dabiri a few hours ago responded to Pantamis assertions on the falsehood of her story, saying that Dr. Pantami has had a reputation for disrespect of the female gender. An Islamic scholar should not lie Hon Minister .( Phd??)You did that to me cos I am a woman .Your disrespect for women is legendary, she said. (I) Left the ugly incident behind me since February. But please release all our office equipment.Public office is transient, she continued. However, there were no armed officials as Dabiri claimed in a recent interview with Sahara Reporters. PRESS STATEMENT AS ISSUED BY NCC Diaspora Commission not sent packing from Digital Economy Complex, says NCC The attention of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been drawn to a video making the rounds on social media alleging that the Nigeria Diaspora Commission was ignominiously thrown out of the NCC building. It is therefore important that the general public is acquiesced with what really transpired with regard to the incident leading to the evacuation of the Diaspora Commission from the NCC building. Following the completion of the NCC building at Mbora, Abuja designated as NCC Annex and the acute shortage of accommodation space for the staff of the Commission in the NCC Head Office at Maitama, Abuja, the Board of the Commission directed the decongestion of the Head Office Building. Some of the Departments of the NCC had started moving to The new Office Complex of Five (5) Floors when discussions were held between the NCC and the Diaspora Commission to enable the Diaspora Commission also utilize any free Offices within the Complex. The fifth floor allocated to them had to be used to accommodate other Departments from the NCC Headquarters to ease the congestion. NCCs offer to house the Nigeria Diaspora Commission was predicated on the long held position of the NCC that agencies of Government will achieve more through strategic collaboration, partnership, synergy and sharing to the extent allowed by relevant laws. During this period, the NCC secured approval for the Commissioning of the Office Complex by the President, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari and the launching of four important projects of the NCC and the renamed Ministry of Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy (FMC&DE): 1. Launching and unveiling of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020 2025; 2. Commissioning of the Communications and Digital Economy Complex; 3. Launching of the Emergency Communications Centre and Toll-Free number 112; and 4. Flag off of the Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training These important projects were a culmination of extensive collaboration between NCC and the other Parastatals of the FMC&DE and fittingly the Complex was renamed the COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL ECONOMY COMPLEX in tandem with the new drive of the Federal Government towards a digital economy. The NCC has not withdrawn the offer but had hiccups arising from the preparation for the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate the Communications and Digital Economy Complex and launch other projects relating to the mandate of government. The Board and Management of the NCC took a decision to ensure that every activity in the building was in line with the Federal Governments digital agenda. Incidentally, after the offer of the office spaces to the Diaspora Commission, the Director General, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa had not visited the Complex to take possession of any of the offices and also the Commission had not started using any of these spaces as offices. As is usual in ensuring security and accountability before, during and after presidential visits, the building had to be cleared to allow for only known and identifiable persons to have access within the Complex. Therefore the Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami could not have sent armed men to drive the staff of the Diaspora Commission out of the Communications and Digital Economy Complex. At this time, only NCC Staff were accredited to have access within this premises as required by the security officials. All the properties belonging to the Diaspora Commission are safely warehoused in some of the Offices in the Complex. This is contrary to the position of the Director General of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa that the removal of her Commission from the building was punitive. This is not the correct position and we agree with her that there are always challenges in every human activity but the unforeseen challenges that arose in this case are not different but require understanding of all concerned. SIGNED: Dr. Henry Nkemadu Director, Public Affairs Nigerian Communications Commission 24 May 2020 Kerala government on Saturday assured parents that the children will be safe in schools as proper sanitization process is being conducted in schools ahead of SSLC, Plus Two exams. The Education Department is making all arrangements to bring schools back to normalcy. Schools are being sanitized with the help of local bodies, peoples representatives and Parent Teachers Association. It will be completed in two days. Fire force will conduct disinfection in all schools, Kerala education minister Professor C Raveendranath told ANI. Urging parents to not get tensed about the coronavirus situation, the Education Minister said, Facilities like sanitization of the schools, thermal scanning are being done as per the directions of Union Health Department. Students will be safe here like they are in their homes. He further said that the schools can even use buses of neighbouring schools or rent out vehicles. The Education Department will bear the cost borne by schools for hiring buses on rent for transporting students, he said. The SSLC, Plus one, Plus two and Vocational higher secondary exams will commence from May 26. They will be conducted in five days from May 26 to May 30, the Education Minister said while adding, Those who are unable to attend the upcoming exams can attend the exams along with Save A Year (SAY) exams which are usually for the students who could not pass earlier but they will be considered as regular students. - Kim Chiu wrote a lengthy post on Instagram to discuss about online bullying - She made this after learning that Hana Kimura, a professional Japanese wrestler and Netflix reality show star, has died at the age of 22 - There are reports that Hana had been sharing on social media posts indicating that she was bullied online - Saddened by the news, Kim expressed how hurtful words can deeply affect someones being PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Kim Chiu took to social media to discuss about online bullying after learning that Hana Kimura, a professional Japanese wrestler, has died at the age of 22. There are reports that Hana, who was part of the cast of the latest season of Netflix's reality show "Terrace House," had been sharing on social media posts indicating that she was bullied online. Her last Instagram post, which showed her with her cat, read: "I love you, have a long, happy life. I'm sorry (written in Japanese)." PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedback Saddened by the news, Kim wrote a lengthy post on Instagram to express how hurtful words can deeply affect someones being. Here is Kims post: Last night as I was about to sleep, saw the sad news about #terracehousejapan #hanakimura. I don't know her personally shempre but nanood lang ako ng show on Netflix. I was so hooked on her character then I searched her IG then I saw #RIPHanakimura she took her own life because of the hurtful words that people throw at her. Yes!!! Your Words can be powerful; it can also be a weapon on taking someone's life. Di mo alam ang pinagdadaanan ng bawat tao sa mundo. Lalo na sa situation natin ngayon. So PLEASE CHOOSE TO BE KIND. If hindi kaya, then atras tayo. If you dont like that person, then feel free to unfollow sa lahat ng social media platforms na meron yung taong yun. We are in a world of social media where we can talk to everyone as if we are just neighbors kahit na miles away tayong lahat. This technology intertwines us. Let us use this in a positive way, use this for us to be one, supporting one another, uplifting each other, being kind to people, KIND enough to accept someone's flaws, KIND enough to forgive. KIND enough to just be there enjoying this kind of technology that we have right now. Wag natin abusuhin. I mean, I'm not here para pagalitan yung mga taong yun, but I just want to remind people that being KIND can go places. Always! Always! Always! Choose kindness. Subject: VALUES ED !!!! sending you virtual hugs ! Peace!!! Blessed sunday everyone. 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, Kim Chiu reached out to DJ Loonyo for "Bawal Lumabas" choreography. Kim Chiu, born Kimberly Sue Yap Chiu on April 19, 1990, is one of the most well-known actresses in the Philippines. She broke through in showbiz by joining Pinoy Big Brother. The 30-year-old Kapamilya star is in a relationship with actor Xian Lim. 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! Source: KAMI.com.gh In the weeks before his death, Mr Maharaj was eagerly preparing to celebrate his daughter's graduation from university. He was so excited and proud, his eldest daughter Charisma, 23, said. He was looking forward to me wearing the gown and holding my degree." Instead, his daughters held vigil at their fathers funeral, as COVID-19 restrictions prevented scores of relatives, friends and colleagues from mourning together. Three weeks after Mr Maharajs death, his daughters Charisma and Komal sat with their mother Sharmil on a couch in their Gregory Hills home in Sydneys south-west. A dozen photos of a beaming Mr Maharaj watch over them. Praween and Sharmil Maharaj. I am going to miss him every day, Sharmil said through tears. Anyone who goes to work should return safely home to their family. The day he died, Mr Maharaj woke about 5.30am. His wife, for the first time in as long as she can remember, slept in. Her husband told her to enjoy her sleep-in on her day off. Every day, he would ring me, two or three times, Mrs Maharaj said. Instead, she received a call from her sister-in-law telling her Mr Maharaj had been injured at work. She and her daughters raced to the mental health unit, where they were told to wait outside. I said, let me go in, I want to see him. Whats going on?, she said. They told me it was a crime scene ... Then three people came out and told me he was gone." Mrs Maharaj crumpled, Komal, 21, said. We didnt anticipate dad was no longer with us. We thought it was a serious injury, not that we wouldnt get him back, she said. More than one month later, Mrs Maharaj and her daughters were struggling to make sense of the confusion surrounding his death. No one has come forward to tell us what happened, Charisma said. We want to know whether he suffered and how we can be told one day that there was a patient involved in some way, and then it was a 'medical episode'." Sharmil Maharaj with a portrait of her late husband, Praween Maharaj. Credit:Janie Barrett The term is used by police to indicate a death appears to have been caused by a health condition, rather than violent or criminal behaviour. NSW Nurses and Midwives Association general secretary Brett Holmes said that on the day Mr Maharaj died, the union had been advised that there had been physical contact with a patient. Sources familiar with the case have described the circumstances surrounding the patient and Mr Maharaj on condition of anonymity. The patient allegedly involved in the altercation was known to have violent outbursts. He had a nicotine addiction and had repeatedly tried to barge into the nurses station to get to his cigarettes, which were kept in a drawer within the enclosed room. Patients can usually seek permission to leave the unit to smoke, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, the unit was effectively in lockdown. Mr Maharaj was inside the station when the patient banged on the closed door. It is not clear whether Mr Maharaj opened the door to try and calm him, or whether the patient forced his way inside, but there was a physical struggle and both men fell to the floor. Early reports indicated Mr Maharaj may have hit his head. The patient tried to reach his cigarettes, leaving Mr Maharaj on the floor. Another nurse had heard the banging and rushed to help Mr Maharaj subdue the patient, but Mr Maharaj could not stay standing for long. He lowered himself to the floor looking severely unwell and started having a seizure. Paramedics performed CPR for more than 30 minutes but they were unable to revive him. Had Mr Maharaj been a police officer or a firefighter, his death in the service of others would have been a national tragedy, several distraught colleagues told The Sydney Morning Herald. What happened to Praween is just so painful for everyone who knew him, one healthcare worker said. We want to make sure its not swept under the rug. Several nurses and a psychiatrist had raised concerns that the patient should have been moved to a higher acuity unit with greater security. Most people with mental illness are not violent and are more likely to be the victims of violence. But this man had previously been an inpatient at another hospital's forensic unit for many years after stabbing an individual. Sharmil and Praween Maharaj. Praween Maharaj was a nurse in the mental health unit at Liverpool Hospital. Mr Maharajs family has questioned why a man with such a record of violence had been an inpatient on the unit for more than eight years. Sources also suggest the units layout, the COVID-19 restrictions and low staffing levels may have created an environment that contributed to the death of Mr Maharaj, an accredited violence management trainer, and have raised concerns for nurses still working on the unit. The staffing ratio was three to 14 patients; there are usually two registered nurses and an assistant nurse on each shift. Mr Kumar said: There is nothing we can do to bring Praween back but knowing how much he valued his work and colleagues we dont want this to happen to anyone else.'' In a statement, South Western Sydney Local Health District said we would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family of the mental health nurse and we are providing them with every support during this distressing time. Praween Maharaj with his family. The district is conducting a root cause analysis investigation, which will include full disclosure to the family of its findings. The family also has the opportunity to be involved in the process of the investigation, the statement said. As our internal inquiry is progressing, SafeWork NSW and police continue their investigations and the matter has been referred to the coroner, we are unable to provide further comment." Mr Holmes said the union was conducting its own investigation. "The association has had concerns raised by members at other mental health units in northern NSW about levels of agitation of patients restricted by changes to policies that were as a result of COVID-19," Mr Holmes said. "We will be interested to see any correlation to these events. A SafeWork NSW spokesman confirmed the department was investigating Mr Maharajs death and was also investigating a separate violent incident that occurred in Liverpool Hospitals Medical Assessment Unit in December 2018. NSW Coroner's Court is waiting for the final autopsy report and has asked police to prepare a brief of evidence by early August. A Coroner's Court spokesman said: "Once the autopsy report and brief have been received, the coroner will determine whether an inquest is necessary.'' Paatal Lok, a new web series that has received raving reviews from critics and audiences, has landed in trouble for allegedly using a racial slur. A complaint has been filed with the National Human Rights Commission against the series, which has been directed by Jaideep Ahlawat, and produced by Anushka Sharma's Clean Slate Films. According to an NDTV report, the complaint was filed by All Arunachal Pradesh Gorkha Youth Association. Bharatiya Gorkha Yuva Parisangh president Nanda Kirati Dewan was quoted as saying about the sexist and racial slur, "Such stereotyping not only maligns the as a whole normalizes racism a standard practice for the people. It sets a distorted image among people regarding a certain community, the brunt of which, the people living there have to face." A few days back, Viren Sri Gurung, a member of the Lawyers Guild sent a legal notice to Anushka Sharma for the usage of a casteist slur on the show. He said, "There is a clip wherein during an interrogation a lady police officer uses a casteist slur on a Nepali character. There wouldn't have been any problem had only 'Nepali' been used. But the word that follows it is unacceptable. Since Anushka Sharma is one of the producers of the show, we have served her a notice." Paatal Lok is a crime thriller which features Abhishek Bannerjee, Swastika Mukherjee, Gul Panag and others. The series launched on Amazon Prime Video last week. ALSO READ: 'Paatal Lok Is The Best Crime Thriller' Says Sacred Games Co-director Anurag Kashyap ALSO READ: Paatal Lok: Everything You Need To Know About The Crime Thriller Characters El presidente @MartinVizcarraC junto al ministro @victorzamora supervisan la central de pruebas rapidas ubicada en el Estadio Nacional y agradecen por su trabajo y compromiso a los profesionales de la salud que van a los domicilios. pic.twitter.com/iWmYvcsh4a Gardai are investigating the deaths of two men following a house fire in Dublin. Post mortems will be carried out today on the bodies of two men who died in a house fire in Drimnagh in Dublin yesterday. Officers at Sundrive Road say they are investigating "all of the circumstances" surrounding the deaths. At approximately 1.45pm gardai and the fire service were alerted to the blaze in Slievebloom Park. The fire was brought under control by Dublin Fire Brigade and the bodies of two men, thought to be aged in their late sixties and early seventies, were discovered inside the house. They were both pronounced dead at the scene a short time later. Investigating gardai have preserved the scene as they work towards establishing the cause of the fire. The bodies of both men have been removed to the Dublin City Mortuary, Whitehall, for post-mortem examinations by the State Pathologist today. Results of the post-mortems and a technical examination of the scene will determine the course of the investigation. Drimnagh Sinn Fein Councillor Daithi Doolan says people are shocked by the loss of the men's lives in the fire. Cllr Doolan said: "Yesterday's fire was greeted with sadness and great shock in the community here in Drimnagh "The two men were unassuming but well-liked. Yesterday, when the names came through, people were caught by surprise that a fire would take place at this time of year, so our deepest sympathies goes to the men's friends and families." Gardai are appealing for witnesses to contact the incident room at Sundrive Road Garda station. Anyone with information is asked to contact Sundrive Road station on 01-666 6600 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal State Sen. Pete Campos has never lost an election while running for Senate District 8, the immense 14,500-square-mile northern New Mexico district that includes seven counties all of Colfax, Guadalupe, Harding and Mora counties, and parts of Quay, San Miguel and Taos counties. Though hes been unopposed a few times he sailed through the 2016 election unchallenged in both the Democratic primary and general election in 2016 hes defeated every opponent hes faced since he was first elected to the state Senate in 1990. But the road to victory may not be so smooth for him this time around. Connie Jimenez Trujillo is challenging him in the June 2 Democratic primary and Republican Melissa Key Fryzel awaits the winner in Novembers general election. Trujillo, a nurse, midwife and first-time politician from Las Vegas, New Mexico, decided to enter the race partly because the Alumbra Womens Health and Maternity Cares labor delivery unit at Alta Vista Regional Hospital was shuttered in 2017. That started it. That kind of got me thinking, she said. Trujillo said it took her weeks to get a meeting arranged with Campos, whom she thought, as a state Senator, could help save the unit. The next day, the hospital announced it would close the labor delivery unit after 20 years. I was very disappointed in that. I felt he didnt really advocate to keep it open or try to find solutions to keep it open, she said. Trujillo started her career as an engineer, but I really didnt find much fulfillment in that, she said. I didnt feel like I was doing much for my fellow man. So she switched careers and became a midwife, a job in which she takes great satisfaction. The mother of three grown children, Trujillo says access to health care remains the biggest issue for many people in District 8. She also says that diversifying the economy, agriculture and renewable energy are issues she wants to work on in the Legislature. Trujillo noted that Campos has been senator in District 8 since she graduated Robertson High School and that its time for a change. I feel he has become very complacent right now, very comfortable, she said. Sen. Campos says he hasnt lost his fire to serve the people of District 8. In everything I do, I put people first, he said. The whole key to it is that its something that I really enjoy and love. Asked to respond to Trujillo saying that he hadnt done enough to keep the womens health and maternity care unit at the hospital in Las Vegas open, Campos said, At Alta Vista, as everyone knows, we had a great unit going. But we had doctors who decided to relocate, so we didnt have proper medical staff. However, the fight continued and the advocacy continued, and we were able to open a birthing unit. Campos said he will continue his advocacy for improving access to health care there and elsewhere if reelected. Campos continued by saying his years of professional experience and in the Legislature is to the benefit of his constituents. Hes a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and serves on interim committees for the Legislative Finance Committee, the Legislative Council, Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy, and Water and Natural Resources committees. Outside the Legislature, Campos says hes been active on boards, including those of banks and medical centers. Now retired, Campos spent more than 27 years in education, as a school superintendent, instructor and counselor for at-risk students and immigrant students. He was also mayor of Santa Rosa prior to beginning his Senate seat winning steak. Campos has a big lead in terms of fundraising, according to campaign finance reports filed through May 11. His campaign has raised more than $35,000, compared to $3,350 for Trujillo. Campos has received contributions of $1,000 or more from such groups as the American Federation of Teachers New Mexico, the Union Pacific Railroad, NGL Water Solutions of Denver, and Ultra Health and PurLife medical marijuana producers. Asked how long he intends to serve as a state senator, Campos said, The good Lord knows. Ive still got the health, the energy, maturity, and I provide an opportunity for stability. As long as people will give me the opportunity to serve them, that will determine how long Im here. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has launched legal action against Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari at the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja over the brutal crackdown, repression, and grave violations and abuses of the human rights of the people of Rivers State. SERAP said in suit number ECW/CCJ/APP/20/20 filed last Friday: Governor Wike is using COVID-19 as a pretext to step up repression and systematic abuses against the people of Rivers state, including by carrying out mass arbitrary detention, mistreatment, forced evictions, and imposing pervasive controls on daily life. According to SERAP: Governor Wike is using executive orders 1 and 6, 2020 as instruments to violate and abuse the rights to liberty and freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention, to a fair trial, and to property, contrary to Nigerias international human rights obligations, including under the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. SERAP said: This suit is primarily against Governor Wike and the Rivers state government for failing to respect, protect and ensure the constitutionally and internationally guaranteed human rights of the people of his state. The governor has used executive orders 1 and 6 to run roughshod over the human rights of Nigerians. Ultimately, the Federal Government, being the signatory to ECOWAS treaties and protocols, cannot escape its responsibility to ensure that the human rights guaranteed under human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a state party, are fully and effectively realized throughout Nigeria, including in Rivers state. Suing the Federal Government alongside Governor Wike is entirely consistent with article 27 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which provides that a state may not invoke the provisions of its internal law as justification for its failure to perform a treaty. SERAP is asking the court for an order of injunction to restrain and stop Governor Wike from further using, applying and enforcing executive orders 1 and 6 or any other executive orders to harass, arbitrarily arrest, detain and demolish property of the people of Rivers state. SERAP is also seeking an order directing Governor Wike and the other defendants to pay adequate monetary compensation to the victims of human rights violations and abuses, and to provide other forms of reparation, which may take the form of restitution, satisfaction or guarantees of non-repetition, and other forms of reparation that the Honourable Court may deem fit to grant. The suit filed on SERAPs behalf by its solicitors Kolawole Oluwadare, Atinuke Adejuyigbe and Opeyemi Owolabi, read in part: SERAP contends that several people were arbitrarily arrested and detained in various police stations and isolation centres in Rivers State and without any regard for due process of law. Governor Wike and his agents used, applied and enforced executive orders 1 and 6 to suppress and repress the human rights of the people and business operators, including harassing, arbitrarily arresting, detaining, and torturing anyone found exercising their rights within Rivers State, all in the guise of enforcing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the state. READ ALSO: The wanton destruction of peoples property, harassment, arrest, and detention of persons exercising their rights to personal liberty and other human rights amount to an affront to the Nigerian constitution of 1999 (as amended) and the countrys international human rights obligations. The executive orders, including executive order 6, by Governor Wike are invalid, illegal and unconstitutional, having not complied with the requirements of due process of law. The order by Governor Wike to demolish any hotel or guest house found operating in Rivers state is ultra vires the penalty stipulated in executive order number 6. Demolition of hotels and guest houses is illegal and unconstitutional, as it runs afoul of the penalty stipulated in the Quarantine Act, which provides only a fine of N200 or imprisonment for a term of six months or both. The demolition is a blatant violation of article 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights. Governor Wike, demolition workers and security agents without due process of law demolished Prudent Hotel, Alode in Eleme, and Etemeteh Hotel in Onne on Saturday, May 9, 2020, and flagrantly breached the rights of the owners, employees and occupiers. The demolitions were supervised by Governor Wike in the company of security agents of the Federal Government. SERAP contends that Governor Wike with the complicity or support of the Federal Government of Nigeria carried out these demolitions without giving adequate notice, compensation, alternative hotel or affording the victims legal remedies. Many people have now been deprived of their means of livelihood, employment and shelter, and exposed to other serious human rights violations and abuses. SERAP is therefore seeking the following reliefs: A DECLARATION that the actions of the Defendants and their agents in enforcing executive orders 1 and 6 to harass, arbitrarily arrest, detain and demolish property of the people of Rivers state violate the human rights guaranteed under Articles 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14 and 15 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Right, and relevant provisions of other human rights to which Nigeria is a state party; A DECLARATION that the provisions of executive orders 1 and 6 are inconsistent and incompatible with the rights to personal liberty, fair trials, freedom of assembly, freedom of movement, employment and to property, guaranteed by the African Charter on Human and Peoples Right and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right to which Nigeria is a state party; AN ORDER of injunction stopping and restraining the Defendants and their agents from further implementing and using the provisions of the executive order 1 and 6 or any other executive orders whatsoever to violate and abuse the rights of the people of Rivers state guaranteed under international human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a state party; AN ORDER directing the Defendants to immediately repeal and/or amend the executive orders 1 and 6 and any other executive orders in line with Nigerias obligations under international human rights treaties to which the country is a state party; AN ORDER directing the Defendants and their agents individually and/or collectively to respect, protect, promote, and ensure the human rights of the people of Rivers state during and after the COVID-19 pandemic; AN ORDER directing the Defendants and/or their agents individually and/or collectively to pay adequate monetary compensation to the victims of human rights violations and abuses by the Defendants, and to provide other forms of reparation, which may take the form of restitution, satisfaction or guarantees of non-repetition, and other forms of reparation that the Honourable Court may deem fit to grant; SUCH FURTHER orders the Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit. Advertisements Former German Vice Chancellor Philipp Rosler has been nominated an independent board member of a Vietnamese agricultural firm for the 2019-2024 term. Agriculture manufacturing firm Loc Troi Corporation voted Saturday to include Rosler and Nguyen Thi Am as members of its board of directors. The latter is the corporation's head of communications and external affairs. The vote followed the corporation's official dismissal of Mark Peacock and Nguyen Tien Tung from their positions as Loc Troi board members for the 2019-2024 term during an annual general meeting of shareholders. Peacock, a British national, was former head of operations for multinational agrochemical firm Syngenta. Tung is a prominent corporate leader in the country, on the board of several firms. The reasons for their dismissal were not mentioned, but a top level shuffle was indicated. "Loc Troi has put out a plan to standardize its staff in the entire company, using the first two years to complete the ranks of high-level managers with a deep training program and appropriate policies to change and promote the staff," said a document presented at the general meeting. Rosler is currently the chair of the advisory board of venture capital platform VinaCapital Ventures under Vietnamese investment and asset management firm VinaCapital. He used to help manage Germany-based public-private venture capital investment firm High-tech Grunderfonds. Rosler was born in 1973 in the southern province of Soc Trang, before being adopted and taken to Germany, where he was raised. He used to be a military doctor and joined politics after he left the army. In 2009, he became Germany's Federal Minister of Health. Two years later, he became the Vice Chancellor, until he left the political stage in 2014. Loc Troi has set a net revenue target this year of VND7.35 trillion ($316 million) and after-tax profits of VND360 billion ($15.48 million). MasterChef fans were left feeling queasy during Sunday night's episode. As guest judge Josh Niland scaled, gutted and cut a large kingfish, select viewers branded it 'disturbing', with one likening it to an episode of horror series Hannibal. 'Ugh, I can't watch this fish butchery, it's turning my stomach,' one wrote on Twitter. 'It's turning my stomach!' MasterChef fans were left 'disturbed' during Sunday's episode, as guest judge Josh Niland (pictured) absolutely BUTCHERED a large kingfish Another added: 'Him (Josh) cutting up a fish was kinda disturbing to watch,' as well as one viewer who said it was like an 'episode of Hannibal'. However, it wasn't all negative, with some fans finding it to be thrilling viewing. 'This fish butchery is one of the best things they've ever done on MasterChef,' one shared to Twitter. Mixed response: Some viewers found the fish butchery 'disturbing' and unpleasant to watch, while others branded it 'absolutely sensational' and 'mesmerising' Others branded it 'absolutely sensational' and 'mesmerising'. During Sunday night's episode, Josh, the chef and owner of fish restaurant Saint Peter in Sydney, was introduced as a legend when it comes to butchering a fish. 'Josh, he's famous for his fish butchery, using the head to the tail and everything in between,' judge Andy Allen announced to the contestants. Praise: During Sunday night's episode, Josh, the chef and owner of fish restaurant Saint Peter in Sydney, was introduced as a legend when it comes to fish butchery Japanese technique: Wasting no time, Josh got to work sharpening his knives, before scaling and gutting a large kingfish using a traditional Japanese technique Audience: Contestants watched on as Josh got to work. A camera showed the rather gruesome inside of the fish Wasting no time, Josh got to work sharpening his knives, before scaling and gutting a large kingfish using a traditional Japanese technique. While gutting, Josh said to the group: 'We go in and we feel our way down like that. We turn the fish over. We go in. Now it's a matter of negotiating... the organ is out. He proceeded to 'scissor away the collar from the gill' before cutting the fish into several pieces, including the shank, the darne with the 'beautiful flesh with the bone in the centre' and a butterflied belly. While gutting, Josh said to the group: 'We go in and we feel our way down like that. We turn the fish over. We go in. Now it's a matter of negotiating... the organ is out' Quite an art: Josh proceeded to 'scissor away the collar from the gill' before cutting the fish into several pieces, including the shank, the darne with the 'beautiful flesh with the bone in the centre' and a butterflied belly Result: 'So, starting from this end, we have the shank of tail. Two beautiful darnes, also known as a cutlet,' Josh said as he presented the various cuts to the contestants 'So, starting from this end, we have the shank of tail. Two beautiful darnes, also known as a cutlet,' Josh said as he presented the various cuts. 'This is our butterflied belly, we've got a sashimi centre cut loin, without any bones at all. We've got a tail chop. We've got a four-point rack and you've got two double cutlets, or I like to call them a Barnsley chop. The collars, and the head,' he added. Contestants were then required to cook a delicious dish using one part of the kingfish during round two of Sunday night's challenge. MasterChef: Back To Win continues Monday at 7.30pm on Channel Ten Allentown, PA (18103) Today Cloudy with morning snow ending, then windy and turning colder with falling temps and some afternoon clearing. A coating to 1-2" of snow expected in the morning. . Tonight Partly cloudy, windy, and very cold. Wind chills near or below zero later at night. A dust storm blows across Carnarvon, western Australia, with tens of thousands left without power Homes were destroyed and tens of thousands of people left without power as a once in a decade storm pummelled the western half of Western Australia on Sunday night, with worse expected overnight and on Monday morning. The storm, which is expected to continue well into Monday, was described by Bureau of Meteorology state manager James Ashley as a dynamic and complex weather formation caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Mangga interacting with a cold front. Winds of more than 100kmh destroyed power lines and tore roofs from homes and businesses late on Sunday and the storm was expected to worsen overnight as it moved south along the coast, with winds up 130kmh predicted. Western Power spokesperson Paul Entwistle told WA Today that about 37,000 homes and businesses in Perth, the state capital, had lost power by Sunday evening, along with 13,000 properties are in Western Australias Mid West region, including the port city of Geraldton, where it was reported that rooftops torn from homes collided with power lines. In Perth, a radio tower was believed to have fallen onto power lines in the citys eastern suburbs, contributing to the disruption of supply. Dozens of traffic lights across the city were knocked out. The entire town of Margaret River, a popular tourist destination about 240km south of Perth and home to 8,000 people, lost power. By late Sunday afternoon, the states emergency services had received more than 200 calls for help. A deep low-pressure system was forecast to form off the south-west corner of the state. Mr Ashley told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Sunday that in a broad area, the south-west of the state will be hit really severely overnight, tonight and into tomorrow. Really quite severe conditions will still be experienced in Perth tomorrow morning (And) in small pockets up in the north of the state they are still likely to experience those 130 kilometre per hour [winds], those really severe conditions. Story continues I should emphasise it's pretty much the whole western half of the state that's getting strong northerly winds at the moment, he said. The Bureau of Meteorology also predicted ten-metre high waves would hit the south west coast of the state on Monday morning, following seven-metre waves along the Gascoyne to Geraldton coast further north. In Geraldton, more than 400km north of Perth, winds of 113kmh were recorded as the city, along with surrounding areas, were shrouded with dust. Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jessica Lingard told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the wind is picking up the dust through parts of the Gascoyne and the Central West, but the rain should increase in the coming hours so hopefully that will dampen that down We are expecting conditions to worsen down the west coast as we move into this afternoon. The dust storm caused low visibility which complicated efforts to tackle an out-of-control bushfire in the southern part of Waggrakine, in the City of Greater Geraldton. There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a fire is approaching in the area and conditions are changing, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services warned on Sunday afternoon. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a press conference on China's foreign policy and foreign relations via video link on the sidelines of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Li He) Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for mutual understanding and further cooperation between China and the US amid the COVID-19 pandemic at a press conference on the sidelines of the third session of the 13th National Peoples Congress on Sunday. The minister condemned the political virus that is spreading in the US and jumping at any opportunity to attack and slander China. He further noted that both China and the US stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation, while though the two nations have many disagreements, but that doesnt preclude cooperation. Wang also promised that China has no intention to change, still less replace the US. Some US political forces are pushing the two nations to the brink of a new Cold War. The two nations should and must find a way of co-existence and mutual beneficial cooperation, said Wang. The minster also reiterated that China will defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its legitimate right to development. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Princess Margaret's 1978 divorce paved the way for future royal marriages to be dissolved, a new documentary on the Queen's sister claims. A Channel 5 documentary airing this Saturday, Princess Margaret: A Rebel Without a Crown, examines the life and loves of Princess Margaret and claims divorcing her husband of 18 years, Lord Snowdon, in 1978, paved the way for other unhappy marriage to flee unhappy relationships. Earlier this year, the newest royal divorce was Peter Philips, who split from wife Autumn after 17 years of marriage. The royal family has become no stranger to divorce proceedings in recent decades, with Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne all separated or remarried. Scroll down for video Princess Margaret: A Rebel Without a Crown, airing on Channel 5 on Saturday 30 May, claims Princess Margaret's divorce from Anthony Armstrong-Jones paved the way for other royals to escape their unhappy marriage (pictured together in 1965 in New York) Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond says Princess Margaret's 1978 marriage breakdown made it okay to be a divorcee in the royal family in the documentary The programme examines Margaret's colourful love life, which made her a must-invite in London social circles, the Sunday Express reports. From her love affair with married Peter Townsend to her marriage to the sulfurous Antony Armstrong-Jones, royal experts on the show say Margaret, who passed away in 2002, aged 71, stepped away from tradition in more ways than one. 'She did tarnish the family's reputation but she cleared the way for others to get out of unhappy marriages,' Ex-BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said, speaking of Margaret's highly publicised divorce from Lord Snowdon. The pair met in 1958 at a dinner party organised by mutual friends, and wed at Westminster Abbey in May 1960, the first royal wedding to be televised. Margaret was popular with the press, equaled in popularity only by legendary Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor (pictured: Margaret and Lord Snowdon in Beverly Hills, 1965) Speaking in the Channel 5 programme, royal biographer Christopher Warwick claimed that Margaret's popularity with the show-business world made her as popular as famed actress Elizabeth Taylor, and a favourite with photographs. 'Everything she did made news. The press only wanted pictures of Margaret and Taylor,' he said. 'Margaret would go to parties and the sun would often be rising as she was driving home,' he added. However, the union was reportedly not a good one, and the pair soon drifted apart, with both royals entering into extra-marital affairs. Peter Phillips and Autumn Phillips were the latest royal couple to announce their split in early 2020 (pictured in 2014 in London) Princess Anne divorced from Peter's father Captain Mark Phillips (right) in 1992 after 19 years of marriage (pictured during a tour of Canada in Toronto, in the 1960s) Margaret famously invited Roddy Llewellyn, a lover who was 17 years her junior, to the island of Mustique in 1974, where they were photographed by paparazzis, precipitating the end of her marriage. The pair made their divorce official in 1978, after 18 years of marriage. The romance between Anthony Armstrong-Jones and the royal has been romanticised more than once, most lately in the second and third season of Netflix royal drama the Crown. In March 1992, Prince Andrew and the Duchess od York Sarah Ferguson announced their split, which led to their divorce in May 1996 (pictured with Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice in 1997) Prince Charles and Lady Diana announced their split in 1992 after it was rumoured the Prince of Wales had engaged in an extra-marital affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles. The pair pictured in 1991 in Toronto The separation fed newspaper columns at the time, and according to Jennie Bond, paved the way for royals such as Charles, Andrew and Peter to go through their own divorce 14 and 42 years later. The Queen's first three children famously split from their spouse in 1992, a year which the monarch herself dubbed her 'annus horribilis.' Prince Andrew was the first to separate from his wife, the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson on March 19. Anne, now 70, followed suit by divorcing from her husband Captain Mark Phillips on April 23 after 19 years of marriage. In December of the same year, Charles split from Lady Diana Spencer, the Princess of Wales after years of marital trouble, and the very public announcement of his extra-marital affair with Camilla, now Duchess of Cornwall. Both Andrew's and Charles' divorces were officialised in 1996. Princess Margaret: A Rebel Without a Crown, airs on Saturday 30 May on Channel 5. Americans with a bad case of wanderlust may have to wait to vacation abroad and while some countries have reopened or announced target dates to reopen, the pickings may be slim for a while. Parts of the Caribbean and Europe have reopened from coronavirus restrictions, but the European Union extended its travel ban on Americans. The EU first started lifting international travel restrictions on July 1, welcoming visitors from 14 countries, including Canada, South Korea and Australia. The U.S. was left off that initial list, and Americans remain barred from visiting the bloc. Though the U.S. State Department has lifted its advisory on avoiding international travel issued in March, the agency is returning to its system of country-specific advisories, noting that the customary level 1 through 4 advisories for specific countries on Travel.State.gov provide more detailed information about specific conditions in individual countries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has a travel notice system and recommends against "nonessential travel" to much of the world. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, here's an update on some of the countries that are most popular with American travelers: Canada Border status report: Americans and Canadians won't be able to cross the border in either direction for nonessential travel until Aug. 21, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. What can travelers expect once they're allowed in? There's a major loophole in the border-closure policy: The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa said the order does not apply to "air, rail, or sea travel at this time, but does apply to commuter rail and ferry travel." According to the Canadian Border Services Agency, anyone who is not a citizen or permanent resident of that country must prove they are traveling for an essential purpose, are only transiting or are an immediate family member of a citizen or permanent resident. They must also have a plan to quarantine for 14 days, unless exempted. Story continues 'It was the right thing': Trudeau announces extension of US-Canada border closure Mexico When will the border open? Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf announced that theland border with Mexico would remain closed until at least Aug. 20. But like the U.S.-Canadian closure order, the Mexican version does not apply to air, rail or sea travel, except for commuter rail and ferry travel. Costa Rica Border status report: While the Central American country reopened to visitors from Europe and Canada on Aug. 1, it hasn't said when it will welcome back Americans. What can tourists expect? Passengers entering Costa Rica from an approved flight must present negative COVID-19 test results taken within the last 48 hours and purchase insurance covering accommodations for quarantine and hospitalization, should they get sick. Passengers must also complete digital epidemiological forms, available in multiple languages. Caribbean Anguilla Border status: Although it previously appeared that the British overseas territory north of St. Maarten would not open to foreign tourists until at least Halloween, its tourism board announced via Twitter Aug. 17 that it will begin accepting entry applications via its website, IVisitAnguilla.com, on Aug. 21. What can tourists expect? According to details provided to Travel Weekly, once a visitor's application has been approved, he or she will be required to submit a negative PCR test for COVID-19 taken no earlier than five days before travel and proof of a health insurance policy that covers coronavirus treatment. If Anguilla grants an electronic certificate authorizing travel, the visitor must remain at their hotel until a second PCR test is administered on Day 10 of the visit. If that test comes back negative, the tourist may then move about the island freely. Aruba Border status report: The Aruba Tourism Authority says the island is open to tourists but with restrictions. What can tourists expect? All visitors must complete a disembarkation card with contact-tracing details such as their date of birth, passport information and the duration of their stay as well as completing a health assessment interview. While all visitors 15 and older must present a negative PCR test result, visitors from hot-spot states must complete their test 72 hours before departure or take one test before leaving and a second upon arrival at the airport. Others may opt to be tested upon arrival. The testing fee is $75. Bahamas Border status report: After barring Americans from entry earlier this month as COVID-19 cases resurged, the Bahamas issued an update on July 31 saying travelers from the United States are once again welcome, so long as they follow strict protocol, including a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival. What can tourists expect? Travelers can quarantine in a private residence or rented accommodation, such as an Airbnb, where it's possible to isolate in a bedroom with a connected bathroom; in a hotel room with a connected bathroom; or on a private boat. If travelers don't have access to an approved quarantine location, then they will have to spend two weeks in a government-mandated quarantine facility, at their own expense. Travelers will also have to download an app on their phones to assist with contact tracing. Refusing to download the app is a deportable offense. They must also apply for a Bahamas health visa and have a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from an accredited lab that was taken within 10 days. After the 14-day quarantine, travelers will need to test negative on another COVID-19 test in order to leave quarantine. Though the Bahamas remains open to international visitors, Prime Minster Hubert Minnis announced a national, two-week lock down starting Aug. 4 to combat a surge in COVID-19 cases. During this time, all businesses throughout the country, including curbside and takeaway dining and retail, must suspend operations. Residents may leave their homes only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. to retrieve essential items including groceries, water, medication and gas. On Aug. 6, the U.S. Department of State issued a Level 4 travel advisory urging Americans not to travel to the Bahamas due to COVID-19 health concerns and warning of increased crime. Barbados Border status report: The island has reopened to U.S. tourists with with restrictions as of July 12. Barbados' tourism site says that all visitors must complete an online customs entry form. And while an advance COVID-19 test is not required, one is recommended in order to have your application form fast-tracked; anyone who doesn't provide one will be tested upon arrival. Cayman Islands Border status report: According to an Aug. 7 press release, The Cayman Islands are postponing reopening by a month until at least Oct. 1, when it will reassess COVID-19 trends. What can tourists expect? Prior to the postponement announcement, the British overseas territory had outlined the first phase of reopening. During this period, visitors and returning residents must register for permission to travel on a government-arranged repatriation flight or by private air. All passengers over the age of 10 must provide results of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of traveling. The Cayman Islands are also collaborating with BioIntelliSense, a U.S.-based biotech company, on wearable tech for arriving travelers. They plan to use "BioButtons" to monitor their heart rates, respiratory rates and skin temperature for symptoms of COVID-19. Eligible travelers can choose to wear a BioButton and self-isolate in their choice of residence for five days before taking a second PCR test. If negative, they must continue wearing a BioButton for nine more days, but they will not be required to self-isolate. Those who choose not to wear a BioButton must quarantine in a government-managed facility for 14 days. Dominica Border status report: According to a press release issued July 21, Dominica will reopen its borders to international travelers Aug. 7 so long as travelers comply with a lengthy list of health and safety protocols. What can tourists expect? All passengers must submit a health questionnaire at least 24 hours prior to their arrival in Dominica and show notification of clearance to travel. They must also submit a negative PCR test result recorded within 24 to 72 hours before their arrival. Upon arriving, passengers must wear face masks at all times up to and including departure from the airport, follow physical-distancing guidelines, practice good respiratory and personal sanitization, and obey the instructions of health care staff and officials. As part of the disembarkation process, arriving passengers must also sanitize their hands, undergo a health assessment that includes a temperature check, provide confirmation of their health questionnaires and negative PCR test results, and undergo test screening with a negative result. Grenada Border status report: Americans are allowed back in Grenada, but because the U.S. is considered a high-risk country, there are additional requirements. What can tourists expect? According to the government's entry requirements document, visitors from high-risk countries must present a completed health form and a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before travel. They will also have to take a second CPR test at their own expense within 48 hours of arrival and quarantine in a government-approved facility until the results come back. They must also download Grenada's contact-tracing app by the time they arrive and keep it on their phones for the duration of their quarantine period, which may last up to 14 days. They will also be required to wear a geofencing watch for that period. Jamaica Border status report: The Caribbean island began welcoming back international tourists on July 15. What can tourists expect? While all tourists must complete an online travel authorization form and undergo a health screening, Jamaica's official tourism site says anyone over 12 from the U.S., Mexico, the Dominican Republic or Brazil traveling there after Aug. 20 must submit a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test from an accredited lab taken within 10 days of travel. In a press release, Jamaica's Tourist Board also warned that travelers from areas deemed not to be high-risk may still be subject to testing. In addition, it said, "Those with negative results as well as those who do not require testing must adhere to the Stay in Zone order, which requires persons to remain at their hotel or resort within the Resilient Corridor for the duration of their stay. Those who are screened and assessed and show symptoms upon arrival will be subject to swab testing and must quarantine in their hotel room until test results are available." Puerto Rico Border status report: Tourists are already being welcomed back in this U.S. territory. What can tourists expect? Starting July 15, all passengers have to wear a mask and must take a molecular test 72 hours prior to their arrival. The test results must be submitted to officials at the airport. Travelers who test positive for the virus or refuse to hand over results or do not yet have results available will be forced into a two-week quarantine. During that time, they have to undergo a molecular test and share the results if they want to be released from quarantine, said Puerto Rico Health Secretary Lorenzo Gonzalez. St. Barts Border status report: According to its website, St. Barts is currently open to citizens of Schengen Treaty (European) countries. It has not said when it will welcome back Americans. What can tourists expect: Visitors ages 11 and up must present a negative COVID-19 test taken with 72 hours of travel and give a sworn statement that they have not had exhibited symptoms or been in contact with someone who tested positive within the last 14 days. A second test within the seven days after arrival is also encouraged. St. Kitts & Nevis Border status report: The tourism website for the islands, quoted Prime Minister Timothy Harris as saying they will reopen in October but did not specify a date. What tourists can expect: The tourism site also says that all inbound travelers are required to email a negative PCR COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours of travel to Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hazel Law. They must quarantine for 14 days after arrival and then undergo a second test. Visitors will be released at that point if they test negative. St. Lucia Border status report: The island's tourism board says it is open. What can tourists expect? All arriving passengers must have a negative result from a PCR test taken no more than seven days before arriving in St. Lucia, the island's tourism site advises. Once there, they must wear face masks and practice social distancing. If you're headed for St. Lucia, pack your hiking boots because the UNESCO-listed Pitons are not to be missed. St. Maarten Border status report: St. Maarten reopened to U.S. tourists on Aug. 1, according to its tourism board. What can tourists expect? All passengers must take a COVID-19 test with proof of a negative result no more than 72 hours before arrival. Children who are 10 or younger do not need to take a COVID-19 test. Travelers also must fill out a health declaration form (and should bring a printout with them). Additionally, all travelers will be subject to a mandatory temperature check on arrival. Passengers showing symptoms will have to take a COVID-19 test, at additional cost to the traveler. Turks & Caicos Border status report: According to its official tourism site, the British territory is open to U.S. tourists. What can tourists expect? Travelers need a negative COVID-19 PCR test from an accredited laboratory taken within five days of travel (the travel day does not count towards that period). The test result is a requirement to obtain a TCI Assured Travel Authorization to enter the country. U.S. Virgin Islands Border status report: The islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John are open to tourists but with restrictions. What can tourists expect? According to the USVI tourism bureau, any visitor aged 15 or up must must complete a pre-screening form. Furthermore, anyone who resides in Puerto Rico or a state where the COVID-19 positivity rate is higher than 10% must provide a negative COVID-19 antigen (molecular/PCR/rapid) test result received within five days prior to travel or a positive COVID-19 antibody test result received within four months of travel. Travelers who have spent more than seven days in a hot spot must also submit a test. (Note that the five-day window is related to receiving test results, not taking the test itself.) Europe Although European Union countries reopened to some international travelers on July 1, the bloc has barred Americans from entering for the time being due to the United States' high COVID-19 infection rate. . EU officials determined which countries' visitors will be allowed by looking at the trend in new infections, testing capacity, contact tracing and other steps countries have taken to contain the virus outbreak inside their borders, Kasper Zeuthen, a senior media adviser for the EUs delegation to the U.S., told USA TODAY. European Union: Bloc bars Americans as bloc reopens to international visitors July 1 Adalbert Jahnz, a spokesman for the European Commission in Brussels, the EU's executive branch, told USA TODAY that lists would likely be reviewed every two weeks as new information about coronavirus trends in different countries becomes apparent. Here are more details about specific countries' plans: Austria Border status report: Austria began accepting visitors from some European countries June 16. According to the country's official tourism site, visitors entering Austria from other Schengen treaty countries must submit a medical certificate showing a negative COVID-19 test that was issued in the last four days. Tourists from outside the EU still may not fly into Austria for the time being. Greece Border status report: Greece started its tourism season on June 15 and expanded international flights to its regional airports on July 1. Greek authorities say incoming travelers arriving at the countrys land border with Bulgaria will have to carry a negative COVID-19 test results issued within the previous 72 hours. Iceland Border status report: Tourism minister Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir announced earlier this month that Iceland, which is part of the European Economic Area but not an EU member country, will begin easing restrictions on foreign tourists no later than June 15. One condition of admission is that visitors must either be tested for coronavirus or spend two weeks in quarantine. However, citizens of countries that provide government records documenting a clean bill of health can opt to submit those instead, Reuters reported. Regardless of which option visitors choose, they will be asked to download a contact-tracing app. Icelands strategy of large-scale testing, tracing and isolating have proven effective so far, Gylfadottir told Reuters, explaining the country's relatively low rate of infection and death as well as its quick rebound. Spain Border status report: Although it is open to residents of other European countries, Canada and some in Asia and Africa, "U.S citizens cannot enter Spain unless they meet very specific requirements or have already obtained special permission from the Government of Spain," according to the website for the American embassy in Madrid. What can tourists expect? "All travelers arriving in Spain by air or sea will go through a health check," the country's official tourism site says. "This check may include having their temperature taken, checking their documents, and a visual examination of the passengers state of health. In all cases, you must show your health control form." The U.S. Embassy also advises that masks are required for everyone ages six and up in public areas at all times. ""There are few exceptions to this rule such as medical waivers, eating or drinking, or while practicing sports," it notes. "Large gatherings of people in public spaces are also limited in many regions." Italy Border status report: While travel from America is not prohibited, anyone who has been the U.S. in the past 14 days is required to self-quarantine once in Italy, according to the website for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. What can tourists expect? "All persons traveling to Italy from any foreign location are required to provide their airline or Italian law enforcement officials with a self-declaration form prior to travel," according to the U.S. Embassy in Milan. France Border status report: "Travel to France from outside the European zone remains restricted," the website for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cautions. And as of Aug. 5, travelers coming from the U.S. must present results of a negative virology COVID-19 test (a PCR test for example), carried out less than 72 hours before the flight" in order to board. Travelers may also be required to quarantine for 14 days. What can tourists expect? "Cloth face coverings are mandatory in indoor settings and on public transportation," the U.S. Embassy in Paris warns. Some cities have made face coverings mandatory in some outdoor areas, as well, and failure to comply could result in a fine. Germany Border status report: "Germany will only allow EU citizens, EU residents, and residents of certain specific countries to enter. The United States is not one of those countries," the website for the U.S. Embassy in Berlin says. According to the German Foreign Office, foreign nationals from unapproved countries are not permitted to enter Germany unless they meet certain criteria, such as as transiting, reuniting with their German partner or family or they are a healthcare provider or other essential worker. However, it says, "The question of whether travel to Germany is permitted depends on where the person travelling has previously been staying, not on their nationality." What can tourists expect? "Regardless of the criteria stated above, the decision on whether to permit entry is at the discretion of the Federal Police at the border," the Foreign Office warns, adding that travelers must obey the quarantine rule of the individual German states they plan to enter. The U.S. Embassy added that some states allow travelers from unapproved countries to bypass quarantine if they can provide a negative PCR COVID-19 test from an accredited lab conducted in the 48 hours prior to their entry and keep the results with them for 14 days. Croatia Border status report: Much of Europe may not be welcoming Americans, but Croatia began allowing American tourists back in as of July 1. "All EU/EEA nationals and individuals holding permanent residence in the EU/EEA countries can enter Croatia freely, without restrictions," according to the U.S. Embassy in Croatia. "All other foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, may enter Croatia for business, tourism, or other pressing personal reasons, if they provide relevant proof." Finland Border status report: Until Sept. 8, the Scandinavian country has reopened only to residents of nations that have fewer than eight new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people in the last 14 days, according to Finland's tourism site. The U.S. is not currently on the list of approved countries, though the list will be reviewed after two weeks. What can tourists expect? "Finnish airports are now open for passenger traffic and strongly recommend using face masks," the site says, though it notes they are not required. Ports with border crossings are also open. United Kingdom Border status report: Foreign nationals are allowed to visit but those from countries other than those on the U.K.'s pre-approved list (which does not include the U.S.) must provide their travel and contact information no earlier than 48 hours before travel. What can tourists expect? Foreign nationals from outside the list of approved countries are required to self-quarantine for 14 days. They must bring a a printed copy of the document attached to the confirmation email or provide an electronic copy on their smartphone. The government will use the contact information from the form to confirm they are obeying the quarantine rule. Visitors who refuse to provide their contact information or who violate their quarantine more than once face a fine equivalent to $130. Asia and the South Pacific Australia Border status report: Australia's ban on foreign nationals is expected to continue for the rest of 2020, based on comments by the country's treasurer in late July. His agency's economic modeling is based on the assumption that travel will resume in January, though he said no decision has been made. In terms of the borders, the assumptions are that it very gradually starts to come back that the quarantine is applied, that you start bringing in some international students that is work that we have been undertaking," he said. New Zealand Border status report: "The New Zealand border is currently closed to almost all travellers to help stop the spread of COVID-19," according to the country's immigration service. The only exceptions are for essential and humanitarian workers, permanent residents, visa holders and the partner or dependents of citizens or visa holders. Don't expect New Zealand to open to visitors from outside the South Pacific until at least next year, based on comments from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who told The New Zealand Herald earlier this week that she doesn't expect to formalize the country's first "travel bubble" with the Cook Islands until the end of 2020. " Bali Border status report: Bali started putting together its reopening plan for tourism, including allowing foreign tourists beginning Sept. 11. Cambodia Foreign travelers arriving in Cambodia need to pay a $3,000 deposit after getting to the airport to cover COVID-19 testing in addition to potential treatment (with more specifics on the financial details here). China Border status report: China's current ban on international tourists remains in effect, and the U.S. Embassy in Beijing says it "cannot forecast when these policies will be lifted or amended." Japan Border status report: Americans and anyone who has been to the U.S. in the past 14 days are still banned from traveling to Japan except in cases of emergency, according to the country's official tourism site. India Border status report: As of Aug. 8, India's Bureau of Immigration is accepting travel applications from foreign nationals but is reviewing them on a case-by-case basis through its travel portal. What can tourists expect? Visitors are subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine, though they can apply for exemption by submitting a negative RT-PCR test taken within 96 hours of travel to the online portal. However, all travelers are required to complete a self-declaration form within 72 hours of travel or upon arrival in India as well as a form attesting that the information on their application is true. If Indian authorities discover any part is falsified, that traveler could face prosecution. The Maldives Border status report: The island, located off the southern tip of India, reopened on July 15. However, inter-island travel is prohibited and visitors must stay at the same resort for the duration of their visit. What can tourists expect? According to the Maldives' official tourism site, visitors need: A confirmed booking at a registered lodging establishment Proof of sufficient funds Confirmed return ticket Completed Health Declaration Form to be filled out twice: 24 hours before your flight to the Maldives and once more before you depart from the Maldives. On-arrival visas (free for 30 days) The website also notes that all tourists will undergo a temperature check upon arrival and may be chosen for a random, voluntary and free COVID-19 PCR test. And while quarantine is not required for anyone who does not display COVID-19 symptoms, masks are mandatory at the airport, during domestic travel and in all enclosed public spaces. Singapore Border status report: Short-term visitors are not allowed entry into Singapore, the island's tourism website said in mid-July. The only exceptions are those from neighboring countries with "fast lane" agreements (such as China) or who have special prior approval. Approved visitors must be tested for COVID-19. Thailand Border status report: "Most foreign nationals remain barred from entering Thailand," according to the website for the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok. "The Royal Thai Government has also extended its ban on inbound international passenger flights until further notice." Africa Kenya Border status report: International travelers were welcomed back in the east African country as of Aug. 1, according to the website for the U.S. embassy in Nairobi. What can tourists expect? Visitors' temperatures must not exceed 99.5F and they must not exhibit flu-like symptoms. Travelers (except those from California, Florida and Texas) will be exempted from quarantine if they present a negative PCR-based COVID-19 test conducted within 96 hours before travel. And while the country does not require a negative COVID-19 test result for entry, travelers should check to see whether their airline requires it as a condition for boarding. try as of Aug. 1, according to the website for the U.S. embassy in Nairobi. Also be aware that Kenya has extended its nightly, 9 p.m.-to-4 a.m. curfew through August. After that time, you must present evidence of travel reservations for that night. Morocco Border status report: According to the U.S. Embassy in Rabat, Morocco has extended its state of emergency through Sept. 10. All regularly scheduled commercial flights to/from Morocco remain suspended, as do ferries to/from Spain. Nigeria Border status report: Aviation minister Sen. Hadi Sirika announced Monday during a televised presidential COVID-19 task force briefing that the country will resume international flights at Lagos and Abuja beginning Aug. 29, CNN and Al Jazeera reported. He said details such as entry requirements will be announced at a later date. Rwanda Border status report: Commercial flights to Rwanda resumed on Aug. 1. Rwandas airports will reopen for all flights on 1/8/2020 with @RwandaHealth guidelines in place. All Passengers to show proof of COVID-19 PCR -ve test taken within 72 hrs of arrival.Passengers entering Rwanda to take a 2nd mandatory test with results in 24hrs pic.twitter.com/ly7fPwvVdW Ministry of Infrastructure | Rwanda (@RwandaInfra) July 4, 2020 As of June 17, Rwanda has been open for tourism and international travel can resume for charter flights. However, passengers entering Rwanda must present two negative COVID-19 RT-PCR tests. According to the Rwanda Development Board, one test must be taken within 72 hours of departure, and they must take a second COVID-19 test before visiting tourist attractions. Those who can't test in their origin countries can get tested twice in Rwanda. . RDB is pleased to announce the re-opening of tourism activities as well as the resumption of international travel for charter flights, effective 17 June 2020. More: https://t.co/qmMFS34Ddi#VisitRwanda #TemberaURwanda pic.twitter.com/nCsFP5Oces Rwanda Development Board (@RDBrwanda) June 17, 2020 "Rwandas tourism industry is adapting to create a safe environment for travelers and operators, in order to thrive in these unprecedented times," Belise Kariza, the Chief Tourism Officer at Rwanda Development Board said in a statement. "We encourage all travel enthusiasts and nature explorers to take advantage of this unique opportunity to venture out and experience the beauty and adventure that our country has to offer." Senegal Border status report: The west African nation reopened to international travel on July 15. However, the country's land and sea borders will remain closed until future notice. What can tourists expect? "Despite the end of the State of Emergency in Senegal, some leisure facilities will remain closed indefinitely due to social distancing measures, and markets will remain closed once per week for cleaning," the embassy website advised. "Use of facial coverings remains mandatory in public and private offices, public places and markets, and on public transportation." Tanzania Border status report: The eastern African nation reopened to international travel in June. What can tourists expect? According to the U.S. State Department website, all visitors entering Tanzania must present a valid COVID-19 certificate from an approved laboratory in a departure country tested within 72 hours before travel. They are also required to complete a health surveillance form on their inbound flight and turn it in upon arrival. Middle East Israel Border status report: "At the moment, and until further notice, entry to Israel will be refused to non-citizens or non-residents of Israel arriving from anywhere in the world," its official tourism site says. "In exceptional cases, one may apply for approval of the Foreign Ministry subject to proof of the ability to remain in self-isolation for 14 days." Jordan Border status report: According to the U.S. Embassy in Amman, the Jordanian government has postponed the reopening of its borders to international flights and visitors from approved countries until Aug. 18. The U.S. is not yet on the "green" list, but officials will review the epidemiological situation every two weeks. What can tourists expect? Visitors must have a negative PCR test for COVID-19 taken within 72 hours of travel and then take a second test upon arrival at the airport, where they must wait for results. The fee, which must be paid in advance, is equivalent to $56. They must also complete health declaration and locator forms that are available online. Foreign nationals must also show they have health insurance that would cover treatment for the duration of their visit and download Aman, a mobile contact-tracing app for the duration of their stay in the country. Dubai, United Arab Emirates Border status report: Dubai opened its borders to international travelers on July 7. What can tourists expect? In order to travel, tourists must take a COVID-19 test within 96 hours of their flight and show the airline a negative result, according to its official tourism site. Otherwise, they will be tested on arrival and required to isolate while awaiting the results, which travelers say typically takes a few hours. Travelers must also have health insurance covering COVID-19 or sign a declaration agreeing to cover the costs of treatment and isolation. They are also required to register their travel details in an app. Contributing: Jenna Ryu, Charles Trepany and David Oliver, USA TODAY; Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus travel: Reopening info for Bali, UK, Cayman Islands Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Its a Hobsons Choice for Labour by Chittarvu Raghu Suspension of crucial labour laws for varying lengths of time by some of the states viz. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan etc., reflects the paradigm shift in relation to labour policies consequent to Covid-2019. Already the economy is struggling with the lockdown and the labour is starring at the uncertain future. It is claimed that the labour laws have been suspended to incentivize economic activity in the respective states irrespective of the party ruling the State. In the process, the legislations that have been made to protect the welfare and the interest of the labour have been jeopardised. Article 246 contemplates the subject matter of laws to be made by the parliament and legislatures of the State. The VII Schedule of the constitution consists of three lists i.e., (1) Union list, (2) State list & (3) Concurrent list. Entry 22, 23 & 24 of the concurrent list relate to the labour laws. Article 254(1) states that if any provision of law made by the legislature is repugnant to any provision of law made by the parliament in relation to the matters enumerated in concurrent list, the law made by the parliament shall prevail and the law made by the legislature to the extent of repugnancy shall be void. However Article 254(2) saves such repugnancy if the assent of the President is received. Article 213 empowers the governor to promulgate such ordinances as the circumstances appear to him require. Proviso to Article 213 stipulates that the governor shall not without instructions from the President, promulgate any such ordinance if the Act of the legislature of the State containing the same provision would be invalid under the constitution unless the assent of the President is received. A conjoint reading of Article 246, 213 & 254 shows that a governor cannot promulgate any ordinance without the assent of the President in relation to an ordinance suspending the labour laws. Even assuming that the instructions of the President have been received before promulgation of the ordinance, still the same is unconstitutional for the reason that it is in violation of Article 23 of the Constitution. The main statutes such as the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, The Employees Provident Fund Act, 1952, The Factories Act, 1948 and The Minimum Wages Act, 1948 are also included in the said ordinances. The concepts contained in Payment of Wages Act, 1936, The Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Payment of Bonus Act, 1976 are incorporated in the Code of Wages 2019. The main objective of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 is to secure industrial peace, harmony by providing machinery and procedure for the investigation and settlement of Industrial Dispute by negotiation. The objective is to provide support measures for securing and preserving good relations between employer and employees. The Employees Provident Fund Act, 1952 contemplates compulsory contributory provident fund for employees in factories and other establishments. The said contribution has also been exempted from any court attachments, which shows that it is welfare legislation. Similarly the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 has been enacted to secure minimum wages for sustenance and The Factories Act, 1948 which mainly emphasises on the health, welfare, safety, working hours, annual leaves with wages and employment of women and children has been enacted to prevent exploitation of labour. The very objective of these industrial laws is to put an end to unfair labour practices and provides for the rights privileges, obligations and responsibilities of the work force. The other main objective is to safeguard the workers against the exploitation. All the above legislations have been bought into force for the purpose of preventing exploitation of labour. Article 23 of the Constitution specifically prohibits forced labour of any form. Suspension of the said legislation opens an avenue for forced labour. Article 37 of the constitution mandates that the Directive principles of State policy laid down are fundamental in governance of the country and it shall be the duty of the State to apply these principles in making laws. Article 43 directs that State shall endeavour to secure by suitable legislation to all workers, a living wage, and conditions of work ensuring a decent standard of life. The aforesaid legislations have been passed in the background of the said constitutional obligations and cannot be trampled upon under any circumstances. The Honble Supreme Court in Peoples Union Vs. Union of India has held that there are certain fundamental rights conferred by the Constitution which are enforceable against the whole world and there are found inter-alia in Article 17, 23 & 24 of the constitution. The Apex Court also held that Article 23 is clearly designed to protect the individual not only against the State but also against the other private citizens. The sweep of Article 23 is held to be wide and unlimited. The constitution makers, when they set out to frame the constitution, found that they had enormous task before them of changing the socio economic structure of the country and bringing about socio economic regeneration with a view to reaching social and economic justice to common man and it was necessary to carry forward social, economic revolution with a view to creating social economic conditions in which everyone would be able to enjoy the basic human rights and participate in the fruits of freedom and liberty in an egalitarian social and economic framework. The Honble Apex court also analyzed as to why, the subject of forced labour was included in the Chapter on Fundamental rights. It is held that the prohibition of forced labour is intended to be a general prohibition, total in its effect and all pervasive in its range and also against any other person indulging in any such practice and Article 23 strikes at forced labour manifested in any form which is in violation of human dignity and human values and the word force must therefore be constructed to include not only physical or legal force but also force arising from the compulsion of economic circumstance which leaves no choice of alternatives to a person in want and compels him to provide labour or service even though the remuneration received is less than the minimum wage. In a country like India where there is so much poverty and unemployment and there is no equality of bargaining power, a contract of service may appear on its face voluntary but it may, in reality, be involuntary, because while entering into the contract, the employee by reason of his economically helpless condition, may have been faced with hobsons choice, either to starve or to submit to the exploitative terms dictated by the powerful employer. Therefore the decision of the State government to suspend the Labour laws as an incentive to the employer would be unconstitutional. The State cannot take advantage of the present adverse circumstances and the lack of bargaining power by the labour. It cannot act detrimental to the interests of labour welfare. The State has to abide by the directives contained in the Directive Principles and act in a manner to promote the interest and welfare of the work force and prevent any scope of exploitation by the employer. The easing of the lockdown, at the threshold, if experiences such adverse decisions, it would drastically effect the industrial peace and harmony. Chittarvu Raghu, Advocate, High Courts of A.P. & T.S., email: craghuadvocate[at]gmail.com. Himachal Pradesh has recorded 18 more cases of COVID-19, taking the tally in the state to 204, officials said on Sunday. Two coronavirus patients from Bilaspur district recovered from the disease on Sunday, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R D Dhiman said. Ten of the fresh cases were reported from Una, two each from Hamirpur and Kangra and one each from Bilaspur, Chamba, Mandi and Solan districts, they said. Of the 18 new cases, 12 had recently returned from other parts of the country including seven from Mumbai, three from Delhi and one each from West Bengal and Noida, they added. However, the travel history of six others, from Una, was not available immediately, they said. However, regarding four other cases from the district, Una Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar told PTI that a woman, her brother-in-law and two sons, who had returned from Mumbai recently, have tested positive for coronavirus. Hamirpur Deputy Commissioner Harikesh Meena said that a 20-year-old woman from Baragram in Badsar area and a 56-year-old man from Bagehra lower area of the Sujanpur sub-division have tested positive for COVID-19. The woman had returned from Delhi along with her relatives on May 18 and was quarantined at the government high school, Baragram, whereas the man came back from Noida in a taxi on May 20 and was institutionally-quarantined at Government Senior Secondary School at Bir Bagehra, he added. In Kangra, a man from Palampur's Panchrukhi tested positive for the virus, Superintendent of Police Vimukt Ranjan said, adding that he had returned from Delhi a few days ago and was kept under quarantine at a facility at Baijnath. Besides, a 48-year-old taxi driver from Paisa village near Jawalaji also tested positive. He works as a taxi driver in Mumbai and returned from there with three others from Hamirpur district on May 14, he added. He was home quarantined due to some medical conditions and is being shifted to zonal hospital in Dharamshala, he added. In Mandi, a 19-year-old asymptomatic woman from Dharampur in Sarkaghat tehsil tested positive for COVID-19 and is being shifted to a COVID-19 care centre at Dhangshidar, a district official said. She, too, had recently returned from Mumbai with her parents and all of them were in an institutional quarantine centre in Dharampur, he said, adding that the woman''s parents have tested negative for the virus. In Chamba, a 30-year-old youth tested positive. He was institutionally quarantined after recently returning from Mumbai and is being shifted to a COVID care centre at Balu, a district official said. In Bilaspur, a man has tested positive after returning from Delhi on May 21, deputy commissioner Rajeshwar Goel said. A permanent resident of Mandi district, he was institutionally quarantined at Bilaspur's Swarghat on the Himachal Pradesh-Punjab border since his arrival from Delhi, he added. The number of active COVID-19 cases in Himachal Pradesh now stands at 137 and 63 people have recovered so far, according to the officials. Hamirpur has the maximum number of active cases in the state at 56 followed by 37 in Kangra, 13 in Una, 11 in Solan, nine in Mandi, four in Bilaspur, three in Chamba, two in Sirmaur and one each in Kullu and Shimla, they said. Four people have died due to COVID-19 in the state so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) H ong Kong police fired volleys of tear gas in a popular shopping districts as thousands took to the streets to march against Beijing's plan to impose national security laws on the city. Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong were triggered by China's introduction of the Fugitive Offender's Amendment bill in March 2019. For more than a year pro-democracy supporters have marched against laws that would ban secessionist and subversive activity, as well as foreign interference and terrorism in the semi-autonomous territory. Critics say it goes against the one country, two systems framework that promises the city freedoms not found on the mainland. Crowds of protesters dressed in black gathered in the bustling shopping district, Causeway Bay on Sunday afternoon to protest against the proposed legislation. Hong Kong riot police fire tear gas as hundreds of protesters march along a downtown street during a pro-democracy protest / AP Protesters chanted slogans Stand with Hong Kong, Liberate Hong Kong and Revolution of our times. Pro-democracy supporters were seen running through the streets as police fired tear gas into the crowds. Prominent activitist Tam Tak-chi was arrested during the protests for what police said was an unauthorised assembly. Mr Tam said he was giving a health talk and was exempt from social-distancing measures that prohibit gatherings of more than eight people. Protesters gesture with five fingers, signifying the 'Five demands - not one less' as they march / REUTERS The protests come two days after the proposed bill was submitted on Friday, the opening day of Chinas national legislative session. Nearly 200 political figures from around the world have denounced Beijing's proposed national security laws for Hong Kong. Sundays rallies are a continuation of the pro-democracy movement that has at times descended into violence between police and protesters. The new law, expected to be passed on May 28, would bypass the citys legislature and allow the Hong Kong government to set up mainland agencies in the city, sparking fears that this would allow Chinese agents to arbitrarily arrest people for activities deemed to be pro-democracy. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called the move a death knell for the high degree of autonomy that Beijing had promised Hong Kong. Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong prior to its handover to China in 1997, condemned what he called a new Chinese dictatorship. Scuffles break out between Hong Kong legislators over security freedoms I think the Hong Kong people have been betrayed by China, which has proved once again that you cant trust it further than you can throw it, he said in an interview with The Times. Bernard Chan, a top-level Hong Kong politician and delegate to the National Peoples Congress in Beijing, defended national security legislation pushed by China, saying it was written into Hong Kongs Basic Law the citys mini-constitution but never enacted. Mr Chan expressed concern that Hong Kong will inevitably face economic hardship given trade frictions between the US and China. I think we are definitely the collateral damage being dragged into this thing. But then, I dont think theres any alternatives, Mr Chan said. But with or without this law, honestly, the US and China will always going to be continuing this loggerhead for quite some time to come, he said. China will remain as a threat to the US in terms of the world economic dominance. She's not afraid to call out haters when they troll her online. And Alyssa Milano did just that when Twitter users called her out for her 'useless' face mask that was crocheted - and therefore had holes throughout. But the 47-year-old wasn't having a bar of it, telling haters that she inserted a protective filter underneath. 'Mask has a filter in it for f**k's sake!' Alyssa Milano called out haters on Saturday after they slammed her for her unprotective face mask It all started after Alyssa shared a family selfie of herself, husband, Dave Bugliari, 39, and their kids, Milo, eight, and Elizabella, five, wearing their masks ahead of an outing. And while Dave and the kids all sported different styles that covered their faces, many weren't too impressed with the actress' choice, with her skin able to be seen through the crocheted design. One hateful user Tweeted: 'So knitted face mask are going to protect you from Covid-19 Alyssa Milano you are a special kind of stupid #alyssamilano.' Proving her case: Alyssa went as far as to show the filters she was using behind her mask for extra protection Alyssa hit back, writing: 'Mask has a filter in it for f**k's sake. A carbon one. My mom makes them. #WearAMask,' she wrote adding the emoji of the face with rolling eyes. The Charmed star went as far as to share a screenshot of the 100 pack of filters she had purchased to ensure full protection amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She also Tweeted: 'Assholes, mask has a carbon filter in it. So, yes, it might be crochet but totally safe. #WearAMask.' Not impressed: Many took to Twitter to call out Alyssa's crochet face mask And while many accepted her response, others claimed to still see her skin through the mask so concluded there was no filter used in the photo. 'There is zero filter in that. We can see through it you dunce,' penned user @JHWalz32. Filters have become increasingly effective after research has shown up to 50% of those with COVID-19 don't show any symptoms. There have been over 1.65 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States since the start of the pandemic. New Delhi: Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan and is celebrated widely by Muslim communities across the globe with much fevour. However, celebrations this year have been marred by the crisis created by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing will come in the way of praying and gatherings. But this is the need of the hour and we have to follow it to contain the spread of the virus. India celebrates Eid on May 25, and ahead of the festival, here are a few tips on how you can make it special during the lockdown. - Wake up early in the morning. Take a shower and get dressed up in your best attire. - Pray to Allah at your homes along with your family. Restrict yourself from going out and joining community prayers. - Exchange gifts with family and greet each other with the grace of Allah by wishing 'Eid Mubarak'! If you want to gift someone away from you, send the items online and greet them through WhatsApp or text messages. - Video call your family members and friends across the globe and extend your Eid greetings. - Help your parents/partners in decorating the home or in the kitchen. Make the most of your time at home this Eid. - After greeting and embracing each other, relish the delicacies made at home and the sewayian, the Eid specialty. - Muslims believe in giving Zakat al-Fitr to the poor which means giving charity to the needy towards the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Hence, this time do charity online. Contribute to the various funds fighting again the virus or feed the needy ones. Wishing everyone 'Eid Mubarak'! driven by a compounded growth of 10. 4%. Molecular Diagnostics, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 11. 8%. The shifting dynamics supporting this growth makes it critical for businesses in this space to keep abreast of the changing pulse of the market. New York, May 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Agricultural Biotechnology Industry" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p04838495/?utm_source=GNW Poised to reach over US$25.2 Billion by the year 2025, Molecular Diagnostics will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. - Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 11.9% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$1.4 Billion to the regions size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$1.5 Billion worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Molecular Diagnostics will reach a market size of US$2.2 Billion by the close of the analysis period. As the worlds second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 9.9% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$5.4 Billion in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04838495/?utm_source=GNW AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY MCP-1 MARKET ANALYSIS, TRENDS, AND FORECASTS, MAY 2 CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Prelude Recent Market Activity Widening Gap between Food Demand and Production Raises Significance of Agricultural Biotechnology Opportunity Indicators in a Nutshell Transgenic Seeds & Crops Spearhead Growth in the Agricultural Biotech Market Highlights Significant Benefits of GM Crops Augur Well for Market Growth Biotech Cropland Worldwide - An Overview Developed Regions Lead GM Crop Cultivation, Developing Regions Promise Future Growth Barriers to Expansion of Biotechnology in Agriculture Industry Bt. Cotton: Adoption All Set to Increase Further in the Coming Years Robust R&D Pipeline to Play a Pivotal Role in Adoption of Bt. Cotton Challenges Hindering Wider Adoption of GM Crops Biopesticides: Natural Attributes Spur Global Demand Developed Countries: Leading Consumers of Biopesticides Biopesticides - A Crucial Component for Implementing Integrated Pest Management Explosive Growth in Organic Farming Augurs Well for Biopesticides Market Lack of Familiarity & Negative Perceptions Hinder Uptake of Biopesticides among Farmers BIOPESTICIDE REGULATIONS IN THE US AND EUROPE Global Competitor Market Shares Agricultural Biotechnology Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2020 & 2029 Impact of Covid-19 and a Looming Global Recession 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Ltd. (Israel) BASF SE (Germany) Bayer CropScience AG (Germany) Certis USA LLC (USA) Dow AgroSciences, LLC (USA) Mycogen Seeds (USA) DuPont Pioneer (USA) Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. (USA) Monsanto Company (USA) Performance Plants, Inc. (Canada) Syngenta AG (Switzerland) Valent BioSciences Corporation (USA) 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS Food Security - An Opportunity Generator Rising Demand for Biofuels: Positive Implications for GM Crops Market Introduction of Bt Cotton and Bt Brinjal Enhance Agricultural Production IRRI Working to Develop Stress-Tolerant Rice Variants Advent of Insect Resistant Crops Fuel Growth for Agriculture Industry Global Reservations Persist in Acknowledging Benefits of GM Crops Integration of Biotechnology and IT Revolutionizes Agriculture Sector Development of New Herbicide-Tolerant Traits Gathers Steam Advanced Farming Techniques for Increasing Agricultural Yields Misuse of Indigenous Resources of Developing Countries: A Cause of Concern Educating Consumers - Need of the Hour Synthetic Biology - A Brief Review Synthetic Biology: Prediction Becoming Reality Biostimulants: Growing Interest in Organic Food to Propel Growth Need for Sustainable Agriculture - Key Growth Driver Lack of Thorough Research Impedes Growth in Biostimulants Market Need for Paradigm Shift in Grower Mindset Regarding Biostimulants The Road Ahead Sales of Non-GMO products to Register Impressive Growth Public-Private Sector Partnerships Gain Importance Protection of Intellectual Property Demands High Attention Challenges Aplenty for Agricultural Biotechnology in Developing Nations Dearth of Competent Leadership Insufficient Financial Support for R&D Lack of Scientific and Technological Infrastructure Insufficient Expertise and Human Resources Safety Issues Ethical Issues Lack of Regulatory Framework 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table 1: Agricultural Biotechnology Global Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 2: Agricultural Biotechnology Global Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019 Table 3: Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 4: Molecular Diagnostics (Type) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2020 to 2027 Table 5: Molecular Diagnostics (Type) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2012 to 2019 Table 6: Molecular Diagnostics (Type) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 7: Tissue Culture (Type) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2020 to 2027 Table 8: Tissue Culture (Type) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2012 to 2019 Table 9: Tissue Culture (Type) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 10: Vaccines (Type) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Million: 2020 to 2027 Table 11: Vaccines (Type) Region Wise Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2012 to 2019 Table 12: Vaccines (Type) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 13: Genetic Engineering (Type) World Market Estimates and Forecasts by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2020 to 2027 Table 14: Genetic Engineering (Type) Market Historic Review by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2012 to 2019 Table 15: Genetic Engineering (Type) Market Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 16: Other Types (Type) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2020 to 2027 Table 17: Other Types (Type) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2012 to 2019 Table 18: Other Types (Type) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 19: Transgenic Crops (Application) Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2 through 2027 Table 20: Transgenic Crops (Application) Analysis of Historic Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2012 to 2019 Table 21: Transgenic Crops (Application) Global Market Share Distribution by Region/Country for 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 22: Synthetic Biology-enabled Products (Application) Global Opportunity Assessment in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 23: Synthetic Biology-enabled Products (Application) Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019 Table 24: Synthetic Biology-enabled Products (Application) Percentage Share Breakdown of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 25: Other Applications (Application) Worldwide Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 26: Other Applications (Application) Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019 Table 27: Other Applications (Application) Market Share Shift across Key Geographies: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES Market Facts & Figures US Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share (in %) by Company: 2020 & 2025 Market Analytics Table 28: United States Agricultural Biotechnology Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type: 2020 to 2027 Table 29: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in the United States by Type: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2012-2019 Table 30: United States Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 31: United States Agricultural Biotechnology Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2020 to 2027 Table 32: Agricultural Biotechnology Historic Demand Patterns in the United States by Application in US$ Million for 2012-2019 Table 33: Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Breakdown in the United States by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 CANADA Table 34: Canadian Agricultural Biotechnology Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2020 to 2027 Table 35: Canadian Agricultural Biotechnology Historic Market Review by Type in US$ Million: 2012-2019 Table 36: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 37: Canadian Agricultural Biotechnology Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2020 to 2027 Table 38: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in Canada: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2012-2019 Table 39: Canadian Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Analysis by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 JAPAN Table 40: Japanese Market for Agricultural Biotechnology: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2020-2027 Table 41: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2012-2019 Table 42: Japanese Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Analysis by Type: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 43: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Agricultural Biotechnology in US$ Million by Application: 2 to 2027 Table 44: Japanese Agricultural Biotechnology Market in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019 Table 45: Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Shift in Japan by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 CHINA Table 46: Chinese Agricultural Biotechnology Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2020-2027 Table 47: Agricultural Biotechnology Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by Type: 2012-2019 Table 48: Chinese Agricultural Biotechnology Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 49: Chinese Demand for Agricultural Biotechnology in US$ Million by Application: 2020 to 2027 Table 50: Agricultural Biotechnology Market Review in China in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019 Table 51: Chinese Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 EUROPE Market Facts & Figures European Agricultural Biotechnology Market: Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2020 & 2025 Market Analytics Table 52: European Agricultural Biotechnology Market Demand Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 53: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in Europe: A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2012-2019 Table 54: European Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 55: European Agricultural Biotechnology Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2020-2027 Table 56: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in Europe in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2012-2019 Table 57: European Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 58: European Agricultural Biotechnology Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2020-2027 Table 59: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2012-2019 Table 60: European Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Analysis by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 FRANCE Table 61: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in France by Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2020-2027 Table 62: French Agricultural Biotechnology Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Type: 2012-2019 Table 63: French Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Analysis by Type: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 64: Agricultural Biotechnology Quantitative Demand Analysis in France in US$ Million by Application: 2020-2027 Table 65: French Agricultural Biotechnology Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019 Table 66: French Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2012, 2020, and 2027 GERMANY Table 67: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2020-2027 Table 68: German Agricultural Biotechnology Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Type: 2012-2019 Table 69: German Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 70: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in Germany: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2020-2027 Table 71: German Agricultural Biotechnology Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019 Table 72: Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Distribution in Germany by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 ITALY Table 73: Italian Agricultural Biotechnology Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2020-2027 Table 74: Agricultural Biotechnology Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Type: 2012-2019 Table 75: Italian Agricultural Biotechnology Market by Type: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 76: Italian Demand for Agricultural Biotechnology in US$ Million by Application: 2020 to 2027 Table 77: Agricultural Biotechnology Market Review in Italy in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019 Table 78: Italian Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Breakdown by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 UNITED KINGDOM Table 79: United Kingdom Market for Agricultural Biotechnology: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2020-2027 Table 80: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Type for the Period 2012-2019 Table 81: United Kingdom Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Analysis by Type: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 82: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for Agricultural Biotechnology in US$ Million by Application: 2 to 2027 Table 83: United Kingdom Agricultural Biotechnology Market in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019 Table 84: Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Shift in the United Kingdom by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 REST OF EUROPE Table 85: Rest of Europe Agricultural Biotechnology Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2020-2027 Table 86: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by Type: A Historic Review for the Period 2012-2019 Table 87: Rest of Europe Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Breakdown by Type: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 88: Rest of Europe Agricultural Biotechnology Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2020-2027 Table 89: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in Rest of Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application for the Period 2012-2019 Table 90: Rest of Europe Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Analysis by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 ASIA-PACIFIC Table 91: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in Asia-Pacific by Type: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2020-2027 Table 92: Asia-Pacific Agricultural Biotechnology Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Type: 2012-2019 Table 93: Asia-Pacific Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Analysis by Type: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 94: Agricultural Biotechnology Quantitative Demand Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by Application: 2020-2027 Table 95: Asia-Pacific Agricultural Biotechnology Historic Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019 Table 96: Asia-Pacific Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2012, 2020, and 2027 REST OF WORLD Table 97: Rest of World Agricultural Biotechnology Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Type: 2020 to 2027 Table 98: Rest of World Agricultural Biotechnology Historic Market Review by Type in US$ Million: 2012-2019 Table 99: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in Rest of World: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Type for 2012, 2020, and 2027 Table 100: Rest of World Agricultural Biotechnology Market Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2020 to 2027 Table 101: Agricultural Biotechnology Market in Rest of World: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by Application for 2012-2019 Table 102: Rest of World Agricultural Biotechnology Market Share Analysis by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 IV. COMPETITION Total Companies Profiled: 70 Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04838495/?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. __________________________ CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 The NIA on Saturday arrested an Indian man and his Bangladeshi wife from Hyderabad for their alleged involvement in trafficking of women from Bangladesh to India for sexual exploitation, an official said. Justin alias Abdul Salam, 47, the key conspirator in the cross-border human trafficking racket case, was involved in running brothels at various places in Hyderabad and other parts of India, he said. The NIA also arrested his wife Shivuli Khatoon, 29, a Bangladeshi national, the official said. Khatoon, who entered India illegally from Bangladesh in 2012, has emerged as one of the key players in the case, he said. The case, registered by the NIA last year under the relevant provisions of the IPC and the Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act, pertains to the trafficking of people from Bangladesh to various cities in India including Hyderabad for sexual exploitation, the official said. Justin along with his associates conspired to bring girls illegally from Bangladesh through a well-organised network of agents in Bangladesh and India for engaging them in prostitution, the NIA said. In the case, three Bangladeshi nationals Mohd. Yousuf Khan, Bithi Begum and Sojib Shaik, and one Indian national, Ruhul Amin Dhalli, have already been arrested and a charge sheet against them was filed in March this year, the premier investigation agency said. Searches were conducted at Justin's ancestral and rented houses, and "incriminating" documents have been recovered, it said. Two young women were also rescued from Justin's house during the searches. They had been illegally trafficked into India a few months ago from Bangladesh for sexual exploitation through his associates, it said. During search at Khatoon's house, one more woman has been rescued who was found hiding in an improvised hideout in the house. The three women, who have been rescued, were illegally trafficked into India from Bangladesh for sexual exploitation, through the associates of Justin and Khatoon. Further investigation in the case is going on, the NIA added. The usually filled National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC) park in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region on Sunday was deserted as Muslims observed the Eid-ul Fitr prayers at their respective residences. At about 0900hours when the Ghana News Agency monitored activities within the Township, it was observed that major streets which hitherto had Muslims troop to the park from their homes during Eid-Ul-Fitr celebrations were as quiet as a cemetery. The GNA observed that even though most major shops in the Municipality on Sundays were often closed while residents went about their normal daily activities, the situation on this occasion looked exceptionally different as the main commercial street leading to the Regional Central mosque and the Chief Imams residence was virtually empty. Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, a Muslim told the GNA in an interview that This COVID-19 pandemic has kept us indoors. We cannot move out to join colleagues at prayer centres or visit loved ones as we used to do. He said the only difference in the celebration was that they avoided gatherings and visits, adding, My family and I prayed in the house. Eid-Ul-Fitr celebration usually attracts a crowd and because that aspect is absent, it appears the excitement is missing. Mr Abdul-Rauf Kulbugri, another Muslim in the Municipality who expressed his view about this years celebration amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, said the virus had affected the celebrations in diverse ways. He said the celebration was usually characterized by sharing of food after the main prayer session in the Region led by the Chief Imam, coupled with visits by friends and relatives. This morning I prayed with my family. We will cook and just share with few neighbours, and continue to stay home. We are not in normal times, so we need to stay safe and healthy to celebrate subsequent Eid-Ul-Fitr celebrations after COVID-19. We have fasted and prayed to the most merciful Allah to intercede in these difficult times, so we are hopeful that our prayers will be answered, Mr Kulbugri said. Meanwhile, Alhaji Yussif Adams, the Upper East Regional Chief Imam who led a virtual prayer session, prayed for government and peace in the country, especially as Ghana prepared for the Presidential and Parliamentary elections. He prayed for the health professionals, Journalists, security service personnel and asked for Almighty Allahs blessings and protection for them in their line of duty which exposed them to the COVID-19 virus. Alhaji Adams noted that the fasting and intercessory prayers offered by Muslims across the world would not be in vain, and was hopeful that Almighty Allah would stretch His merciful and healing hand over Ghana and all over the world and take the COVID-19 virus away. He called on residents in the Region to continue to co-exist peacefully and observe the Ghana Health Service (GHS) protocols in the fight against the virus. Madam Tangoba Abayage, the Upper East Regional Minister in an earlier goodwill message to Muslims, noted that the Muslim community in the Region cooperated with the GHS protocols in the prevention of the spread of the virus. As we celebrate Eid-Ul-Fitr somewhat on a low key this year, let us remain resolute; we are only constrained but not broken. There is light at the end of the tunnel and we should allow the virtues cultivated during Ramadan to spur us on to the end, she said. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video With an active military service record that spans almost 50 years, the Battleship New Jersey has seen plenty of changes in technology. The battleship, now a museum, is currently closed to visitors due to the coronavirus, but a small ceremony was held on board Saturday to mark the 77th anniversary of the ships commissioning and the event was broadcast via Facebook Live. Attended by only a handful of people maintaining social distance, the speaking portion was moved inside due to rain earlier in the morning. Attendees maintain social distance.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Capt. Walt Urban, USN (ret), who once served aboard the USS New Jersey delivers remarks while the event was broadcast live on Facebook.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Capt. Walt Urban, USN (ret) delivers remarks.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com In his remarks, Capt. Walt Urban, USN (ret), who once served aboard the USS New Jersey, began by acknowledging the Memorial Day weekend saying, "We honor our sacred war dead, those men and women who in our military, gave their lives for our freedoms. This is a time for us, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic, to reflect on their sacrifice as we honor their memory." Capt. Urban said the ship is unparalleled, becoming the most decorated battleship in the history of the United States Navy, in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East and the Cold War. The Battleship New Jersey was the only warship in the U.S Navy to be commissioned once, and then recommissioned three times, such was her longevity, he added. The ship was decommissioned for the last time in 1991. Battleship Board of Trustees member Brian Joaquin, left, carries a memorial wreath.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Smoke lingers in the air from a shot fired from the Battleships 5-inch gun.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Michael Mancuso may be reached at mmancuso@njadvancemedia.com. Tammy Hembrow has been rumoured to be linked to New York-based musician Erick Delgado for the past few weeks. And on Sunday, Instagram sensation Tammy Hembrow seemingly confirmed her romance with the Soundcloud rapper on Instagram. Sharing a video to his account, Billie Eilish's friend Erick, 25, uploaded footage of himself pouting to the camera. Scroll down for video Moving on! Instagram sensation Tammy Hembrow (pictured) has seemingly confirmed her romance with New York rapper Erick Delgado with flirty comment on Sunday 'F*** I bit my lip,' he captioned the flirty post, as he played with his bottom lip. Tammy, 26, was quick to comment underneath the post, asking if she could offer any assistance. 'Can I [?]' she asked. To which Erick cheekily responded, writing: 'Ok, but not too hard I'm sensitive.' Helping hand! Sharing a video to his account, Billie Eilish's friend Erick, 25, (pictured) uploaded footage of himself touching his lips after supposedly biting them too hard Flirty! Tammy, 26, was quick to comment underneath the post, asking if she could offer any assistance. 'Can I [?]' she asked. To which Erick responded, writing: 'Ok, but not too hard I'm sensitive' It comes after the Gold Coast-based mother-of-two hinted she was missing her new beau on various Instagram stories last week. While she showed off her famous derriere in a raunchy bikini video, Tammy sang along to Kehlani's You Should Be Here in another. Tammy smiled and lip-synced along to the chorus: 'You should be here right now.' Something to tell us? Last week, the Gold Coast-based mother-of-two hinted she was missing her new beau on her Instagram stories with a flirty video Gossip: Last month, it was rumoured Tammy had started seeing Erick Delgado (pictured) after her split from Canadian rapper Jahkoy Palmer earlier this year Last month, it was rumoured Tammy had started seeing Erick Delgado after her split from Canadian rapper Jahkoy Palmer earlier this year. Tammy hinted at her new relationship in an Instagram caption, writing: 'I wish u were here.' Tellingly, Erick replied in the comments: 'Soon.' A week earlier, Erick had commented 'ur precious' on one of Tammy's Instagram posts, which she replied to with a flirty face emoji. Tammy and Jahkoy were confirmed to have broken up in March, just one month after she had visited Erick's hometown, New York City. 'Stop those non-humans who are writing and provoking our people," says Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in an Instagram video. The "non-humans" he objects to are journalists who criticise the Chechen authorities for mishandling their response to the Covid-19 epidemic. Given Kadyrov has faced allegations of torturing and disappearing critics (which he denies), he leaves nobody in any doubt about how journalists' questions should be dealt with. The cause of his rage was an article in the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta by investigative journalist Elena Milashina, who cited Kadyrov as saying that people who spread the coronavirus are "worse than terrorists" and "should be killed". As a result of these threats, Milashina wrote that people in Chechnya with Covid-19 were hiding their symptoms because they were too frightened to seek medical help. Authoritarian and proto-fascist governments around the world are using Covid-19 to excuse or divert attention from the arrest, jailing and disappearance of critical journalists. Kadyrov, who acts as a quasi-independent Russian viceroy in Chechnya, is simply more blatant and violent than his counterparts, from Viktor Orban in Hungary to Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey and Narendra Modi in India. In few such countries is repression new, but it is deepening by the day under a new guise. Expand Close Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. Photo: Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. Photo: Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS Kadyrov's actions in Chechnya are a crude but telling example of this toxic campaign against the independent media. The Chechen leader's threats against Milashina was not the first time she has been targeted for her reporting in Chechnya: two years ago she broke the story of the "gay purge" in which gay men were being abducted, tortured and killed. This February she was assaulted in the lobby of a hotel in the Chechen capital, Grozny, where she was reporting on the trial of a blogger who had posted a film of luxury villas alleged to belong to people close to the Chechen leadership. Governments worldwide claim that journalists are impeding their heroic struggle against coronavirus, but their real motive is more often to conceal the inadequacy of those efforts. Political elites everywhere fear that the pandemic will expose their incompetence and corruption, weakening their grip on political power and economic resources. A report by Amnesty International, titled "Crackdown on journalists weakens efforts to tackle Covid-19", contains a long and detailed list of offenders: new laws against disseminating "fake news" - the definition of which is to be decided by the authorities themselves - has been passed in Azerbaijan, Hungary, Russia, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tanzania and in several Gulf states. Hungarian leader Orban has amended the criminal code so journalists are threatened with five years in prison for "spreading false information" that would impede "successful protection" against the coronavirus. Governments are highly sensitive to accusations that they are lying about the number of infections or fatalities: in Egypt a newspaper editor who challenged the official figures was disappeared for a month and a reporter who did the same in Venezuela was jailed for 12 days. In Bosnia, a doctor was charged with "misinformation" and creating "fear and panic" and faces a fine of 1,500 after posting on social media about the lack of ventilators and other equipment. Leaders ignoring their own lockdown and physical distancing orders want to keep quiet about it: in Tanzania, the licence of the online newspaper Mawanachi was suspended after posting a photo of John Pombe Magufuli, the president, out shopping surrounded by a crowd of supporters. The Turkish government has put extraordinary efforts into hunting down journalists and social media critics, 102 of whom are currently in jail, many accused of being "terrorists" or "spreading terrorist propaganda" - a charge often levelled in Turkey against any critic. No fewer than 64 social media users have been detained in recent weeks over posts about coronavirus. Expand Close Narendra Modi of India. Photo: PIB / AFP / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Narendra Modi of India. Photo: PIB / AFP No sign of dissent or independent information is too small to escape the authorities' notice: when Ismet Cigit and Gungor Aslan wrote on a news website about two Covid-19 deaths in a local hospital, they were immediately detained and questioned. And even a short detention in Turkey could be a death sentence because overcrowded prisons are hotspots for the epidemic. Most culpable are states such as India, whose security measures are preventing attempts to lessen the spread of the pandemic. In Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, the lockdown predates the rest of the world, starting last August when Modi's government revoked the special status of India's only Muslim-majority state. An internet blackout was imposed for 175 days and when it was restored it was in the form of the slow 2G network. But even this, along with other communications, such as the telephone, is subject to sudden and prolonged blackouts - nominally aimed at separatists, but in practice hampering or stopping the campaign to prevent Covid-19. The Indian government has tried with some success to suppress local and foreign media reporting from inside Kashmir, but a special report by the Thomson Reuters Foundation from Srinagar, the largest city in Kashmir, reveals a health system damaged by the constant blackouts. "We were shocked that we had to work without the internet even for a week during the pandemic," said one Srinagar-based hospital doctor, speaking anonymously, adding that the government had told health professionals not to talk to the press. Tracking and tracing of Covid-19 victims is made impossible in Kashmir by interrupted communications. A health department official, again speaking anonymously, said there was no way of finding and testing victims during the blackouts, explaining "it was impossible to trace the contacts of Covid-positive cases during those three days in early May as there was no way of reaching out to people". Paradoxically, Modi told everybody including Kashmiris to download a contact-tracing app on their phones as a prime means of identifying, testing and isolating those infected by the virus. Journalists in Kashmir who report about the extent to which draconian security measures have hobbled efforts to suppress the epidemic find themselves accused of glorifying "anti-nationalist activities" and causing "fear or alarm in the minds of the public". Expand Close Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP via Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP via Getty Images Autocratic governments everywhere are becoming more autocratic and repressive regimes more repressive. They believe that they can get away with it: frightened peoples are looking to their governments to save them in this time of peril, and do not want to discover that they are ruled by incompetent people determined to serve their own interests and stay in power. But not all the news is bad. The zeal with which governments from Budapest to Delhi and Grozny to Ankara are pursuing the humblest blogger or smallest newspaper shows that they feel fragile and are afraid. Great disasters shine a bright light on the incompetence and greed of the powers-that-be, exposing them for what they are. No wonder they see independent journalists as dangerous foes, "non-humans" to be silenced wherever possible. Independent Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 10:50:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Lock-up shares worth about 21.4 billion yuan (about 3.02 billion U.S. dollars) will become eligible for trade on China's bourses in the coming week. The volume was down 68.57 percent from the previous week, according to data from financial information provider Wind. About 718 million shares from China Shipbuilding Industry Company Limited and 482 million shares from China Zheshang Bank will be freed up for trading. Under China's stock market rules, major shareholders must wait for one to two years before they are permitted to sell their shares. Chinese stocks closed lower on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 1.89 percent, at 2,813.77 points. The Shenzhen Component Index closed 2.22 percent lower at 10,604.97 points. Enditem The number of COVID-19 cases in Thane rose to 5,387 after 309 more people tested positive for the disease in the Maharashtra district on Saturday, officials said. The new patients included at least 12 children, in the age group of 1 to 12 years, the district administration said in a release. Among the new cases, 134 were reported from Thane city and 76 from Navi Mumbai township, it said. Besides, six more people succumbed to the disease, taking the district's death toll to 163, the release said. Out of the total cases, Thane municipal limits have so far reported 1,891 cases, Navi Mumbai-1,561, Kalyan- Dombivali-730, Mira Bhayander-489, Thane Rural-267, Ulhasnagar-156, Badlapur-153, Bhiwandi-82, and Ambernath-58. There was an increase of about 24 cases in Thane Rural, mostly from Sahapur area. The neighbouring Palghar district has till now recorded 530 COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths, a release from the district administration said. Thane Municipal Commissioner Vijay Singhal told reporters that the bed capacity for COVID-19 patients in the city will be increased to nearly 10,000 in a phased manner in the coming days. In Bhiwandi, the powerloom industry resumed from Saturday after over two months, following permission provided by the district administration. Thane Guardian Minister Eknath Shinde expressed concern over the rise in number of cases in Sahapur. During a review meeting on Saturday, he asked officials to keep their differences aside and have a single- point programme of how to contain the disease in Thane. BJP's Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Council Pravin Darekar toured parts of Thane district on Saturday and inspected facilities at various hospitals for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. He later told reporters that BJP's protest during the COVID-19 crisis was "not politically motivated", but it was against the present system of governance which has failed to contain spread of the disease. "We have written several letters to the state government and suggested various measures, but it has not taken note of them," he claimed. The state government did not provide good quality treatment to patients during the pandemic, he claimed, alleging that there was corruption in the system and he would raise the issue during next session of the Legislature. Darekar said the Maharashtra government was providing free transportation facilities to outsiders/migrant labourers, then why the same should not be extended to "sons of the soil" to travel from one district to another in the state. Meanwhile, NCP corporator from Thane Pramila Keni asked the civic officials to facilitate availability of more number of ambulances in Thane to cater to the needs of coronavirus patients. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A total of 241 Indians including 136 people who were jailed in Kuwait would return to the country soon, a senior minister said on Sunday. The other 105 people were stranded in Bangladesh, Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath said. "Altogether 136 people from Tripura and Assam, who are at present in jail in Kuwait for violating that country's laws, would be deported. They will reach Guwahati between May 27 and June 4 in a special flight," Nath told reporters. He said the matter has been officially informed by the Kuwaiti government, but the reason for their imprisonment is not known. "We had requested the Kuwaiti authorities to drop the Tripura residents here. However, they informed us that the flight would land in a single airport," the minister added. Nath said 105 residents of Tripura, who are stranded in different places of Bangladesh will return to the state through the Agartala-Akhaura integrated check post on May 28. "They would be taken to institutional quarantine and swabs of all the passengers would be collected for COVID-19 test," Nath said. If the report of their samples tests negative, they would be allowed to leave the facility and remain under 14 days of home quarantine. And those who test positive would be hospitalized, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A large and passionate community of Australian mums and amateur interior decorators have together transformed Kmart's reputation from 'daggy' bargain bin to modish and 'on-trend'. Through the use of perfectly styled Instagram photos, viral 'hacks', cooking tricks and fan pages of more than 300,000 people, the 'Kmart mums' have made the 'luxe for less' model more desirable than ever - and left Target's more 'upmarket' brand revamp less appealing in the eyes of many shoppers. This was clear on Friday morning, when Target announced the closure of 75 of its stores and the conversion of 92 others into Kmarts after a $67 million sales slump. Wesfarmers, who owns both retailers, unveiled its plans to restructure Target's 'unsustainable' cost base and allow focus on the more-profitable Kmart, which over the past five years has become the most successful low-end department store in Australia. Interior stylist Amanda Bray, 33, (pictured) from Ballarat, Victoria, said she believes the power of social media has played a 'big part in Kmart's success' and regularly posts snaps of her Kmart styling on her successful Instagram account Much of Kmart's success can be attributed to a large and dedicated community of online mums and amateur interior decorators who together have transformed the brand's reputation from 'daggy' bargain bin to 'modish' and on-trend Slide me The kitchen: Amanda renovated her entire home using budget decor from Kmart, including the chopping board, mirror tray, glass canister and faux plant and pot The popular groups making Kmart 'cool' FACEBOOK Kmart Mums Australia: 373,000 members Kmart Hacks & Decor: 366,000 members Kmart Inspired Homes: 233,000 members Kmart Air Fryer Recipes Australia: 252,000 members INSTAGRAM Kmart Bargains: 383,000 followers I Heart Kmart: 123,000 followers The Kmart Lover: 119,000 followers Kmart Hack Queen: 89,900 followers Kmart Queen: 85,000 followers Kmart by you: 74,000 followers Advertisement With more than 373,000 members, the Facebook group Kmart Mums Australia was launched in November 2015, founded by mother Larnie Lawrence and was one of the very first with a specific focus on sharing budget buys from the retailer. Ms Lawrence started talking about Kmart with her friends, and when she realised that others were as into the shop as she was, she started the group. 'The group was set up for women who wanted to share the new-in Kmart products they'd seen in different stores, as well as their styling tips and tricks,' Ms Lawrence told FEMAIL in early 2017. 'It's grown a lot... so much so that if someone posts a new-in item on the group, you've got to be super quick in getting down to the store.' Since its success, more than 5,000 dedicated Kmart groups and pages have launched on Facebook and Instagram where shoppers share renovation and interior advice, fashion picks, recipe and kitchen tips and cleaning tricks. They include Kmart Inspired Homes (233,000 members), Kmart Air Fryer Recipes Australia (252,000 members) and Kmart Hacks & Decor (366,000 members). The retail giant has become the most successful low-end department store across Australia, with social media groups credited for its rise to dominance over Target Slide me Amanda is known for sharing snaps of her incredible home, featuring luxury items for less Amanda, a mother-of-three, styles her home using budget items from Kmart, including the rug, and a woven basket to store cushions The founder of Kmart Hack Queen restyled her laundry room using Kmart's glass canisters, jars with lids and decor items such as the plant stand Interior stylist Amanda Bray, 33, from Ballarat, Victoria, said she believes the power of social media has played a 'big part in Kmart's success' and has seen a huge following thanks to her Kmart styling advice on Instagram. Target is too pricey and some basic items like a cushion is $30 compared to Kmart's $12 version. I don't shop at Target because of their style and most of all I have a budget - Samantha, Kmart Hack Queen 'The biggest thing people say to me is that they see an item but have no idea how to style it,' Ms Bray, a mother-of-three, told FEMAIL. 'Then they log onto Facebook and Instagram and see the products styled it makes the items more appealing.' Mother-of-four Tina Devlin, from Perth, agrees, with her own styling page seeing a similar spike after she started sharing budget styling and decor advice. 'I think it's definitely helped Kmart become so popular,' Tina, 33, told FEMAIL. 'There's so many great ideas on how to style things and great hack ideas. It definitely makes people want what they see when it's styled so beautifully.' Mother-of-four Tina Devlin (pictured) said there's now so many Instagram pages showing how everyone styles their items in their own home In recent years, the retailer has gone from a 'daggy' discount store to such a 'cool' place to shop for all the on-trend everyday items Mother of two Samantha (pictured), who runs Kmart Hack Queen, said she uses her platform to show how she styles the budget items to make them appear lush in her home The Kmart Hack Queen said her followers are obsessed with her super organised pantry Mother of two Samantha, who runs Kmart Hack Queen on Instagram with nearly 90,000 followers, said she uses her platform to show how she styles the budget items to make them appear lush in her home. 'I get messages every day of people loving my ideas. They said they now love Kmart because I inspire them by using their items. They didn't know Kmart was so stylish,' she told FEMAIL. From personal experience as a mum of three, I do not want to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on homewares and furniture that has the possibility of being broken, so Kmart gives us an affordable range of homewares that look great - Amanda, Amanda Bray Interiors Amanda explained how Kmart has really 'upped their game in the past few years' - and interest started to really peak in Australia when the retailer revamped its brand. 'The quality of their clothing and homewares for such an affordable price is amazing,' she said. 'I believe it really peaked when they revamped their homewares sector a few years ago. There are so many people especially ones with children who are after affordable homewares to decorate their home. 'I know from personal experience as a mum of three that I do not want to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on homewares and furniture that has the possibility of being broken, so Kmart gives us an affordable range of homewares that look great.' Steph Pase, who blogs under Just Another Mummy Blog, said she believed Kmart changed when the retailer started selling stylish homewares at affordable prices. 'That really is when they began seeking out trends and creating budget friendly products that allowed people to decorate their homes without spending so a lot of money,' she told FEMAIL. 'I think Kmart has become more popular because it really started to lead the way of home styling on a budget.' Steph Pase, who blogs under Just Another Mummy Blog, has earned a legion of fans for sharing stunning pictures of her home using budget items from retailers such as Kmart Thousands of mothers have been transforming every space of their home using budget items The founder of Kmart Hack Queen said the retailer has pulled out all stops to regularly bring out luxury-inspired items for less Slide me The dining room was brought to life by Amanda's Kmart buys, including a faux plant and decor Target announces closure of 167 outlets in massive restructure Target has made a shock announcement it will shut 75 of its stores, and convert 92 others into Kmart. Following a financial review, the company revealed plans to drastically restructure as the brand suffered a $67 million sales slump. Announcing to investors on Friday, owner Wesfarmers said the restructure would reduce Target's 'unsustainable' cost base and allow it focus on the more-profitable Kmart. Target staff will be offered jobs at Kmart or other Wesfarmers companies, including Bunnings and Officeworks. Advertisement Samantha said the retailer has pulled out all stops to regularly bring out luxury-inspired items for less. 'I think Kmart is not classed as daggy anymore because they have really thought about how to improve their business,' she said. 'They really looked into the styles of homeware and apparel from all around the world and brought these ideas into their stores to make their styles stand out from the rest. 'Their styles in homewares became very modern in 2016. I remember all the contemporary colours coming out with greys and pinks. Not long after, the Scandinavian styles. They have done extremely well. It's my favourite place to shop.' Tina said most people don't want to spend big money decorating their homes and Target was deemed more upmarket by many shoppers. 'Kmart being so affordable gives people the option to keep up with new trends,' she said. 'I think Kmart is more popular than Target because of how often they bring in new items and such great prices for people to style and decorate their homes on a budget. 'It gives you the option to change your look more often than you would usually and definitely has more exposure in the Instagram world. I started getting into the Kmart trend in 2015, since then they keep improving their products as it's become so popular.' Australian fashion bloggers are always raving about Kmart's dresses that looks considerably more expensive than its affordable price tag (picture of affordable style influencer Paige Kennedy wearing a $28 Kmart versatile polkadot dress) Affordable stylist Tina Abeysekara (pictured wearing an $18 Kmart skirt) have earned a legion of followers on Instagram for proving style doesn't always have to cost serious cash Last year the Trash to Treasured founder also promoted a glamorous burnt orange polka dot Kmart dress priced at $25 (pictured above) Samantha said she prefers Kmart over Target because there's always a 'great variety of products' on a budget released regularly. 'I love their homeware items because each drop they do you can still refresh your space, adding onto previous Kmart products you already own,' she said. 'There's many style incorporated like bohemian, modern, industrial and urban. I think Target has it a little wrong, they seem to do items that are same old, same old like mainly rustic, wicker, and more on the safe side. 'Target is too pricey and some basic items like a cushion is $30 compared to Kmart's $12 version. I don't shop at Target because of their style and most of all, I have a budget.' Amanda agreed with the low prices, saying: 'It's the main reason I feel people are more drawn to Kmart rather than Target.' In the fashion aisle, affordable stylists such as Trash to Treasured founder Tina Abeysekara and Paige Kennedy have earned a legion of followers on Instagram for proving style doesn't always have to cost serious cash. The pair are known for sharing latest budget-friendly items from Kmart, including a $27 linen blazer, $28 versatile dress, and $18 leopard print skirt. MIDLAND, MI - Rainstorms are a typical part of spring in Michigan. The rainstorm that hit mid-Michigan beginning on Sunday, May 17, though, proved one for the history books. The flooding that resulted from up to 7 inches of rain in Midland, Saginaw and surrounding counties damaged homes and property, forced more than 10,000 people to evacuate and most spectacularly destroyed one power dam and severely damaged another. Its being called a 500-year flood event, meaning it is only likely to occur once every 500 years. How did it unfold? The story starts with the storm itself. One key ingredient fueled the downpour. MLive meteorologist Mark Torregrossa said the heaviest rain was produced by tropical moisture, as Tropical Storm Arthur was churning off the Mid-Atlantic coast. In what he called a conveyor belt effect, a mass of moisture traveled from the East Coast westward into Michigan, allowing the ongoing storm to tap into that tropical moisture and cause a substantial increase in rainfall totals. Total storm rainfall for Michigan's Lower Peninsula, from 5/17 to 5/19. Image courtesy of the National Weather Service. Mid-Michigan received a heavy amount of moisture from the storm, with Midland, Bay and Saginaw Counties floating around 3-4 inches of rain. The heaviest rainfall totals were found to the north, with Au Gres receiving 8.10 inches, East Tawas getting 7.97, and Sterling clocking in at 7.20 inches. The rainfall itself caused headaches for various municipalities, with Bay Citys wastewater treatment plant requiring the use of an auxiliary pump to keep up with the sudden deluge of water the evening of Monday, May 18. Numerous roads closed due to the heavy rain, especially in counties in northern mid-Michigan, with Arenac and Gladwin County beginning to see numerous road closures during the night on Monday. Many roads have washed away. What may appear to be standing water may be much deeper than you believe. As it gets darker, you will not be able to see the flooded areas. Unnecessary travel ties up resources if you end up stranded. Please stay home if you do not absolutely need to be traveling, said an alert from the Arenac County Sheriffs Department that night. The Arenac County Sheriffs Department stated that U.S. 23 was closed at the time between M-65 and Standish due to possible bridge damage and water over the road and at Omer. The Sheriffs Department evacuated the areas around Townline, Pinnacle, Franklin Trail, and Miller roads today due to flooding that same day. As the floodwaters began to make their way through the watershed, areas downstream on the Tittabawassee River also were advised of potential severe flooding Monday night as all flood gates at the Sanford Dam were being opened due to high water. This action served as a forewarning as the next phase of the disaster started to take shape. A catastrophic chain of events Midland County Central Dispatch issued an alert at 12:22 a.m. on Tuesday, May 19, stating residents in Edenville Township needed to leave their homes due to an imminent dam failure" at the Edenville Dam and that those who live along Sanford Lake and Wixom Lake were to vacate their homes and head to shelters immediately. Residents were directed to emergency shelters that were setup at Meridian Junior High School in Sanford and Coleman Community High School in Coleman. At 6:50 a.m. on Tuesday, Midland County Emergency Management determined that the structures such as the Edenville and Sanford dams were structurally sound but that the dams could not control or contain the water flowing through spill gates anymore. Later that day, things took a turn for the worse. A section of the dike at the Edenville Dam collapsed just after 6 p.m. after it couldnt hold anymore of the swollen river. The collapse prompted flash flood warnings from the National Weather Service that read, "Life threatening flash flooding of areas downstream from the Edenville Dam along the Tittabawassee River, the warning reads. The nearest downstream town is Sanford Dam...located about 7 miles from the Edenville Dam. Areas downstream from the Edenville Dam along the Tittabawassee River should be prepared for additional flooding. Midland County Emergency Management confirmed later on Tuesday, May 19, that water was flowing over the earthen embankment of the Sanford Dam after the Edenville failure sent a torrent of water into Sanford Lake. After overwhelming the Sanford Dam, the water surged south along the Tittabawassee River toward downtown Midland. The flooding from the event closed roadways such as eastbound and westbound US-10 between River Road and M-30 on Tuesday, per the Michigan Department of Transportation Bay Region Twitter page. The M-30 bridge was destroyed near Strykers Marina. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an emergency declaration late Tuesday and sent the National Guard to help after the dam failure while also urging residents in evacuation zones to get out immediately. Please, get somewhere safe now, she said in a 10 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, press conference. About 10,000 people were evacuated, in Midland along with the village of Sanford, Edenville and Dow Chemical. Officials also were trying at the time to evacuate areas of Tittabawassee Township, Thomas Township and Saginaw Township, said Whitmer. The Tittabwasee River was reported to have crested at about 35 feet on Wednesday evening. The crest topped the rivers 1986 all-time record level, but falls short of the dire 38-foot mark that was predicted. A look at the Sanford Dam on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. After the Edenville Dam failed and the Tittabawassee River flooded surrounding areas, many residents were urged to leave their homes and to brace themselves for the possibility of the Sanford Dam to collapsing. Water flowed over the top of it through the night, but the structure is still in place. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com While the Edenville Dam fell to the floodwaters, the Sanford managed to hold its ground but did not come out of the situation unscathed. A hole formed at the dams brim Thursday, May 21, causing water to flow freely from the lake. Midland City Manager Brad Kaye on Thursday confirmed that as of 10 a.m. that the structure was still standing. He said that there is water over the top of the earthen berm portion with a substantial washout, but the concrete structure of the dam itself remains standing More than just a structural failure The resulting flood from the Edenville Dam collapse displaced about 10,000 people and prompted federal energy regulators to order Boyce Hydro to conduct a third-party investigation. It was reported in 2018 that federal energy regulators yanked the Edenville Dam operators license out of concern the spillway couldnt pass enough water to avert a failure during a historic flood. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) records showed that capacity issues at the Edenville Dam spillway were cited as problematic dating back to the late 1990s. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers remarks on Midland-area flooding at a press conference in front of Midland High School on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 in Midland, Mich. Gov. Whitmer surveyed flood damage from a helicopter earlier in the morning.Riley Yuan | MLive.com Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vowed that the state will pursue every line of legal recourse and she suggested that such critical infrastructure should not be in private hands. We can talk about the merits of whether or not private companies should own critical infrastructure or not - I dont think that they should - but thats what were dealing with here, she said. The governor also took an aerial tour of the flood zone along the Tittabawassee River by helicopter on Wednesday and gave a press conference at Midland High School, which is being used as a shelter for residents displaced by flooding. President Trump also weighed in with a tweet thanking first responders for helping to evacuate people in the danger zone below the dams. Whats next? By Friday, homeowners slowly started to return to their homes, as they have been able and as flooding conditions have allowed. Families have been returning home to find muddy and water damaged homes as they work to pickup the pieces together. Wixom and Sanford Lakes were reported to be nothing more than mud puddles after their contents were swept downstream into the Tittabawassee. A nearly barren Wixom Lake stands dry after severe flooding forced the failure of Edenville Dam on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 in Edenville Township north of Midland. (Jake May | MLive.com)The Flint Journal, MLive.com President Trump approved an emergency declaration on Thursday, May 21 for areas affected by the water. Federal assistance will begin to supplement state and local responses starting Saturday, May 16. The City of Midland will soon begin cleanup efforts, as well. The city will make announcements regarding landfill access and debris collections to help residents with cleanup efforts, said Selina Tisdale, a public information officer for the city. Residents are now able to report damage to their property online here. The American Red Cross compiled a list of locations in Midland and Saginaw counties where displaced residents may seek shelter, food or other assistance and offers an online service to help friends and relatives to try and contact missing loved ones. Subsequent downstream flooding occurred in Saginaw County, where the community of Shields was flooded and residents in part of Spaulding Township were told to evacuate after a dike was breached. Memorial Day weekend in 2020 will be a busy time of cleanup, repair and reflection for those impacted by the flooding. Though remarkably there are no reports of any serious injuries or deaths attributed to the event, the damage to homes, businesses and properties will take time to repair. One family living in Sanford was busy picking through the muddy debris of their destroyed home, hoping to salvage some family pictures. Thirty-one years and our whole life is gone, Pat Perry said in the early evening of Thursday, May 21. The thing that bothers me most are things like pictures that you cant replace. Those are most important. The other stuff is just stuff. Can Priests Accused of Child Molestation Be Prosecuted? Dallas, TX , May 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For many years, the Catholic Church has come under fire for widespread occurrence of child molestation. While the majority of the media attention has fallen on U.S. priests, clergy members in many other countries have been identified as abusers. Sexual Assault, commonly referred to as rape, is perhaps the most stressful allegation with which to be faced, particularly if the sexual assault iinvolves a child. Broden Mickelsen, Dallas Sex Crime Lawyers. Its difficult to put a definitive number on how many priests have been accused, but the number stretches into the thousands. According to Bishop Accountability, which monitors allegations, at least 6,400 priests and other Catholic Church personnel have been accused of molesting children. In some cases, the allegations go back several decades. In the majority of cases, the priests have not been prosecuted because the statute of limitations has long since expired. However, many advocates have pushed states to change child sexual abuse laws. In many cases, they have asked state lawmakers to remove the statute of limitations altogether, which would open the door to prosecution of priests accused of sexual offenses against children. How Statutes of Limitation Keep Abusive Priests Out of Jail According to one recent media report, about 1,700 defrocked and disgraced priests are currently living freely and without any kind of supervision. In many cases, these priests have secured employment that brings them into close contact with children. In fact, some work in schools as teachers, where they interact with children on a daily basis. This is understandably infuriating survivors of sexual abuse by clergy, who feel like there has been little accountability from the Catholic Church in these cases. To add insult to injury, the priests in question typically cant be charged with a crime since the statute of limitations in their case is expired. Story continues Child sexual abuse laws vary among the states, and each state has its own statute of limitations for how much time can pass before an accused cant be prosecuted for alleged child sexual abuse. In some states, child sexual abuse doesnt have a statute of limitations. In these cases, the crime of sexual child abuse and related offenses are treated the same as murder, which generally doesnt have a time limit for prosecution. Additionally, several states have eliminated the statute of limitations for child sexual assault in civil cases. This means that victims of sexual abuse can file a claim in civil court to receive monetary damages. States Seek to Eliminate Statutes of Limitations in Child Sexual Assault Cases Its important to note that civil cases are different than criminal cases. In a civil case, the wronged party has an opportunity to ask the court to order the injurious party to pay the wronged party money damages. This is different than a criminal prosecution, which involves a case brought against the accused by the state or the federal government. If convicted, the accused could be sentenced to time in prison, be ordered to pay fines, or punished in some additional way. When a statute of limitations runs out before charges can be filed, however, the accused essentially escapes punishment for their crimes. For victims, this can feel like theyre being victimized all over again. As a result, many states have pushed to eliminate statutes of limitations for sexual crimes against children. For example, in Kansas state lawmakers eliminated the statute of limitations for all felony sex crimes, including the sexual assault of a minor. The same is true in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. In Pennsylvania, the passage of new laws in 2019 mean that victims of pending sexual assault cases have until they turn 55 years old to ask prosecutors to file charges against the accused. The state has eliminated the statute of limitations for future sex crimes cases. According to media reports, the changes came as a direct response to sexual abuse claims levied against the Catholic Church in the state. Texas Statutes of Limitations for Sexual Crimes Against Children "Under Texas law, there is no statute of limitations for the crime of sexual assault on a child." Mick Mickelsen, Dallas Criminal defense attorney Likewise, there is no time limit on the prosecution of the following criminal offenses: Aggravated sexual assault of a child Indecency with a child Continuous sexual abuse of a child Sexual assault of an adult when DNA evidence is present. However, other types of sex crimes have a time limit under Texas law. For example, there is a 20-year statute of limitations for the crimes of sexual performance by a child, aggravated kidnapping if the intent is to sexually abuse a child, and burglary if the intent is to sexually abuse a child. If the child is under the age of 17 at the time the crime was committed, the statute of limitations is 20 years from the date of the childs eighteenth birthday. Dallas Criminal defense attorneys Mick Mickelsen and Clint Broden are are available 24/7. Individuals who are being accused, investigated, or charged with sexual crimes in the Dallas metroplex area. For a free legal consultation, please call us. (214) 720-9552 | Facebook: Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Broden & Mickelsen, 2600 State St Dallas, Texas 75204 Website: https://www.brodenmickelsen.com Sources: https://www.brodenmickelsen.com/blog/sex-crime-tx-child-molestation Via: Legal Newswire KISS PR Coronavirus cases soared in Chile Tuesday as soldiers were deployed to back up riot police in Santiago following clashes with demonstrators angry about food shortages and job losses. Soldiers in armoured vehicles and wielding automatic weapons were deployed to the working class neighbourhood of El Bosque, where on Monday residents armed with clubs and stones clashed with riot police. Overnight Monday to Tuesday rioters looted a neighbourhood gas station, while downtown a mob set a bus ablaze. Residents in both poor and middle-class neighbourhoods banged pots and pans in protest. The military deployment came as Chile recorded 3,520 new coronavirus cases, its biggest daily increase, for a total of almost 50,000 infections. The South American country, with a population of some 18 million people, also reported its largest number of single-day deaths with 31, bringing the total to more than 500. The pandemic is focused on Santiago, and with 90 per cent of the intensive care hospital beds taken in the capital authorities are shipping patients to other cities. "We're in a complicated moment, very difficult, with a lot of worried citizens," said Health Minister Jaime Manalich. "People don't have work, they don't have money and they don't have food," said Monica Sepulveda, a 46-year-old unemployed security guard from El Bosque. Sepulveda complained that promised government help hadn't arrived. Santiago began a total lockdown on Friday as Chile strives to contain its coronavirus outbreak. Follow live updates on coronavirus "We're seeing what we call a social pandemic," said Manalich. "It produces job losses, a lack of resources and the worst, it produces hunger." He said President Sebastian Pinera was taking measures to tackle the lack of food. "The health and social crisis we're going through has no precedent in Chile," Manalich said. Claudia Pizarro, the mayor of the Santiago suburb of La Pintana, criticized Pinera for making "spectacular announcements" but failing to deliver on aid. Pinera announced on Sunday that bags with food staples would be given to the poorest people, but didn't explain when or how distribution would take place. In April Pinera announced a family allowance worth $317 for 4.5 million of the most vulnerable Chileans, but that has yet to be put into action. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, warned Sunday that the coronavirus is not yet contained as the United States began to reopen over Memorial Day weekend. It is up to every individual to protect themselves and their community, Hahn tweeted. Social distancing, hand washing and wearing masks protect us all. With the country starting to open up this holiday weekend, I again remind everyone that the coronavirus is not yet contained. It is up to every individual to protect themselves and their community. Social distancing, hand washing and wearing masks protect us all. Dr. Stephen M. Hahn (@SteveFDA) May 24, 2020 As of May 20, all 50 states have begun reopening in some form amid the ongoing pandemic. Photos showed crowds of people without masks gathering in various parts of the country over Memorial Day weekend as the death toll from the virus neared 100,000 in the U.S. Photos of some beaches, boardwalks and bars showed people, many without masks, flouting the federal governments 6-foot social distancing guidelines. Viral videos showed people partying in pools and on yachts at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, garnering heated criticism from many Twitter users. No covid concerns at the lake of the ozarks #lotopic.twitter.com/Yrb4UNM64u Scott Pasmore (@scottpasmoretv) May 24, 2020 Dr. Deborah Birx, an infectious disease expert on the White Houses coronavirus task force, told Fox News Sunday that shes very concerned about people ignoring the social distancing guidelines. We now have excellent scientific evidence of how far droplets go when we speak, Birx said. We know being outside does help. We know sun does help in killing the virus. But that doesnt change the fact that people need to be responsible and maintain that distance. President Donald Trump has long pushed for states to reopen, even when they dont meet the criteria for doing so as laid out by his own... Continue reading on HuffPost If you were infected by the coronavirus after returning to work, could you sue your employer? What if you got sick after eating out or going to a store? New Jersey businesses fear a rash of lawsuits could force them to close their doors for good. Others say the threat of legal action would ensure businesses take the proper steps to keep their employees and customers safe. And you should care about this raging debate for another reason: Its threatening to derail efforts in Washington to give you another stimulus check. A lot of businesses have two choices: Stay closed and risk bankruptcy, or open and face a possible multitude of debilitating lawsuits, said Tom Bracken, president and chief executive of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. There are no limits on lawsuits in the House Democratic legislation that would provide another round of $1,200 stimulus checks and hundreds of billions of dollars in federal aid so state and local governments dont have to lay off police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians on the front lines of stemming the pandemic. Senate Republicans say a stimulus bill wont get through their chamber unless businesses are protected so they can open their doors free from the threat of legal action and restart an economy that largely shut down to curb the spread of the coronavirus. How else is the bookstore going to open or the restaurant going to open? said Eileen Kean, New Jersey director of the National Federation of Independent Business. Its another terrible impediment to opening up." CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage Opponents of such liability protections said such limits could have the opposite effect. Their argument: Employees and customers may stay away from businesses they feel arent taking the necessary steps to protect them since there will no longer be any consequences for failing to do so If your goal is economic recovery, the last thing you want to do is create a situation where businesses are not accountable for safety, said Joanne Doroshow, executive director of the Center for Justice & Democracy at New York Law School. "We need public confidence to get people to come back into establishments." Without the threat of a lawsuit, some companies will reopen without proper safeguards, endangering workers and customers, said Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-12th Dist., a member of the House Appropriations Committee. For employers that employ the protective measures we think are minimally required to keep employees safe, that indemnity issue is not an issue we need to focus on," she said. What we need to focus on is that people who show up to work are protected. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Tuesday that the Democrats havent ruled out some kind of targeted legal protections for businesses, similar to those provided after 9/11. He said the House Judiciary Committee would consider the issue. So far, Senate Republicans havent budged on their demand, and have not expressed any willingness to negotiate. We need strong legal protection to ensure that our historic recovery efforts are not drained away from health care workers, schools and universities, or small businesses in order to line the pockets of trial lawyers, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor Monday. McConnell and President Donald Trump, among other Republicans, have questioned the need to provide more federal aid to state and local governments, saying they do not want to bail out them for fiscal problems predating the pandemic. But the fight over limiting lawsuits, known as tort reform, has been going on for decades. And it pits the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a major supporter of Republicans, with the American Association for Justice, the trial lawyers group that largely backs Democrats. The U.S. Chamber of Commerces Institute for Legal Reform first registered to lobby in 1999, Senate records show. Since then, the chamber, the nations biggest business lobby and a major donor to Republicans, spent $1.6 billion to try to influence the federal government on that and other issues, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Thats more than the next three biggest spenders combined. Businesses are constantly pressing to erode accountability, said Kevin Costello, a partner in the law firm of Costello & Mains in Mount Laurel and president of the New Jersey Association of Justice. We shouldnt be tying economic and other relief thats needed to immunity and lack of accountability for business. Its opportunistic and cynical, he said. Doroshow said the type of lawsuits businesses insist they need protection against just arent going to happen. She said lawyers wont waste their time suing a business for infecting a client when that person also has gone shopping, met friends, bought food and perhaps rode the subway. No lawyer is going to take that case, she said. Bracken said hes not talking about granting blanket protections against lawsuits, just the assurance that if businesses follow government-approved guidelines, they wont be liable if someone gets the coronavirus, he said. If not, they can risk everything they have with the potential of that happening to a customer or employee, Bracken said. Once we get back to a new normal, these mitigations go away. Were not talking about protecting the bad actors." Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Japanese professional wrestler Hana Kimura, who starred in the latest season of Netflix reality series "Terrace House", has died at the age of 22. Stardom Wrestling, a promoter of women's wrestling in Japan, confirmed that the wrestler died on Saturday, reported Deadline. "Please be respectful and allow some time for things to process, and keep your thoughts and prayers with her family and friends," Stardom said in a tweet. No cause of death was given. The last post on Kimura's Instagram account depicted her and a cat, with the caption "goodbye". She also tweeted an alarming message earlier on Friday. "I don't want to be a human anymore. It was a life I wanted to be loved. Thank you everyone, I love you. Bye." Recently, she had been subject to online bullying following an episode of "Terrace House" in which she fought with a fellow cast member over her wrestling uniform. In mid-April, Netflix suspended the production of the Japanese reality series "Terrace House" in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The show follows three men and three women from different walks of life as they temporarily live together in a modernist house somewhere in Japan. Kimura won her first title at the Japan Pro-Wrestling (JWP) Junior plate in 2016 and joined Stardom in 2019. She was a leader of the Tokyo Cyber Squad, a fan favourite in Japan. Her mother, Kyoko Kimura, was also a well-known wrestler. Members of the wrestling community such as Ronda Rousey expressed grief over Kimura's death on social media. "There are no messages that can heal this wound," Rousey tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over the last month, Delhi-based startup Mirrorsize has been signing small and mid-sized retail customers almost on a daily basis". Mirrorsize is a 3D body measurement solution that uses artificial intelligence (AI), advanced computer vision, deep learning models, and mesh processing to instantly provide precise body measurements. Unlike business as usual, Mirrorsize didnt make any cold calls to get business. The pandemic is driving physical retail companies to seek contactless solutions for their customers. A recent study by Capgemini found that 37% of Indian consumers between 41 and 50 years prefer facial recognition for authentication for various purposes to avoid human interaction and touchscreens. The next stage is data-driven retail," said Kamal Singhani, managing partner, global business services, IBM India and South Asia. Organisations are already sitting on data that isnt being used effectively, and the pandemic presents the right opportunity for them to use technologies such as AI and machine learning (ML) to make use of such data. The industry has been calling this Retail 4.0 and it has existed as a concept for a while. However, the pandemic has left them with no option but to look at that. Today, kiranas will fiercely compete with online because the paradigms for online grocery trade have changed," Singhani said. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Tall, bookish, with owl-like spectacles balanced beneath a bald dome and a pair of bicycle clips often attached to his trousers, his appearance was not that of the typical lothario. Neither, for that matter, was his personality. Variously branded misanthropic, misogynistic, racist and porn-addled, Philip Larkin remains one of Britains best-loved poets, despite his reputation taking something of a beating in the years since his premature death from cancer, aged 63, in 1985. And yet the poet, more frequently quoted than any other writer of his time, managed to juggle the devoted attentions of at least three women for many years and all at the same time. Monica Jones was the longest-standing of Larkins lovers, a bohemian, brilliant academic in her own right, who graduated with a first from Oxford and was his lover from 1950 until his death. The couple are pictured together above Now, his long-standing relationship with one of those women, his muse, confidante and critic and the one who remained at his side at the end is to be revealed in previously undocumented detail, thanks to a remarkable collection of letters. Around 2,400 letters, telegrams and postcards between Larkin and Monica Jones have been sitting in 54 boxes at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, with the strict instruction they were to remain closed until decades after her death. Described as the last great exchange of letters in literary history, they give an emotive insight into the mind of the woman who would have married him, and whose lipstick-stained imprint still adorns some of the envelopes she penned. Monica Jones was the longest-standing of Larkins lovers, a bohemian, brilliant academic in her own right, who graduated with a first from Oxford and was his lover from 1950 until his death. Larkins intellectual equal, she was also the woman whom he dedicated his breakthrough collection, The Less Deceived (not quite as romantic gesture as it might seem when you consider he included in it poems about his other partnerships). Monica Jones was rather cruelly caricatured in Lucky Jim the work of Kingsley Amis, Larkins closest friend from Oxford as neurotic harpy Margaret Peel. In reality she was a remarkable woman, as fascinating and fierce as the man she fell in love with And when he died, it was to Llanelli-born Monica that Larkin bequeathed the bulk of his estate. Yet, despite the affectionate use of Dearest Bun, short for bunny, deployed by Larkin in his letters to her, Monica often wrote of feeling terribly alone and so frightened throughout their relationship. I dont want to be and I wont be an object of pity like a beggars sore, she wrote to him in one letter. I know you just think of me as a situation, something to be fixed, she lamented in another. Some of the letters were published in 2010 in the book Letters To Monica, a collection which revealed the reluctant Larkins worries about marriage, which he feared would plunge him into appalling veracities, such as children and family life, that would banish the solitude he needed for writing. But now Professor John Sutherland, a leading academic, close friend and formerly student of Monica, has been given unrestricted access to unpublished parts the collection, which he says are an explosive representation of virtually everything she wrote to Larkin over 35 years. Some of the letters were published in 2010 in the book Letters To Monica, a collection which revealed the reluctant Larkins worries about marriage, which he feared would plunge him into appalling veracities, such as children and family life, that would banish the solitude he needed for writing John, professor emeritus of English literature at University College London, is now finishing a book, to be published next year, on the apparently endlessly forgiving Monica. So just who was the woman who appears to have tolerated sharing the attentions of her lover for so long and who were the other women? Monica Jones was rather cruelly caricatured in Lucky Jim the work of Kingsley Amis, Larkins closest friend from Oxford as neurotic harpy Margaret Peel. In reality she was a remarkable woman, as fascinating and fierce as the man she fell in love with. The only child of an engineer, she won a scholarship to read English at St Hughs College, Oxford, where she arrived in 1940 in the absence, largely, of male undergraduates because of World War II. Larkin, who once rejected the much-sought-after role of poet laureate, was also at Oxford, though they did not meet until later. He couldnt sign up for the Forces because his poor eyesight. Monica graduated with a first-class honours degree and, in 1946, landed an assistant lectureship at the University College, Leicester, which is where she met Larkin, working in the university library. Students apparently lusted after their horn-rimmed spectacled lecturer with her mane of hair and unusual Oxford clothes that, as the decades progressed and hemlines shortened, occasionally revealed a glimpse of bright-red suspenders beneath her skirt. When they first met, Larkin was still engaged (for the first and only time) to Ruth Bowman, the teenager with whom he had his first sexual encounter. It wasnt until 1950 that Larkin and Monica became lovers, just before he went off to a post in Belfast; he would eventually come to take up at a post in the inauspicious outpost of the library of the University of Hull. Geographical separation was fuel for their extensive correspondence, though Larkin was an inveterate letter-writer. Monica was dogged in her faithfulness to the poet. Larkin less so. He embarked on a parallel, 19-year relationship with devout Catholic Hull University library colleague Maeve Brennan, who was subject of his affections from 1960. Both women knew of each others existence, but neither knew until much later that he had added a third, his secretary Betty Mackereth. She once said of the night in 1975 when he seduced her after dinner: I was more than 50 at the time and I thought all my liaisons were over and done with. Then this suddenly appeared and it became a new excitement in my life. There was no awkwardness between us next morning at work and he told me he had carefully planned it. By the time Monica became seriously ill with shingles in 1981, and ended up moving in with Larkin in Hull, the other relationships had ended, which was doubtless a relief to Monica who never considered Betty a threat but feared her marriage-shy lover might actually marry her other rival. They had another four years living rather drunkenly together (he asked her to stay because of writers block) before he died. Even on his deathbed in hospital, Larkin, was an arch-manipulator asking Maeve if she would drive Monica to see him. Betty, who carried out Larkins final wishes and destroyed 30 volumes of his personal diaries, would later tell the makers of a BBC documentary: He said to me, not many hours before he died: Maeve came to see me, I didnt want to see Maeve, I wanted to see Monica to tell her that I loved her. I felt like saying to him: You stupid man, why the hell didnt you marry her years ago? Monica was dogged in her faithfulness to the poet. Larkin (pictured above in 1973) less so. He embarked on a parallel, 19-year relationship with devout Catholic Hull University library colleague Maeve Brennan, who was subject of his affections from 1960 That Monica was at times a rather difficult woman has been documented in Larkins own letters, in which his emotions about her snappish social behaviour and didactic voice spill over. But seen in its entirety the collection illustrates the relationship she was lover, confidante and sounding board in far greater complexity and detail. Theres a whole range of emotions, Prof Sutherland says. Sometimes she is furious when he doesnt turn up for a meal shes cooked. Other times, shes just meditative. Her letters resemble a literary stream of consciousness at times, more surging flood than stream. They have odd disjunctions. After a pages-long savage diatribe against Maeve, Monica suddenly reminds Philip to water the flowers. She was a strange woman. You had to know her, to know the good things about her. He treated her badly but always wrote fondly. It was an odd mixture . . . He did come near to trying to break up with her, but they needed each other. They were both very unhappy people. Monica Jones lived on in the house she shared with Larkin for 15 years after his death. Now, Prof Sutherland is hoping that in 54 boxes of extraordinary correspondence he can finally bring the very colourful Monica Jones out from the shadows to a place at the side of the man whose life she so memorably shared. North Dakotas Republican governor issued a heartfelt plea to state residents not to turn wearing face masks to protect public health amid the COVID-19 crisis into a senseless dividing line. Were all in this together, and theres only one battle were fighting, and thats the battle of the virus, Gov. Doug Burgum said at a press briefing Friday. I would really love to see in North Dakota that we could just skip this thing that other parts of the nation are going through where theyre trading a divide, either its ideological or political or something around mask vs. no mask, he added. This is a ... senseless dividing line. There is no state requirement to wear a face mask, but Burgum urged empathy for those who choose to wear the protective gear. I would ask people to dial up your empathy and your understanding, said the governor. If someone is wearing a mask, theyre not doing it to represent what political party theyre in, or what candidates they support. They might be doing it because theyve got a 5-year-old child whos been going through cancer treatments [or] have vulnerable adults in their life, he added, his voice breaking. Be North Dakota kind, North Dakota empathetic, he said. Burgum said there should be no mask shaming. He urged North Dakotans to assume people wearing masks face extra health risks in their lives, or are trying to take care of people they love, adding: Lets just start there. In a tearful speech, Gov. @DougBurgum (R-ND) asks residents to skip the ideological and political debate on face masks. pic.twitter.com/BkTEDWxuYg The Recount (@therecount) May 22, 2020 Moved followers on Twitter hailed Burgums sense and empathy. He has an 80% approval rating in the state for how he has dealt with COVID-19. But others called out the usually staunch supporter of face mask-averse President Donald Trump for failing to mention GOP party leaders who are... Continue reading on HuffPost Amid lockdown if theres one place everyone wants to be, it's home. SEveral Indians, in different states or abroad, want to be back home with their loved ones even as they continue to follow social-distancing. Due to the recent loss of my younger sister, my mother who is 71yrs old got anxiety attack twice. We have followed all the guidelines given by the State Government. We are #HomeQuarantined at our hometown Budhana. Please #StaySafe #StayHome Nawazuddin Siddiqui (@Nawazuddin_S) May 18, 2020 Recently, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his family travelled back from Mumbai to their hometown in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. Now, the family is practising quarantine strictly, being home-quarantined. Nawazuddin reached his home town on May 11. With a tweet on social media, he explained the reason why he went back there. Here's what he had to say.He will now have to practise home-quarantine until May 25. The actor travelled back with his mother, brother and sister-in-law. He sought special permissions from the authorities for his travel. Doctors took their blood samples and all members were tested negative for the coronavirus. The actors next release Ghoomketu, directed by Pushpendra Nath Misra, will have a direct OTT release on May 22. The film has him playing a budding writer, who wants to make it big in the film industry. The Amitabh Bachchan-Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Gulaabo Sitabo and Vidya Balans Shakuntala Devi too will be ready to stream in June. The glamorous yacht where Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana spent their final holiday together has been sold at auction. Dodi and Diana were photographed enjoying each other's company on the boat, named 'Cujo', in July 1997, just weeks before their deaths in a Paris car crash on August 31st the same year. Last week, the yacht was sold for 171,000, with some observers telling The Sunday Express that the bid was surprisingly low, sparking fears that the memory of Diana was 'fading'. Scroll down for video The Cujo (pictured) Dodi Fayed's former yacht, has been auctioned for 171,000. In the summer of 1997, before their untimely deaths, Dodi and Princess Diana enjoyed holidays on the vessel in St Tropez, France Diana walking along the deck on the Cujo, Dodi's yacht in July 1997. The ageing vessel was sold during a recent auction for 171,000 Final days: A snap of Diana and Dodi Fayed enjoying each other's company on his father's yacht Jonikal (now called the Sokar) in St Tropez in the summer of 1997 Royal author Margaret Holder, who penned Diana: The Caring Princess, a look at the Princess of Wales' life published in 1999, said she felt it was: 'a shame that this historic boat didn't attract a higher bid as a remarkable souvenir of the last days of Diana's life.' She added she felt it was surprising that royal fans did not pay more for the historical memorabilia. 'Not long ago one could have expected a bidding war between wealthy Diana fans,' she said. 'I hope this isn't a sign that memories of her unique allure are fading," she added. Diana was famously photographed kissing Dodi on the vessel's deck and sunbathing on his father's yacht's diving board that same summer. The boat was used by Dodi as the venue for lavish parties in the South of France, mainly in St Tropez. In the summer of 1997, the millionaire son of former Harrods owner Mohammed Al-Fayed entertained the former Princess of Wales on the yacht. The couple were photographed all summer long in 1997, a year after Diana's divorce from Prince Charles, which was finalised in August 1996 (pictured on a speedboat in St Tropez in July 1997) The pair were photographed kissing and embracing on the deck almost a year after Diana and Prince Charles's divorce was agreed upon. Diana, then 36, was spotted strutting on the deck, making the most of the Mediterranean sun and her new romance. The couple also spent most of their time of Dodi's father Mohammed's super yacht the Jonikal (now known as the Sokar) that same summer. A snap of the former royal gazing into the distance from the yacht's diving board was one of the last pictures ever taken of Diana. The couple died in a tragic car accident which shook the world on August 31 1997 in Paris, which killed their driver, Henri Paul as well. The yacht was built in 1972 by Baglietto Shipyard for entrepreneur and playboy John Von Neumann,. It was intended to be one of the fastest yachts around at the time. After a few years, John Von Neumann sold the vessel to Mohammed Kashoggi, who later sold it to his cousin: Dodi Fayed. Following Dodi and Diana's death, the ship was decked for years before Moody Fayed, Dodi's cousin, bought it from the family and refurbished it for 800,000 in 2016. If you look up the meaning of a nurse in the dictionary, you will find, a licensed health-care professional who practices independently or is supervised by a physician, surgeon, or dentist and who is skilled in promoting and maintaining health. Who would ever imagine that in 2020 it would mean combating a novel coronavirus, putting oneself at extremely-increased risk, and donning protective gear during a pandemic? Stacker used 2019 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to rank which states are the highest-paying for registered nurses. The states are ranked by median annual salary and ties are broken by the average annual salary. According to the BLS, there are 2,982,280 nurses employed nationally, who make an average salary of $77,460 and a median of $73,300. COVID-19 statistics come from The COVID Tracking Project, which publishes up-to-date testing data (latest data and data release date: May 22, 2020). All of the information, updated daily by 5 p.m. ET, comes from state, district, and territory public health authorities, official press releases, trusted news reporting, and (infrequently) tweets or Facebook posts from state public health authorities or governors. https://www.aish.com/jw/me/Iranian-Waiting-for-Political-Asylum-in-Israel.html Neda Amin, an Iranian journalist who made it to Israel and claimed political asylum to save her life, speaks to Aish readers. Neda Amin, an up-and-coming journalist, left Iran and moved to Turkey in 2014 when she was 29 years old and continued her writing career there. Writing a single piece for The Times of Israel and blogging extensively on the newspapers Farsi language site, raised the ire of Turkish police who dragged her in for questioning six times and broke into her apartment. During one interrogation, Neda asked, Is it illegal to write for Israeli media? The Turkish police allowed that it wasnt against the law in Turkey. So why all the investigations? she asked. Because, they answered, we dont like working with Israel, and we dont like you working with Israel." Turkish authorities gave her a terrifying ultimatum: they were going to expel her from Turkey. If no other country would take her in, Neda would be deported back to Iran where her life would be in danger. Germany and the USA were willing to give me asylum, Neda explains, but there was one country she wanted to move to more than anything: Israel. For her, Israel felt like home. Im a daughter of a Jew who worked and supported Israel, and my life was in danger because of my support of Israel. My father was Jewish, Neda recounts. Growing up in Tehran with a Jewish father, she always felt a strong pull of Jewish identity. In Iran, the father determines the religion of their children," and Neda never considered herself Muslim like so many of her friends and classmates. As she entered journalism, writing for an Israeli-based website seemed like a natural thing to do. Im a daughter of a Jew who worked and supported Israel, and my life was in danger because of my support of Israel. Desperate, Neda called David Horovitz, editor of The Times of Israel. He didnt recognize her name, nor could she recall the pieces shed written for his paper. He also had no idea of her Jewish heritage. Mr. Horovitz, please save me she asked on the phone. For Mr. Horovitz, It was enough. He made a barrage of phone calls, explained Nedas plight, and was overwhelmed with positive responses as Israelis from all walks of life mobilized to help bring the Iranian journalist to Israel. Eventually, Neda was cleared to board a flight to Israel where she could apply for political asylum. The moment she landed in the Jewish state was one shell never forget: I felt I was back home after many years, that was an amazing feeling. One of Nedas first phone calls in Israel came from Natan Sharansky, the famed Soviet refusenik who spent nine years in a Russian gulag, moved to Israel in 1986, and later served as Chairman of the Jewish Agency in Israel. He called me and said 'Welcome to Israel Neda' I couldnt believe it when I spoke with him the first time. He was one of my heroes from the time I was fifteen years old, Neda explains. But I visited him here! It was amazing! Sharansky arranged for Neda to take Hebrew classes and at first it seemed that her asylum application would be expedited smoothly. But as the months and years have dragged on, this has not been the case. Neda has been living in Israel for over two and a half years and still doesnt have official asylum status. With a Jewish father, she technically is able to claim Israeli citizenship under the countrys Right of Return, but she lacks the necessary family documents and cant go back to Iran to retrieve them. Without permanent leave to remain in the country, Neda hasnt been able to work. The Times of Israel pays her rent in Jerusalem as she waits and waits for notice that her asylum status has been approved. Neda hopes to become a citizen of Israel, convert to Judaism, and resume her journalistic career in the Jewish state. The situation is incredibly frustrating and heart-breaking for Neda. At times she feels close to despair. She hopes to become a citizen of Israel, convert to Judaism, and resume her journalistic career in the Jewish state. Neda's case is unique, but shockingly, other Iranian citizens have been turning to the Jewish state in recent months, saying they would like to claim asylum there. Iran has no diplomatic relations with Israel and frequently and openly calls for its destruction. Yet, as Neda explains, although "the media in Iran has propaganda against Israel, the majority of people understand they are liars and don't trust them." Some Iranians view Israel as a desirable place and potential source for help. I am often put in jail for political reasons, pleaded one Iranian in a recent letter to Israels Foreign Ministry. Two of his uncles had been put to death by the regime already. I would like to escape this slow death. Israel is my dream, he wrote on a social media account operated by Israels government. In recent months, many other Iranians contacted the Jewish state to ask how they could travel to Israel to claim asylum as well. In recent months, thousands of Iranians have been contacting Israel, asking for help, guidance, news - even permission to immigrate to the Jewish state. Despite the demonization of Israel inside Iran, many ordinary Iranians are clamoring for contact with israel. Israel runs a Twitter channel in Farsi, the language of Iran; it has 220,000 followers. Israels Farsi language Instagram account has nearly half a million followers. Theyre asking for all kinds of assistance: medical advice, information about immigration to Israel or other countries; they want to know how to make business or simply want to tell us that they hope that their country will one day establish diplomatic relations with us, explained Yiftah Curiel, head of the digital diplomacy at Israels Foreign Ministry, after his office announced this week that theres been a sharp increase in requests from Iranians. Some of the increased interest in the Jewish state seems to be a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed thousands of lives in Iran, but many inquiries predate the crisis. When I told her that Iranians were expressing a desire to apply for political asylum in Israel, Neda seemed incredulous. Its impossible, she explained. Despite the many frustrations Nedas gone through as her asylum application awaits its approval, she still has found many things to love about Jerusalem. Shes made many friends and found that ordinary Israelis have greeted her warmly. I love Israels police, she says, contrasting them with the terrifying police she encountered in Turkey and who threaten to imprison and possibly even execute her if she ever returns to Iran. Israeli police are so kind, conscientious, well-mannered, gentlemanly. In Israel, Neda can finally feel safe and free. Its a sentiment many of her compatriots wish they could experience as well. Nedas favorite place in all of Israel is the Western Wall. I feel free when Im there. I feel all the Jewish prophets are there. I feel that they are all protecting me. Abraham, Isaac, Yaakov, Moshe, David, all. Despite the heartbreak of not being able to know for sure that she can gain formal asylum in Israel, Neda hopes against hope that shell be allowed to remain. I feel like Im in heaven. As thousands of other Iranians turn to Israel in hope, Israels Foreign Ministry can only do so much. Our ministrys social media platform allows us to be in direct contact with millions from across the (Middle Eastern) region, among them many from Iran, observed Yuval Rotem, Israels Foreign Ministry Director General, after the sheer volume of would-be asylum seekers from Iran became public. The Iranian people are not our enemies. They are first and foremost immediate victims of the radical Ayatollah regime Instead of taking care of its own people, the Iranian regime is still putting unlimited efforts in obtaining illegal nuclear weapons, is supporting terror across the globe and is promoting subversive activities throughout the Middle East. The emergence of thousands of ordinary Iranians seeking to contact or even move to the Jewish state gives hope that perhaps a new generation of Iranians will seek warmer relations with their Jewish neighbors. For Neda Amin, one of the few recent Iranian asylum seekers able to make it to Israel, the experience has been both frustrating and joyous. I hope that it ends soon with her final approval to live and contribute to the Jewish nation shes worked for and loves. Neda describes Yom HaAtzmaut, Israels Independence Day, as her favorite day. God willing, by next Yom HaAatzmaut, Neda will finally have a permanent decision on her asylum application - and the many Iranians currently clamoring for closer ties to Israel will have helped bring about even warmer feelings for Jews and the Jewish state inside Iran. Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has declared that coronavirus is a test from Allah. He, however, advised governments at all levels to make the welfare of Nigeria top a priority. The Wazirin Adamawa said this while urging adequate planning for the post COVID-19 era. He gave the advice in a statement on Saturday to mark this years Eid celebration. Atiku noted that the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic is a test from Allah, and having fasted as we are enjoined as Muslims, let us continue to remember that it is part of our faith to protect all lives and to abide by regulations from those in authority, especially during a time of great uncertainty like this. He appealed to people in leadership positions worldwide to learn from countless examples of how Prophet Muhammed (SAW) and his immediate disciples who took care of the people. Atiku said this time calls for sacrifice in leadership. This is no time for extravagance and living in luxury. The former VP told Muslims to continue to remember that it was part of their faith to protect all lives and abide by regulations such as COVID-19 preventive measures. He said they all fasted this year without spiritual acts of worship that accompany the Holy month of Ramadan like attending tafsir (evening sermons before breaking of fast), sharing of iftar with family, friends and the needy, and even the voluntary seclusion during the last ten days of the blessed Ramadan. But all these strictures could not have made our fasting less valid because, as Muslims, we believe that everything that happens is with the command of Almighty Allah. We are taught in the scripture and the Sunnah of Noble Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that God would test our faith individually and as an Ummah. Atiku wished all Muslims a special celebration, filled with pleasant moments as they pray together and enjoy the day with their families. I am sure there would be very few Muslims alive today if any who had witnessed a Ramadan fasting like the one we just had, and Eid celebration such as we would have this year without the mandatory congressional prayers. Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) May 23, 2020 But all these strictures could not have made our fasting less valid because, as Muslims, we believe that everything that happens is with the command of Almighty Allah. Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) May 23, 2020 The COVID19 pandemic is a test from Allah and, having fasted as we are enjoined as Muslims, let us continue to remember that it is part of our faith to protect all lives and to abide by regulations from those in authority, especially during a time of great uncertainty like this. Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) May 23, 2020 As Muslims, it is incumbent upon us to do our best both in action and in prayers to ensure that the world is healed of this deadly virus in the earliest possible time. Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) May 23, 2020 People in leadership positions all over the world should learn from countless examples of how Prophet Muhammed (SAW) and his immediate disciples took the welfare of the people as priority in administration of a state. Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) May 23, 2020 This years Eid-il-fitr celebration is already a special one. But I wish all Nigerian Muslims and their counterparts across the world a more special celebration, filled with pleasant moments as we pray together and enjoy the day with our families. Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) May 23, 2020 ALBANY Gun violence continued to plague the Capital Region's cities over the weekend, as there were at least three shooting incidents - one that resulted in a homicide in Schenectady, and another that led to two teenagers being injured in Albany. In Albany police are investigating a shooting on Thornton Street Saturday night that resulted in the two teenagers being injured. Albany police responded to Thornton and Second streets around 9:45 p.m. and found a 17-year-old male shot in the leg. Police soon after learned an 18-year-old male who was shot in the arm during the same incident had gone to the emergency room at Albany Medical Center Hospital. Both injuries are not life threatening. Albany police recently updated city officials about how the pandemic and stay-at-home orders have not slowed down gun violence in the city. Police Chief Eric Hawkins told the Common Councils public safety committee Wednesday that shootings have more than doubled compared to this point last year. On Friday night, a 23-year-old Troy man was arrested after police said he shot a man after the two got into a car accident on Madison Avenue in Albany. Jose Cepeda-Solis and another driver got into a car accident Friday night, city police said. After the accident the two were arguing, and then Cepeda-Solis started to run away from the scene, police said. The other driver began to chase him, when Cepeda-Solis turned around and allegedly shot him, hitting his shoulder. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. With Friday's and Saturday's shootings, there have now been 19 shootings in Albany with 22 people shot, compared to seven of each at this point in 2019, according to department statistics. Police said Saturday night's shooting is under investigation and that anyone with information is asked to call the Albany Police Detective Division at 518-462-8039. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Capital Region Crime Stoppers online at www.capitalregioncrimestoppers.com Chron.com is following the latest headlines on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the Houston area. 1:45 p.m. Houston's Mayor Turner has decided to enforce the 25 percent capacity rule at area establishments, starting Sunday night. "A photo was sent to me and there are others on social media of crowds (in) clubs/bars ignoring the 25% occupancy requirement, no social distancing and no masks," Turner tweeted Sunday. "I want to move forward but this will set us back. Starting tonight the Fire Marshall can enforce." The 25 percent capacity rule was issued by Texas Governor Greg Abbott as the state reopens businesses which had been shut down during the coronavirus pandemic. "If you take their liquor permit, they will get the message really soon," Turner said 12:30 p.m. Crowds of partygoers hit the dance floor Saturday night at Houston nightclub, Cle. DJ Riddler and several Cle guests posted pictures and videos of Memorial Day revelers packing the club and dancefloor. Social distancing guidelines were not evidently adhered to at this popular nightspot. Today's festivities for the club continue with a packed pool party. 8:12 a.m. As the U.S. death toll climbs to 100,000 due to the novel coronavirus, The New York Times has designated its Sunday, May 24, 2020 front page to 1,000 victims of the virus. The Election Commission of Sri Lanka on Sunday said a road map to hold Parliamentary Elections was being made in consultation with health authorities. Sri Lanka in mid-April postponed the parliamentary elections by nearly two months to June 20 due to the coronavirus outbreak that has killed nine people and infected over 1,100 others in the island nation so far. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on March 2 dissolved the Parliament, six months ahead of schedule and called for snap elections on April 25. "We had continuous meetings with health authorities in the last three months," Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya told reporters on Sunday. Now, there is uncertainty on the revised date to elect the 225-member assembly for its five-year term. The Election Commission has reported to the Supreme Court its inability to hold the polls on June 20. "Our discussions were on social distancing, washing of hands, sanitising and all health requirements during the election process," said Deshapriya. The Election Commission's decision to hold the election on June 20 has been challenged in the apex court by Opposition parties and civil society activists. The petitions stated that the health threats posed by COVID-19 would make it near-impossible to hold free and fair elections. Some petitions have questioned President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's decision to dismiss the Parliament on March 2 and call for an election six months ahead of schedule. "I am unable to tell you as to when the election could be held as it is now before the court", Deshapriya stressed. The next hearing of the cases in the Supreme Court is on May 26. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rob Gronkowski, the former New England Patriots star tight end who joined Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, and model Camille Kostek delivered personal protective equipment to two fire departments in Massachusetts. The deliveries were made as first responders continue to wear PPE while responding to emergencies during the coronavirus pandemic. The Foxborough Fire Department shared a photo Friday after Gronk and Kostek arrived. Foxborough Fire had 2 unexpected guests today, the post reads. Thank you to Rob Gronkowski -Gronk and Camille Kostek for their generous donation of 1600 protective masks! The Walpole Firefighters IAFF Local 2464 also thanked the pair on social media. Rob Gronkowski stopped by the Station today with some PPE for our guys. Thank you Rob & Camille, the post read. Gronk, who was retired before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in April, documented the deliveries on Instagram. The former Patriot stood on trucks and toured the stations during the visit. Foxborough Fire had 2 unexpected guests today. Thank you to Rob Gronkowski -Gronk and Camille Kostek for their generous donation of 1600 protective masks! #gronk #foxboroughma #foxboroughfire Posted by Foxborough Fire Department on Friday, May 22, 2020 The Wuhan Institute of Virology has three live strains of bat coronavirus on its premises but none match that of Covid-19, the establishment's director has said. The institute's director Wang Yanyi refuted claims made by the U.S President Donald Trump that the illness was leaked from the facility and said while they had three strains of the viruses, their highest similarity to Covid-19 only reached 79.8 per cent. It comes after claims began to surface that China, which is where the virus first emerged, may have purposely manufactured the virus as a bio-weapon to destroy the west. Scientists think Covid-19, which was first reported in Wuhan and has killed some 340,000 people worldwide, originated in bats and could have been transmitted to people via another mammal. The Wuhan Institute of Virology director said while the facility has three strains of the viruses, their highest similarity Covid-19 only reached 79.8 per cent. Pictured: Scientists inside the institute earlier this year The institute has been researching bat coronaviruses since 2004 and looking on the 'source tracing of SARS'. Pictured: Workers inside a lab at the institute The institute has come under increasing pressure amid the pandemic after claims emerged that the virus may have been manufactured in China In the interview filmed on May 13 but broadcast on Saturday night, Wang Yanyi told state broadcaster CGTN the centre had 'isolated and obtained some coronaviruses from bats.' 'Now we have three strains of live viruses... But their highest similarity to SARS-CoV-2 only reaches 79.8 percent,' she said, referring to the coronavirus strain that causes COVID-19. One of their research teams, led by Professor Shi Zhengli, has been researching bat coronaviruses since 2004 and focused on the 'source tracing of SARS', the strain behind another virus outbreak nearly two decades ago. Wang Yanyi continued: 'We know that the whole genome of SARS-CoV-2 is only 80 per cent similar to that of SARS. It's an obvious difference. 'So, in Professor Shi's past research, they didn't pay attention to such viruses which are less similar to the SARS virus.' Conspiracy rumours that the biosafety lab was involved in the outbreak swirled online for months before Trump and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brought the theory into the mainstream by claiming that there was evidence the pathogen came from the institute. Institute director Wang Yanyi (pictured) also refuted claims that the pathogen had come from the institute. Members of staff inside the institute wear personal protective equipment as they work inside the laboratory in Wuha However Wang Yanyi was quoted by state media saying the institute did not have 'any knowledge before that nor had we ever met, researched or kept the virus' and called the claims 'pure fabrication'. She added: 'We didn't even know about the existence of the virus, so how could it be leaked from our lab when we didn't have it?' The lab has said it received samples of the then-unknown virus on December 30, determined the viral genome sequence on January 2 and submitted information on the pathogen to the WHO on January 11. Wang said in the interview that before it received samples in December, their team had never 'encountered, researched or kept the virus.' 'In fact, like everyone else, we didn't even know the virus existed,' she said. 'How could it have leaked from our lab when we never had it?' Most scientists say the pathogen that has infected 5.3 million and killed more than 342,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, was passed from bats to humans via an intermediary species likely sold at a wet market in Wuhan late last year. The virus' toll continued to ebb in Asia and other parts of the world, with China on Sunday reporting three new confirmed cases and just 79 people remaining in treatment for Covid-19. Thousands of Muslims in Cameroons capital, Yaounde, have defied Sundays ban of Eid-al Fitr public prayers, ordered as part of measures to stop the spread of COVID-19. There have been 4,400 confirmed cases and 197 deaths in the central African state in less than three months. The ban was announced after more than 500 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Cameroon within 24 hours. Speaking via a messaging application from his residence, Mamadi Mahamat, the highest government official in Yaounde's second district, said he was surprised that many Muslims were ignoring government instructions that Eid-al Fitr prayers not be held this year in public spaces, with thousands of faithful coming out to pray as has been traditional in Cameroon. He said he had asked police to make sure Muslims do not have access to the two main public prayer grounds in Yaounde's second district after he was told thousands had defied his instructions to pray at home and were insisting on saying their prayers at the public prayer grounds. He says all imams and Muslim leaders in Yaounde should also respect the commitment they took to only pray in three of the districts 42 mosques, maintaining social distancing. Mahamat said the ban on prayers in public spaces traditionally used by Muslims on feast days was taken to stop the spread of the coronavirus after 514 people tested positive on Wednesday alone, bringing the number of COVID-19 cases to 4,400, with 197 deaths in Cameroon in less than three months. Muslim Issa Karimou said that although he is aware of the dangers of COVID-19, he prayed in public with other Muslims as a sign of respect to the teachings of the Quran. He said he would be disobeying the Prophet Muhammad and the teachings of the Quran if he failed to say Eid prayers in public together with other Muslims. He said that without the prayers, his 30 days of fasting from dawn to dusk during Ramadan would be in vain, and that the government should instead encourage Muslims to pray constantly for Allahs grace and protection as people are being infected and are dying of COVID-19. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Religion Coronavirus Cameroon By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Njimgou Ibrahima, spokesperson for Muslims in Yaounde's second district, said it would be wise for Muslims to protect themselves from the coronavirus and be healthy to promote their religion and be useful in building their communities. He said he is calling on all Muslims to leave public spaces and pray at home or in mosques, respecting government instructions that people should be at least 2 meters apart. He said no Muslims should organize a feast that brings together more than 10 people, and that social distancing norms should be followed, and people should wash their hands regularly. Last month at the start of Ramadan, 13 mosques were sealed, and the police used force to disperse Muslims praying at mosques for violating government orders not to gather in groups of more than 50, about 2 meters apart, because of the coronavirus. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd L) attends a press conference on China's foreign policy and foreign relations via video link on the sidelines of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday praised Russia for standing shoulder-to-shoulder and working back-to-back with China amid the COVID-19 pandemic, added that the two countries' joint effort will make the world a safer and more stable place where justice and fairness are truly upheld. The minister noted that both nations have supported and defended each other against slanders and attacks coming from certain countries. Together, China and Russia have forged an impregnable fortress against the political virus and demonstrated the strength of China-Russia strategic coordination, said Wang. Wang also believed that under the leadership of the President Vladimir Putin, the indomitable Russian people will defeat the virus and the great Russian nation will emerge from the challenge with renewed vigour and vitality. Councils that refuse to reopen primary schools next week risk causing lifelong damage to some of the countrys most deprived children, experts warned last night. Primary pupils achieve below-average Statutory Assessment Test results in 13 out of the 23 councils that have bowed to pressure from militant teaching unions to boycott plans to bring back Reception, Year One and Year Six classes on June 1. A Mail on Sunday investigation also found that 14 of the hardline local authorities including Bradford, Bristol and Liverpool city councils have a higher than average number of schools rated as inadequate or requiring improvement by Ofsted. A survey of 151 local education authorities in England by this newspaper found that 23 authorities are strongly opposed to opening up classrooms on June 1, with some dismissing the target date as impossible and unworkable. Councils that refuse to reopen primary schools next week risk causing lifelong damage to some of the countrys most deprived children, experts warned last night They include some of the most deprived areas in the country, with primary pupils in Manchester, Hartlepool and Knowsley almost twice as likely to get free school meals, according to official figures. Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said: We desperately need to get our most disadvantaged and vulnerable children back with their teachers as soon as possible. Every extra week away from school increases the prospects of lifelong educational damage. Labour runs 17 of the refusenik councils, three are Tory-led and three have no overall control in their political make-ups. Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said: We desperately need to get our most disadvantaged and vulnerable children back with their teachers as soon as possible'. Pictured: Tables marked at Kempsey Primary School in Worcester showing where pupils can sit There are currently plans to bring back primary school pupils in Reception, Year One and Year Six classes on June 1 Alarmingly for the Government, only 18 councils which responded to our survey said they were planning to reopen schools next week. A further 77 councils have told headteachers they can decide what to do, while 28 authorities did not give an answer to our questions. Teachers, led by the National Education Union, have strongly resisted a return to school on safety grounds. Ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have signalled that schools will remain closed until August at the earliest. MP Robert Halfon, chairman of the Commons Education Select Committee, said: It is extraordinary to see that in these areas where there is significant under-performance, with disadvantaged children suffering the most from the lockdown, that so many Labour council leaders and Left-wing teachers are most unwilling to get these vulnerable children back into school. They are potentially destroying these childrens life chances. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 14:50:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday said he welcomed the announcement by the Taliban and the Afghan government of a ceasefire to enable the Afghan people to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday in peace. In a statement, the secretary-general urged all parties concerned to seize this opportunity and embrace an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. Only a peaceful settlement can bring an end to the suffering in Afghanistan, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, in the statement. The UN has been committed to supporting the people and government of Afghanistan in this important endeavor, said the statement. The Taliban have announced a three-day ceasefire during Eid al-Fitr, starting from Sunday. The Afghan government has reciprocated. Enditem SINGAPORE, May 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore medtech company HistoIndex's AI-based stain-free digital pathology platform has long been established as a suitable tool for global clinical guidelines that outline the assessment, prevention and treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) infections. In the latest edition of China's Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B [1], the digital pathology platform was recommended for use in providing an automated and quantitative analysis of the liver's morphological characteristics in unstained liver biopsies with high repeatability and accuracy. Challenges in Treating CHB Patients Hepatitis B has been known as a complex disease to treat, due to the challenge in distinguishing patients with an active infection. These patients require intervention as opposed to patients with an inactive infection who require only standard monitoring without treatment. For patients with an active CHB infection, the treatment decision is usually based on the increased level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) indicating an inflammation of the liver, high HBV-DNA serum level and the presence of the Hepatitis B e-antigen. However, these levels do not determine the presence and level of fibrosis in the liver. To prevent the progression of CHB to cirrhosis or Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), it is important to identify patients whose livers are affected by advanced fibrosis prior to therapy, as the post treatment prognosis depends on the stage of fibrosis. This can only be achieved with a fibrosis assessment by performing a liver biopsy, the current gold standard in evaluating the degree of inflammation, necrosis, and fibrosis in all liver conditions. Identifying Significant Morphological Features Besides evaluating the severity of fibrosis and inflammation in biopsies via conventional observations, it is important to accurately assess dynamic changes in the extracellular matrix of the liver, especially the various degrees of fibrous enlargement in the liver. Having a very precise measurement of these features will help clinicians to understand the stage of fibrosis in a patient and carry out a suitable treatment management plan for their patients. Enabled by Second Harmonic Generation (SHG), HistoIndex's AI-based platform has been noted in multiple publications and studies for its ability to accurately and automatically quantify changes in liver fibrosis that are both observable and subtle, and critical for treatment evaluation and modification. In a study in 2018, fibrosis changes were evaluated with the SHG platform CHB patients before and after 78 weeks' antiviral therapy, with results encouraging the use of this tool to assess the efficacy of new anti-fibrotic therapies in clinical trials [2]. An interesting observation from this study was the reduction in fibrous septa after treatment, which showed treatment efficacy and was analyzed with precision by the SHG platform (Figure 1). Therefore, this platform will be beneficial as an assistive tool for CHB-related diagnosis, as well as for monitoring the efficacy of antiviral therapies during CHB clinical trials. This is synonymous with the SHG platform's recommendation by China's guidelines for its value in providing an automated and quantitative analysis for the assessment of CHB. Image Credits: Quantitative assessment of liver fibrosis (qFibrosis) reveals precise outcomes in Ishak "stable" patients on anti-HBV therapy, Scientific Reports [2]. This image is an excerpt of the original, which can be found in the cited publication. All images and third-party materials in this publication are included in its Creative Commons license, CC BY 4.0. Says Professor You Hong*, Chief Physician and Professor at the Beijing Friendship Hospital (affiliated with the Capital Medical University) and a co-author of the 2018 study, "As a clinician, we need to make practical and reasonable decisions for our patients. Including intelligent and reliable clinical tools such as the SHG platform in the guidelines will greatly enhance our diagnostic capability and personalize our treatment options in managing patients with CHB. Having utilized this platform in our studies has helped us to observe significant changes in the vital fibrosis parameters that are crucial in determining the severity of CHB and deciding the appropriate treatment route." Professor You is a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) in the Hepatology field, and her additional appointments include Deputy Director of the Chinese Society of Hepatology and Steering Committee Member of APASL. Dr Dean Tai, Chief Scientific Officer of HistoIndex, adds, "We have substantial data from studies conducted with the involvement of KOLs that show the potential of our AI-based platform, in the area of CHB as well as Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). I am confident that our platform will contribute significantly if implemented in similar international clinical guidelines, as well as in consortiums and workgroups that have been set up globally for the management of CHB." China: Bearing a Heavy Disease Burden As one of the countries battling CHB infections, China has the highest burden in the world, with one third of the world's infected people living in China [3]. Most of them are unaware of their infection, making this disease a truly silent epidemic. With limited access to diagnosis and treatment, these people face a bleak future as their condition will eventually progress - without treatment - to cirrhosis and eventually, liver cancer. About 10 million people living with CHB will die by 2030 [4] [5], with most of these deaths being avoidable. As part of efforts to help the nation in this devastating disease, experts under the Chinese Medical Association's (CMA) Infectious Diseases and Liver Diseases Branch released the updated guidelines in 2019. E DITOR'S NOTES * Professor You Hong is also the Assistant Dean at the Capital Medical University, where she holds additional appointments as Director of the Office of Academic Research and Director of the Experimental Center. A Major and Growing Global Health Concern According to the World Health Organization (WHO), CHB has resulted in an estimated 887,000 deaths in 2015, mostly from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (i.e. primary liver cancer), and 257 million people are living with CHB as of the same year. As of 2016, 27 million people were aware of their infection, while only 4.5 million of the people diagnosed were on treatment [6]. Following WHO's call to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health problem, and bring down new infections by 90% and reduce deaths by 65% by 2030, countries across the world have implemented clinical guidelines to standardize and aid in the prevention, diagnosis and antiviral therapy of CHB: (a) According to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) practice guidance, a liver biopsy should be considered in patients with persistently borderline normal or slightly elevated ALT levels, particularly those who have been infected with HBV for a long period of time and are now older than 40 years of age [7]. (b) Similarly, in the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 2017 Clinical Practice Guidelines on the management of Hepatitis B Virus Infections, patients without cirrhosis should be considered for treatment when their severity of liver disease assessed traditionally by liver biopsy shows at least moderate necroinflammation and/or at least moderate fibrosis [8]. (c) In the 2016 update of the Asian-Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) Consensus Guidelines on Invasive and Non-invasive Assessment of Hepatic Fibrosis, the liver biopsy remains the gold standard for assessing liver fibrosis. Interestingly, the guidelines acknowledged a possible shift from routine light microscopy to digital image analysis, and the incorporation of numerical measurements in conjunction with the integrated analysis of other cellular information [9]. Since then, microscopy and analysis of liver fibrosis has indeed been transformed; pathologists today are assisted by smart digital pathology tools to make accurate and objective assessments of fibrosis and other relevant features in the liver. References 1. Chinese Medical Association Infectious Diseases Branch, Chinese Medical Association Hepatology Branch. Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B (2019 Edition) [J]. Chinese Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2019, 12 (6): 401-428.: 10.3760 / cma.j.issn.1674-2397.2019.06.001. Note: The Chinese Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases website is in Mandarin and is enabled with an automatic prompt that offers the option for an English translation. 2. Sun, Y., Zhou, J., Wu, X. et al. Quantitative assessment of liver fibrosis (qFibrosis) reveals precise outcomes in Ishak "stable" patients on anti-HBV therapy. Sci Rep 8, 2989 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-21179-2 3. Shanquan Chen, Jun Li, Dan Wang, Hong Fung, Lai-yi Wong, Lu Zhao. The Hepatitis B epidemic in China should receive more attention. The Lancet Volume 391, Issue 10130, P1572, April 21, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30499-9. 4. World Health Organization. Global Hepatitis Report 2017. Accessed 29 April 2020. 5. World Health Organization. Up to 10 million people in China could die from chronic hepatitis by 2030 - Urgent action needed to bring an end to the 'silent epidemic'. Accessed 29 April 2020. 6. World Health Organization, Hepatitis B Fact Sheet. Accessed 29 April 2020. 7. Terrault, N.A., Lok, A.S., McMahon, B.J., Chang, K.-M., Hwang, J.P., Jonas, M.M., Brown, R.S., Jr., Bzowej, N.H. and Wong, J.B. (2018), Update on Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B: AASLD 2018 Hepatitis B Guidance. Hepatology, 67: 1560-1599. doi:10.1002/hep.29800. 8. European Association for the Study of the Liver, EASL 2017 Clinical Practice Guidelines on the management of hepatitis B virus infection. J Hepatol. Volume 67, Issue 2, P370-398, August 01, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2017.03.021 9. Sarin, S.K., Kumar, M., Lau, G.K. et al. Asian-Pacific Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Hepatitis B: A 2015 Update. Hepatol Int 10, 1-98 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12072-015-9675-4 Media Contacts: Ms Cynthia Anne Victor, Corporate Communications & PR, HistoIndex, cynthia.victor@histoindex.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1171910/Fibrous_Septa_Quantitative_assessment_of_liver_fibrosis_HistoIndex_Credits1.jpg Comedian Jeff Ross has been roasting people on Instagram Live - including one fan fighting the coronavirus on a ventilator - to bring smiles amid the pandemic. For the past several weeks, Ross has taken to Instagram Live to host 'Insta-Roast' sessions with fans across the world. This included one fan who was said he was battling COVID-19 and was on a ventilator. Ross, 54, teased the man during a late April Insta-roast that was for people with 'thick skin only.' Comedian Jeff Ross (top) poked fun at a fan battling COVID-19 on a ventilator during an 'Insta-Roast' session on his Instagram Live 'I feel like you got coronavirus just for the free meals in the hospital,' Ross says as the fan laughs. The moment resonated with others and many appreciated a dash of comedy amid changing lockdown orders and fears over public health. 'Jeff Ross roasting a guy with corona virus,' one man wrote on Twitter. 'There is beauty in tragedy. Told him he loved him before hanging up, so sweet.' Others agreed, including one man who said: 'Jeff Ross is good people! It would be an honor to get roasted by the roast master.' Ross responded and urged his followers to help him find the sick fan so he could come back for another Insta-Roast. Ross (top): 'I feel like you got coronavirus just for the free meals in the hospital' Hawkaholic12: 'Jeff Ross is good people! It would be an honor to get roasted by the roast master' Fans praised Ross for starting some laughter amid the coronavirus pandemic 'Was hard to hear thru ventilator but I think his name is Doug or Dave,' wrote Ross. 'Help me find him so we can send more positive energy his way on the next.' Jeff continued the Insta-Roasts on Saturday with a special commencement roast where he poked fun at his graduating fans. Ross urged his fans to help find the man so he could be featured on another episode of Insta-Roast 'Wow,' he said to a couple on Saturday, 'this is the worst episode of 90-day fiance I've ever seen.' According to Ross, the response from viewers has been overwhelmingly positive. 'Everyone was sending love in the comments . . . It was beautiful. 'This is a very painful time,' he told Page Six. Ross added that he's partnered with MarijuanaDoctors.com, which has donated to the First Responders Childrens Foundations COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. He admitted in an interview with TooFab that while several industries stumbled through the pandemic, comedy has flourished. Fans who are featured during the Insta-Roast sessions spar with Ross and trade jokes 'Somehow, as sad as the pandemic is - it's great for comedy,' he said. 'It's the old cliche: laughter is the best medicine. And when the whole world is having a pandemic, they really look for laughs.' The Insta-Roasts began after his friend, Vegas showman Jeff Beacher, 'nagged' him to start roasting people on Instagram. The first session was just a 15-minute experiment, but that soon 'became a movement.' The show is given another degree of excitement because of its live format produced by Beacher on-the-spot -- meaning who ever turns up online is usually unplanned, and no-one ever knows whats going to happen any given week. Ross' Insta-Roast sessions have even attracted a host of celebrities, including The Rock, Sara Silverman and Paris Hilton, to the comment section to share some good-natured jabs. It seems no one was off-limits - his formerly-440lb executive producer Beacher continues to get roasted over his weight, despite losing a further 40lbs in quarantine. 'We've all heard laughter is the best medicine; you would never want your medicine watered down,' said Ross. 'You want your medicine potent. And roasting goes to the gut. Roasting like a pat on the back and a kick in the ass.' The Insta-Roast sessions began as an experiment, but quickly became a 'movement' among fans Ross (top), pictured with a fan: 'That's why people are getting emotional. That's why thousands of people are requesting roasts, or roasting in the comments, or just watching - because it truly is healing' 'That's why people are getting emotional. That's why thousands of people are requesting roasts, or roasting in the comments, or just watching - because it truly is healing.' For his part, Ross is content with doing his part to help others during all the uncertainty. 'I can really only speak for myself when I say that I am fighting the war against COVID-19 the same way our president fought the war against Vietnam - safely sheltered at home' he said. The Insta-Roast, produced by Beacher and Talent Resources, can be seen every Saturday and Sunday starting at 5pm PST. Beachers 4Forty4 Media group also signed a $5million deal to produce a new celeb podcast hosted by legendary broadcaster Larry King, set to launch in mid-July. Independent Goa MLA Rohan Khaunte on Sunday said passengers alighted a day earlier from a special train at Madgaon station despite Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stating there would be no halts here in view of the coronavirus outbreak. Eleven people who alighted from the special Delhi- Thiruvananthapuram train on Saturday tested positive for novel coronavirus, taking the state's COVID-19 count to 66. "The darkest day for #Goa as we realise that Centre has no respect for our @goacm. COVID Express still took halt on Saturday. Centre is making our CM a #Pappu! Goa scores half century in active cases," Khaunte tweeted. "Has @DrPramodPSawant lost his control over his position? Why were Goans kept in dark over Rajdhani taking halt? Why did he lie? He is to be solely blamed for upsurge in COVID19 cases in the State," he said in another tweet. Khaunte said state health minister Vishwajit Rane's proposal for mandatory COVID negative certificates for air passengers must be respected by the CM. Of the 66 cases in Goa, 50 are active ones. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Catoca diamond mine Image credit: Catoca As it became known, last week Angola sold at least five modules (parcels) of goods supplied by its main diamond producer, Sociedade Mineira de Catoca. Five modules contain the entire monthly production of this company. According to market information, the rough diamonds could have been sold at $ 72-74 per carat. Catoca already had some diamond sales this year, but it is the sale occurred last week that can be safely called the first Covid-period trading session in the current frozen market. What are the takeaways? They are, in my opinion, very controversial. It immediately comes to ones mind that some market activity is still on and demand for diamonds has not vanished, so once the borders will be opened everything will be back on track, though with certain adjustments, of course. Catocas monthly production is not small, presumably over 600,000 carats. The fact that Indian companies bought the entire amount suggests that demand is there. Moreover, the GJEPC coquettishly proposed to transfer the ban on the export of rough to India from May 15 to June 1 while Angola is selling off everything it can. This is understandable its every man for himself. However, the question of possible consequences for the market remains open - this is what it is worth to explore. And to do this let us look back to the recent past. One year before the pandemic, prices for Catoca diamonds exceeded $ 100 per carat. If in 2017, Catocas diamonds were sold at $ 82-86 per carat, then starting from January 2018 their price quickly flew over the bar of $ 100 heading higher, towards $ 110, 115... At the same time, the new leadership of the Angolan diamond industry made flashy statements about the ongoing fight against the corrupted legacy of the past regime, thus explaining the rapid increase in prices it offered for Catocas goods. Simultaneously with the start of fighting against the damned past, there occurred a split in the new management of the Angolan diamond industry. The once integral structure of Endiama, to which the countrys state diamond trader Sodiam was subordinate, turned to be divided into two functional units: Sodiam was made an independent trader, and Endiama was made responsible primarily for the development of diamond mining in the country. Diamond producers, including Catoca, of which Endiama is a shareholder, were allowed to sell up to 60 percent of their goods on their own, while Sodiam preserved the right to purchase first. In addition, it should be borne in mind that above all this there is the countrys regulatory ministry. This split predictably led to a conflict of bureaucratic interests which brought about a sharp rise in the commission going up to more than 10 percent from 6.5 percent, which buyers were obliged to pay to the state if they bought their goods directly from the producer. Then this commission was again reduced by half. There is still no public system of access criteria for buying Catocas diamonds, there are no sightholders or long-term contract holders, and neither Sodiam nor Endiama hold regular tenders for these products. In general, since 2017, the Catoca sales system has certainly not only failed to add transparency, but rather the other way around. It is noteworthy that there were no additional investments in the mining industry of Angola during the two years of rising diamond prices. While Philippe Mellier used to squeeze every penny out of De Beers sightholders exploiting the inertia of the past trusting relationship between the monopoly and its customers based on the principle of I sell for as much as I get paid, Angolas current diamond policy is based on an even more elusive foundation, which is the exploitation of hopes and expectation of future preferences. If the price of the past week transaction was indeed $ 72-74 per carat, then in my opinion it is not quite correct to talk about a radical price reduction from the level of $ 100 per carat and above. It makes sense to compare this price with the one that was practiced in the market before the episode of anti-corruption fight, and at that time it was maintained at about $ 85 per carat. Consequently, the price of $ 72 per carat is not very comfortable for current buyers, as there are too many factors that make this purchase another "investment in the future", work for stock, rather than useful for the current business. The price of $ 85-88 per carat in 2017 was a good price for buyers leaving them a strong margin. The sales system, of course, was completely opaque, although very understandable. Everything depended on the decision of one person, no objective criteria existed, only loyalty. But the loyalty was worth it. In 2018, Angola decided to change the sales system, it needed money to increase production. And this is a really important task. The cost of production in Angola allows it to compete effectively with other producers; Angola has the promising Luaxe diamond pipe and if it reaches the stage of a project at estimated capital costs this would allow the country to lay claim to a leading position in the world in terms of volume and profitability of its diamond business. Actually, a 20-percent increase in the price of Catoca diamond goods could have generated almost $ 200 million a year, which would have permitted the country to independently invest in Luaxe, exploration, and alluvial diamond fields. But that did not happen. The new diamond marketing policy has sparked genuine interest among rough diamond buyers. Companies were mentally prepared to see higher prices hoping to get stability, transparency and guaranteed supplies in return. Actually, there are not so many companies willing to buy rough worth tens of millions of U.S. dollars from Angola on a monthly basis and paying for it 100 percent upfront. Even the largest shareholder of this company, Russias ALROSA, which is also one of the few market participants, if not the only one, which can pull the cart of the Luaxe project, started again to buy Catocas rough and pay for it a high price. However, the rising value of goods did not induce higher investments in the extractive sector, and now there are no such opportunities. There is an opaque sales system, low prices and a lack of prospects for diamond mining. It seems to me that the price of $ 72-74 per carat (excluding the state commission) is too high in the current environment, this is another sale in lieu of future merits. This is not particularly good news for the market as a whole. A February batch of Catoca rough diamonds was recently also delivered from Angola at prices that were different from the prices of rough supplied last week. Consequently, there are already two conflicting stocks of Angolan rough in the market. I would not be surprised if Angola decides to continue sales lowering prices, which will confuse the already fortunate buyers, who bought it last week at $ 72-74 per carat. I dont think the elegant splashing fuel onto a burning house will be appreciated anywhere. De Beers plans to hold its trading sight in the coming June. The sales system of De Beers, unlike that of Angola, is much more understandable and the steps taken by the company to give its customers the right to reject 100 percent of rough offered for sale are adequate to the situation. Of course, Angola's sale of 600,000 carats of diamonds two weeks before the planned sight will definitely not draw tears of tenderness from De Beers management and the corporations shareholders - the government of Botswana and Anglo American. Angola could contact ALROSA and offer it to buy rough in stock to support the mining sector. In the end, the country does not have a more trusted partner. But ALROSA has naturally always been interested in strengthening its influence on the marketing policy of Catoca, where it is a shareholder, as well as in strengthening its control over the Luaxe project, where it is the main technical contractor and investor. For some reason, Im sure that the Angolan side is not happy about strengthening anyones influence on sales. Investments are welcome, and its better if they are made just on friendly terms, but its not the case with sales. However, there are no such "patient" partners around. Summing up, it is possible to say the following. In the two years that Angola skimmed off additional margins from the market promising a transparent sales system based on public criteria, it could have been possible to attract sufficient funds to independently develop Luaxe, alluvial projects and lay claim for a leading position in the global diamond market. This did not happen. There is no system, no auctions, no investment in production. There are the same sales to a minimum set of customers defined by opaque decisions. If the past management was accused that part of the profit from the sale of Catoca diamonds settled in the pockets of a narrow group of people, then it is even less clear where the money generated by the high diamond prices in the past two years is gone. Perhaps the money went to Angolas budget, but certainly was not used to develop the diamond mining sector, which is the second source of livelihood after oil for the country. Angola could count on a reliable and trusted investor, which is ALROSA, but Angola does not do it. What is happening will in the long run obviously push De Beers to strengthen the marketing program for the provenance of diamonds in jewelry consumption markets, especially in the United States, in order to minimize the unpredictability of hasty decisions of some market stakeholders. This is especially true for the market of engagement rings. Perhaps the two largest diamond mining companies, ALROSA and De Beers, will accept additional informal criteria for sightholders, which will take into account their actions during the crisis. Of course, synthetic diamonds will be there in the picture. They look attractive to the leaner middle-class wallet and are more predictable material for the jewelry business from all points of view. The coronavirus pushed some market stakeholders to act as if its every man for himself. This is an understandable principle, although the fragile diamond business has always stuck to the more efficient "one good turn deserves another". But it doesnt matter what principle is at play - any of them should be bolstered by a real long-term strategy that is adequate to the life horizon of mining projects, not monthly sales. I dare to suggest that someone has such a strategy, but in our case, it is not Angola. Sergey Goryainov, Rough & Polished A day after Assam recorded the highest of 87 COVID-19 cases on a single day, four fresh cases have been reported in the state on Sunday, a senior minister said. With this there are total 350 COVID-19 positive cases in the state. Of the 350, 286 are active cases, while 57 have recovered, four have died and three migrated out of the state. "Four new #COVID19+ confirmed. Two from Chirang, at Tezpur quarantine centre; two from Jorhat with travel history to Chennai", Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted. The state has so far carried out 55,862 tests which the minister claimed was higher than that of Kerala. "In a strong testimony to excellent team work and our steely resolve to do the best in a crisis like #COVID19, I am humbled to share that #Assam has carried out 55,862 tests so far. This is higher than Kerala's (52,771), a state known for its healthcare excellence", the minister said in another tweet. Guwahati Medical College Hospital recorded the highest of 15,807, followed by 12,096 at Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College Hospital, Barpeta, 7,276 at Regional Medical Research Centre, Lahowal, 6,716 at Tezpur Medical College Hospital, 6,334 at Jorhat Medical College Hospital, 5,140 at Silchar Medical College Hospital and 2,502 at Assam Medical College Hospital, Dibrugarh, the minister said. He also congratulated the "behind-the-curtain #COVIDHeroes - our lab technicians, scientists, microbiology faculty of medical colleges, and team RMRC who made extraordinary efforts to make this happen. And most certainly kudos to our dedicated teams from #HealthDeptt @nhm_assam". The minister had said on Saturday that the situation in Assam has reached a challenging phase and the government will write to other states to ensure that buses and trucks carrying people without maintaining social distancing are not allowed movement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) He has been keeping fans entertained, motivated and encouraged throughout the COVID-19 lockdowns on social media. And Matthew McConaughey and his wife, Camila Alves, went one step further on Friday, taking to the streets to deliver 110,000 masks to those in need. The 50-year-old took to social media to open up about their charity initiate which saw them drive to rural Texas to deliver the PPE products to hospitals in need. Doing good: Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves took to their pickup truck on Friday to deliver 110,000 face masks to rural hospitals in their hometown of Texas 'Thanks to @lincoln for donating 110 thousand masks me and @camilamcconaughey hitting the road to get em to rural hospitals in need across Texas,' he captioned the post. Matthew took control of the wheel and sported a tank top and a bandanna over his head for the ride to the rural areas. Camila called shotgun and wore a long sleeved top with a sky blue beanie. Helping out where possible: Camila and Matthew recently delivered 80,00 masks on a separate occasion to healthcare workers Encouraging mask wearing: Matthew has continued to show his masks off on social media Both Matthew and Camila were also taking protective measures by wearing a mask amid the easy spread of the deadly virus. The Dallas Buyers Club star has continued to speak up regarding taking protective measures throughout lockdown around the country. 'Science is behind us right now and the mask is about letting science catch up' he told CNN earlier in the month. 'It's about helping the people on the frontline, don't let happen what happened in New York where there's two patients for every bed, we've got to buy time.' He continued: 'A mask is a very good tool for that and I have not heard any science saying that it's not so I don't even know how there's any real argument about wearing a mask or not.' Love: Matthew and Camila have been married since 2012 and share three children together (pictured January 2019) Sharing his thoughts: The Dallas Buyers Club star has continued to speak up regarding taking protective measures throughout lockdown around the country Matthew also has also hosted an online bingo night for seniors and spoke in the virtual 2020 graduation celebration over the past few weeks. The actor also sent a message out to fans very early on during the pandemic, reminding people that we will get out of the mess. 'Hey everybody, McConaughey here, just want to say that in these crazy times that we're in with the coronavirus, let's take care of ourselves and each other,' he said in a video back in March. 'Let's not go to the lowest common denominator and get paranoid. Let's do our due diligence, take the precautions we need to take care of ourselves and those of us around us.' He continued: 'So, in this time when people are going to move on, the economy is going to be in shambles for who knows how long, there is a green light on the other side of this red light that we're in right now.' Encouraging words: 'Let's not go to the lowest common denominator and get paranoid. Let's do our due diligence, take the precautions we need to take care of ourselves and those of us around us,' he said on social media in March 'I believe that green light is going to be built upon the values that we can enact right now. Values of fairness, kindness, accountability, resilience, respect, courage.' 'If we practice those things right now, when we get out of this, this virus, this time might be the one time that brings us all together and unifies us like we have not been in a long time.' The father-of-three ended his spiel with: 'So, yes, let's see if we can make some lemonade out of this lemon that we're living in the middle of. Turn a red light into a green light and just keep living.' There have been over 1.66 million confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States alone. The country is now nearing 100,000 deaths. Feminist writer Clementine Ford issued a rare apology for saying coronavirus 'isn't killing men fast enough' after she was told a council grant to help her write a new book was on the line. The 39-year-old posted the outrageous statement on Twitter on Saturday in response to an article written about gender disparities in parenting children during the coronavirus crisis. She shared the story of a woman forced to quit her lucrative job during the pandemic because her stay-at-home husband couldn't cope with full time parenting - and said the man in the story was a 'pathetic... globular dipsh*t'. 'This woman deserves better,' she said. The initial tweet was followed up by a second comment, which read: 'Honestly, the coronavirus isn't killing men fast enough.' Ford, who gave birth to a son in late-2016, shared her divisive opinion with her 133,000 Twitter followers on Saturday in response to an article written about gender disparities in parenting children On Sunday Ford issued a long-winded apology after a grant worth thousands of dollars awarded by Melbourne City Council was put under review. She was handed the grant to help her write a new book, but the council is now reviewing its selection process, Herald Sun reported. Lord Mayor Sally Capp said Ford's post was 'deliberately divisive and incredibly unhelpful when we are trying to keep our community together during COVID-19'. 'I found these comments offensive and distasteful and I agree with the sentiment of outrage expressed by many members of our community,' she said. Mayor Capp explained Ford was given the grant through an independent process as part of a program to support Melbourne's local arts and cultural sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'I have asked the CEO to review the selection process for these grants,' she said. Hours later, Ford apologised for her comments, saying she was 'a big enough person' to admit when she had 'misjudged something'. 'I still stand 100 per cent behind my fury at men exploiting women's unpaid labour (exacerbated by the global pandemic), but I've reconsidered my flippancy in discussing it,' she wrote. Ford shared the story of a woman forced to quit her lucrative job during the pandemic because her stay-at-home husband couldn't cope with full time parenting On Sunday Ford issued a long-winded apology about the controversial comment after a grant offered to her by Melbourne City Council was put under review (part of the apology pictured) 'Regardless of what people want to think about me, I have no wish to compound harm and grief for anyone, nor be dismissive of the very real impact and fear a crisis like this presents. 'A flippant (and yes, poorly judged) tweet doesn't change that reality and it shouldn't shift the focus away from it. 'If we benefit from privilege, we should also be robust enough to accept critique of the systems that privilege us and work to change them.' But hundreds of people didn't buy the apology. 'Yeah, not so fast girl. It wasn't flippant it was thirsty and banal. And it's done some serious damage,' one user tweeted. 'This woman doesn't admit fault easily... clearly she got a tap on the shoulder,' another said. Lord Mayor Sally Capp said Ford's post was 'deliberately divisive and incredibly unhelpful when we are trying to keep our community together during COVID-19' Hundreds of people slammed the apology on Twitter 'It is amazing how hard you jumped off when you knew that 20k grant was in jeopardy. Pathetic,' one woman commented. 'Is this an attempt at some sort of apology? You can't even get that right!' another said. Others came to the writer's defence and thanked her admitting she'd made a blunder. 'Many who need you love your courage. They feel power and comfort from seeing you talk to men the way men talk to us,' one woman wrote. 'That's an intentionally narrow tightrope to walk, and people who never applaud your daily performances will always be quick to yell at your corpse after a fall.' 'Thank you for your apology to those that it hurt. I just wish more people got angry about DV as much as they got angry at your tweet,' another said. CLEMENTINE FORD'S FULL APOLOGY I'm a big enough person to admit when I've misjudged something. I still stand 100% behind my fury at men exploiting women's unpaid labour (exacerbated by the global pandemic), but I've reconsidered my flippancy in discussing it. I've always maintained that the difference between jokes that punch up and down is the reality of harm. Eg joking about firing men into the sun has no basis in reality and therefore no potential to further harm, while 'jokes' about domestic abuse are very much reflective of an extensive harm already in place. The corona tweet was contextually in response to the fact women are once again shouldering the burden of domestic labour at the expense of their own economic freedom, being let down by men who are in turn upheld by systems that have privileged them. It is acceptable to express fury at that, and its disappointing more men arent outraged by this reality. But based on my own metric outlined up thread, I have to accept fault for the corona tweet because it made a flippant joke about something that IS actually a harmful reality, and one that affects marginalised men disproportionately, not to mention robs people of their loved ones. Regardless of what people want to think about me, I have no wish to compound harm and grief for anyone, nor be dismissive of the very real impact and fear a crisis like this presents. But I also think its fair to be angry at the lack of interest in this crisis impact on women. To be astonished at how women are expected to perform the essential tasks that allow men to thrive, at the expense of womens stability, while being denied recognition for that work. A flippant (and yes, poorly judged) tweet doesnt change that reality and it shouldnt shift the focus away from it. If we benefit from privilege, we should also be robust enough to accept critique of the systems that privilege us and work to change them. Anyway, this acknowledgement isnt for the men who are looking for any reason to ignore patriarchal impact but for the people genuinely hurt by my words. Im sincerely sorry, and I wish I had framed my argument in better terms and in a way that didnt compound harm. Be well. Advertisement Meanwhile, others came to the writer's defence and thanked her for the apology Ford's initial tweet came on the back of several global studies that indicate men are dying of coronavirus at a faster rate than women. Researchers from several esteemed hospitals in Beijing concluded men and women have the same potential to contract the disease, but men with COVID-19 are more at risk for worse outcomes and death, independent of age. Of 206,128 patients, researchers at the University College London found men were twice as likely to require intensive care, and 60 per cent more likely to die. It is not yet clear why men are more susceptible to fatal outcomes, but some health authorities have argued it is in part due to the increased likelihood of smoking and poorer hygiene habits. Others suggested her outspoken views on men could be potentially damaging for her own son (pictured) in the future Ford's initial post attracted an influx of criticism by people who accused her of 'weaponising feminism,' having 'daddy issues' and being 'toxic'. Former Senator Derryn Hinch described her opinions as 'repulsive'. 'Sometimes your Twitter views are truly repulsive. If this is a serious comment I feel sorry for you. What a way to go through life full of hatred,' he responded. Others suggested her post - which she claimed was in jest - paved the way for equally as damaging comments. 'Clementine, is this a similar joke to: ''Honestly, the corona virus isn't killing black people fast enough'' or ''Honestly, the corona virus isn't killing disabled people fast enough'' or ''Honestly, the corona virus isn't killing health care workers fast enough''?' Ford initially argued the backlash proved 'exactly how fragile men are.' 'The same men who insist all the time that women laugh at jokes about violence against us because 'dark humour' and 'relieving tension'. Men are pathetic,' she wrote. 'Men love to screech about snowflakes and triggered feminists and women not being able to take a joke and they crumble at the first sign of a hyperbolic tweet that doesn't place them as gods at the centre of the universe. Ding dongs, all of them.' The Melbourne-based author has previously spoken about being the target of graphic abuse, trolling and death threats from men on social media, and is known for her often polarising comments about men. In 2017, she hand-signed a copy of her book 'Fight Like a Girl', with a message that read: 'Have you killed any men today? And if not, why not?' ST. JACOB Each year, teachers turn the lights off to their classroom and send off students before summer break. Some of those teachers who guide youth to success through education earn the privilege of being recognized across the state by the Golden Apple Foundation. Its an absolute honor, sixth-grade teacher Jeanine Butler said. I work with some amazing teachers and to be recognized among them it is definitely emotional. As an educator at Triad Middle School in St. Jacob, Butler was nominated for the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching & Leadership, and was recently told she would become a fellow. Butler has been an educator for 19 years, spending 15 years at Triad. She specializes in special education and has been working exclusively in Triads new response to intervention (RTI) program. Butler was an instrumental part in bringing a stronger RTI program to Triad, which was one of the main reasons she is now recognized as a Golden Apple Fellow, according to the Golden Apple Foundation president, Alan Mather. With Jeanine, there were a couple [of reasons] that stood out, he said. She has to find ways to reach students in other ways that others havent. If she needs something, she isnt afraid to go get it and she did that at Triad. She works to implement what those students learn in school, in their community. It is her strong civic engagement that really shines. What were doing as educators isnt working to just have it work in school, but outside, too, he said. We want to highlight that across the state, what great rural teachers look like. Mather explained that, up until recently, the Golden Apple Award was only for teachers in Chicago and surrounding suburbs. However, after some rework, the foundation wanted to help show that those in more rural areas are just as hard-working. Butler primarily works with sixth-graders but helps where she can with seventh- and eighth-graders to assist those who need a little bigger push than other students to understand the material better. She said that those students fall into a three-tier system called Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI). The tiers help educators understand how much more of a push and one-on-one guidance each student needs. One hurdle that Butler has encountered is getting the students to participate in the extra time spent learning. So, I came up with the learning cafe, she said. This is a time where we can spend more time with the students while they have food and drinks and they seem to really enjoy it. Butler explained that she worked with the local chamber of commerce to help fund the food and drinks. The cafe started out for just her sixth-graders but it has worked so well that the seventh- and eighth-graders will get their own in the future. With this addition, Anderson Hospital agreed to match the chambers donation so that the educators do not have to worry about funding. As she looks toward the future, Butler said she will be called upon by the Golden Apple Foundation to mentor as a fellow. She said the opportunity will be a bridge into the next chapter. Fellows take time to mentor aspiring teachers who are a part of the Golden Apple. During their time in college, those in the teacher preparation and tuition assistance program will be mentored by the fellows so that they may hit the ground running, Mather said. The students continue to be mentored for one to two years in the workforce. Butler will work with about 10 budding educators at first, and may aid as many as 30 students in the future upon her retirement. Until retirement, Butler wants to continue working with her roughly 15 Triad students. While I think that while this is an amazing award, your work and dedication as an educator is shown in your students progress, Butler said. Each year, the Golden Apple Foundation asks for nominations for specific grade levels, this years nominations were for educators for fourth- through eighth-grade. Butler was one of 30 selected out of 732 nominations. Nominations are currently being accepted for pre-K through third-grade for any educator, private or public, in Illinois. To nominate an educator visit: goldenapple.org/awards. While nominations can stay anonymous, some come out to reveal their identity, and Butler said she would like nothing more. No ones come forward to say they nominated me and I really wish they would so I can thank them, she added. BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar called on his forces on Saturday to rally against Turkey, which has helped his Tripoli-based rivals turn the tide of a military conflict around the capital. Recent advances by forces aligned with the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), including the seizure of a key air base, have thrown a year-long offensive on Tripoli by Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) into jeopardy. They have also drawn a threat by the LNA, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, to carry out a massive air campaign in retaliation. On Saturday the GNA forces pressed forward in some outlying districts of Tripoli, where they say they have had to pick their way through mines and other explosive devices laid by the LNA. The LNA said it had withdrawn from some areas, but had also staged an ambush at Yarmouk military camp in Tripoli and killed or captured rival combatants. Haftar, in an audio message addressed to his forces, urged them to battle the "colonial" intervention by Turkey until its defeat, in a reference to one-time Ottoman control of Libya. "You are creating glory while fighting the odious coloniser greedy for our wealth," he said. "And you are waging war on all fronts, a war in which there is nothing but victory." Haftar's comments were released as U.S. President Donald Trump appealed for a rapid de-escalation of the conflict in Libya in a call with Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said separately his country had "changed the balance" in Libya and averted a "full-blown civil war." "The only solution in Libya is a political solution and Haftar needs to understand this," he said in a TV interview. (Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli, Hani Amara, and Jonathan Spicer; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Richard Chang) Continued protests in various parts of West Bengal for restoration of water and power supplies that have been disrupted due to cyclone Amphan hindered telecom service providers to normalise the communication, officials said on Sunday. Lack of coordination between local administrations and authorities of utilities such as power distribution companies also slowed the process of restoration, they alleged. The Department of Telecommunications has closely been monitoring the progress of work for normalisation of telecom services in the cyclone-affected areas after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the state, the officials said. "The primary objective of the telecom service providers is to end community isolation with restoration of at least voice service in the worst-hit areas while data services could be restored later," an official said. At least 50 per cent of base transceiver stations (BTS) of some operators are still down in the city and the adjoining districts -- North and South 24 Parganas and Howrah -- where cyclone Amphan wreaked havoc. BTS is key network equipment that enables mobile voice and data communication. "Restoration work for telecom service has severely been impacted. Our workers have not been allowed to work in various parts of the state as angry residents continued to stage protests, demanding immediate restoration of power and water," a top BSNL official told PTI. Lack of coordination between local administrations and agencies has been "slowing the restoration process", he said, adding that workers of local civic bodies and power distribution companies caused damage to optical fibres while clearing the fallen trees. "Of 1,860 towers that house 3,200 BTS in the Kolkata circle of BSNL, around 800 tower sites are still down," he said. Reliance Jio said it has regained 70 per cent of their coverage with temporary solutions like mobile BTS and other mechanisms. "Of around 5,000 BTS, a total of 1,100 are not in operational but mostly due to lack of power connection. We hope to cover around 90 per cent by tomorrow. We have deployed 500 teams from network companies," a senior Jio official said. Vodafone-Idea and Airtel did not respond to the queries about their network. "It could take a month for the telecom services to be normalised," an telecom official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Spanish tourism chiefs say they want to give Brits 'priority' amid mounting fury from the travel industry and European leaders at the 'unworkable' plan to put holidaymakers in a 14-day isolation when they return from their trip. Influential tourist group Exceltur has said that UK sunseekers are vital to Spain's chances of a strong summer season and will be given priority in a safe 'air corridor' to lure them back to the Costas this summer. It comes just days after Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez to put the UK at the top of his list of target countries in talks aimed at reaching bilateral 'safe corridor' swaps. But ministers were under mounting pressure last night to ditch tough new quarantine rules that will make it very difficult for Britons to take holidays overseas. People enjoy a morning out at La Barceloneta Beach in Barcelona today as the country slowly loosens a strict coronavirus lockdown Tourist hotspots including Italy, Spain and Greece plan to open their borders to visitors fully this summer. But under plans announced by Home Secretary Priti Patel on Friday, anyone arriving into the UK after June 8 including returning holidaymakers will have to self-isolate for 14 days or face fines of 1,000, making it impractical for most Britons to take a foreign break. Last night the Government faced a chorus of protest from business leaders and former Tory and Labour Cabinet Ministers alike, urging a rethink because of the damage to the travel industry. The Mail on Sunday understands that airlines have submitted papers to the Government warning that the quarantine will wreak painful economic damage on Britain and cause more job losses unless UK borders are opened to low-risk countries 'no later than mid-June'. Mr Sanchez sent out his clearest message yet Spain was getting ready to welcome back as many of its 80 million visitors each year by telling foreign tourists on Saturday: 'We'll be waiting for you from July.' People play beach volley at La Barceloneta Beach in Barcelona today. The country is getting ready to welcome tourists back He told a live televised address yesterday: 'Spain receives each year more than 80 million visitors. 'That's why I'm announcing to you that from the month of July the entry of international tourism to Spain will restart in safety. 'Foreign tourists can now start planning their holidays here.' He laid the ground for bilateral agreements with other countries like Spain who are easing out of lockdown after beginning to win the war on Covid-19 by stressing 'safety in origin and destination' and insisting: 'We will guarantee that tourists will be under no risk and also that they won't bring any risks.' The next few days will see intense negotiations between ministers of leading EU nations about the 'safe corridor' plans and how they could be put in practice if the health situation in target countries continues to improve. Pedro Sanchez Sanchez sent out his clearest message yet Spain was getting ready to welcome back as many of its 80 million visitors each year by telling foreign tourists on Saturday: 'We'll be waiting for you from July' Exceltur's vice-president Jose Luis Zoreda called the Spanish PM's speech 'very positive.' He said: 'This kickstarts British and German tour operators because they now know they can operate in July if all goes well.' Telling Catalan daily El Periodico that Britain, which accounted for more than 18 million of Spain's foreign tourists last year, and Germany should be priority countries in the 'safe corridor' negotiations, he added: 'The speech Pedro Sanchez made was very positive because he committed to a date with enough time for potential tourists to book holidays here, and because of the message it sends that the Prime Minister of a country is welcoming back foreign visitors. 'The common denominator will not be nationality but the corridors.' Saying he thought it was unlikely EU-wide agreements on re-opening borders could be reached by July, he added: 'We have to get going to establish these bilateral corridors and agreements.' Many Spanish town halls have already indicated social distancing through limits on the number of tourists who can enjoy their beaches, will be top of their list of priorities. The Costa del Sol resort of Fuengirola has said it will use artificial intelligence to control numbers. Authorities in Lloret de Mar on the Costa Brava have said they intend to put different age groups in different areas of their beaches. Travellers entering Spain are currently being forced to quarantine for 14 days but the order will be lifted when the country ends its current state of emergency at the end of June at the latest unless there is a dramatic change in the health situation. Additional measures like temperature checks at airports for foreign tourists who jet to Spain in July are also being studied. Juan Marin, vice-president of the Junta de Andalucia which is the regional government responsible for areas like the Brit-popular Costa del Sol, insisted today/yesterday (SUN) rapid Covid-19 tests on foreign tourists could be the way forward for the recovery of the International holiday market. He told a Spanish radio station the country had to compete on a level playing field with competitor nations like Portugal and Italy, warning: 'If we miss out this summer, we'll be facing a frozen winter.' Teresa Ribera, one of the Spanish government's vice-presidents, has said 'safe corridors' will 'probably' be applied along the same lines as peoples' movements between regions as part of a national tourism scheme. The UAE has been elected as a member of the Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART), established by members of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) due to the outbreak of the Covid-19, said a report. The Task Force is a step to revive the aviation sector and help governments to overcome the burdens caused by the current pandemic, in order to resume economic prosperity and put a limit to unemployment rates in the aviation sector, said a report in WAM. The goal of CART is to propose policies and priorities for states on a strategic level to prepare the world for the post-crisis era. CART also aims to support states and industry to overcome the challenges associated with Covid-19 to bring back the aviation operations and movements around the world and reconnect airports once again keeping in mind health precautions and measures issued by international and local health authorities, to create more flexible aviation system for the future. The task group consists of the Council members, representatives and heads of the global aviation sector and United Nations organisations such as the World Health Organisation and the World Tourism Organisation. Saif Al Suwaidi- Director General of the General Civil Aviation Authority, GCAA, said: "The UAE welcomes the initiative taken by the ICAO Council. The UAE Government attaches the highest importance to international cooperation, as we believe that the international community must stand together to overcome the challenges presented by the Covid-19 outbreak and to recover from its effects." "The air transport industry is one of the vital pillars of the global socio-economic growth and a vital one for economic development, creating job opportunities, supporting tourism and local businesses, and stimulating foreign investment and international trade and supporting it should priority of every government." He added: "Locally, the UAE has always sought to support the economic sector and ensure the continuity of those affected by the spread of the Covid-19 around the world. The GCAA held several coordination meetings with the national carriers and the concerned authorities to discuss the impact of the consequences of the Covid-19 virus on the civil aviation sector in the country and the proposed solutions to reduce these repercussions." "The GCAA and its strategic partners are also working and coordinating with government entities under the umbrella of The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority to develop a comprehensive strategy that seeks to limit the damages of this global pandemic," he said. 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As per the directions of the Civil Aviation Ministry, domestic flight operations will resume after remaining suspended for about two months following the nationwide lockdown imposed to constrain the COVID-19 pandemic. "Delhi airport will be handling around 380 domestic flights on Monday. There will be 190 departures and around 190 arrivals," a senior government official said. On Saturday, the Delhi airport's operator DIAL said it has taken several measures including installation of automatic hand sanitisers at various places, putting floor markers, allocation of entry gates and check-in islands for departing passengers. These steps have been taken to enforce social distancing norms and minimize human contact at the airport, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Situated in Robinsonville, Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall Tunica is an easy drive from Tunica and provides a sauna, free Wi-Fi and an outdoor pool. It has a gym, as well as meeting rooms, a concierge and an express check-in and check-out feature. For the man who heads up Saint John's largest food bank, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a wide range of experiences. The Community Food Basket's executive director John Buchanan has seen a little hardship, some desperation, more innovation, a few surprises, a lot of generosity and even a silver lining. "It's been unusual, to say the least." Buchanan said, as he and his small staff of volunteers were about to dig into some pizza to mark the end of another week of hard work. This is a busy food bank that serves Saint John's central and south end neighbourhoods, and most of the work is being done by just six volunteers. The food bank had to tell most of its other volunteers to stay home as the pandemic hit New Brunswick, because they were in the age group deemed most vulnerable to the illness. "They didn't want to [stay home]," Buchanan said, "But we just had to tell them we can't take the risk." Saint John Community Food Basket COVID-19 has meant a lot of changes in how the food bank operates. Normally, it uses a "client choice" model, where people are able to browse the shelves and select the items they need. These days, that's not possible. Instead, clients must wait outside the building, not always ideal depending on the weather. They're let in one at a time, must wear masks, and are given bags of groceries put together by the volunteers. Buchanan said it all takes about three minutes per client. CBC When the pandemic first hit the province in March and schools closed, the food bank was expecting to see more families needing the service. Instead, like most food banks within the city limits, its numbers are actually down. Buchanan thinks there are a number of reasons for that. First, there's no doubt some people are afraid they'll be infected and are staying home. Buchanan said the city has also seen a number of pop-up groups who are now delivering food to people, which eliminates the need to visit a food bank. Story continues Federal programs help And he also thinks there's more money in the community, and that federal relief programs like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit are the reason why. "Absolutely, CERB and the increase in the Canada child benefit," Buchanan said. "I think a lot more people are shopping at Giant Tiger for groceries because there's more money out there." But he's quick to point out that food banks in the southwest part of the province, outside of Saint John, are seeing a big increase in people needing help, in some cases as much as 50 per cent. It's not just corporate donations, it's people dropping in to hand over a $20 or a $50 out of their pockets. John Buchanan And, Buchanan said, the people using the Community Food Basket now seem to have "a level of desperation" he hasn't seen before, under the combined weight of a pandemic and wondering how they'll continue to feed themselves and their families. That's why he has such high praise for the generosity of the community. Buchanan said corporate donations through the pandemic have been strong, including $1 million donations to food banks from both J.D. Irving and McCain Foods and a personal donation from Frank and Julie McKenna of $100,000. "But it's not just corporate donations, it's people dropping in to hand over a $20 or a $50 out of their pockets." Buchanan said it allows the food bank to be generous with its clients. "They're just amazed by how much they get," he said, "Some say they can't eat it all, and we tell them to give it to someone who needs it." The food bank has also been able to share food with other charities, such as the Romero House soup kitchen, which is just a few blocks away. Stacey Janzer/CBC Buchanan said there have already been lessons learned from this pandemic. He said the various agencies in the city that deal with food security issues have been talking about ways to work better as a network for situations such as this, "so, if this happens again, we can just flip a switch and be back in business." And it has led to his own food bank talking about the possibility of delivering food in the future to some clients. "About 85 per cent of our clients have to walk to get here. Some have mobility issues, some have illnesses, so we're looking at ways we might deliver food." He said the group would likely partner with an agency like the YMCA to get food to clients who can't get to the food bank. But Buchanan said, for now, it is focused on the pandemic, something he believes will be an issue for some time yet. "We're in this for the long haul." GARRETTSVILLE, Ohio A man was found dead in the water at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park Sunday afternoon, officials said. The Portage County Water Rescue Team was called to the park in Garrettsville on a report of a missing swimmer, the Kent fire department wrote in a Facebook post. Kent fire crew members are a part of the rescue team. Rescue team divers found the man dead in the water, the post says. No further information about the mans identity has been publicly released. The Kent fire department used the incident to remind swimmers to never swim alone and to wear a life jacket. As part of the Portage County Water Rescue Team, Kent Fire divers responded to Nelson Ledges Quarry Park for a missing... Posted by City of Kent Fire Department on Sunday, May 24, 2020 More Northeast Ohio news: Kent State plans to resume in-person classes, dorm living in August Mayfield Village takes a step to preserve its tree canopy Taking local school control from Youngstown; pushing school choice over adequate funding Zambia's Information Minister Dora Siliya has tested positive for coronavirus, state TV reported Saturday. Chief government spokesperson was quoted as saying the minister, who was asymptomatic, confirmed her status on testing for the virus. Ms Siliya has since gone into self-isolation. Zambia's confirmed cases were approaching one thousand after the country widened its screening and testing. She was the first senior figure to make public her status. The country had shut its border with Tanzania at Nakonde-Tunduma after recording more than seventy cases on a single day. The landlocked state of 17 million never went into a lockdown but imposed restrictions which included closing bars, casinos and gyms and schools. But two weeks ago, President Lungu allowed reopening of gyms and casinos but not bars, saying the country had to find a way of carrying on amidst the pandemic. Universities remain closed but examination classes for secondary and primary schools will resume June 1. He said the country's economy was "choking" due to inactivity. Zambia is grappling with huge Chinese debt and a slowdown in economic activity necessitated by Covid-19. An Air India flight carrying 93 Indians who were stranded in the United Kingdom arrived at the Indore airport in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday morning, an official said. As part of the Centre's 'Vande Bharat' mission, the flight from London reached here via Mumbai at 8.04 am, Indore's Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport Director Aryama Sanyal said. The special flight carried 93 Indians from the UK, she said. A health checkup of the passengers was conducted and their belongings were sanitised, she said. The passengers will be kept under the mandatory 14-day quarantine, the official said. Indians stranded abroad due to travel restrictions following the coronavirus outbreak are being flown back home under the central government's 'Vande Bharat' mission. Image credits: Twitter UPDATE: Pennsylvania State Police release photo of suspect in 2 killings still on the loose Pennsylvania State Police issued a notice Sunday urging the public to be on the lookout for a fugitive wanted for two homicides in Connecticut. Peter Manfredonia fled a homicide at 9 a.m. Friday on Mirtl Road in Willington, Connecticut, police said. He was wearing dark clothes and is armed and dangerous, police said. Connecticut State Police posted on Facebook on Sunday afternoon that a car linked to Manfredonia was found in New Jersey near the Pennsylvania border. Vehicle was located in New Jersey at the Pennsylvania border. Posted by Connecticut State Police on Sunday, May 24, 2020 Pennsylvania state police trooper David L. Peters said Manfredonias last known location was in East Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Connecticut State Police said in a news release that Manfredonia, 23, killed 62-year-old Theodore Demers with an edged weapon in Willington, Connecticut. He allegedly assaulted a second man at the Willington home. He was seen leaving the home Friday. Peter Manfredonia.Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com Connecticut State Police said Manfredonia committed a home invasion on Turnpike Road Willington on Sunday and made off with pistols and long guns. He stole a truck and took it to the home of Nicholas J. Eisele, an acquaintance of his, police said. He allegedly killed Eisele, 23, on Roosevelt Road in Derby, Connecticut. Police said Eisele was found dead Sunday. An autopsy is pending. He took a 2016 black Volkswagen Jetta from Derby and abandoned it in New Jersey near the Pennsylvania border. He took another form of transportation to get to East Stroudsburg, police said. Peter Manfredonia.Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com Published reports in the Hartford Courant and Connecticut Post say Manfredonia is a senior at the University of Connecticut. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. New Delhi : India and the United States are looking at ways to cooperate at the consular level in events of crisis like natural disasters where the two countries can help each other in providing information about their citizens. Michele Bond, US Assistant Secretary of state for Consular Affairs, also welcomed Indias efforts to bring in a legislation in line with the Hague Abduction Convention. She is in India for an annual Consular Dialouge. The issue of H-1B visa also discussed between the two countries. Our thought is our governments might look at how we can cooperate on planning for the kinds of regional events that we want to be prepared to respond in a well-coordinated and well planned way. Because there are things that happen, say if we take the big tsunami some years ago where every country in the region is going to involved in responding, everyone is going to have citizens, ... We have citizens who are involved. Any kind of crisis where multiple governments need to be informed about...We see lot of example of natural and other kind of disasters where people who are involved need good information and their family members are frantically trying to find out where are they...are they ok?, she said. Regarding a legislation on H-1B and L Visa Reform Act of 2016 pending in the US Congress, Bond said over 70 per cent of the H1-B visas go to Indians. Recently the visa fees for H-1B were also raised. The Indian IT sector had raised concerns about the legislation, which hurt its revenue model. She also said that there is no drop in visa applications. We did talk about those visas and it is very important to recognise what success story the H-1B and L visas are. Indians citizens receive almost 70 per cent of the all H-1B visas worldwide. So it is over-whelming Indian applicants are one the ones successful in qualifying for these visas, Bond said. She said increasing business to business ties, providing efficient and prompt assistance to business travellers on B-1 and H-I visas is a big priority for the US. She added that as for the L visas, Indian citizens receive approximately 30 per cent of all L issued worldwide. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. To the Editor: Re U.S. Deaths Near 100,000, an Incalculable Loss (front page, May 24): Thank you so much for this heartbreaking, breathtaking memorial. As a minister, I tell my congregants that memorializing someone is about much more than remembering the outlines of a persons life. Its about making what seems unreal death of our loved one more real, more concrete. Its about building a container for our grief. Its about retelling the story of how the person who died has shaped us. Youve done all of those things. When many people die at once, a mass memorial plays an even more important societal role: to shape the story we will tell about what happened. This story will then shape our future. In humanizing our beloved dead, you have reminded us that each person is precious, not something to be sacrificed for a growth economy. May that reminder spur us to action: If future epidemics are met with a just society and competent leadership, more of us will survive. (Rev.) Elizabeth Bukey Roslindale, Mass. To the Editor: Thank you, New York Times, for acknowledging lives we have lost to Covid-19, and for making overwhelming numerical data so personal. Without a single photograph, you illustrated so powerfully the breadth and depth of the losses endured by so many Americans. May each of the grieving families know that they are not alone. We mourn with them. Margaret OHara West Orange, N.J. To the Editor: Your graphic depiction of the staggering loss of nearly 100,000 Americans to Covid-19 (so far) is moving beyond words. But I fear that the common, if unconscious, tendency to focus on the death toll only in our country (when more than 340,000 people have died worldwide) suggests that we think the loss of an American life is more of a tragedy than the loss of a life elsewhere. It has never been more important to rise above the constraints of nationalism and tribalism in order to affirm our common humanity. Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Sunday that Kashmir was a "disputed territory" and any attempt to challenge its status would be responded with full military might. Gen Bajwa made the remarks during his visit to the Puna Sector of the Line of Control where he spent Eid with troops. Addressing his troops, Bajwa said that disturbing the strategic stability matrix in South Asia can lead to dire consequences. "Kashmir is a disputed territory and any attempt to challenge the disputed status including any political-cum-military thought related to aggression will be responded with full national resolve and military might, Bajwa said. Early this month, India told Pakistan that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of India by virtue of its fully legal and irrevocable accession. The General said that the Army was fully alive of the threat spectrum and will remain ever ready to perform its part in line with national aspirations. He also lauded troops' professionalism and operational preparedness to give "a befitting response" to alleged Indian ceasefire violations as well as their morale in the face of evolving challenges. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As thousands protest in Hong Kong, Chinas top diplomat says bill is imperative to guarantee its national security. Chinas top diplomat has said a controversial security law proposed by Beijing for Hong Kong should be imposed without the slightest delay. The bill, which was submitted on Fridays opening day of Chinas national legislative session, would allow the government to directly impose national security laws on the semi-autonomous financial hub. Critics say the planned changes which target secessionist and subversive activity, as well as foreign interference threaten Hong Kongs political and legal autonomy and go against the one country, two systems framework that promises the city freedoms not found in mainland China. Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, State Councillor Wang Yi, who is also Chinas foreign minister, tried to ease concerns that the legislation would erode the freedoms and rights of the people in Hong Kong, as well as harm foreign investors. Wang said, however, the law was imperative after anti-government protests in Hong Kong last year seriously endangered Chinas national security, describing the demonstrators as radical localists who do not express the opinions of the majority of the people in Hong Kong. The city was rocked by months of massive, often-violent demonstrations in 2019 amid growing anger over a now-shelved bill to extradite criminal suspects for trial in mainland China. Thousands of people returned to the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday to protest against the new proposed security law, marking the largest demonstration since the coronavirus was first detected in the city in January. Local media reported that dozens of people were arrested as police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. An international backlash intensified on Saturday as nearly 200 political figures from around the world said in a statement the proposed laws were a comprehensive assault on the citys autonomy, rule of law and fundamental freedoms. Wang on Sunday reiterated that anything to do with Hong Kong was an internal matter and warned other countries against meddling in its affairs. China-US tensions In separate comments addressing the growing tensions between the United States and China, Wang said the worlds two largest economies stood to gain from cooperation and would lose from confrontation, adding both sides must find a way for peaceful coexistence. Ties between Beijing and Washington have deteriorated since the outbreak of the new coronavirus, with the administrations of President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping repeatedly trading barbs over issues related to the pandemic. They have also clashed over Hong Kong, human rights, trade and US support for Chinese-claimed Taiwan. Wang said Washington and Beijing need to start coordinating macro policies for their respective economies as well as the world economy. I want to say here: Dont waste precious time any longer, and dont ignore lives, said Wang. What China and the United States need to do the most is to first learn from each other and share their experience in fighting against the epidemic, and help each country fight against the epidemic. China remains prepared to work with the US in the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect, he told reporters, when asked if the two countries relations would further worsen. China has always advocated that, as the worlds largest developing country and the largest developed country, both of us bear a major responsibility for world peace and development, he said. WASHINGTON As states begin to reopen from coronavirus-related shutdowns, a wave of unpaid utility bills coming due will not only saddle Americans still out of work with new debt, it could also drive up rates for everyone. And the $900 million that Congress provided in the CARES Act to help low-income households pay their utility bills won't be nearly enough to ease the problem, advocates and experts say. When states began issuing stay-at-home orders and millions of Americans lost their job due to COVID-19, governors in dozens of states temporarily barred utility companies from shutting off gas, water, electricity and even internet. In other states, utility companies voluntarily agreed not to shut off utilities. But as states move to reopen, those moratoriums will end, and advocates are already warning that many households won't have enough money to resume paying their utility bills, much less repay their deferred bill. "It will become a problem," said Mark Wolfe, executive director of National Energy Assistance Directors' Assn., which represents state directors participating in the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program to help struggling Americans pay their utility bills. "We know it's coming." Nearly 39 million Americans have sought jobless aid since the coronavirus struck. The association estimates that as many as 36% of households nationwide may now fall into the income bracket that qualifies them for help through the program. Before the pandemic about 28% qualified, though far fewer actually received help, largely due to a shortage of funds. The federal program, created in 1981, provides $3.74 billion nationwide annually. How and where that money is spent largely depends on state rules. Consumers can qualify if they earn less than 150% of the federal poverty rate, or 60% of the state median income. Californians must earn less than 60% of the state's median income of $88,343 to qualify. So a family of four with an income of $53,006 or less qualifies. The state also considers other factors including the age of people in the family and existing medical needs. Wolfe said the program normally reaches about 20% of the 32 million eligible households across the U.S. The CARES Act provided another $900 million to the program, enough to subsidize another 2 million homes, Wolfe estimated. In early May, California received its share $49.5 million from the supplemental money approved by Congress. But it won't be nearly enough, state officials said. The $206 million that California typically receives each year through the program allows it to only serve about 6% of eligible Californians, said David Scribner, acting director of the California Department of Community Services & Development. He said applications for utility assistance haven't begun to increase since the COVID-19 outbreak, likely because the newly unemployed may not be aware of the program. Wolfe agreed that increased demand for the program's assistance is temporarily being masked in many states because many people don't learn that they can apply for help until they get a shut-off notice, and those notices have been suspended in many states. "At the end of the moratorium we may see a dramatic increase in applications," Scribner said, predicting that the additional $49.5 million for California will not meet the demand. Many customers in California won't need to worry about shut-offs any time soon. The state's moratorium prohibiting energy, water, sewer and communications companies under its jurisdiction from suspending or disconnecting service for ratepayers who cannot pay their bills ends April 16, 2021. The moratorium only applies to investor-owned companies, like Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison, that are regulated by the state. Many public utilities in California, such as Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, have voluntarily suspended shut-offs and can resume them at any time despite the governors moratorium because they are not regulated by the state. There are already signs of trouble. Southern California Edison, which provides electricity to 15 million people, has seen an increase of nearly 150,000 customers who have fallen behind on their bill payments in the span of one month. The patchwork of different shut-off policies nationwide may lead to disparities in different states in how long people have to pay the bill and how soon utilities get turned off if they can't. In half of states there are no statewide orders, so individual utility companies decide. In some states, water can't be turned off but other utilities can. As in California, most statewide orders don't apply to utilities not regulated by the state, such as utility cooperatives and municipality governed utilities, which serve about 30% of the country. Most states don't require utility companies to publicly disclose the number of shut-offs that occur or how many customers are behind on their bills, so the scope of what is coming as states reopen is difficult to track. Low-income advocates are pushing Congress for a national moratorium on shut-offs for the length of the national emergency and a six-month grace period to allow people to pay the bills once it ends. Rather than add money to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Jean Su, director of the Center for Biological Diversity's energy justice program, said Congress needs to provide monthly direct payouts to families. "We asked for basically bill forgiveness for this entire period for low-wealth families," Su said. "The big threat is how crippling the debt will be at the end of this. If the federal government cannot bail people out, then states will have to take it on. And probably the utilities will go to their regulators and jack up rates." Utilities are primarily regulated at the state level, and there has been pushback to the idea of a federally-mandated ban on utility shut-offs due to unpaid bills because of the pandemic. A national moratorium was removed from the CARES Act in final negotiations, Su said. Democrats are trying again in the new $3-trillion coronavirus spending package that passed the House this month. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said a national moratorium and more money for LIHEAP are stopgap measures to keep consumers' utilities connected until the direct aid in the CARES Act arrives, including enhanced unemployment benefits and stimulus payouts. "We hope these shock absorbers will be sufficient to avoid a situation where we help people for a few months and then things get turned off," Merkley said. Some in the energy industry have been vocal about opposing a national moratorium on shut-offs or a ban on collecting utility debts during the crisis, saying state regulators and the industry are already working together to address the crisis. "For Congress to engage now seems akin to coming to the table to address a problem after it has already been handled and resolved," wrote Brandon Presley, president of the National Assn. of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, in a letter to congressional leaders. Adam Benshoff, executive director for regulatory affairs for the Edison Electric Institute, which represents investor-owned electric companies that provide electricity for more than 200 million Americans, said such moves would make it hard for companies to work with state regulators and customers to develop payment plans. "A federal moratorium on service disconnections fails to recognize that different states will recover at different times from the pandemic and, instead, imposes a one-size-fits-all approach to recovery when the reality will be very different," Benshoff said in a statement. Utilities, regulators and many in the industry are asking Congress for at least another $4.3 billion this year for LIHEAP to be included in the next package, which would more than double what the program received for fiscal 2020. They've also encouraged lawmakers to approve aid directly to utilities to cover those who don't qualify for the low-income assistance program. States including California are starting to work with utility companies to ensure they won't immediately call the debts in when the moratoriums lift, but there is no guarantee that millions of low-income people won't suddenly find themselves owing thousands of dollars. "If you imagine that somebody hasn't been drawing a paycheck for three to four months and wouldn't be able to afford their utility bills during that time they're not going to be magically able to discover three months' worth of income," said David Pomerantz, executive director of the Energy and Policy Institute, a pro-renewable energy watchdog group. Utility companies typically plan for defaults of about 10%, but companies aren't prepared to absorb the anticipated levels of loss, Wolfe said. California utility companies have not sought a rate increase, but a few companies in other parts of the country have already asked states to allow them to increase rates for all customers, specifically blaming the coronavirus crisis. "They've never had this many customers out of a job," he said. "They're not set up to deal with numbers like this." Sarah D. Wire and Anna M. Phillips of the Los Angeles Times wrote this story. 2020 Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Government should also roll-out more disability friendly policies that will ensure that Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) had equal access to facilities, jobs and financial support to grow their businesses. Of the total projected amount, GH600 million is coming from government coffers, while commercial banks in the country also put together GH 400 million. Dr Eric Ekow Ghansah, a Lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) made the call in an interview with the media at Assin-Fosu on the Government's stimulus package for businesses and its commitment to protect as many jobs as possible as the COVID-19 rages. The President gave the assurance when he launched a GH1 billion Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP) Business Support Scheme to help MSMSEs impacted negatively by the coronavirus pandemic. The GIMPA Lecturer however, praised government for the great intervention for businesses in to thrive in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic to enable them survive, grow and expand to create employment. He said "the intervention is not only timely, but also appropriate in the sense that the issue is not only of health but also of serious adverse effect on every sphere of life; leaving the entire global community in an atmosphere of uncertainty. He indicated that the stimulus package was the surest way to end the protracted issues of unemployment and its attending socio-economic and political ramfications. On the banking sector, he expressed the hope that the move will strengthen banks to stand on their feet to avert any crisis and inspire confidence in the people and businesses. To avoid the often abuse of such funds, he suggested that the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) the institution that will oversee the distribution of funds, publishes all beneficiaries and the qualification procedure to promote transparency, probity and accountability. In addition to that, the distribution of the funds must be devoid of partisan political considerations that had permeated every facet of the Ghanaian society, where such funds were seen as party freebies for their contribution to party members. That, he acknowledged would be detrimental to its intended purposes and may affect other policies to boost the MSMSEs sector. He charged prospective beneficiaries to make judicious use of the funds. GNA While we can't get close to one another (just yet), the way we dress is more important than ever. At a two-metre distance, your full outfit can be fully seen and observed. So rather than trying to hide your shape away, or behind dull colours, it's time to be brave and add a touch of brightness to what you're wearing. You can take one step at a time, or simply add colourful touches. Susie Hasler, who runs Styled By Susie shares the best ways to introduce colour to your outfit and what each one evokes. Pictured, Kate Middleton in blue in Birkenhead last year After two months in lockdown, we're itching to get back to normal - and that has an impact on our mood too. The fastest and easiest way to give ourselves (and others) a boost is, yes, with colour. There are many clever ways that you can use colour to have an effect on other people. Colour can be used in a powerful, flirtatious or even reassuring way, depending on the situation. Here Susie Hasler, who runs Styled By Susie , which specialises in styling women on a budget whose body shapes have changed due to having children, the menopause or gaining/losing weight, shares the best ways to introduce colour to your outfit. What to wear for: A romantic (socially distanced) first date Red Without a doubt, red is the most passionate colour of the rainbow - and one to wear if you're keen to make an impact. This hue packs a punch - and it increases your heart rate and pulse - and your blood pressure. It demands and commands attention. So if you're trying to grab somebody's attention (either in person or over Zoom), this is the best colour to wear. (Think Selena Gomez in her gorgeous low-cut gown.) Although you don't have to drape yourself from head to toe in scarlett! Think about subtle additions to your outfit if you're not confident enough to wear a bright, block colour dress. Think a shade of lipstick, or a scarf or a pair of earrings. Selena Gomez, pictured on the set of her single 'Boyfriend' in a YouTube video, wore red which Susie says is 'the most passionate colour of the rainbow' Pink Pink - worn in the right situation - is seen as very girlie, feminine and even flirtatious (think Amanda Holden in her beautiful blush dress) And it's a colour that evokes sensitivity and empathy. If you're more girl next door than a sultry siren, this hue is perfect for an online or socially distanced date. If you're nervous about wearing too much, pink can be worn subtly, like red - think lippy or nail varnish. However, be warned - don't wear too much red or pink in a work meeting. Red can apparently be seen as aggressive, hostile and intimidating, while pink isn't always taken seriously. Amanda Holden was spotted walking through London wearing pink, which evokes sensitivity and empathy What to wear for: Zoom work meetings Blue If you're looking to strike a reassuring, subtly powerful, stable and calm note, this is definitely the colour for you. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their family hit the right note by wearing variations of the shade to clap the NHS . It is a great colour to wear for Zoom work calls, particularly if you're in a managerial role. Blue instils feelings of confidence and trust, and during these worrying times, your colleagues or employees may look to you for reassurance. Wearing blue is calming, peaceful, yet cheerful. It is likely to look more impactful on camera than drab grey! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their family hit the right note by wearing variations of the shade to clap the NHS What NOT to wear: If you're having a bad day Grey. Just like yellow is an energising colour, grey has the opposite effect - it's an energy zapper! It conveys a feeling of gloom and depression. Imagine grey like the dementors in Harry Potter, sucking the joy from you! It's a beautiful colour when lifted with pink, blue or yellow, but as a standalone hute, it's likely to make you feel 'bleurgh' particularly if it's loungewear or an old hoodie. Advertisement Black The most powerful colour, black (surprisingly) is perfect for outfits for work calls. It's a sophisticated colour that asserts power in a strong way. There was a reason Adele chose the shade for her 'come back' photo on Instagram. It's elegant - although I would advise to wear this colour in a well-lit room if you are on Zoom. If the home office or room you're calling from is dark, choose navy blue instead which is softer. Adele was snapped showing off her weight loss wearing black, which asserts power in a strong way What to wear for: Brightening your mood Yellow Many people feel scared to wear yellow as they think it's a colour that doesn't suit them. But, in fact, there is a shade of yellow for every person! Experiment with mustard yellow, lemon yellow or sunflower yellow and see which one best suits your skintone in the mirror. Yellow is the most cheerful, happy colour to wear and it has an energising effect on those around you. This was the reason Davina McCall chose a vibrant yellow gown to host The Big Night In during lockdown. It's an instant injection of sunshine both to yourself and to others who see you. If you're Zoom calling family members who are feeling lonely at this time, or friends who need cheering up, you will literally brighten their day as soon as they see you in yellow. Starting car cold weather winter storm Experts say it's not a good idea to warm up your car in winter. Here's why. Elizabeth Warren will host a high-dollar fundraiser with rich donors for Joe Biden, after vowing to avoid such events in her own presidential campaign and accusing her rivals of 'selling access to their time for money.' Warren, who is on the short-list to be Biden's running mate, will host the fundraiser on June 15, The New York Times reported, citing three people with knowledge of the event. Biden promised to pick a woman as his running mate. Warren is one of several he's considering, including Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, California Senator Kamala Harris, Georgia politician Stacy Abrams, and Florida Congresswoman Val Demmings. Elizabeth Warren will host a high-dollar fundraiser with rich donors for Joe Biden Warren is one of several contenders to be Joe Biden's running mate Warren remains to the left of Biden in terms of policy positions but he has embraced some of her ideas, particularly on student debt. The two are reported to speak weekly and Warren has said she would accept the vice presidential slot should Biden offer it to her. But her attacks on big donors and corporate money worried Wall Street and other high-dollar industries during the Democratic primary process. Holding a fundraiser with them would a way to start to alleviate those concerns. It could, however, subject her to criticism after she attacked her Democratic rivals for courting rich donors at posh events, most memorably during the December 2019 primary debate, when she criticized Pete Buttigieg for attending a fundraiser in a wine cave. Shortly before that debate, Buttigieg had dinner in the wine cave of a billionaire couple in Napa Valley that featured a chandelier with 1,500 Swarovski crystals and bottles of cabernet sauvignon that sell for as much as $900. 'The mayor just recently had a fundraiser that was held in a wine cave, full of crystals and served $900-a-bottle wine. Think about who comes to that,' the Massachusetts senator said. 'He had promised that every fundraiser he would do would be open-door, but this one was closed-door.' 'We made the decision many years ago that rich people in smoke-filled rooms would not pick the next president of the United States,' Warren added of her campaign. 'Billionaires in wine caves should not pick the next president of the United States.' Buttigieg, in return, pointed out Warren is a millionaire and warned her about issuing a 'purity test' she may not be able to pass. 'You know, according to Forbes magazine, I'm literally the only person on this stage who is not a millionaire or a billionaire,' Buttigieg said. 'This is the problem with issuing purity tests you cannot yourself pass. If I pledge if I pledge never to be in the company of a progressive Democratic donor, I couldn't be up here. Senator, your net worth is 100 times mine.' 'I do not sell access to my time,' Warren replied. 'I don't meet behind closed doors with big-dollar donors.' In February 2019, Warren emailed supporters, promising to avoid fundraising through the traditional methods: dinners, donor calls and cocktail parties. During December's Democratic primary debate in Los Angeles, Pete Buttigieg (left) was criticized by rival Elizabeth Warren (right) for holding the fundraiser in the wine cave Pete Buttigieg during that fundraiser in a wine cave in Napa Valley, California The fundraiser took place in a wine cave with a crystal chandelier She also vowed not to sell access to rich, big-name donors as is typical for candidates running for president. 'That means no fancy receptions or big money fund-raisers only with people who can write the big checks,' she wrote. 'It means that wealthy donors won't be able to purchase better seats or one-on-one time with me at our events. And it means I won't be doing 'call time,' which is when candidates take hours to call wealthy donors to ask for their support.' Her strategy provided successful, consistently placing in the top three among candidates each quarter in terms of fundraising totals, as she established a loyal group of small-dollar donors. In total, she raised $115.8 million during her presidential campaign. Although she, like others in the field, struggled to compete against those who could self-fund, such as Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: The total number of COVID-19 samples tested so far in the State crossed three lakh-mark on Sunday. So far, only Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu have crossed the three lakh-mark in sample testing and now AP too joined the league. The total tests conducted so far in the State now stand at 3,04,326. Tests per million in the State stand at 5,699. In the past 24 hours (From 9 am Saturday to 9 am on Sunday), 11,357 samples were tested in the State. Meanwhile, apart from cases linked to Koyambedu market, foreign returnees testing positive is also leading to a spike in COVID-19 cases in the State. According to the media bulletin released on Sunday, a total of 17 people, who returned from foreign countries, tested positive for the virus. Of the 17 people, 12 arrived in Kadapa district from Kuwait while three others came from Saudi Arabia and two from Qatar in the flights operated by the Centre under the Vande Bharat Mission. Apart from these foreign returnees, 66 others tested positive in the last 24 hours, taking the State count to 2,780 including 153 people from other States. Eleven more persons, who have travel history to Koyambedu Market in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, also tested positive. They include eight from Chittoor and three in Nellore. In Guntur district, two fresh cases took the district tally to 438. One each person from AT Agraharam in Guntur city and Chandavaram village in Nadendla mandal tested positive. Apart from the eight cases with Koyambedu link, five others tested positive in Nellore district. Of them, three are from Nellore city, one from Sullurpet mandal and another from Sangam mandal. The district, which recorded 222 cases, now has only 107 active cases as 115 patients discharged after recovery. Meanwhile, 29 persons were discharged from hospitals across the State in the past 24 hours. With this, the active cases stand at 883. No death was reported in the State in the last 24 hours and the toll remained at 56. When the pandemic reached Ghana, the nurse expected more hours on her feet and stress that trailed her home - a fate she accepted with a sense of duty and dread. Then President Nana Akufo-Addo unveiled a surprise: All health-care workers in the West African nation would receive a 50 percent raise on top of income tax waivers as they toiled against the coronavirus. "It has been such a great relief," said Rebecca Kumah, 35, who treats covid-19 patients on the night shift in the capital, Accra. "Our sacrifice is recognized." Hazard pay has become a rallying cry and a source of controversy around the world as health-care workers risk their lives on the front lines - often without adequate supplies or protection. Ghana is offering some of the globe's most generous additional benefits while a number of nations move to expand their support for those laboring in highly infectious environments. Canada announced salary hikes. France pledged bonuses for doctors and nurses as part of its $120 billion rescue package. Russia made a similar promise - though some emergency responders have not seen the cash. An Iraqi governor said public health employees would be rewarded with free land. The United Kingdom is paying families of medical workers who die of the coronavirus a lump sum of 60,000 euros, or about $65,000. American officials have repeatedly referred to the country's doctors and nurses as "heroes," and President Donald Trump has described them as "running into death just like soldiers running into bullets." But the United States has approved no national hazard pay, and some health-care workers are facing reduced hours and pay as hospitals suffer losses. Outrage erupted at treatment centers elsewhere as infections mounted. Nurses in Brazil and Lebanon have gone on strike, blasting a lack of safety gear in perilous conditions. In Ghana, which had recorded 6,683 cases and 32 deaths as of Sunday, officials made a bet that happier employees would be more-effective virus fighters. "When people are motivated, they do their work from their hearts," said Patrick Aboagye, who leads the Ghana Health Service, the country's public health system. The coronavirus is deadly, he said, and the people who treat patients endure constant exposure. They are more likely to get sick, sometimes dramatically so: Health-care employees make up 16 percent of the coronavirus cases in the United States, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ghana's government funded the raises. "They must feel supported," Aboagye said. The hazard benefits started in April and will continue through June, with an option to extend them if infections keep climbing, officials say. Front-line workers also receive free transportation and life insurance policies, as well as medical-bill coverage if they catch the virus. The bigger safety net soothes anxiety, said Emmanuel Amankra, a 31-year-old physician at Lekma Hospital in Accra. Before the coronavirus, he mostly tended to patients with diabetes, asthma and HIV. "Now everyone is on red alert for covid-19," Amankra said. He is staying in an apartment away from his family. The extra income helps offset that expense. He is pouring the rest into savings for public-health graduate school in New York. "Everyone is just like, 'This has never been done before,' " the doctor said. "It helps to know what you are doing is being seen." And it fuels wisecracks at work. "I'll say: 'Oh, I'm tired. I'm going to take a break.' And then someone says, 'Well, you're getting a tax cut,' and we keep working," Amankra said, laughing. Kumah, the overnight nurse, didn't choose her profession for the money or glory. The average monthly pay for workers like her in Ghana is about $400, and people are not always bursting with appreciation when she injects booster shots. Then her hospital transformed into the nation's biggest coronavirus treatment center. The staffers trained as if they were back in school. Psychologists led panic-management sessions before the first patient arrived in late March. Today the team of 60 nurses is caring for more than 100. "Every day we live in fear," said Kumah, a generalist with 15 years of experience. "Our figures keep rising. It hasn't been easy at all." One thing she is not worried about is money. The tax cuts alone cover a month's worth of groceries. The nurse plans to devote much of her windfall to her 60-year-old mother, who has diabetes. The retired teacher needs a new blood glucose meter. In the absence of regular visits and hugs, Kumah said, at least she can feel close to her that way. India logs over 3.17 lakh new Covid cases in last 24 hours; daily positivity rate up at 16.41 per cent COVID-19 fatalities may be much more than what is being reported New AI-based test uses X-rays to detect Covid in a few minutes 4 COVID-19 vaccine candidates may enter clinical trial phase in 3-5 months: Vardhan India pti-PTI New Delhi, May 24: Four out of the 14 COVID-19 vaccine candidates from India may enter the clinical trial stage in the next three-five months, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday. In an online interaction with BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao, Dr. Vardhan said the entire world was working on developing a vaccine to halt the novel coronavirus pandemic. "India is also actively contributing to that effort. We have 14 vaccine candidates that are working on different levels," he said. "Industry, academic world are contributing to it and our Ministry of Science is helping the Department of Biotechnology in all such efforts." People more worried about economic crisis than coronavirus: Study Financial support and regulatory clearance will be provided to those who are working on this, Dr. Vardhan said. "Out of these 14, four vaccine candidates, in the next three-five months, may enter the clinical trial stage. Right now, they are in the pre-clinical trial phase," the minister said. "It's very difficult to predict when a vaccine will come, but as a doctor, I can say that the process it involves, one year would be a modest estimate," he said. "Till the vaccine is not developed, people should use social vaccines like the mask and social distancing." Covid-19: Maha says no to passenger flights, may extend lockdown: Oneindia News The Centre and private firms have stepped up efforts to develop a vaccine to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The PM CARES Fund Trust has decided to allocate 100 crore in efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. A PMO statement had said that a coronavirus vaccine was the most pressing need and Indian academia, start-ups and industry had come together in cutting-edge design and development. The Department of Biotechnology has been made a central coordination agency to identify pathways for vaccine development. UPDATE: Allentown police arrest alleged gunman in afternoon shooting death Authorities investigated a shooting incident with likely at least one fatality Saturday in Allentown. City police responded about 4:30 p.m. for a shooting victim in the area of South Front and East Cumberland streets, just north of Susquehanna Street, Capt. Michael Becker said. All parties are accounted for and there is no threat to the community, he told lehighvalleylive.com. Lehigh County Coroner Eric Minnich confirmed his office responded, indicating someone had died, and that additional information would be released later. Police were not immediately providing any further information. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. There are some beautiful and moving expressions through art and writing in the show this year along with some truly inspiring stories of survival, said Mawyer. The Raymond A. Wood Foundation (RAWF) launches the third year of Art of Surviving, a virtual art exhibition that celebrates the creativity of the brain tumor community during the month of May, which is Brain Tumor Awareness Month. Brain tumor patients and survivors, along with caregivers and family members from all over the world submitted over a hundred entries in all types of media, including photography, digital art, drawing, painting, printmaking, 3-D, multimedia, and creative writing. Founded in 2017, the Raymond A. Wood Foundation helps improve quality of life for hypothalamic-pituitary brain tumor survivors by providing access to education, technology, and evolving treatments. Many brain tumor survivors use art as a way to cope with the challenges that come with treatment, a means to calm and focus a healing brain, or an opportunity to express their experiences. Some survivors struggle with typical recreational activities due to the medical implications and long-term comorbidities that come with treatments of certain tumor types, leading them to art as an activity that they can do independently or with family members. The idea of this yearly art show came when RAWFs executive director, Amy Wood, saw that her son, treated for a brain tumor at age 4, continually gravitated toward drawing and coloring above all other activities. He had never really been interested in art prior to his tumor treatment, and then suddenly coloring and drawing were his go-to, said Wood. He really seemed to use it as an outlet in times where he clearly needed a break from outside stimulation. Wood noticed artists emerging among brain tumor groups she participated in online, so she asked a colleague, Olive Mawyer, now the shows coordinator, to help her pull together an art exhibition for the month of May. I thought providing a platform for sharing artwork would be a positive thing for the foundation to do during Brain Tumor Awareness Month, said Wood. I didnt know how it would go, but I figured we would build it and see if people would be interested in participating. The first Art of Surviving was launched in May of 2018 with about 10 participants and has grown steadily. This year, there are 115 entries on display, with over 40 participants from all over the world. The artwork is judged by a panel of professional artists and writers who review and score the work and winners receive cash prizes. There is also a Peoples Choice Award, where citizen judges can cast votes for their favorites. There are some beautiful and moving expressions through art and writing in the show this year along with some truly inspiring stories of survival, said Mawyer. We hope people will take time to explore the gallery and learn more about the experiences of survivors and their caregivers and family members. Artwork, creative writing, and even a music video is on display at http://www.artofsurviving.gallery. The public is invited to view the work and vote on their favorites. Voting ends on May 30, and winners will be announced on May 31. With the state's primary election just over a week away, a Montana judge has temporarily suspended a state law that says absentee ballots must be received in a county election office by 8 p.m. on election day in order to be counted. All absentee ballots postmarked on or before election day shall be counted, if otherwise valid, District Judge Donald Harris wrote Friday. The ballots must be received by the Monday after election day, which is the deadline for receipt of federal write-in ballots for military and overseas voters. Montanas June 2 primary is being held by mail because of the coronavirus. The disparity and inconsistency in how long it takes the U.S. Postal Service to deliver a mailed ballot is a significant burden to absentee voters, Harris said. Delivery times around the state can vary by as much as two weeks, and people who mail their ballot before this year's June 2 primary have no guarantee it will be delivered in time to be counted, he said. Harris ruling came in a challenge filed by former state Sen. Robyn Driscoll of Billings, the Montana Democratic Party and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the law firm Perkins Coie LLP said. Harris also granted a preliminary injunction against enforcement of a voter-approved referendum called the Ballot Interference Protection Act, which limits one person to turning in a maximum of six absentee ballots and asks that they fill out a form saying whose ballots they are returning. District Judge Jessica Fehr on Wednesday had issued a temporary restraining order against enforcement of the same ballot collection law in a challenge filed on behalf of Native American tribes and two get-out-the-vote groups. She had set a hearing for May 29 to consider a preliminary injunction. The Democratic groups challenged both the absentee ballot deadline and the Ballot Interference Protection Act. Harris found the laws would significantly suppress voter turnout by disproportionately burdening voters who are Native American, elderly, disabled, poor, parents working low-wage jobs, college students, first-time voters and those who have historically relied on ballot collection services. The judge also noted the ballot collection and receipt deadline will only exacerbate voter suppression because of the COVID-19 pandemic because the collection law eliminates the use of secure ballot drop boxes and the receipt deadline could lead later voters to turn in ballots in person, possibly causing lines that would violate the social distancing recommendations meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The state argued the laws are needed to prevent voter fraud and ensure quick and accurate results. However, Harris said, the state presented no evidence of any absentee ballot collection fraud in Montana and noted that even an election clerk characterized it as the Voter Suppression Act of 2018. Montana election clerks count federal write-in ballots for military and overseas votes until the Monday after election day and can count absentee ballots postmarked by June 2, as long as they are received by June 8, and still "accurately and timely certify election results without disenfranchising the thousands of eligible voters whose ballots are now ignored under the receipt deadline, Harris wrote. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Calif. megachurch initiative distributes $44K in groceries to families in need Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Many churches across the United States are partnering with local organizations to provide food to hundreds of people in need in their communities as the coronavirus pandemic has caused economic hardship and food insecurity for many families. The five-campus Rock Church in Southern California partnered with local support groups and the city of El Cajon to distribute over $44,500 in groceries to hundreds in the San Diego suburb who are in need. Last Saturday, Rock Churchs East County Campus hosted a drive-through style food-and-grocery distribution that ran from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The distribution event allowed partner organizations to pick up grocery items to be delivered to residents deemed most vulnerable and at-risk during the COVID-19 crisis. The Rock Church distribution was funded by the city in partnership with local nonprofits Home of Guiding Hands and Step Into Success. The effort resulted in the distribution of 48,000 pounds of groceries to 445 households, according to an announcement from the church. Saturday was a very special day! It was such an honor to partner with the Rock Church to distribute food to people in need in the Community of El Cajon, Mayor Bill Wells said in a statement. We are thankful for The Rock Church, Pastor Miles and Pastor Greg Hendricks and his team for collaborating with the city of El Cajon to help serve the needs of people in our community. Rock Church partnered with an organization called 2-1-1 San Diego, which provides data and trend information for proactive community planning, to help the church gain a better understanding of the people most in need of food and grocery items in the area. The social demographics highlighted as most vulnerable were transitional youth ages 16 to 21, people with medical needs and disabilities, pregnant women, as well as families in crisis. According to the church, these social groups were not being served by other humanitarian agencies. Other partners in the Rock Church distribution effort include San Diego Youth Services, Pregnancy Care Clinic, Crisis East House County, Beckys House, ARC East County, Miracle 139 and Catalyst. El Cajon Deputy Mayor Phil Ortiz called the grocery distribution a story of the community coming together. I reached out to our City Manager, Graham Mitchell, and said, We need to get food out here! We reached out to the Rock and they were on top of it right away, Ortiz said in a statement. The Rock Church with their manpower and their volunteers just rearing to go really stepped up in a big way as they always do and have been for many years in the community. According to the San Diego Food Bank, over 450,000 (177,000 children) residents of San Diego County face food insecurity every day. Mitchell said in a statement that the city found a way to carve out funds from our own coffers to help Rock Church serve the city. Mitchell said El Cajon is blessed to have Rock Church and the other organizations with a passion to serve. [G]iving the Rock Church these funds was important because we knew 100% was going to go towards the people, Mitchell added. The multicampus Abundant Life Church in Portland, Oregon, has also partnered with other organizations to provide food to communities in need during the pandemic. According to a press release, staff and volunteers from Abundant Life Church have for the past three weeks delivered two truckloads of food donated by organic growers to Catholic Charities. From Catholic Charities, the food is distributed to households in need. One target recipient for the food is refugee families, many of whom rely on free meals provided by schools. Were delivering boxes of food this week to homes where people have not been able to get groceries since initial school closures, Stephanie Coleman from Catholic Charities said in a statement. [S]o this is saving peoples lives in many ways. On Easter Sunday, Abundant Life Church collected over 5,000 pounds of food supplies. Before the pandemic struck, the church had planned to take an Easter offering to benefit Portland Rescue Mission. But since the church couldnt gather for Easter, a food drive was held instead. During the drive, cars pulled up to deliver items to the church. Since then, Abundant Life Church has opened one of its campuses to be a collection site for foster families. Abundant Life Church volunteers are also making phone calls to over 30,000 vulnerable people across the region to see how the church can serve their needs. In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Alposento Alto Church is working with Councilwoman Tara Wicker and the East Baton Rouge Sheriffs Community Policing Division to host drive-through grocery distribution events every Wednesday to help out the citys Hispanic community. There are so many of our fellow citizens who find it difficult and even impossible to qualify for or access much-needed resources, Wicker told BRProud.com. These families are especially vulnerable, often forgotten, but represent some of the hardest working and most essential members of our community and local economy. In Southwest Missouri, New Life Fellowship Church in Neosho will for the next several weeks turn its parking lot into a free grocery store. Hundreds of area residents will be able to get fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy products at the grocery store, KSN reports. Less than a quarter of funds allocated by the Berejiklian government to support wildlife carers during the height of the state's bushfire season have been spent on the intended target six months after their announcement. Answers to estimates questions given to Labor show the government had only spent $220,000 of the $1 million earmarked for carers last November. Wildlife caregiver Rosemary Austen adjusts a sedated fire-burnt kangaroo after a visit to the veterinarian in February in NSW. Credit:John Moore/Getty Images Of the remaining sum, about $62,000 was spent on koala mapping, with $438,000 going to fund two new positions with the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment to oversee wildlife rehabilitators. Kate Washington, Labor's environment spokeswoman, said it was "outrageous" only 22 per cent of funds promised "in the heat of the bushfires" for carers by Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean had reached their target. - Quezon City now has 2,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to an update by the Quezon City Government - Of the 2,000 confirmed cases, 841 are active cases, 624 have recovered, and 169 have died - A two-week special concern lockdown is being implemented in some areas of Quezon city since May 13 due to the increasing number of confirmed cases - These include areas in barangays Bahay Toro, Culiat, Sauyo, Batasan Hills and Tatalon PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Quezon City now has 2,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to an update by the Quezon City Government. 841 of the 2,000 confirmed cases are active cases, 624 have recovered, and 169 have died. A two-week special concern lockdown is being implemented in certain areas of Quezon city since May 13 due to the increasing number of confirmed cases, including areas in barangays Bahay Toro, Culiat, Sauyo, Batasan Hills and Tatalon. PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedbacks 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, a US firm announced encouraging results for the first clinical trial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. As for the entire country, the Philippines has a total of 13,777 confirmed COVID-19 cases. 3,177 have recovered and 863 have died from the virus. 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! Source: KAMI.com.gh Mainly Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province & Ringing Trips to Bahrain New Delhi : After Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was mocked on social media for his viral picture in which he was being carried by people in his security profile during a visit to flood-hit Panna, he finally breaks his silence. Clearing the air on his photo, Chouhan said that he was caught unawares by the cops. In Panna, at one place, a group of villagers were sitting on the other side of a small bridge and I started walking towards them and before I could realise and react, the police constables picked me up and took me there, the Chief Minister clarified. Earlier PTI had quoted Principal Secretary SK Mishra as saying that considering CM Chouhans safety and to avoid any venomous bites from animal in the flood water it had to be done. The 57-year-old chief minister could be seen walking barefoot through mud, an aide carrying his shoes which went viral on social media and were heavily criticised. The pictures gave rise to heated debate over ubiquitous VIP culture. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Click here to read the full article. 13 Reasons Why: Final Season The Liberty High senior class must face secrets from their past before they can make it to graduation. Clay Jensen (portrayed by Dylan Minnette) and his group of friends must reckon with the events of the past four years after they are confronted by an ominous message spray-painted across the wall of lockers at school. The clip blurs real life with the nightmares that haunt Clays sleep. In one scene he is told, I look at you, Clay, and I see a kid whos paying a very high price and I dont even know what for. (June 5) More from Rolling Stone Da 5 Bloods Spike Lees latest film takes us back to Vietnam, past and present. Set to The Chamber Brothers 1967 single Time Has Come Today, the clip pairs archival footage of the Vietnam War with the story of a group of aging veterans determined to see to some unfinished business. The four African-American veterans return to Vietnam in search of their fallen squad leaders remains, but thats not the only thing that waits for them. Somewhere in the jungle lies buried treasure that the men discovered and hid while serving in the war. 50 years later, they wont leave it behind this time. (June 12) Helter Skelter: An American Myth A new six-part docuseries revisits the Manson Family murders for a definitive portrait of the infamous cult. Its trailer promises plenty of archival footage, plus haunting re-creations and interviews with the Family that have never been revealed until now. He was a puppet master pulling everyones strings, says a Family member in a voiceover. Another adds, I was definitely under Charlies spell. (June 14) Story continues I Want Everything The new documentary explores Larry Ratso Slomans journey as a recording artist which began for him at age 70. After a decades-long career as a rock writer (Sloman co-wrote memories with Anthony Kiedis, Howard Stern and Mike Tyson), he released his Stubborn Heart LP in 2019. Nick Cave praises the record in the teaser, saying, This is very much a Ratso thing to do; to put out a strong album like this, I think its an incredibly audacious move on Ratsos behalf and Im proud to be a part of it. (May 29) Legendary Eight houses. Nine balls. One $100,000 prize. The new HBO Max show brings some of the most celebrated underground ballroom houses together for one fierce competition. The new clip features show-stopping fashion, elaborate choreography, and testimonials to ballroom culture itself. Youre taking what people hate about you and putting it in their faces its empowering, says one contestant. Elsewhere, we are introduced to the shows judges: Stylist Law Roach, dancer Leiomy Maldonado, Megan Thee Stallion, and Jameela Jamil. The Old Guard Andy (portrayed by Charlize Theron) leads a group of immortal soldiers and has found her newest recruit, Nile (portrayed by Kiki Layne). She tells Nile, I lead a group of soldiers, fighters, like you, with an extremely rare skill set. Lets just say were very hard to kill. Nile begins to understand the extent of their power while witnessing her own wounds rapidly healing while training with Andy. However, its not long before their skills are revealed to the wrong people. When outsiders discover the groups supernatural resilience, they want to monetize and take control of the soldiers, forcing Andy and Nile into a new mission: protecting their group. (July 10) Space Force In the latest trailer for the upcoming Netflix series starring Steve Carrel, Carrell portrays a four-star general tasked with the mission of militarizing outer space. (A nod to President Donald Trumps own aspirations.) Carrell quickly finds himself slipping into chaos as he tries to bring order to the absurd task, flanked by media managers and scientists ready to help him. So the mental chess has begun, he tells a scientist portrayed by John Malkovich. Its Hungry Hungry Hippos at best, Malkovich responds. (May 29) Tenet All I have for you is a word, a man tells John David Washington. Tenet. Itll open the right doors some of the wrong ones, too. Use it carefully. After the warning, Washingtons character is brought into discussions with Russian nationals, experiences time inversions, and takes part in car chases all in the name of preventing World War III. Though his efforts could be in vain. This reversing the flow of time, Washington says, doesnt us being here now mean it never happened? The film is Nolans first since 2017s Dunkirk featuring Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and it appears to still be on track to open in a physical theater this summer. (July 17) 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 Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a remarkable decision to renounce their positions as senior working members of the British royal family. The Queen supported this and they came to an arrangement to fulfill their wanting to be financially independent after Megxit. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have followed the command not to use "His/Her Royal Highness" anymore and will repay the state the costs of renovating Frogmore Cottage, their UK base. The former royal couple now has the freedom to pursue their own business ventures abroad. In January, Prince Charles, the father of Prince Harry, is allegedly warning to pull out the millions of annual funds he provides them. Replacing the fund support was a subject of frenzied intrigue about which the Sussexes remained quiet on the matter. Although the Sussexes gained financial independence, they still sought to represent Prince Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, on the global stage. As Prince Harry and Markle pivot to a private life in Los Angeles, the weary load they left were carried by Prince William and Kate Middleton as the last full-time working royals of their generation. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are working overtime by putting in more hours and jam-packing their regular schedule with extra significance to communicate to the public. The Cambridges may also be forced to provide financial assistance to Prince Harry and Markle's new celebrity lifestyle when they assume new titles due to a royal criterion. Also Read: Meghan Markle Allegedly a Flirt as She 'Toyed' With Men's Feelings Prince William and Middleton are anticipated to assume the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cornwall after Prince Charles becomes king. This will grant the Cambridges the use of the fund the Duke of Cornwall produces annually. Prince Harry and Markle seem to be working towards financial independence already as the pair reportedly sacked their staff of 15 persons in the UK and are shutting down their royal office in Buckingham Palace. According to a palace representative, the Sussexes made a public appearance at a JPMorgan event in Miami in February. It was not made clear whether the couple was paid. The Sussexes have clarified that they will not be reliant on public funds anymore in their bombshell declaration on January 8. They will not hinge on the Sovereign Grant funding and have obliged to uphold Queen Elizabeth II's values. As they relinquish the title HRH on their official website and products, the couple will reportedly exert efforts to leverage their popularity and royal connections in the United States to develop a personal brand. With or without taking on royal titles, Prince Harry and Markle are on the borderline of becoming a media power couple across the globe. How exactly they will earn an income remains to be made known. A report noted, "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may be stepping down from their royal duties but they are still part of the family. They are giving up a significant source of income and it's expected that Prince Charles will privately subsidize their lifestyles." Related Article: Meghan Markle in Danger? Prince Harry's Wife Secretly Learning Self-Defense @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-25 00:33:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday strongly urged the U.S. to immediately stop arms sales to Taiwan and cease military contacts with the island, to avoid further damages to the relations between the two countries and the two militaries. Wu Qian, a spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in an address on the U.S. State Department's approval of a plan to sell weapons worth 180 million U.S. dollars to Taiwan. This move by the U.S. side seriously violated the one-China principle and the three joint communiques between China and the United States and rudely interfered in the domestic affairs of China, to which China expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition, Wu said. It also sent a seriously wrong signal to Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authority and "Taiwan independence" separatists, seriously undermined China's sovereignty and security, and seriously jeopardized the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, according to Wu. "National rejuvenation and reunification are the aspirations of the people and an irresistible trend of the times, and no one and no force can stop it," he said. The People's Liberation Army will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to resolutely safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, Wu said. Enditem She's enjoying some time away from her busy schedule as she isolates with her boyfriend Eddie Boxshall and their respective children amid the coronavirus pandemic. And Denise Van Outen marked a highlight during Britain's ongoing lockdown as she and her beau threw his daughter Leah an incredible 21st birthday over the weekend. The presenter, 45, pulled out all the stops for her stepdaughter's big day, complete with extravagant balloons, a Chanel cake a kitchen disco. Milestone: Denise Van Outen marked a highlight during Britain's ongoing lockdown as she and her beau Eddie Boxshall threw his daughter Leah an incredible 21st birthday over the weekend The TOWIE narrator appeared in great spirits as she posed for snaps alongside the commodities trader, 45, and the birthday girl, who all treated themselves to champagne. Their home was decorated with vibrant balloon garlands, one of which was formed in the shape of Leah's new age. Taking things up a notch, a designer cake took inspiration from a monochrome Chanel bag and the fashion house's make-up collection. Happy birthday: The presenter, 45, pulled out all the stops for her stepdaughter's big day, complete with pink balloons, a Chanel cake a kitchen disco All about Leah: The TOWIE narrator appeared in great spirits as she posed for snaps alongside the commodities trader, 45, and the birthday girl, who all treated themselves to champagne Extravagant: Actress Denise unveiled the ornaments on her Instagram account while also showing off her outdoor hot tub Fancy: Taking things up a notch, a designer cake took inspiration from a monochrome Chanel bag and the fashion house's make-up collection Having fun: The trio later let loose as they boogied in their kitchen, with cool father Eddie taking to the DJ decks The trio later let loose as they boogied in their kitchen, with cool father Eddie taking to the DJ decks. The delighted parent captioned her image: '@leah.boxshall 21st birthday celebration in lockdown, just the 3 of us. Kitchen disco. 'Thanks so much @bonnevents for the amazing balloon decorations. All dropped off outside our house with clear instructions how to DIY the decs . Social distancing. We love you Leah. Happy birthday beautiful #21stbirthday.' [sic] Wow-factor! Their home was decorated with vibrant balloon garlands, one of which was formed in the shape of Leah's new age Recently, Denise made an appearance on Good Morning Britain where she spoke about the challenges of homeschooling her offspring amid the pandemic. Speaking from her home in Chelmsford, Essex, the TV star said of homeschooling her 10-year-old daughter, who she shares with ex-husband Lee Mead: 'Its not too bad. Betsys school is lovely and her teacher has been doing an online session everyday. I try to listen in. 'Its all new to the kids and its a little overwhelming at first. Its nice because as a parent you get to see how your child learns and also, Im learning too. 'Ive also realised I have zero patience, Im always trying to jump to the next thing and shes like, "I havent finished yet!"' Struggles: Recently, Denise made an appearance on Good Morning Britain where she spoke about the challenges of homeschooling her child Betsy, 10, amid the pandemic The blonde also gushed about Eddie's efforts in helping her brighten her locks, telling her interviewers: 'He did my roots! My lockdown roots. Im quite lucky. I was going quite grey in the front but at the back you could see Im not a natural blonde. Elsewhere in the interview, Denise also spoke about volunteering to make scrubs for NHS staffers, who have been caring for patients amid a shortage. She explained: 'A week and a half ago, one of my really good friends got me into a design company. Teresa [Manton] has made the curtains in my house. With time on her hands she thought, what can I do. She has a family member in the NHS. To dye for: The Loose Women panellist took the opportunity to heap praise on Eddie, her beau of almost six years, commending him for doing a 'brilliant job' of dying her hair 'So she started to make some scrubs and made a fundraising page. She wanted to make 1,000, but the donations have been flooding in. 'When I got the link for their donation page, I donated and then thought, Ive got time on my hands, Id love to help. So Im one of their voluntary cutters. 'Weve got scrubs out to South End Hospital, Haven Hospice and also GP surgeries. Its expanding. It started with 10 volunteers, now we have 40. We have a mix of men and women. 'Teresa messaged me saying she had a call from South End Hospital and they desperately need 50 gowns. There is a real need for them.' Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Geely Automobile Holdings Limited (HKG:175) is about to go ex-dividend in just 3 days. You can purchase shares before the 28th of May in order to receive the dividend, which the company will pay on the 1st of January. The upcoming dividend for Geely Automobile Holdings is HK$0.25 per share, increased from last year's total dividends per share of HK$0.23. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! As a result, readers should always check whether Geely Automobile Holdings has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut. View our latest analysis for Geely Automobile Holdings Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Geely Automobile Holdings has a low and conservative payout ratio of just 25% of its income after tax. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. It paid out more than half (55%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies. It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. SEHK:175 Historical Dividend Yield May 24th 2020 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. That's why it's comforting to see Geely Automobile Holdings's earnings have been skyrocketing, up 41% per annum for the past five years. Story continues Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, ten years ago, Geely Automobile Holdings has lifted its dividend by approximately 27% a year on average. It's exciting to see that both earnings and dividends per share have grown rapidly over the past few years. To Sum It Up Has Geely Automobile Holdings got what it takes to maintain its dividend payments? From a dividend perspective, we're encouraged to see that earnings per share have been growing, the company is paying out less than half of its earnings, and a bit over half its free cash flow. There's a lot to like about Geely Automobile Holdings, and we would prioritise taking a closer look at it. While it's tempting to invest in Geely Automobile Holdings for the dividends alone, you should always be mindful of the risks involved. To help with this, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Geely Automobile Holdings that you should be aware of before investing in their shares. We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. Love or hate this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email 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. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. Hong Kong braced on Sunday for its first protests since Beijing's controversial plan to directly impose national security laws on the city, in what could provide a litmus test of public opposition to China's tightening grip over the financial hub. Beijing on Thursday proposed tough security legislation for Hong Kong, a move that sent a chill through financial markets and drew a swift rebuke from foreign governments, international human rights groups and some business lobbies. In drafting the new laws, which could see the setting up of Chinese government intelligence agencies in the global financial center, Beijing plans to circumvent Hong Kong's lawmaking body, the Legislative Council. The move has sparked concerns over the fate of the "one country, two systems" formula that has governed Hong Kong since its return to Chinese rule in 1997 and which guarantees the city broad freedoms not seen on the mainland. Some local commentators have described the proposal as "a nuclear option" that is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's high-stakes power play. DOYLESTOWN >> A man convicted of attempted homicide for shooting a man during an assault in February 2019 at a Falls Township trailer park was sentenced on Jan. 19 to 18 to 40 years in state prison. Thomas Zorrer, 39, was convicted on all counts against him by a Bucks County jury in December. Besides attempted homicide, he was also... Security forces on Sunday arrested four associates of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)militants in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, an official said. "Police in Budgam along with security forces have arrested four terrorist associates including top terror associate of proscribed terror outfit LeT and recovered arms and ammunition from their possession," a police spokesperson said. The arrested persons have been identified as Waseem Ganie, Farooq Ahmad Dar, Mohammad Yasin and Azharudin Mir, he said. The spokesperson said incriminating material including arms and ammunition was recovered from their possession. As per the police records, the arrested persons were involved in providing logistical support and shelter to active terrorists of LeT operating in the area, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Przepraszamy! Ogoszenie na stanowisku: Senior Java Developer wygaso z dniem 2020-06-22 Ta propozycja bya zozona przez Nordea Bank Abp SA Oddzia w Polsce Mozliwe przyczyny wygasniecia oferty to: propozycja zozona przez pracodawce zostaa usunieta z naszej bazy zleceniodawca zakonczy proces rekrutacji uzyskujac odpowiednia ilosc CV rekruter zmodyfikowa tresc zlecenia i jest ono dostepne pod innym adresem url dostawca tresci usuna ogoszenie z bazy danych zy adres url ogoszenia Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w branzy Informatyka / Telekomunikacja, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Informatyka / Telekomunikacja Jezeli poszukujesz pracy na stanowisku Senior Java Developer, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Senior Java Developer Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w miescie: Gdansk, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Gdansk Jezeli chcesz zawezic poszukiwanie pracy do ofert zwiazanych z okreslonym stanowiskiem oraz miastem, zajrzyj tutaj: Senior Java Developer Gdansk Pamietaj, ze mozesz takze rozpoczac poszukiwanie pracy od strony gownej, kliknij tutaj. Inne ogoszenia, ktore mogy byc w kregu Twoich zainteresowan: Please DOUX follow us Doux Reviews has been on the web since 2004 and features thousands of episode reviews of the best classic and current television shows as well as many book and movie reviews Published on 2020/05/24 | Source /Yonhap Old-fashioned department stores are deserted due to the coronavirus epidemic, which has sent their revenues into freefall. Advertisement Lotte Department Store's first-quarter operating profit declined 82.1 percent on-year to W28.5 billion, while Hyundai Department Store's plummeted 65.3 percent and Shinsegae Department Store's 57.7 percent (US$1=W1,234). "A rapid increase in online purchases due to the epidemic has been the downfall of many department stores, which are the most vulnerable offline retail channel", said Suh Yong-gu at Sookmyung Women's University. "If they fail to offer innovative and differentiated services, their decline will accelerate even further". Several global department stores have already bitten the dust. Low-end U.S. chain J.C. Penney, which dates back to 1902, filed for bankruptcy protection last week. Until the early 2000s, J.C. Penney, along with peers Macy's and Sears, symbolized the booming American consumer culture. But Sears, established in 1893, already went bust in October 2018, while Macy's, which opened in 1858, is reeling under massive debts. About a week before J.C. Penney, Neiman Marcus also filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. state of Texas. Established in 1907 in the Austin area, Neiman Marcus grew by selling high-end products to customers flush with oil money. But it had been reeling under US$5.1 billion of debt when coronavirus forced it to shut down all 43 of its stores in the U.S. Germany's biggest department store operator Galeria Kaufhof also filed for bankruptcy on April 1, and the U.K'.s Debenhams followed suit on April 6. The downfall of traditional department stores was triggered by the radical shift in the retail industry's landscape and only accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic. Analysts project that more than 3,000 department stores worldwide will close down this year. A handout picture released by the Israeli Knesset (parliament) spokesperson's office on May 17, 2020, shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attending a parliamentary session in Jerusalem ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the new government. (Via AFP) Jerusalem: A new page in Israeli history opens Sunday as prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu becomes the first sitting premier to face criminal charges, accused of a string of corruption allegations he denies. After more than 500 days of electoral deadlock in which he fought for his political survival Netanyahu is to take his seat in the Jerusalem District Court for a new battle -- to stay out of prison and avoid a stain on his legacy. The 70-year-old is used to setting precedents: he is the first Israeli prime minister born after the foundation of the state in 1948 and the longest-serving in its history. But the impending trial is a deeply unwanted first. In 2009, prime minister Ehud Olmert stepped down after police recommended he be indicted for graft. He was later tried and convicted of taking bribes and sentenced to 27 months in prison, but was paroled after less than a year and a half. Like Netanyahu, Olmert came from the right-wing Likud party, although he subsequently defected to the centrist Kadima. Netanyahu is fighting tooth and nail to avoid Olmert's fate. Among the charges he faces is that he sought to illegally trade favours in exchange for positive coverage for himself in Yediot Aharonot, Israel's top-selling newspaper. He is also accused of accepting cigars, champagne and jewellery worth 700,000 shekels (180,000 euros) from wealthy personalities in exchange for favours. Perhaps most serious of all is the claim that Netanyahu offered media mogul Shaul Elovitch regulatory changes worth millions of dollars to his telecom giant Bezeq in exchange for favourable reporting on the Walla! news website. That charge is also the most complex, said Amir Fuchs, a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute, who says it differs from "classic" bribery cases where money changes hands. Political death warrant In this case, Fuchs argued, the allegation is that Netanyahu "is getting only media coverage," rather than cash. "It is unprecedented," he told reporters. But in the Bezeq case, Fuchs adds, Netanyahu is accused of doing far more than seek flattering write-ups. "It was actually complete editorial control of this site even on the specifics of which posts to make, or which pictures to make." Netanyahu denies all the accusations and claims he is the victim of a witch hunt by the media and legal officials. After months of suspense and repeated police questioning of Netanyahu, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in January filed charges against the premier. Many commentators considered this the premier's political death warrant. But Netanyahu retained the Likud leadership and after three inconclusive general elections managed to hammer out a power-sharing deal with his chief rival Benny Gantz. Under the agreement, Netanyahu will continue to lead the government for 18 months before handing over the premiership to Gantz. Conflict of interest Netanyahu's trial had been due to open in mid-March, but the COVID-19 pandemic lead to a postponement to May 24, and the proceedings will be marked by social-distancing and other hygiene measures. Netanyahu's lawyers requested that he be excused from appearing in person on Sunday afternoon (1200 GMT) at the opening of a trial that will stretch over months or even years with possible appeals. They argued that his attendance, to hear the formal reading of the charges against him and confirm that he has read and understands them, was merely technical. But the court rejected the request, citing a clause in Israeli criminal law stating that "a person may not be tried on criminal charges except in his presence." Under Israeli law, a sitting prime minister does not have automatic immunity from prosecution but also is not obliged to resign when charged, only when convicted and after all avenues of appeal have been exhausted. Yuval Shany, professor of law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, argues that there is "a basic incompatibility" between Netanyahu's role as head of the government and his status as a criminal defendant. In the latter role, Shany says, the premier will be "fighting very aggressively and maybe effectively to weaken the government authorities that are prosecuting him". "There is a very serious conflict of interest situation," he said. Once the trial is under way the three judges selected by the Supreme Court will be able to demand Netanyahu's presence in court when they consider it necessary. At any time before the verdict Israeli law allows Netanyahu to change his plea in exchange for lesser or fewer charges. Such plea bargains are common in Israeli courts. The IMF calls it the Great Lockdown. Morgan Stanley says it's the Great COVID-19 Recession, or GCR for short. Ed Yardeni, who coined the term "bond vigilantes" back in the 1980s, has named this the Great Virus Crisis. There's even a suggestion to call it a Pandession. As economists around the world search for the right terminology to describe the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression, it could take years to settle on a name, if history is any guide. Naming an economic crisis is more difficult than it seems. Credit:AP While many in the US now refer to the 2007-2009 slump as the Great Recession, that term is far from universal. In Anglo financial centres like Sydney and London, the term GFC - short for Global Financial Crisis - is more common. Others call it the North Atlantic Financial Crisis, since that's where it hit hardest. New deaths in New York from Covid-19 dropped below 100 for the first time since just after the state went under lockdown, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday, calling it a sign that we are making real progress." The state had 84 new fatalities.What were doing is working," Cuomo said, almost three months after the states first coronavirus case was diagnosed on March 1. At the start of Memorial Day weekend, the governor spoke largely of progress. Friday night he issued an unexpected order allowing groups of up to 10 people to gather anywhere in the state, as long as they maintained social distancing guidelines. Cuomo said that Long Island, hard hit by the virus, could begin reopening as early as next week, as could the seven-county mid-Hudson region. He gave no projection for New York City, which is the final area of the state without an indicated opening date. The city remains under official lockdown until at least May 28. The states daily death toll had been stuck in the 100s for 12 days, and the drop below 100 was first time since March 24. Cuomo announced New York would go on pause" on March 20, effectively shutting down the entire state. Overall Good News Eighty-four is still a tragedy, no doubt, but the fact that its down as low as it is really is overall good news," Cuomo told reporters in Albany. The peak of the crisis hit at 799 deaths in one day in mid-April. The official death count was 23,195 on Friday. New York reported 1,772 new virus cases on Saturday, for a state total of 359,926. Cuomo said that total and new hospitalizations continued to drop, as did admissions to intensive care. Cuomo didnt explain in detail his decision to allow gatherings of up to 10 people anywhere in the state, New York City included. He said he wasnt aware of a lawsuit filed Friday by the American Civil Liberties Union objecting to the governors earlier order that allowed gatherings up to that size only for religious services and Memorial Day commemorations. It depends on how people act," Cuomo said. You can have a safe gathering of 10 people. You can also have a wholly unsafe gathering of 10 people." After two months of lockdowns, regional leaders face a major test this Memorial Day weekend, as crowds flock to beaches and parks and gather for holiday celebrations. New York Citys beaches remained closed. Rain probably deterred many from traveling to Long Island or New Jersey on Saturday, an influx that local officials have feared. Sundays weather forecast looks less wet, and temperatures will warm somewhat by Monday. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! France's top court strikes down Macron's ban on religious gatherings Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Frances supreme court for administrative justice has ruled that the governments absolute ban on religious gatherings in hopes of stopping the spread of COVID-19 is unlawful and ordered the government to relax restrictions on religious worship. In a ruling Monday, the French Council of State reasoned that the general and absolute prohibition [on religious gatherings] is disproportionate when the government has allowed gatherings of fewer than 10 people for secular instances. According to France 24, the ruling gives the Macron government eight days to lift the outright ban on worship gatherings. Frances current policy bans all gatherings in places of worship except for funerals, which are limited to just 20 people. The government had previously indicated that religious services would be banned until June 2. The Council of State ruled the governments policy constitutes a serious and manifest violation of the freedom of worship. It is unclear what kind of policy will be enacted as a response to the ruling. But BBC reports that a judge ordered that all private gatherings of up to 10 people to be allowed. The councils ruling followed complaints from several organizations and individuals. The decision of the Council of State to order the lifting of the ban on assembly in places of worship is good news for freedom of worship which is a fundamental right, tweeted Sen. Bruno Retailleau, leader of the right-wing Republicans. According to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine, France has had over 181,000 confirmed coronavirus cases with over 28,000 virus-related deaths. An outbreak of coronavirus occurred in February and an international evangelical church conference was blamed for sparking what was the countrys largest cluster of COVID-19 cases. The annual prayer meeting at the Christian Open Door Church in the border city of Mulhouse near the German border in mid-February has been linked to thousands of COVID-19 cases. France is in the process of relaxing its coronavirus lockdown policies. Likewise, all U.S. states that ordered a lockdown are also in the process of lifting their COVID-19 restrictions. While some churches in the U.S. are considering whether to reopen their in-person services, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control warned this week that faith organizations looking to resume activities should be aware of the potential for high rates of transmission of SARS-CoV-2. These organizations should work with local health officials to determine how to implement the U.S. Governments guidelines for modifying activities during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent transmission of the virus to their members and their communities," the CDC advised in a recent report. Some churches that have already reopened their in-person services have made the decision to again halt in-person services after members and leaders tested positive for the coronavirus after reopening. One such church is the Catoosa Baptist Tabernacle in Ringgold, Georgia, a state that began to reopen some businesses starting on April 24. The Washington Post notes that the Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Houston, Texas, made a similar decision to halt in-person services after some members were infected following the churchs reopening on May 2. The majority of the Senegalese population will on Sunday be celebrating the feast of the end of Ramadan, or feast of Aid El Fitr. However, because of the coronavirus pandemic, opinions on the festivities are divided. Some are concerned about a turnover which is likely to fall sharply, this is the case of Lamine Diop, a young poultry farmer based in the suburbs of Dakar where he has worked for five years. "There's a big difference between this year and last year. The context created by the coronavirus has had a big impact in our field, for example on the 28th day of Ramadan, we still have unsold products," he said. Ifra Djiby Sow is the president of an association of breeders in the Dakar region and is anxious about the virus spreading. In the Senegalese tradition, on the feast of Aid El Fitr, families buy an ox which they share equally; but maintaining this tradition goes against the advice of health experts. "We are very afraid. If it were in our power, people would not share the meat here, because the disease is getting worse and people are forced to come together if they are sharing", Sow said. The majority of group prayers due to be held on Sunday have been cancelled and people have been asked to pray with their families at home instead. New Delhi/Mumbai, May 24 : With Muslims planning to celebrate Eid and the question of offering prayers at mosques looming amid coronavirus scare, Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik said that community members themselves restrained themselves from offering congregational prayers. Malik told IANS: "People have restrained themselves in Shab-e-Barat and Shab-e-Qadr and now similar thing has been decided on Eid -- only a limited number of people will offer prayers at mosques and eidgahs and the rest can pray at home." "The people have themselves decided and there is no pressure from the government as such. The religious leaders have told the community members how to offer prayers at home. So, 4 to 5 people can offer prayers at mosque or eidgah and then people can pray at home." Maharashtra has largest coronavirus cases in the country and any congregation could be counterproductive so the government has already taken consent and confidence of the community leaders in the state. Maulana Ashraf Imam of Malwani in Mumbai, who leads the Shia sect, said that since the prohibitory orders remain in force, notice on the prohibition of congregational prayers has been put outside the mosque since March when even the lockdown wasn't announced. "We are suspending congregational prayers; there is a SOP from the government which we are following." Eid is slated to be celebrated on Monday across the country since the moon was not sighted on Saturday. The federal government on Saturday said it has concluded payment of April stipends to beneficiaries under the N-Power programme. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouq, in a statement, also explained the reason for the delay in payment. She said her ministry encountered problems with the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS). The release was not specific on the type of problem the ministry encountered. The GIFMIS, launched in 2003, is an IT-based system being implemented by the federal government to enhance accountability and transparency in public finance management. The ministers comments came against the backdrop of enrollees clamouring for their April payment since the announcement of the lockdown in some states due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We encountered some delays on the GIFMIS platform but I can now announce that all N-Power beneficiaries from Batch A and B have been paid their April stipends, the minister explained. Streamlining scheme Ms Farouq also disclosed plans by the ministry to streamline the entire programme for better efficiency as soon as it pays May stipend. She added the action would also provide opportunities for other beneficiaries to enroll into the programme. About 200,000 young beneficiaries selected in 2016, under Batch A, were to have been dropped out of the scheme after two years of internship. There had been controversies between Ms Farouq and President Muhammadu Buharis Special Adviser on Social Investment, Maryam Uwais, about the exit package for the Batch A volunteers as each traded blame on who was responsible for the delay in disengaging the beneficiaries. The minister had blamed the National Social Investment Office (NSIO), under Mrs Uwais for having no viable plan for the exit of the beneficiaries. In reaction, Mrs Uwais said her administrators had made exit plans which had not been implemented before the office was moved under the leadership of Ms Farouq. She also said she had briefed Mrs Farouq on those plans. President Buhari in his Independence Day speech had announced the transfer of the NSIPs from the office of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to the newly-created Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development . We are working hard to streamline the programme for greater efficiency and to provide opportunities for more Nigerian youths. Details will be provided as soon as May stipend has been paid. The beneficiaries were supposed to spend 24 months on the programme but Batch A beneficiaries have spent over 40 months thereby denying other Nigerians an opportunity to access the programme and gain skills for entrepreneurship and employment, Mrs Farouq said. N-Power The N-Power Programme was inaugurated by President Buhari in 2016 to reduce poverty, unemployment and social insecurity among Nigerians. It involves the deployment of thousands of unemployed graduates to schools and other institutions to work there while the government pays them a stipend of N30,000 monthly. France is recording a decline in its coronavirus cases as the number of patients currently admitted in the hospital fell by 205 to 17,178 on May 23, according to data by the French health ministry. As per reports, the coronavirus infection rates also continue to slow down in France with just 250 new cases over 24 hours, which is an increase of 0.2%, below the average of 0.3% increase in the past week. As per data by Johns Hopkins University, France has registered 1,82,036 COVID-19 cases so far, of which over 28,000 people have lost their lives. Read: France To Hold Second Round Of Postponed Elections On June 28 France remains one of the worst affected countries in the world alongside its peers from Europe such as Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Both Spain and Italy have recorded an increase of 0.3% in terms of the number of cases going up in the past seven days. The peak in France has reportedly passed as the country recorded 250 new cases on May 23 compared to more than 17,000 on April 3. The new deaths in the country have also significantly decreased, recording just over 40 new deaths compared to 1,438 on April 15. Read: France PM Philippe Hints At Resuming Religious Services Earlier Than Planned Reopening France France started to reopen the country earlier this month with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe issuing new guidelines outlining how the country will move ahead in the coming months. Philippe issued guidance on the testing and isolation of the sick, wearing masks, and public gatherings. Philippe said it will be mandatory for people to wear masks in public places or travelling in public transport or taxis. Philippe also said businesses will be allowed to reopen but restaurants, cafes, and beaches will remain closed until at least June. Read: COVID-19: France To Announce Countrys Strategy For Relaxing Restrictions Read: France Allows Religious Services To Resume With Various Safety Measures (Image Credit: AP) Some Alabama parents are worried about what school might look like in the fall and it has some thinking they might as well just homeschool. Might not be a bad idea. Social media lit up last week as parents reacted to newly released CDC suggestions for what schools should do to safely re-open. Crucial: Many of the circulated infographics were not created by the CDC and caused alarm because they appeared to list face coverings for children older than two-years-old, 6-foot spacing, closed playgrounds and staggered schedules, among other efforts, as mandatory requirements. The actual report issued by the CDC stated that the long list of ideas to consider are just that -- considerations not requirements. Schools can determine, in collaboration with state and local health officials to the extent possible, whether and how to implement these considerations while adjusting to meet the unique needs and circumstances of the local community, according to the report. Implementation should be guided by what is feasible, practical, acceptable, and tailored to the needs of each community. For some Alabama parents, the suggestions hardly sound feasible, and depending upon what the state decides to require, they may choose other options. My autistic son will not wear a mask at all, wrote one parent in a public comment on an Alabama Family Connections Magazine Facebook post about potential guidelines. Im scrambling to find an alternative to traditional school What child is going to leave [a] mask on all day [and] stay 6 ft apart, wrote another. Looks like homeschool for us if this sticks. For other parents, homeschool may look appealing not because the state might require too much, but because they may require too little. I would love to send my son to first grade at our local elementary next year, but I dont feel confident that our state government will set realistically cautious requirements or that our local schools will follow them, wrote Sarah Fischer of Fairhope in the Reckon Women Facebook group. So Id be lying if I said I wasnt considering [homeschool]. The Alabama Department of Education last week issued guidance to assist preschool through 12th grade schools in opening for summer activities. Superintendent Eric Mackey emphasized that the summer recommendations, which include face coverings, increased cleaning efforts, and social distancing strategies were not laws but rather guidance and that a plan for the coming academic year may be ready by mid-June, reported AL.coms Trisha Powell Crain. "Some of the [CDC guidelines] are just not reasonable for practical application," Mackey said, saying one way or the other, school will open in August, according to Crain. But for some, it wont matter what schools do or dont do in the fall. The decision not to return has already been made. Tim Turner of Tuscumbia told me he and his wife have discussed homeschooling their rising sixth grader on and off over the years, but previously decided against it because they felt the benefits gained from the traditional school experience cannot be replicated at home. Now, with mounting health issues that Turner said leave him immunocompromised, he is enrolling his son in Alabama Connections Academy -- one of the states free online public schools -- to err on the side of caution. School-at-home takes many forms in Alabama. There are a handful of virtual public schools, such as the one Turner will use, that Alabama students may enroll in regardless of their school district. Athens Citys Renaissance School and Baldwin County Virtual School offer a hybrid experience, in which students spend some time in the classroom, some time at home. There is homeschool in the traditional sense, in which parents or tutors select their own curriculum and deliver it themselves in compliance with state laws. And then theres school-at-home brought on by the pandemic crisis -- a far cry from choosing to homeschool and a situation many say is unsustainable, particularly for working parents. Megan Preston of Montgomery said in the Reckon Women Facebook group that she does not consider the distance learning theyve been doing this spring to be homeschooling. Trying to continue a traditional school model but just moving it to the home did not work for our family, Preston said. If school resumes as usual in the fall, we will absolutely send our daughter back so that I can get back to work and because that's ideally what she needs. But if her school returns to distance learning, we will pull her out and homeschool so that we can fit school into our life on our own terms. A previous version of this article linked to an HSLDA description of Alabama homeschool laws. The link has been replaced with a more up-to-date and accurate link to the Alabama Dept. of Educations FAQ section about non-public school requirements. Rachel Blackmon Bryars is a Huntsville-based columnist for Al.com, co-host of Belle Curve Podcast and managing partner of Bryars Communications, LLC. Keep up with her work on her Facebook page. More columns about the pandemic by Rachel Blackmon Bryars: Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced mutiny in his party and fury across Britain on Monday for refusing to sack his closest aide Dominic Cummings who is accused of flouting the coronavirus lockdown by driving 400 kilometres from London. Defending one of Britain's most powerful men, Johnson said at the weekend Cummings acted "responsibly and legally and with integrity" by heading from London to northern England with his son and his wife, who was ill with COVID-19 symptoms. Many believe that was hypocritical given the government's mantra at the time to avoid such movements. "What planet are they on?" asked the Daily Mail, an influential right-wing paper usually supportive of Johnson and his adviser, who helped the prime minister to power and to secure Britain's exit from the European Union. Some 20 ruling Conservative Party lawmakers, 14 Church of England bishops and some scientists also expressed anger. "Johnson has now gone the full Trump," said Pete Broadbent, bishop of Willesden, comparing Britain's leader to his ever-controversial U.S. ally President Donald Trump. With a death toll around 43,000, Britain is the worst-hit country in Europe and the government was already under pressure over its handling of the pandemic. Conservative lawmakers reported being contacted by outraged constituents who had made sacrifices during the lockdown, including staying away from dying relatives. "I got swamped with even more emails from people who don't have a political axe to grind and who say... 'it looks as though it's one rule for them and one for us, why should we now abide by government guidance?'," said lawmaker Tim Loughton. Behavioural scientist Stephen Reicher, a member of a panel which advises the government, said the furore would wreck public confidence. "In a few short minutes tonight, Boris Johnson has trashed all the advice we have given on how to build trust and secure adherence to the measures necessary to control COVID-19." Johnson's Downing Street office said Cummings made the journey to his parents' property in County Durham to ensure his four-year-old son could be properly cared for by relatives if he fell ill along with his wife. Loading At the time, the government's instruction to anyone showing symptoms was not to leave the house for 14 days. The architect of the successful Brexit campaign in 2016, Cummings, 48, is a polarising figure, accused by many who wanted to stay in the EU of using inflammatory tactics and playing fast and loose with the facts. Ominously for him and for Johnson, many of the lawmakers and newspaper columnists calling for him to be sacked were Brexit supporters, not his usual critics. Coming home late on Sunday, Cummings was harangued by neighbours, including a woman who broke down in tears as she leaned out of her window and described the hardship she and her family had endured during the lockdown. In contrast to Cummings, Scotland's chief medical officer and a senior epidemiologist who advised the government both resigned after admitting they had broken lockdown rules. Reuters Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 24, 2020 19:11 606 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd9e67a9 1 National COVID-19,military,Intan-Jaya,police,Papua,West-Papua,OPM,TNI,Polri Free The Free Papua Movement (OPM) has denied that it was involved in the shooting of two members of the Intan Jaya regency COVID-19 task force, claiming that the two men were shot by security forces. We want to emphasize that the people who shot the two medical workers were TNI [Indonesian Military] and National Police personnel. They are the culprits, OPM spokesperson Sebby Sanbom said in a statement on Saturday, as quoted by tempo.co. Indonesia must take responsibility. The two medical workers identified as Amalek Bagau, 30, and Eniko Somou, 39 were reportedly shot while delivering medical supplies to a remote area in Intan Jaya regency at about 4:30 p.m. local time on Friday. Security forces said they evacuated the two men and transferred them to the Nabire General Hospital on Saturday morning. Amalek remains in critical condition, and Eniko has died from his wounds. Military and police personnel belonging to the Nemangkawi task force have said they are on a manhunt for an as-yet unnamed armed group that they say is responsible for the shooting. (kmt) (Newser) The White House on Sunday broadened its travel ban against countries hard-hit by the coronavirus by denying admission to foreigners who have been in Brazil during the two-week period before they hoped to enter the US, the AP reports. President Trump had already banned travel from the United Kingdom, Europe, and China. He said last week that he was considering similar restrictions for Brazil. The US leads the world in the number of confirmed cases, followed by Brazil, now Latin America's hardest-hit country. Third on the list is Russia. Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany cast Trump's latest move as one designed to "protect our country." story continues below The ban on travel from Brazil takes effect late Thursday. As with the other bans, it does not apply to legal permanent residents. A spouse, parent or child of a US citizen or legal permanent resident also would be allowed to enter the country. Brazil has reported more than 347,000 COVID-19 cases, according to a Johns Hopkins University count. It also has recorded more than 22,000 deaths, fifth-most in the world. The US has the highest number of infections, at more than 1.6 million, and has seen more than 97,000 deaths. (Read more Trump travel ban stories.) The Tripura schools would be restarted from June 01, a day after nationwide lockdown 4.0 is going to be concluded. The academic activities would begin in the schools from June 15, said Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath.There are 4,398 government and its aided schools and 335 private schools in the state. All the educational institutions were closed since March 17 , a week before announcement of first nationwide lockdown. The state government also asked the concerned authorities to ensure proper sanitization of the schools, providing drinking water facilities before the students attend their classes. The state has estimated to spend Rs. 1.35 crores for the sanitization task. The schools having enrollment of maximum 50 students would be given Rs. 1,500 followed by Rs. 2,500 to schools having 51-150 students, Rs. 3,500 to schools having 151-250 students and Rs. 5,000 to schools having more than 250 students to procure soaps, sanitizers, etc. Total 11,011 Mid Day Meal cooks and their helpers would be provided face masks, gloves, hand sanitizers etc. The concerned authorities were asked to make the arrangements by June 06, the minister told the media at Civil Secretariat on Saturday late evening. The pending papers of Class 10 and 12 board exams would be started from June 05. Kazik Staszewski is a rock legend in Poland, and his song, Your Pain Is Better than Mine, hit a chord last week or perhaps too many chords when it hit number 1 on a popular show. Within minutes of the show ending, the results disappeared from the website of the shows state-run broadcaster. Mr. Staszewskis anthem had vanished, along with the rest of the chart. One of the radio stations many now-resigned hosts says, even the Communist regime had more respect for the freedom of speech at Trojka than the current government has. The New York Times Disadvantaged students in NSW lost around two weeks' worth of learning in maths and more than a week in reading while schools were delivering lessons remotely, a report has found as children head back to classrooms on Monday. The Centre for Independent Studies paper argued schools should quickly triage their pupils' learning progress to stop those disadvantaged students slipping further behind. But other experts say wellbeing should be prioritised over learning assessment as students will have had vastly different experiences during the home-learning period. Glenn Fahey, research fellow in education policy at the centre, analysed Australian NAPLAN data alongside the results of a study from the United States in which some students learned remotely and others in class. Twelve people, including four of a family tested positive for Covid-19 in Himachal Pradesh late on Saturday and Sunday, taking the states tally to 197. Four cases were reported in Una two each in Kangra and Hamirpur and one each in Solan, Bilaspur, Chamba and Mandi. With this, active cases in the state have gone up to 131, said special secretary (health) Nipun Jindal. Back from Mumbai The three family members testing positive on Saturday include a 47-year-old woman and her two sons aged 23 and 26. A 44-year-old brother-in-law of the woman has also tested positive. All from Bangana subdivision, they had returned from Mumbai on May 17 and were under institutional quarantine at Una. One case was also reported from Ramshehar of Nalagarh subdivision in Solan district on Saturday night. The 43-year-old man was under institutional quarantine after coming in from West Bengal on May 19. Kangra hits 50 Meanwhile, two cases were reported from Kangra early on Sunday, taking its tally to 51. A 42-year-old man had travelled from Delhi and was under institutional quarantine at Baijnath. Another, patient a 48-year-old taxi driver came from Mumbai on May 14 along with three others from Hamirpur. He hails from Jawalamukhi area and was under home quarantine due to some medical condition. Thirty-seven cases are active with 13 recoveries and one death. A 20-year-old woman from the Barsar area of Hamirpur who came back with her family from Delhi on May 18 has also tested positive. She was under institutional quarantine. Another person tested positive late evening. Three more people tested positive in Chamba, Mandi and Bilaspur in the afternoon. The Bilaspur patient, a 48-year-old man, who originally hails from Jogindernagar of Mandi, returned from Delhi along with three others and was quarantined at Swarghat. Covid-19 report of his co-travellers is awaited. A 30-year-old man, who travelled from Mumbai, has also tested positive in Chamba. The patient from Mandi is a 19-year-old woman who returned from Mumbai with her parents and was under institutional quarantine. All the patients have been shifted to Covid-care centre. Himachal has had a spurt in Covid-19 cases after May 4 with 157 people testing positive and 87 cases in last four days. The biggest single-day spike was reported on Thursday with 42 cases. Hamirpur is the worst-hit district with 62 cases followed by Kangra with 51 cases. Twenty-four cases have been reported in Una, 20 in Solan, 14 in Chamba, 11 in Mandi, eight in Bilaspur, four in Sirmaur, two in Shimla and one in Kullu. A total of 59 people have recovered. A man who plunged a 30cm hunting knife into a police officer's back at a busy Sydney train station has claimed he has 'nothing against police' and no recollection of the shocking attack. CCTV footage captured the moment Senior Constable Hayden Edwards was stabbed by Mark Thompson, 54, on April 19 last year at the city's Central station. Thompson has been behind bars since the attack - which left Constable Edwards with a six-centimetre long wound. Details about the horrific incident can now be revealed after Thompson pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. After being tasered by officers the attacker said 'I've got nothing against police, I'll tell you that much', court documents state. Senior Constable Hayden Edwards (pictured in hospital after the attack) was stabbed in the back by Mark Thompson, 54, on April 19 of last year 'It's all just a bit of a blur,' Thompson said according to The Daily Telegraph. 'It's obviously me [in the footage] - it's a bit upsetting... I seen some police and all of a sudden I remember really just losin' it, just lost the plot. 'Everythin' seemed to be goin' dark I just remembered being tasered I don't even remember putting a knife in anyone or anything.' Police agreed facts said Thompson, from Townsville in central Queensland, bought the knife at Paddy's Market in Haymarket in the Sydney CBD on the morning of the attack. Court documents said he refused to answer when asked where the weapon had come from. Surveillance vision of the attack showed Thompson sneak up behind Edwards and suddenly stab him in the back as he walked past. Thompson (pictured left in stand-off with police after the stabbing) said the incident was 'all just a bit of a blur' and has no recollection of stabbing the police officer Pictured: The 30cm blade used in the attack. Thompson has pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm Pictured: The scene of the stabbing at Sydney's Central Station on April 19 of last year The 54-year-old then took a few more steps before turning to face the officer in a combat stance as if expecting retaliation. Police said Edwards had been lucky to escape with only minor injuries after being rushed to hospital for surgery. At the time of the attack, the officer had just finished a stint at Moree in remote north-west NSW before being transferred to Sydney. Thompson will be sentenced in July. - Agriculture CS Peter Munya said he had made several attempts to the party to save Kithure Kindiki from impeachment - He said, when he was presented with the charges against Kindiki he was unable to defend him as they were too heavy - Munya said Kindiki's impeachment was necessitated for opposing President Uhuru Kenyatta's takeover of Nairobi county leadership Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya has said he tried on several occasions to plead with the Jubilee Party leadership to save Senate deputy speaker Kithure Kindiki from impeachment but was unsuccessful. He said when he was presented with the charges against Kindiki and the others who have been ousted from their positions, he realised they were too heavy rendering them irredeemable from what befell them. READ ALSO: Kithure Kindiki: Dethroned deputy speaker hosts Tanga Tanga colleagues a day after his ouster Agriculture CS Peter Munya said charges against Kithure Kindiki were too heavy for him to save Kindiki from impeachment. Photo: Daily Nation Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Drifting Rift: Ruto's governor Jackson Mandago meets Mudavadi as Isaac Ruto warms up to Kalonzo Speaking during a meeting with leaders of coffee societies in Meru on Sartuday, May 23, Munya said the legislators were opposed to the takeover of Nairobi county leadership by the national government, hence directly fighting President Uhuru Kenyatta. I had tried to plead for some of those who have been removed from positions but when I was confronted with the charges, I could not defend them. The president was keen on restoring Nairobi, being the countrys capital and the governor had handed over the functions Why do you go ahead to oppose the move in parliament yet you are in the presidents party? If you disobey your political party, you cannot argue that the Constitution has been ignored when you are punished, Munya said. Ousted Senate deputy speaker Kithure Kindiki is also Tharaka Nithi senator. Photo: Citizen Source: UGC READ ALSO: Hatuwezi kuendelea na kafyu, lockdown, Rais Uhuru asema The CS faulted Deputy President William Ruto for rallying his supporters to oppose President Uhuru Kenyatta which he said would not be tolerated even in advanced democracies like the United States of America (USA). At the same time, Munya took issue with some leaders from the Meru community who he said were using Kindiki's impeachment for political fame. I have seen some people saying that Mt Kenya East region is now being side-lined. The ongoing changes should not degenerate into clan politics. The government wants to get the obstacles out of the way, said Munya. Some of the vocal leaders from the region who have faulted the head of state over Kindiki's impeachment include Meru senator Mithika Linturi. At least 10 MPs from the region also raised their voices over the matter accusing Uhuru of sidelining the region despite having voted for him overwhelmingly. 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 Parts of North India, Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat will continue to reel under the effect of a heatwave with no respite likely in days to comes, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its bulletin on Sunday afternoon. According to the IMD, heatwave conditions were observed over parts of Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Gujarat on Sunday. Here are the top developments: 1. Maharashtras Sonegaon in Nagpur recorded the maximum temperature in India on Sunday at 46.2C. Nagpur was the hottest location in the state and the second-hottest in India on Saturday. 2. Highest maximum temperature of 46.7C was reported in Pilani (East Rajasthan) on Saturday. 3. The IMD has issued a red warning for Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Rajasthan for the next two days. 4. An orange warning for heatwave has been issued for east Uttar Pradesh, said Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of IMDs Regional Meteorological Centre. 5. As per the IMD, the national capital witnessed the maximum temperature of 46C on Sunday. The heatwave conditions are likely to continue in Delhi for the following two days. Also read: Top hottest cities in India amid heatwave warning till next week 6. The temperature may take a slight dip later next week with a possibility of rain and thunderstorm around Friday (May 29) in the national capital, the weather department predicts. 7. The maximum temperature in Delhi is likely to hover around 46C until May 26. Some respite may be expected over the weekend. 8. Till May 27, there will be no respite. The maximum temperature can go up to 46- 47 degree Celsius in the Capital because of dry, hot winds blowing. From May 28 night, a western disturbance will affect us which may cause dust storm or thunderstorms. Low level easterly winds may also bring some relief after May 28, said Kuldeep Shrivastava, head, regional weather forecasting centre, Delhi. 9. According to the weather department, heatwave conditions are likely in parts of northwest, central and peninsular India in next four to five days. 10. The weather departments colour-coded warnings green, yellow, orange and red - are based on the intensity of the weather system. According to the IMD, heat wave is considered if the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40C or more for plains, 37C or more for coastal stations and at least 30C or more for hilly regions. Heatwave is declared based on: Departure from normal temperature Heatwave: Departure from normal is 4.5C to 6.4C Severe heatwave: Departure from normal is >6.4C Based on actual maximum temperature (for plains only) Heatwave: When actual maximum temperature 45C Severe heatwave: When actual maximum temperature 47C To declare heatwave, the above criteria should be met at least in 2 stations in a meteorological sub-division for at least two consecutive days, the IMD states. The Indian Institute of Management Lucknow (IIML) is getting ready to complete the admission process for the batch of 2020-22. The premier B-school announced the list of selected candidates on late Saturday evening who appeared in virtual interview this year. IIML director, Professor Archana Shukla said, Now gradually all IIMs are declaring the list of selected candidates whose results are ready. In the same process we also announced list of selected candidates. As soon as we completed online interviews, we declared our results. We had to do interviews online. We have declared the first list. The second and third list will follow thereafter. Thats the normal admission process. We have batch size of approximately 450 students, she said. When asked about when will the new session start, Prof Shukla said, We cant start the session early. We are ready full swing to further new session. I dont think anybody will start the session by June end. She said, We are planning to start with the online remedial session for first year. We have to avoid influx of students on campus initially so that social distancing could be followed. We will start classes when it opens completely as per the government advisory. We cant give the exact dates when the session starts. According to IIML director, the normal classes may begin from July end or first week of August We will also have to hold the examination for the first year students also which was scheduled from March 24 and was postponed because of pandemic COVID-19, she said. This year IIML revised its admission policy for its postgraduate programmes for academic year 2020-22, IIM-L officials said. IIM Lucknow excluded the writing ability test (WAT) that was of 10 marks from the evaluation components for admission to PGP-ABM/ PGP-SM owing to restrictions imposed by the government to contain Covid-19, said Prof Vikas Srivastava, IIM-L spokesman. This change in the evaluation components is applicable only for the batch of 2020-22, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON It has taken Jenny Thomsen a long time to feel comfortable in her own skin. More than 50 years after she was taken from her family as a baby, the Stolen Generations survivor still carries the weight of her trauma: Its thick. You could cut it with a knife. Stolen Generations survivor Jenny Thomsen met her mother for the first time at age 31. Credit:Rhett Wyman On the eve of Sorry Day, when Australia pauses to recognise members of the Stolen Generations on May 26, there are fears that the cycle of trauma continues for Aboriginal children, who make up almost 40 per cent of all children in out-of-home care in NSW. Despite this vast over-representation, the peak body for Aboriginal child protection in NSW, AbSec, is poised to lose around half of its $5.7 million annual funding next financial year, the Herald can reveal. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The NYPD is celebrating its 175th anniversary of protecting residents of New York City and its streets. NYPD News posted to its Twitter feed a video that highlights the anniversary with a video saying, We have been proud to serve this city and look forward to the next 175 years. In another post, theres a photo depicting the original New York City Police Headquarters, which was built from 1905 to 1909, where it housed the NYPD from 1909 to 1973. Since then, the NYPD has moved to its current location at 1 Police Plaza. Whether its the mall, restaurants, concerts, or even parks, people are making it clear: they wont be ready to go out to their favourite destinations until they feel confident about being able to go to the bathroom, that is. The idea of a return to life in public is unnerving enough for many people. But it turns out that one of the biggest obstacles to dining in a restaurant, renewing a doctors appointment or going back to the office is the prospect of having to use a public toilet a tight, intimate, and potentially germ-infested space. Its a hurdle vexing many business owners as they prepare to reopen in a time of social distancing, reduced capacity, and heightened anxiety about the very air we breathe. A Texas barbecue restaurant reopened only after hiring for a new job category: a bathroom monitor, who assures that people waiting their turn are spaced well apart. In Florida, malls are installing touch-free sinks and hand dryers in restrooms before opening their doors. McDonalds is requiring franchises to clean bathrooms every 30 minutes. Across the country, businesses are replacing blow dryers with paper towels, decommissioning urinals that now seem too close together, and removing restroom doors to create airport-style, no-touch entrances. Recommended Ryanair passengers must ask cabin crew for permission to visit toilet In San Luis Obispo, California, the Sunset Drive-In is holding back from reopening even though the health department gave it the green light because the owner hasnt figured out how to address customers concerns about catching Covid-19 in the bathroom. Before we open, we want to have the restroom problem solved for your safety, the owner, Larry Rodkey, wrote on Facebook. Sitting through approximately five hours of movies is a necessity for the enjoyment of the Drive-In. The theatre is considering installing more toilets, adding port-a-potties and hiring staff to disinfect bathrooms after each use. The Aut-O-Rama Twin Drive-In theatre in North Ridgeville, Ohio, reopened this week with 10 portable toilets added to the eight existing stalls, even though movie attendance was limited to 25 per cent of the usual capacity. On its marquee facing the highway, the theatre touted the advantages of outdoor, in-car movie watching: Social Distancing Since 1965. Portable toilets outside the Aut-O-Rama Twin Drive-In theater in Ohio (The Washington Post) (The Washington Post/Jeff Swensen) Owner Deb Sherman has instituted new policies, leaving plenty of space between cars, requiring masks, and enforcing six-foot distancing in the restrooms. Anyone not following established safe policies set forth may be asked to leave the theatre without a refund, the policy says. She doubled her staff from 10 to 20 to keep queues to a minimum and let customers see that someone was constantly disinfecting the restrooms and concessions stand. If we can give them some confidence about safety, people are ready to get out of the house and try and have a little more normal life, she says. The restroom situation didnt bother me personally, but it was the number one concern people had on our Facebook page, so I had to take action to make them comfortable. Americans have always had a fear of contamination from public restrooms, what were seeing now is part just heightened anxiety, but its also part reality-based Such comfort might be hard-won. Laura Maxwell is eager to find an entertainment option that would let her take her children, ages 11 and 13, out of the house safely. Maxwell, who lives in San Luis Obispo, would happily return to the Sunset Drive-In, but the prospect of restroom queues is bothersome. Bathrooms are a problem, she says. Theyre huge contact places, and if youre shedding the virus, itll be all over. Maybe they could just open up without bathrooms and people would know in advance and make the decision not to go, or to wear Depends [adult nappies]. Solutions to peoples anxieties might not be quite so simple, says Steven Soifer, president of the American Restroom Association, which advocates for safer and more-private public bathrooms. Americans have always had a fear of contamination from public restrooms, says Soifer, who also is a professor of social work at the University of Mississippi. What were seeing now is part just heightened anxiety, but its also part reality-based. Public restrooms in this country generally have open toilet seats no lids and high-pressure flushes create a plume of droplets that extends at least six feet. The coronavirus has been found in human waste up to a month after a victim has recovered. And a study published last week concluded that droplets created when we talk can hang in the air for at least eight minutes. Bathroom queues are a dilemma that has not been solved (The Washington Post) (The Washington Post/Jeff Swensen) Soifers group seeks a retooling of public facilities that would place toilets inside fully enclosed unisex stalls, as is more common in Europe and parts of Asia. There would be larger dividers separating urinals. In our country, people arent comfortable talking about bathroom issues in general, Soifer says. The old frontier mentality and the emphasis on personal liberty has led to an attitude where theres no standard for public restrooms other than the building code. Now we need to extend social distancing to restrooms, and its going to be very hard. Even if you limit the number of stalls, you then create a line of people outside. Makers of bathroom fixtures have seen a surge of restaurant owners and workplace managers ordering thorough renovations of their bathrooms a level of attention unusual in a country where many public restrooms havent moved much higher up the design ladder than the stereotypically awful petrol station bathroom. People are converting to fixtures with touchless features, says Jon Dommisse, director of strategy for Bradley Corp, a Wisconsin-based maker of workplace bathroom equipment. Theyre swapping out faucets, dryers, anything with buttons, levers, knobs. Theyre reducing the number of people allowed in at a time, taking doors off and adding wash stations outside the bathroom to relieve crowding. Most of all, were seeing a commitment to almost relentless levels of cleaning. To further ease consumer anxiety around restrooms, our customers are also more interested in providing proof of service. Weve even had some customers film our technicians performing a deep clean Bradley regularly conducts national surveys about bathrooms, and even in good times, 76 per cent of Americans say theyve had memorably bad experiences in public restrooms. The latest survey, conducted last month, found that 91 per cent of consumers want touchless fixtures in bathrooms, Dommisse says a number weve never seen before. Going away: push-button soap dispensers, and those high-velocity hand dryers that can blow germs across an entire room. Coming to a restroom near you: more copper fixtures copper has antimicrobial properties and dryers integrated into the sink so no one walks across the room dripping water. Maybe the multi-stall restroom is obsolete, says Michelle Kempen, an interior designer at Kahler Slater, an architecture firm in Milwaukee. With Covid, were moving towards a more European model, where the WC is a single room and then you go out into a shared sink area, along with touchless design and maybe a return to restroom attendants. Having an employee present at all times, she says, makes cleaning ongoing and evident. Sinks are covered to prevent people standing too close to each other (AP) But employees cost money, and the bill for retooling a restroom can be $25,000 (23,000) or more McDonalds is leaving it to franchise owners to foot the bill for $718 (579) touchless sinks and $310 (250) sensor-activated towel dispensers. Quick fixes are likely to be cheaper, such as a return to paper towels, additional signage and one-way foot traffic. Some businesses now want cleaning done by day rather than when theyre closed, so customers and employees can see the company taking cleaning seriously, says Michelle Goret, a spokeswoman for Cintas, an Ohio-based supplier of restroom services. To further ease consumer anxiety around restrooms, our customers are also more interested in providing proof of service, Goret says. Weve even had some customers film our technicians performing a deep clean to share with their customers and employees. Figuring out what might restore consumer confidence is more art than science. In a Washington Post/University of Maryland poll this month, 78 per cent of those surveyed said they would be uncomfortable eating at a sit-down restaurant. The results were similar whether people lived in a state that is opening up businesses or one still operating under tight restrictions. In South Florida, where many stores are reopening, the Bal Harbour Shops mall hired 14 extra people to clean. Restaurants will move their seating outdoors, but customers still need to go inside to use the restrooms, which are being renovated to include automatic doors, touchless sinks and dryers. In Milwaukee, at Good City Brewings two locations, owner David Dupee plans to control the number of people and mark off space where people should stand while theyre waiting for the restroom whatever we can to make people feel comfortable that guests around them will be appropriately distant. But we dont expect any return to normalcy until theres a vaccine. Weve all been trained in recent weeks to walk across the street when we see other people on the sidewalk. Thats just in our psyche now. Toilet closures are a real problem for certain vulnerable groups, such as the homeless (Getty) Outdoor venues might seem to be the easiest to reopen, but whether they are sports stadiums, concert facilities or parks, visitors still eventually need to go a packed event and beer and soda sales inevitably lead to crowded bathrooms and long lines so managers of such spaces are focusing on how to provide relief. Some cities have put portable toilets on streets to serve homeless people who previously depended on restrooms in public libraries, community centres and fast-food restaurants The American Hiking Society has recommended that people limit their walks to places in their neighbourhoods, in part to avoid having to stop to answer natures call. Bathrooms at many parks and beaches are shuttered, and those that are open struggle with staffing and with maintaining a supply of toilet paper, which remains difficult to find in many places. Some mayors have even talked about hiring guards to assure that toilet paper doesnt walk off the premises. All beach restrooms remain closed in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, but the Outer Banks town is taking bids from private services to clean bathrooms every 90 minutes and disinfect them every night once they reopen, probably in late May. Town manager Matt Zapp says the added measures will cost $250 (202) per cleaning for each of the three public restrooms, as well as the towns fire, police and EMS stations. Although beach crowds so far have been substantially less than normal, Zapp says public demand to return to life as we knew it is increasing weekly. The shuttering of many public facilities already has posed a considerable hardship to essential workers such as delivery drivers and police, and to homeless people, who say the closings of toilets in stores, restaurants and even fire stations have made it difficult to get through the day. Truckers and food delivery drivers have filled social media with accounts of their fruitless search for open restrooms at their usual stops. Some restaurants now limiting their business to takeout service are barring delivery drivers from their bathrooms, erecting walls of tables and chairs to keep people out. One by one: urinal layouts will have to have a rethink (Getty) Some cities have put portable toilets on streets to serve homeless people who previously depended on restrooms in public libraries, community centres and fast-food restaurants. Seattle opened six hand-washing stations and 14 portable toilets near homeless encampments, and San Francisco is staffing public bathrooms at 49 locations where homeless people congregate. Even police officers are having trouble finding a place to go during their shifts. Coffee shops are closed and fire stations formerly hospitable to other first responders are taking a newly cautious approach. In Manchester, Maine, the fire station restroom was closed to the state and county cops who usually pop in. No law enforcement, says the sign on the door. We have a small, volunteer fire department and it would be devastated if we lost a couple of guys who had to quarantine, says Robert Gasper, who is chairman of the town board of selectmen and a captain in the fire department. Volunteerism is down across the country, so we cant afford to take a chance. Such uncertainty is likely to remain as people decide when to resume going out, and part of the calculus will be whether they can make it comfortably through a day. The new normal is going to be travelling with your own toiletries, says Sonia Massey, who, with her husband Bill, developed the Restroom Kit, a packet the size of a deck of cards that includes a toilet seat cover, three feet of toilet paper, and sanitary wipes. They also sell hand sanitiser in misters and gel bottles. The Masseys, who live in Clinton, Maryland, have seen sales surge for their five-year-old product a sign, they say, that people who feel theyve lost control are eager to take charge of at least lifes most intimate aspects. Any restroom outside your house is a public restroom, Sonia says. Unless you cleaned it yourself, you just dont know. The Washington Post After the state government lifted the curfew in Punjab on May 18, the department of posts, Ludhiana, has witnessed a surge in parcel bookings, with people frequenting post office branches to place orders for medicines, registered posts and other articles. Against 150 to 200 parcel bookings a day during the curfew period, the number has now significantly gone up to 1,800-2,000 articles a day within a week of lifting of the restrictions. Amanpreet Singh, senior superintendent of post office, Ludhiana, said that as business operations are gradually coming back on track, the bookings for various parts of the country have increased. Normally, we book 3,000 to 4,000 articles a day. We are expecting a further increase after May 31, when lockdown 4.0 is likely to end, said Amanpreet Singh. Ludhiana senior superintendent of post office said the department staff have been taking all necessary measures concerning Covid-19. We are following standard operating procedure (SOP) at every level to ensure that our staff remains safe while executing delivery of posts and articles reach people safely in a time-bound manner. There are foot operated hand sanitiser stands at the entrance of our offices for visitors and all parcels are sanitised before being dispatched, he added. Officials said that they were also sanitising mail motor service (MMS) vehicles, mail boxes and its offices on a regular basis. Giving priority to medicines and medical aids, the department of posts, Punjab circle, has booked and delivered 18,723 articles since the lockdown. Midland Public Schools Superintendent Michael Sharrow said that the emergency shelter at Midland High School has been discontinued after providing shelter, food and care for four days and four nights to a total of 150 people displaced by the flooding of the Tittabawassee River. By Saturday evening, longer-term accommodations had been found for all the residents who were still staying at MHS and couldn't return to their homes, Sharrow said. "We placed every citizen out into longer-term care, and some went back to their apartments," he told the Daily News, noting that the residents from Riverside Place won't be able to return there for an indefinite period. "The hotels in town have stepped up. The Convention Bureau is paying some of the bills," Sharrow said. He explained that the number of people at the shelter decreased each night until it was no longer needed. "(Saturday) by 6 or 7 p.m., we had it all cleared out. We moved all the donations to distribution centers," Sharrow said. "We're going to do some staging in the (MHS) parking lot for distribution early (this coming) week, is what I'm told." The superintendent said that at least eight MPS administrators and school board members were at the shelter for almost the whole time it was open. "We had 400 to 500 volunteers at one time or another," Sharrow said. "We had nurses from all over Michigan helping with the elderly residents. They were working 24-hour shifts." He said one Dow High graduate organized a network of nurses from as far away as metro Detroit to help, some of whom had been laid off from their jobs. A caterer from Bay City, among many others, drove over to provide food. And one individual even set up an outdoor movie screen one night for the shelter residents to watch a movie. "It was amazing to see the goodness come out from so many people. I used to say, 'There but for the grace of God go I,' and I think a lot of people thought that and said, 'Hey, we're supposed to be doing something more.'" Sharrow also reported in a mass email communique Sunday morning (https://bit.ly/3bUjLBX) that H.H. Dow High School had standing water from the flooding and its newly-renovated library/media center "took a direct hit from the floodwaters." "We have had ServPro working their magic to remediate the mud and debris so we can restore this beautiful learning center for our Dow High Chargers for the upcoming school year," he wrote in the email. "The carpeting (in the media center) was just put in last summer. The carpeting has been stripped now," Sharrow told the Daily News. "We'll do work in there. There's tile that has to be removed as well." Overall, he is grateful that no other MPS school building had flood damage, even Woodcrest Elementary, which is in the west part of the city that was hit significantly by flooding. In terms of what remains of the school year, which is scheduled to end for students on Friday, June 5, Sharrow acknowledged that some teachers and students are just not in any position to continue the remote learning because their homes are either damaged or destroyed by the flooding. "Our administrators are going to survey how many teachers are able to continue teaching," he said. "We're just going to leave it wide open. If you can connect (and continue instruction) this last week (and a half), so be it. It you can't, you can't. "We'll have to do (extra instruction) next fall. It's been a bad year (due to the coronavirus and flooding), and we'll regroup," Sharrow added. Sharrow also said that the flooding has damaged hundreds of MPS-issued Chromebooks, which students have been using at home since school buildings closed on March 16. "We scrambled to put in orders in for more Chromebooks, since the waiting time for getting those devices right now is definitely backlogged," he said. "Hopefully we'll have them before (school resumes in) August, but we'll see." MPS is continuing to provide free lunches and breakfasts to all children up to age 18 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (except Memorial Day). "Please know that the Grab & Go Food Service is continuing," Sharrow wrote in the email. "It is also important to know that this is not just for MPS families. This is for any child ages 0-18. The meals are being disbursed from MHS, all MPS elementary schools and from various sites via MPS school buses." In the communique, Sharrow also congratulated the Midland High and Dow High senior classes of 2020, whose last day of school was on Friday. "These hardworking, goal-oriented graduates have completed their K-12 journey," he wrote. "We wish them all the best as they embark on the next leg of their life's journey ... whether it be post-secondary education, the world of work, the military, etc. ... please know the best wishes of your MPS family go with you. We can't wait to see the places you'll go and the accomplishments you'll realize." Graduation ceremonies for both high schools are still tentatively scheduled for Friday, July 24 at Dow Diamond. Amid the lockdown, Paige, a10-year old girl from California created a plastic curtain with arm slots so that she could hug her grandparents while quarantined! The girl, whose mom Lindsay Orkay works as a nurse, had self isolated herself from her daughter. Paige spent hours to complete the so-called hug curtain created using shower curtains, a hot glue gun and disposable plates. She said she got her inspiration after watching a video of someone making a blanket to hug their family members.She came up with the idea, she laid it out in the family room and spent multiple hours working on it, Paiges mother, Lindsay Okray, told a news website, KABC. In times like these when we need our family most, many providing essential services are away. Paiges hug curtain went viral on social media, and netizens praised her for a coming up with such a lovely idea to make her grandparents feel loved. Closer home, essential workers say it was a bittersweet feeling to be away from loved ones, and they craved for their touch. I was happy to serve the nation and sad to be away from family physically. I had been working in the hospital for a week continuously. When I came home, my daughter ran towards me and I had to move away. Tears welled up in my eyes but to keep her safe, I had to be away, says Priya Suresh, a nurse employed with a Noida hospital. Similarly, when a police officer comes back home after his/her duty, they have to quarantine themselves from their family. Recently, a moving image of a police officer sitting outside his home and eating went viral. In the picture, his daughter stood at the door gazing at him as he ate. Until a week ago, Monika Bhardwaj, DCP North Delhi, had to hide herself from her little daughters to avoid all physical contact. I have twin daughters who are just 3-years-old, they couldnt understand why they couldnt meet me. Mumma ke sath keeda ata hai (an insect comes along with mom) is what we used to tell them but they still wanted to be with me. So I hid from them. Initially, erratic work hours and new challenges made life very stressful. Playing with my kids is always a stress buster but I couldnt even do that, shares Monika Bhardwaj, DCP North Delhi. The police officer says that many of her colleagues didnt even go home and stayed away from family as they were involved in ground work amid the coronavirus outbreak. Thats how it is for us, but then our commitment to duty comes first, she says. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prerna Gauba Prerna Gauba writes on fashion and food, for the daily Entertainment & Lifestyle supplement, HT City. ...view detail HONG KONG, May 24 (Reuters) - Hong Kong braced on Sunday for its first protests since Beijings controversial plan to directly impose national security laws on the city, in what could provide a litmus test of public opposition to China's tightening grip over the financial hub. Beijing on Thursday proposed tough security legislation for Hong Kong, a move that sent a chill through financial markets and drew a swift rebuke from foreign governments, international human rights groups and some business lobbies. In drafting the new laws, which could see the setting up of Chinese government intelligence agencies in the global financial centre, Beijing plans to circumvent Hong Kong's lawmaking body, the Legislative Council. The move has sparked concerns over the fate of the "one country, two systems" formula that has governed Hong Kong since its return to Chinese rule in 1997 and which guarantees the city broad freedoms not seen on the mainland. Some local commentators have described the proposal as "a nuclear option" that is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's high-stakes power play. A backlash intensified on Saturday as nearly 200 political figures from around the world said in a statement the proposed laws said the proposed laws are a "comprehensive assault on the city's autonomy, rule of law and fundamental freedoms". China has dismissed other countries' complaints as "meddling" and rejected concerns the proposed laws would harm foreign investors. On Saturday, local Hong Kong media reported police were seen entering Beijing's main representative bureau in the city, the Liaison Office, ahead of protests expected to start later in the bustling shopping district of Causeway Bay. The rally was initially organised against a controversial national anthem bill, which is due for a second reading at the Legislative Council on Wednesday. The proposed national security laws sparked calls for more people to take to the streets. Story continues Hong Kong has increasingly become a pawn in deteriorating relations between Washington and Beijing, and observers will be watching for any signs of resignation to defeat among the broader local community or indications that activists are gearing up for a fresh challenge. Anti-government protests that escalated in June last year plunged the city into its biggest political crisis in decades, battered the economy and posed the gravest popular challenge to President Xi since he came to power in 2012. The sometimes violent clashes that roiled the city saw a relative lull in recent months as the government imposed measures to curb the spread of coronavirus. (Reporting by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) T he devastated father of a law student who was shot on her way to a supermarket in Blackburn has said he came to the UK to "find safety" for his family. Innocent passer-by Aya Hachem, 19, was gunned down as she walked to shops near her home in Lancashire last Sunday. The first of two shots fired from a passing vehicle hit a building but the second hit the teenager in the chest. Ismail Hachem told the Sun on Sunday he would "never recover" from the death of his daughter, who had her funeral in Lebanon on Friday. Relatives of Aya Hachem carry her coffin during the funeral at a cemetery in her family's hometown of Qlaileh / REUTERS Aya meant everything to me," he said. She was worth sacrificing my life and leaving my family and my home country behind to make a better life. It was all worth it because Aya was successful, but she died in the most horrific way. All her dreams were crushed by a single bullet." He added: She never got a chance to graduate, she never got a chance to enjoy her life, she never got to experience any of it. "All of this because someone decided it was okay to mercilessly shoot our daughter. She out of all people did not deserve such an ending like this. I will never recover from this. Aya had just completed her second year of university when she was gunned down in Blackburn / PA Mr Hachem and his wife and children flew out on Friday with Aya's coffin. The Lebanese Embassy had arranged for Ayas body to be repatriated and buried in Qlaileh, southern Lebanon. Mr Hachem told the Sun how Aya had been singled out by teachers for her intelligence at an early age. Her father had served in the army for ten years but he was working at a pizza shop when he was caught in crossfire and shot in the back. It was at this point he decided to move the family to Britain for their safety. The mother (centre) of Aya as she mourns during her daughters funeral in the southern Lebanese town of Qlaile / AFP via Getty Images We came to England to find safety, for a better life," said Mr Hachem. "How are we supposed to feel safe now? Aya was so excited about what the future held for her, like what car she was going to get once she passed her driving test. All for her to walk down a street and get shot. How can someone think its okay to take someones life away like that? How can such a vile human being think its okay to crush all her goals and dreams like that? Aya and her mother used to discuss what graduation dress she was going to wear next year, but instead her mother dressed her in her funeral dress. Mourners throw rose petals on the casket of Aya Hachem / AFP via Getty Images Her Uncle Ali, 40, said when Aya arrived in Britain, aged nine, she was only able to say hello but picked up English so quickly that within two months you wouldnt say she was from another country". Aya became one of the youngest trustees in the history of the Children's Society aged 16 and went on to study law at the University of Salford. She had just passed her second year and was looking for a work placement when she was gunned down getting groceries from Lidl for her family during Ramadan. Blackburn residents Feroz Suleman, 39, Kashif Manzoor, 24, Uthman Satia, 28, and Abubakir Satia, 31, and Judy Chapman, 26, of Great Harwood, appeared in court on Saturday facing charges of murder. The five were also charged with the attempted murder of their intended target, Pashar Khan, and appeared in court yesterday in a series of short hearings. We want justice for our daughter," said Mr Hachem. Im not sure how we will recover from such a tragedy, but all we can do is make sure we get justice for Aya once and for all. France is relaxing its border restrictions as the virus gradually recedes, allowing migrant workers and family visitors from other European countries but is requiring quarantine for people arriving from Britain and Spain. Starting Monday, France is abandoning border checks installed in March and switching to spot checks in various places, according to a government statement. It is also broadening the categories of people allowed from other countries in Europe's border-free travel zone to include migrant workers and people coming for family reasons. However, since Britain and Spain are requiring quarantine for those arriving from elsewhere in Europe, France is doing the same. It will be a voluntary 14-day quarantine, based on reciprocity for measures taken by Britain and Spain in an uncoordinated manner, the French government said. Travellers from outside Europe are still banned until at least June 15, except for French citizens. Any traveller arriving in France must fill out a permission form justifying the trip and a signed paper declaring that they don't have symptoms. The government said France is working with other European countries on standard Europe-wide travel rules. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A coalition of local and international anti-corruption groups has asked the Nigerian media to protect public interest and the integrity of the judiciary by ensuring professional ethics in the report of the scam associated with OPL 245. OPL 245 is the oil block for which Shell and Eni paid $1.1 billion in 2011 in a deal mediated by the Jonathan administration. The money did not go to the Nigerian government but ended up, largely, in the hands of private individuals including a former petroleum minister, Dan Etete. The matter is being investigated in at least five countries with some of the accused prosecuted in Nigeria, Italy and the UK. The groups that released the Sunday statement said it was sub-judicial for a section of the media to attempt a verdict while the judicial process is yet to run its full cause. Read the full statement by the groups below. OPL 245: Nigerians alerted on plans to subvert justice PRESS STATEMENT A coalition of local and international anti-corruption movements have alerted Nigerians on what appears an orchestrated plot to thwart corruption charges against oil giants associated with OPL 245 scam in which the country was swindled through a cobweb of criminal gangs. In a statement on Sunday, the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), Re-Common, Cornerhouse and Global Witness asked the Nigerian media to protect public interest and the integrity of the judiciary by ensuring professional ethics in the report of the scam associated with OPL 245. The statement was signed by Antonio Tricario, (Re-Common), Nicholas Hidyard (Cornerhouse) Simon Taylor (Global Witness) and HEDA Chairman, Mr Olanrewaju Suraju. The groups said it was sub-judicial for a section of the media to attempt a verdict while the judicial process is yet to run its full cause. The groups said a section of the media had chosen to comment on proceedings that are partisan, inaccurate and misleading commentary aimed at influencing the outcome of a trial before it has run its full course. It says such media interference constitutes a serious threat to justice. The OPL 245 is one of Africas richests oil fields handed over to an obscured company, Malabu oil that had only few days earlier registered in 1998 under the military regime of late Gen Sani Abacha. It later witnessed a string of dirty deals spanning 20 years. Italys Eni and Royal Dutch Shell currently face corruption charges in Italy in their various activities linked to the bid for the rich oil field. The coalition said recent media reports were veiled attempts to prorect oil giants and former public officers associated with the scam by attacking the credibility of the prosecutors in charge of the case in Milan. The groups said having attended the trial, they could attest to the professionalism of the prosecutor, whose probity has never been questioned by the Tribunal or the defendants legal teams, which include some of Italys top lawyers. They noted that the trial has stretched over two years and has generated hours of testimony. The groups said Thisdays article misleadingly focusses on a few minutes in one hearing nearly 18 months ago to allege that the Prosecutor hid key facts relating to Mr Adokes mortgage. In fact, the Prosecutor has been entirely candid. Evidence relating to mortgage repayments was included in the Prosecutors file submitted to the Court when the trial opened and additional evidence has been filed during the trial. They observed that most recently, on 29 October 2019, the Prosecutor submitted extensive documentation received through a Mutual Legal Assistance request to Nigeria. It is our understanding that this included (inter alia) full details of money flows into and out of Mr Adokes account at Unity Bank, the internal Unity Bank documentation relating to the mortgage and property records relating to Plot no 3271 Cadastral Zone 06, Maitama, Abuja. They jointly criticised attempts to rubbish the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), which launched investigation into the crime. The coalition said the Thisday article was published on the same day that a report by British academics found that Nigeria was making good progress in the enforcement of anti-corruption laws adding that the report had praised the EFCC as a robust and effective agency. Advertisements The anti-corruption leaders said it would be a great pity if the EFCCs hard-earned reputation was undermined by ill-informed opinions adding that pulling down the EFCC to satisfy the interests of a corrupt few will undermine sustainable growth and development in Nigeria. The first of five Iranian tankers filled with gasoline made it to Venezuelan waters late on Saturday. The oil tanker Fortune was welcomed by Venezuelan officials who celebrated the growing relationship with Iran spurred by Trump administration sanctions to both countries. 'Iran and Venezuela have always supported each other in times of difficulty,' Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza tweeted. 'Today, the first ship with gasoline arrives for our people.' Russ Dallen, head of Caracas Capital Markets, confirmed the ship's location using tracing technology. The Clavel, the last of the five ships, is roughly 3.5 days away, he explained to ABC News. The oil tanker Fortune was welcomed by Venezuelan officials who celebrated the growing relationship with Iran as it made its way on Saturday night Russ Dallen, head of Caracas Capital Markets, confirmed the ship's location using tracing technology. The Clavel, the last of the five ships, is roughly 3.5 days away It is estimated that the Iranian tankers have enough gasoline to supply the South American company for two to three weeks. The U.S. government has accused Iran and other nations of supporting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who won his 2018 election by illegitimately banned other opponents. Iran has also flown shipments of key chemicals needed to help jump start a Venezuelan oil refinery and produce gasoline. On Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned the U.S. not to interfere with the shipment. He said that the United States created 'unacceptable conditions' for other parts of the world but stressed that Iran would 'by no means' initiate conflict. 'If our tankers in the Caribbean or anywhere in the world face any problems caused by the Americans, they will face problems as well,' he added. 'We hope the Americans will not make a mistake.' The Trump administration has recently deployed ships, including Navy destroyers and other combat ships, to patrol the area in what they are calling a drug interdiction mission. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (right) and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif pictured in 2016 'Iran and Venezuela have always supported each other in times of difficulty,' Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza tweeted. 'Today, the first ship with gasoline arrives for our people' Maduro and his government believe the move is a direct threat. The Trump administration also recently offered a $15million bounty for his arrest. With assistance from the military, along with powers like China and Russia, Maduro has managed to stay in power. The U.S. has accused them of 'malign activities and meddling' around the world. 'We will not abide by their support of the illegitimate and tyrannical regime of Nicolas Maduro,' the Trump administration said in a statement. 'Will continue until Maduro's hold on Venezuela is over.' Maduro appeared on state TV ahead of the ships' arrivals and vowed to respond to any aggression made by the U.S. against the tankers. 'They want to enslave us,' Maduro said Thursday. 'If you want peace, you must be prepared to defend it.' According to Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Maduro's defense minister, armed forces are prepared to welcome and escort each ship. Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas and Americas Society research center, declared that any U.S. action would 'too easily escalate' tension. '(That) would needlessly undermine the narrative that Venezuela, with the world's largest proven oil supply, has to import gasoline from Iran of all places because they have become such an international pariah,' Farnsworth said. 'If they don't, Caracas claims a great victory for the fatherland and tries to portray the U.S. as impotent.' In December 2017, broadcaster Sarah McInerney was facing an uncertain future. In August of that year she was unceremoniously ousted from her Newstalk drivetime slot with Chris O'Donoghue to make way for the station's new addition Ivan Yates. She stayed on for a few months on a weekend show before walking away. It was, in her own words, her steepest learning curve and probably helped her get to where she is now - fronting RTE's flagship mid-morning show in Sean O'Rourke's former slot. "I was definitely burned by it because I wasn't used to the broadcasting industry which is very different from print," she told the Sunday Independent. "It really taught me a lesson about the impermanence of broadcasting jobs. Expand Close Lessons: Vincent Browne. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lessons: Vincent Browne. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin "It is not like you own a show; it can be taken from you at any time and it doesn't matter who you are. At the time, it felt awful and I never expected it." In many respects McInerney, a Galway native and DCU Journalism alumni, meandered into a radio career. She quickly moved on from being a Sunday Tribune diarist with a column 'Sarah in the City' to a general news reporter and moved again to the role of political correspondent, but not before she caught the eye of icon Vincent Browne. "When I was in college in DCU, I wanted to be a fiction writer and I thought journalism was the best place to start. "When I did the course, I enjoyed the feature writing and the straight reporting. But I hated the radio and TV modules. "I started getting into it when I was in the Sunday Tribune and I had done a piece on Princess Diana and the conspiracy theories around her death. Vincent invited me on the show to talk about it. And, thank God, because I was so young and green that he just left me there to talk about it. He didn't go through me for a shortcut; he was kind on that occasion." Browne wasn't always kind and she learned quickly not to enter his lair unprepared. His 'hairdryer treatment' on live television remains with her to this day. "I remember distinctly on one occasion when I forgot myself and gave some opinion that was just my all-encompassing general view about the world. Video of the Day "He went through me. It was one of the best lessons I have ever learned; never go on any show without having any facts to back up what you are planning to say." When Newstalk came along it was straight into the deep end and she learned on the job in traditional fashion. "I hadn't presented any radio at all when Newstalk came calling," she says. She spent a year with the station before deciding to move on and this gave her invaluable experience at fronting her own radio show. It also helped her develop the tough skin needed to front such an agenda-setting slot as The Today Show, given the amount of online abuse she received. "I find it fascinating at how misogynistic some people can be," she said. "I am not surprised at the trolling. In Newstalk, they used to send in the texts. I saw an awful lot about what people were saying about me and it wasn't nice, it was abuse. "They don't do that in RTE, thank God, they edit them first or just pick out the ones that they want you to read out." She has stewardship of The Today Show until September and insists she has no idea what will happen then. She concedes that she probably wasn't prepared for the "level of expectation" that came with such a revered show. "I was just delighted to get it. And then, I don't know why, I didn't think about the level of hype there would be when Sean retired. I get it, though; they are big shoes to fill. Sean was fantastic and I loved listening to him but my approach is to just put as much of it out of my head as is possible and to try and enjoy it and see what happens." It is clear from a quick trawl of social media that the only real criticism of McInerny's appointment was down to gender. "I see it as a job and I don't see myself as a woman broadcasting, I see myself as a broadcaster," she said. "When I started, I got a whole load of messages from mostly women and loads of lovely cards as well sent into RTE. That makes me aware that they find it very inspiring or that they love hearing a female voice in this role. So that makes me aware that it is important to women. "I would like to think that the best person for the job gets it on merit. I would like to think that is what happens. Tokenism is an awful thing and you would hate to be the token woman. There is enough talent across both genders for both to succeed." Sarah admits that her parents back home are "thrilled" with her new gig. "My mam has five radios on in the house because she thinks that it might make a difference to the listenership. "I haven't seen them since early January which is awful and really hard on the kids." Today With Sarah McInerney is broadcast Monday to Friday 10-12pm on RTE Radio One California held more than 10,000 juveniles in state custody in 1996, a time of rising crime rates and fearful descriptions of young criminals as super-predators. Now, violent crime rates have been falling for years, coronavirus stay-at-home edicts have reduced them further, state funding has dried up, and the juvenile custody population is down to 750. Under Gov. Gavin Newsoms recently proposed budget, that population will be zero in about three years, after the remaining three prisons and one prison camp stop admitting youths in January and close their doors once current inmates complete their sentences. At that point, any juvenile lawbreakers who are sentenced to custody will be placed in a county juvenile hall or alternative local setting. That would appear to be good news for youth advocates whose scathing assessment of the current system was included in Vanishing Violence, a Chronicle investigative series last year on the troubled state of juvenile justice in California. But it depends on whom you ask. This is long overdue. Like a lot of parents with incarcerated children, we often felt hopeless, like we were doing time with our children, said Lourdes Duarte, a parent organizer with the Books Not Bars campaign of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, which pressed the state successfully to close five of its eight youth prisons more than a decade ago. The state system was doing nothing to rehabilitate kids who spend three years in a violent, gang-filled environment behind bars, said Dan Macallair, executive director of the nonprofit Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. State facilities are putting kids in danger and were not getting any benefit. ... Theres a greater potential for success if we deliver services at the neighborhood and family level. Besides, Macallair said, with California facing a $54 billion budget deficit because of impacts from the coronavirus pandemic, theres no reason to maintain the (state) Division of Juvenile Justice at nearly $300 million when youve got empty juvenile halls. State officials say county juvenile facilities, with a capacity of more than 11,000, now hold 2,340 youths. Attorney Frankie Guzman of the National Center for Youth Law in Oakland has a different perspective. Guzman grew up in poverty, spent six years in state custody for an armed robbery committed at age 15, then turned his life around, earned a law degree at UCLA and lobbied successfully for a 2018 state law that prohibited prosecution of 14- and 15-year-olds as adults. He now directs the law centers California Youth Justice Initiative. The Division of Juvenile Justice is expensive and far from trouble-free, Guzman said, but it still has better programming than, I would say, 95% of the (county) probation departments across the state. Were tossing it in favor of 58 different ways of handling juvenile justice. More Information Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. See More Collapse While some counties have camps and social service programs for young offenders, Guzman said, other counties rely on their juvenile hall to simply lock them up. Kids are essentially warehoused, no place for recreation, services, essentially cell block living. Thats the kind of treatment kids will get when DJJ is gone. Attorney Meredith Desautels of another legal advocacy group, the Youth Law Center in San Francisco, has criticized county juvenile halls for holding youths for weeks or months for offenses such as drug or alcohol use, or sometimes simply because the treatment program where they were supposed to be placed was not yet available. She refrained from critiquing Newsoms proposed phaseout of state custody but said the alternative, county custody, has virtually no public oversight or control. Theres no accountability on (county) probation for how much theyre using custody as a response to missing curfews, not going to school rather than serious crime, Desautels said. Theres no state-level accountability for youths in county facilities, and little or no information available locally, she said, on how many youths are taken into custody, the reasons, how long they are held, or what services they receive a particular question mark during the pandemic. From a law enforcement perspective, Eric Nunez, the police chief in Los Alamitos (Orange County) and president of the California Police Chiefs Association, said the organization was assessing Newsoms proposal in terms of how it might negatively impact juvenile offenders rehabilitation efforts and the potential to overburden local probation departments. Juvenile courts hear cases of defendants up to age 18 and can sentence them to state custody until they turn 25 sentences that could transfer some current juvenile inmates to adult prisons after the state facilities close. The statewide freeze on jury trials ordered by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye during the pandemic does not apply to juveniles, who are tried by a judge rather than a jury. But the difficulties in bringing participants and court personnel to court, or taking testimony from multiple locations, have prompted many juvenile court judges to put their trials on hold, as well. San Francisco courts have postponed previously scheduled juvenile trials, all for youths who are out of custody, but have held pretrial hearings in some cases, taking testimony in person or by phone, said Patti Lee, a deputy public defender and longtime director of the offices juvenile justice program. San Bernardino County Public Defender Christopher Gardner said juvenile court judges in his county have also postponed trials, held hearings by video and allowed youths to be released while awaiting trial. The countys Juvenile Hall now holds fewer than 200 youths in custody, about one-fourth its population seven or eight years ago, Gardner 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. San Franciscos Juvenile Hall is not used for punishment, but only to hold local youths awaiting hearings or transfers to custody or treatment programs elsewhere. The hall, with a capacity of 150, now holds just 10 youths, and is scheduled to be closed at the end of 2021 the first such closure by a major U.S. city after a Board of Supervisors vote last year. These kids are languishing in custody for weeks if not months ... and they cant be placed, Lee said. She said city police appeared to be showing restraint in seeking to jail youths for minor offenses during the pandemic, but with school and counseling programs cut back, youngsters are often being held in virtual isolation. Despite shortcomings in local treatment, Lee said, her office applauds Newsoms proposed shutdown of the states youth prisons. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin called the governors plan a significant step in the right direction, saying, Research shows that involvement in the juvenile justice system causes youth to have worse outcomes. Gardner had a similar assessment of the system. The best place for kids to be, if possible, is with their families, the public defender said. He said the decline in youth incarceration, both state and local, was due both to a drop in crime and to societys recognition that youngsters brains are not fully developed until their mid-20s. It took a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to accept that science, Gardner said, referring to the 5-4 decision in 2012 that struck down state laws requiring life-without-parole sentences for the most serious crimes by juveniles. Zach Norris, executive director of the Ella Baker Center in Oakland, recalled working in 2005 with the nearby city of Richmond, which then had one of the nations highest murder rates. Instead of more punishment, he said, they established the Office of Neighborhood Safety, which provided fellowships for young people who police believed were likely to commit crimes, paying them a monthly stipend, connecting them with mentors and enabling educational travel. There was lots of pushback initially, Norris said. People said the crime rate will increase, but it declined. The same is true with the closure of youth prisons. When you respect human rights, a young persons capacity to change and grow, positive things happen. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko The coronavirus pandemic has hit the world hard. Many businesses have been ruined, to the extent that chances of recovery look bleak. And added to that is the tension between the worlds two largest economies - United States and China. China on Friday reiterated its commitment to implementing the phase-one trade deal signed with the US at the National Peoples Congress. The agreement, signed in January, compels it to buy goods in goals that seemed lofty even before the Covid-19 pandemic hit demand and battered supply chains. Within hours, White House economic aide Kevin Hassett told CNN that the US is closely studying economic penalties for China related to the nations plan to enact sweeping national security legislation in Hong Kong. Recently, the incoming chief economist of the World Bank said the era of globalisation is probably dead. Without being melodramatic, Covid-19 is like the last nail in the coffin of globalisation, Carmen Reinhart, a professor of international finance at the Harvard Kennedy School, told Bloomberg. The 2008-2009 crisis gave globalisation a big hit, as did Brexit, as did the US-China trade war, but Covid-19 is taking it to a new level. Reinhart, a financial crisis expert, currently serves on advisory boards of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the New York Federal Reserve. World Bank President David Malpass said in a statement Reinharts experience and insights would prove invaluable as the coronavirus pandemic heaps economic pain on developing countries. She starts at the bank on June 15. Reinhart published a book entitled This Time is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly, together with economist Kenneth Rogoff of Harvard University in 2009. The book called for stricter regulations and an early-warning system to sound the alarm about financial bubbles, arguing that central bankers, policy makers and investors tended to ignore the telltale signs of a bubble. In an article she wrote on the pandemic in March, Reinhart said: Clearly, this is a whatever-it-takes moment for large-scale, outside-the-box fiscal and monetary policies. Reinharts expertise include international capital flows, and sovereign debt crises, the World Bank said. She replaces Pinelopi Goldberg, who left on March 1 after only 15 months on the job. To All Noble Muslims Especially, The Youth in Ghana, COVID-19 Eid Mubarak Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu On behalf of the office of JOY2012 and my own behalf, we wish you social distancing Eid-Mubarak for peaceful and sober reflective celebrations in the year 2020. This year 2020, has been greeted with COVID-19 pandemic that has challenged, tried, and tested all systems created by man on earth as well as all religions everywhere in the world. The Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him, concerning infectious diseases, cleanliness, and hygiene was well ahead of his time over 1400 years and so social distancing by COVID-19 is not a bother to Muslims. The sanctity of celebrations of Eid as I started witnessing from childhood at Zongo Yalewa, in Kumasi, since the 1970s is being compromised gradually. So this year, COVID-19 is a wake-up call from Allah for sober reflections of the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, which no one in Ghana can deny that they are exemplified by the life of His Eminence, the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Dr. Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, even in very good age of 101 years. The year 2020 is so special and its events should bring us closer to Allah. We are therefore to act as Muslim youth to bring the redemptive action of Allah upon our nation, Ghana. We can do this by ensuring that Politicians who recruit noble but needy youthful souls out of Zongos and turn them into hoodlums/ vigilantes against the poor shall not happen in 2020. The weapons of mayhem shall not be used on the poor but rather on the perpetrators and politicians who will give to them. The nation is plunged into ignorance of what a New Voters Register is and its impeccable role without which the 2020 elections cannot be held. NPP and NDC taking their usual opposing stances without an in-depth understanding have confused Ghanaians. The biometric data is just the technology to create New Voters Registers for each election and previous Voters Registers can never be credible for subsequent ones. Each Voters Register is different and new due to New Voters, dead Voters, Voters movements, new constituencies, districts, and regions that crop up for a particular election. The call for civil war is not worth the attention of any Muslim. Also since 1992, weve all voted for Parties for a few people to create wealth for themselves and their families and friends. In 2020, we need to vote for a credible alternative political entity so that more Ghanaians will create wealth for themselves, and the few weve voted for since 1992 will also take the back seat in governance. Ghana needs good governance from 2021. As we educate ourselves, we will not succumb to the fear of COVID-19, knowing that it is curable. How can people recover from incurable diseases? But as the Prophet Mohammed, peace becomes upon him, teaches, we need to observe social distancing in order to stop spreading the contagious COVID-19. But if there is anything we need to learn from COVID-19, it is about sharing and supporting the vulnerable in our society. It is about the development of our health facilities and a new perspective way of doing things. It is, therefore, our Allah given duty to ensure that we keep safe in COVID-19 and stay out of vigilantism acts in all Zongo communities. Above all the year 2020, Ghanaians will search for a credible alternative political entity to vote for in order to create wealth for all Ghanaians. This must be our leverage for the 2020 elections even as we celebrate the Eid this year. Allah Ta'aalaa will never change His blessings and the fortunes of a people unless the people take the initiative to change themselves. "For surely Allah will never change the grace which He hath bestowed on a people until they change what is in their (own) souls, and verily Allaah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things)." (Qur'aan: Al-Anfaal, 8:53 ) Happy Eid Mubarak to all Muslims in COVID-19. Jacob Osei Yeboah (JOY2012) 2012 & 2016 Independent Presidential Candidate Around 3,300 residents of Jammu and Kashmir including 1,200 students who were stranded in different parts of Maharashtra have returned to their homes in the union territory in four Shramik Special trains in the past 10 days, an official spokesperson said. This is the highest number of Shramik Special trains deployed by a single state for the evacuation of J&K residents stranded there, he said. "Around 600 stranded people from J&K including 200 students left for Udhampur railway station (J&K) from Bandra terminus, Mumbai Saturday evening in the fourth and last Shramik Special train (for JK residents there). The train carried the J&K residents who were mostly stranded in two key districts of Mumbai city and Mumbai suburban, the spokesperson said on Saturday. He said these stranded people included patients, traders, handicraft vendors, labourers and employees of banks, the government sector and private entities. There are also residents from the UT of Ladakh on this train who were stranded in Mumbai and its adjoining areas, he said. The spokesperson said around 30 people from J&K undergoing treatment and their attendants were stranded in Mumbai since the countrywide lockdown was announced by the government in March. Almost all of them have been evacuated except a couple of patients who are staying back for treatment, he said. The official said around 700 J&K residents, including 100 students, left for Udhampur from Thane railway station in Navi Mumbai in a Shramik Special train on May 22. The train carried J&K residents who were stranded in Navi Mumbai, Raigad and other adjoining districts of Maharashtra. Earlier, around 1,000 J&K residents, including 500 students were evacuated from Pune in a Shramik Special train on May 19 while another 1,000 residents including 400 students were evacuated in such a train from Nagpur on May 14. The total number of J&K residents evacuated till date from Maharashtra has touched 3,300, including 1,200 students, the spokesperson said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Holly Madison has been using social media as an outlet for her varying thoughts and feelings regarding COVID-19 lockdown. But the 40-year-old former Playboy Bunny braved the open air on Saturday afternoon sans face mask to run errands with her dog in Los Angeles. Holly veered away from her signature sultry style by donning a bright yellow Walt Disney World hoodie and pair of standard black leggings. Deep breath: Holly Madison braved the open air on Saturday afternoon sans face mask to run errands with her dog in Los Angeles Her bright blonde hair flowed down past her chest in loose tendrils, while a pair of black heart-shaped sunnies concealed her hazel eyes. Holly opted for a minimal makeup look that included mattifying complexion products, a hint of peach blusher, and a generous swipe of nude lip gloss. The ex girlfriend of Hugh Hefner rounded out her ensemble by slipping her feet into a pair of all black Nike brand sneakers. Madison carried her belongings in a black backpack as well as a leather Louis Vuitton purse that sat in the crook of her arm. Comfy: Holly veered away from her signature sultry style by donning a bright yellow Walt Disney World hoodie and pair of standard black leggings With an iced coffee in hand, Holly attempted to open the gate to her home, while her pup waited patiently on the sidewalk. On Friday night, Holly took to Instagram to share a selfie promoting her latest makeup oriented YouTube video. 'Come to my YouTube channel and talk about makeup with me,' urged the Girls Next Door star. In the self portrait - seen by her 1million followers - showed off her stellar makeup application and darling pigtails as she posed in the grass. Creative: On Friday night, Holly took to her Instagram to share a selfie promoting her latest makeup oriented YouTube video Anxious: She spoke candidly about her own struggles with anxiety in April and she attempts to 'offset it' by 'reminding [herself] of things [she is] grateful for'; Holly pictured on Instagram in April Holly has been using her Instagram to express her quarantine-induced creativity, as well as to empathize with the collective uneasiness that comes with longterm lockdown. She spoke candidly about her own struggles with anxiety in April and she attempts to 'offset it' by 'reminding [herself] of things [she is] grateful for.' Never thought walking my dog around the block would feel like such a big event,' she began. 'Formerly mundane things feel so special now. For example, I cant WAIT to get my car detailed again that sounds like the best thing ever right now haha. Quarantine life: Holly has been using her Instagram to express her quarantine-induced creativity, as well as to empathize with the collective uneasiness that comes with longterm lockdown; Holly pictured on Instagram in April Hardcore: Madison is a self-affirmed geek and superfan, often posing in selfies on social media in Star Wars, Disney, or Harry Potter garb; Holly pictured on Instagram in April 'I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe, I know its rough out there,' concluded Madison. Holly shares two children with her ex-husband Pasquale Rotella a seven-year-old daughter named Rainbow Aurora, and a son named Forest Leonardo Antonio, three. Madison and Rotella were married from 2013 until last year. Before that, Holly was in a much-publicized polyamorous relationship from 2001 to 2008 with Playboy maestro Hefner, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 91. The course of the relationship was covered on E! reality hit The Girls Next Door, which ran from 2005 until 2010. His girl: Holly was in a much-publicized polyamorous relationship from 2001 to 2008 with Playboy maestro Hefner, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 91; Hugh and Holly pictured in 2007 The series documented the lives of Hefner's girlfriends who all lived with him at the Playboy Mansion: Madison, Kendra Wilkinson, Bridget Marquardt, Crystal Harris and Kristina Shannon. Holly scored a spin-off series after Girls Next Door, which ran from 2009 until 2011: Holly's World, which followed the starlet to Las Vegas where she starred as the lead dancer in Peepshow at Planet Hollywood. Madison is a self-affirmed geek and superfan, often posing in selfies on social media in Star Wars, Disney, or Harry Potter garb. With Eid excitement running low due to COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing lockdown, Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi appealed to the people not to come out for gatherings but offer namaz from their homes. Wishing people on this auspicious occasion, Mukhi said that the festival of Eid-Ul-Fitr is for happiness and merrymaking, which is marked by the spirit of universal brotherhood. He, however, appealed to all to celebrate the festival by staying in their homes and not making any religious gatherings. Requesting the public to pray from their homes, Mukhi asked all to follow the safety guidelines issued by the government in view of the coronavirus pandemic. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal urged the people from Muslim community to follow social distancing norms and appealed to them to pray for mankind in this critical time. Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind President and Lok Sabha member Badruddin Ajmal requested all to follow the government norms to contain the spread of COVID-19 and asked all to offer namaz from their homes. He also urged people to pray for world peace and a corona free society. The markets across the state remained dry with very few people visiting in the last few days on the backdrop of a huge spike in COVID-19 positive cases in recent times. "We didn't go for shopping and distributed that amount to the poor people, who are suffering most in this lockdown period. Except the gathering, we are following other rituals of Eid," entrepreneur Atiqur Rahman Barbhuiya told PTI. He said that every Muslim is bound by the directives of the government, adding that Islam permits to offer Eid namaz with four persons also, which means it can be done at home. "Religion never obstructs in following government norms. We have instructed many people not to assemble at Masjids or one particular house for namaz," said Barbhuiya, who is also a political commentator. He termed this year's Eid amidst lockdown as "blessing in disguise" as women, who usually don't perform namaz at Masjids, will be able to offer the special prayers with other male family members at home. "I will offer my Eid namaz tomorrow with my daughter and son at home. Obviously it will be a subdued Eid, but we have followed 'Roja' and 'Fitra', which is giving donations to poor people," Barbhuiya said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi, May 24 : The reverse migration happening across the country from the metro cities is likely to increase housing demand in tier-II and tier-III cities, initially in the rental housing segment, according to an Anarock report. Currently, the top seven cities account for almost 70 per cent of India's residential market, with the remaining 30 per cent accounted for in tier-II and III cities. This ratio may well change in times to come, it said. "Indian real estate is bracing itself for a very new post-COVID-19 world. One significant trend may be reverse migration spurring housing demand in tier-II and III cities," said the report titled 'India Real Estate: A Different World Post COVID-19'. Cities including Lucknow, Indore, Chandigarh, Kochi, Coimbatore, Jaipur and Ahmedabad would be the main beneficiaries of the reverse migration of professionals who have lost their jobs in the metros, or are likely to, it said, adding that these returnees will benefit from the cost of living and superior infrastructure that many tier-II and tier-III cities provide. Anuj Puri, Chairman of Anarock Property Consultants said, "Reverse migration is already very visible among migrant labourers, and this trend can further percolate to skilled professionals who have been or may beoff-rostered. Smaller towns and cities would consequently see a spurt in housing demand." He said that primary demand may be towards rental housing and purchase demand would initially come from local investors keen to meet the rental demand. "Many NRIs will also return to India amidst dwindling job prospects, particularly in the US and European nations which account for nearly 70 per cent global cases. For them, the top seven cities would be the best options but many will consider smaller cities where they can be close to their families. Finding suitable employment for reverse-migrating Indians in smaller cities may prove to be challenging," Puri said. Anarock's recent consumer survey taken during the lockdown period indicates that among the respondents who preferred to invest in tier-II and III cities in 2020, 61 per cent are end-users and almost 55 per cent are aged under 35 years. At least 47 per cent of respondents are focused on affordable properties priced within Rs 45 lakh, followed by 34 per cent who are looking for mid-segment homes priced between Rs 45-90 lakh. The residential segment will see a manifold increase in demand for townships projects which offer a controlled environment, as per the report. In terms of supply, township projects have less than 5 per cent overall share in the top seven cities as on date. Further market consolidation is expected with the increased preference for branded developers. Financially strong organized players are likely to occupy 75-80 per cent market share in the coming years, it said. OTTAWA, May 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the last month, the Taliban and Afghani-U.S. government have stepped up their military operations in Afghanistan that left mostly civilians killed and injured contrary to the peace conditions that were agreed. Taleam Systems, which provides computer services to hospitals and medical clinics in Canada, has been working on new technology but lack of enduring peace in Afghanistan is a problem for the business. The longest war in Afghanistan will continue amid todays Eid celebrations and there are no plans for a long period of ceasefire, signals Meladul Haq Ahmadzai, CEO of Taleam Systems. No ceasefire plan has been called in Afghanistan so far to last longer than three days, says Ahmadzai. The US war in Afghanistan which started in 2001 has not stopped to this day. U.S. diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad visited Doha, Kabul and US for talks but no progress made so far regarding peace efforts in the war-torn country. Ahmadzai questions the peace agreement whether that document mentions plans for a long period of ceasefire or not. He says, Peace is the utmost desire of all Afghans ordinary people dont want war. Mike Pompeo also visited Afghanistan this year to stabilize relations between President Ashraf Ghani and Dr Abdullah which ultimately progressed towards the creation of a coalition government. Ahmadzai says, It is this kind of pressure that would change the Afghan officials attitudes and make more progress towards peace in Afghanistan. Taleam Systems hopes to make its technology available to the wide market including Afghanistan sometime in June. According to past media reports, the U.S. government withheld $1 billion from the Afghan government which pressured the coalition government to come together. Ahmadzai says, If there is no permanent ceasefire to achieve real and stable peace in Afghanistan, the Afghan people have the right to know that information. Some other countries are stepping up for example, China, India, Pakistan and Russia. China which is a business country wants to export products to Afghanistan, signals Ahmadzai. Russia is also seen stepping up to the plate. Ahmadzai says, Russia has fought in the war in Afghanistan and now wants peace. This is the worlds longest war in Afghanistan which has been ongoing for the last 42 years. The thousands of widows, orphans and children of war affected have no support. The many schools that were built were recently also destroyed in the war. Ahmadzai concludes, Afghanistan everlasting ceasefire plan is important, but the different political groups and countries are not in favour of peace they benefit from the US war. Meladul Haq Ahmadzai is the CEO of Taleam Systems which is a computer business based in Canada. Visit www.taleamsystems.com to learn more about the business. Media contact: Meladul Haq Ahmadzai At a time when coronavirus pandemic has disrupted economic activities, industry body CII on Sunday said companies must tread with caution when looking for business collaborations to ensure that their activities do not violate competition norms. Competition Commission of India (CCI), which keeps a tab on unfair business practices across sectors, has already issued an advisory mentioning that there are in-built safeguards under the Competition Act to protect businesses from sanctions for certain coordinated conduct subject to the condition that such activities result in increasing efficiencies. The fair trade watchdog has also mentioned that only such conduct of businesses which is necessary and proportionate to address concerns arising from COVID-19 would be considered. It has cautioned that businesses not to take advantage of COVID-19 to contravene any of the provisions of the Act. Coming out with a compliance manual on the Competition Act amid the pandemic, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said the impact of COVID-19 on the functioning of the economy may prompt companies to collaborate with their competitors to tackle the uncertainty and hardship faced. "Companies must note that antitrust laws continue to apply and all business decisions undertaken by companies must not fall foul of the provisions of Competition Act, 2002," it said, adding that CCI would keep a close watch for any potential competition law infringements during this period. The manual noted that companies must carefully evaluate their business operations during the COVID-19 period, especially if their operations might require close collaboration with its competitors. "The concrete antitrust risks surrounding any such collaboration remain difficult to assess. Given the absence of any guidance from CCI, companies should tread with caution and consult their antitrust lawyers as and when required or while exploring any collaboration," it said. Further, the grouping said companies should reach out to their external counsel to assess these risks and must avoid information exchanges through trade associations or any other platforms. Dominant enterprises must refrain from limiting production, services or technical development, excessive pricing and bundling non-essential products/ services with essential services. Companies having market power in the manufacture and sale of essential commodities must avoid entering into any exclusive distribution agreements, it added. CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said there would be challenges for industry given the shutdown and the work from home scenario as well as other factors, including collaborations to cope with supply management, sharing of distribution network and infrastructure. Referring to the guidelines in the manual, he also said they have been prepared for corporates to keep in mind while collaborating to ensure continued compliance with the competition law. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For centuries, people have kept large amounts of cash at home during difficult times. But in the coronavirus crisis, things are different. These metal coins and paper bills can be a source of worry rather than hope. The fear is that these objects, possibly touched by thousands of people, could be a way for the coronavirus to spread. Public officials and health experts have said that the risk is small. Still, some businesses refuse to accept them, and some countries have suggested that their citizens should stop using them altogether. Zachary Cohle is an economics professor at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. In many areas, cash was already beginning to disappear due to the increased risk of robbery, the ease of internet ordering, and the ubiquity of cell phones, he said. The term ubiquity refers to something being seen everywhere. Sweden, Finland, Norway, Canada and others have slowly reduced cash use to the point where using it in large amounts seems unusual. Britain and Australia are expected to become cashless countries. And in China, cash use has dropped as electronic payment services increased in popularity over the past ten years. Cash ist Fesch is a common saying in Austria and southern Germany. The words mean cash is beautiful. Since the virus outbreak, shops that have remained open, like grocery stores, have encouraged people to pay with cards. And Germanys central bank said 43 percent of Germans recently paid for goods and services with a card. The Bank of Japan estimates that cash makes up for 53 percent of household assets. But the threat of the coronavirus could move the country toward going cashless, said Hiroki Maruyama, head of the nonprofit Fintech Association of Japan. He added, The culture is slowly changing. In Iran, there are no international bank cards, like Visa or Mastercard, because of U.S. sanctions. Yet new signs appeared at some gas stations in Tehran: Service is only for those who will pay by debit cards. A debit card is a small plastic card that is used in place of cash to buy things. Will cash disappear? However, cash use is still common in places like West and Central Africa where many cannot pay for the cost of banking services. Dorothy Harpool teaches at Wichita State Universitys W. Frank Barton School of Business. Harpool thought some people would rethink their use of cash during the crisis. But she said the world would not be cashless until everyone and every country has reliable access to the internet. In Lebanon, as the economy worsened late last year, the central bank said people withdrew an estimated $3 billion and saved it at home. Corona is the last thing on peoples minds right now, Ihsan, a money changer in Beirut said. All theyre thinking about is how to handle this crisis and get money to live. He said there are some things you just cannot do without cash. Like how else can you bribe a government employee to get your business done? With a credit card? Im John Russell. Zeina Karam reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story cash -- n. money in the form of coins and bills source -- n. the cause of something (such as a problem) usually + of asset -- n. something that is owned by a person, company, etc. usually plural reliable -- adj. able to be trusted to do or provide what is needed : able to be relied on handle v. to touch, feel, hold, or move (something) with your hand bribe -- v. to try to get someone to do something by giving or promising something valuable (such as money) : to give or offer a bribe to (someone) We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. A Florida craftsman has come up with a novel way of tackling both the coronavirus pandemic and the problem of invasive pythons and iguanas that damage the states fragile ecosystem. Brian Wood, the 63-year-old owner of All American Gator Products, has turned his hand to designing face masks made out of reptile skin. I took something thats very serious and turned it into a fashion statement, he said at his workshop in Dania Beach, 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Miami. Woods got his inspiration from a curious source a meme he saw of a horse wearing a womans bra as a face mask. He asked his wife if he could borrow one of hers to test if the concept would work. He now sells python skin face masks on his Facebook page for $90. Snake hunter Amy Siewe arrived at Woods home with a giant python for skinning. Theyre wreaking havoc on the Everglades, she said, referring to the vast wetlands that occupy much of southern Florida. They get to be between 18 and 20 feet (5.5 to 6 meters) long and they eat everything from rats to deer. The pythons were probably introduced to Florida as exotic pets toward the end of the last century and released into the Everglades, where they have no predators. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission pays hunters a bounty to capture the snakes. Iguanas likely also came to Florida as pets before being released into the wild, where they thrive in the balmy climate. Memorial Day weekend crowds at Lake of the Ozarks appear to not be observing social distancing 5 On Your Side was sent pictures of people at the lake congregating in large groups, despite guidelines to avoid coming within 6 feet of others So many Kansas City denizens visit the lake this weekend along with other parks and smaller outdoor venues . . . The punchline is thatwhilst authorities, some politicos and amateur virologists throughout the Internets warn us that the impact will start hitting more vulnerable Americans very hard and very soon.Check one story out of many: Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Lockdown locks the rural economy: Some Preliminary signals from a surveyed (...) by Dr. Atanu Sengupta and Dr. Asish Kumar Pal Abstract: India is rural based economy. Several workers of several sectors live in rural India. These different workers are basically in unorganized sectors. They are neglected and backward in the society. During the lockdown period announced by both central as well as state government to combat the spread of COVOD- 19 throughout the country, such type of workers are jobless. They are hopeless not to earn any income by which they can maintain their families properly at this situation. They are in misery condition despite of assistance by the government. From wage earners to marginal farmers, small shoppers, construction workers, fishermen, Weavers, and middlemen of milk all are in poor economic condition at this moment. These different economic agents are worried about minimum daily food which are required to their family members. They are afraid by thinking that they will be forced to lose their last shelters and necessary utensils very soon. So the rural workers are directly affected by lockdown by locking the total rural sector not only in West Bengal but in whole of india. In this way the rural economy is all set to way into a great depression unless proper steps taken by the government. Introduction: The Indian government on March 24 announced a 21 - day nationwide lockdown and added more upto 3rd May to prevent the spread of the disease novel coronavirus.. Due to this coronavirus -induced lockdown, most economic activities have come to a standstill. RBI report confirms prolonged pain for rural economy. According to RBI the COVID -19 outbreak and the prolonged lockdown may have a devastating impact on the rural economy (Source: Moneycontrol.com, April 09, 2020). A recent study was done by Harjinder Singh, of Patiala in Punjab, about the impact of the Lockdown in Punjab, expressed about the impelling the food security of several households (April, 2020), It is acknowledged that rural sector of the economy is so significant for the country that almost all the operations of the countrys people bear its stamp. India is predominantly a rural community with two third of population and 70% workforce residing in rural areas. Rural economy constitutes 46% of national income ( census: 2011). Most of the rural households depend on agriculture. Agriculture is an important sector of Indian economy as it contributes about 17% to the total GDP ( Nity Ayog report, 2017). Not only agriculture bit also some others sectors are in rural areas. Laager population depends on them. The rural people are now jobless due to lockdown from 24 the March to still today. In India with a share of almost 90% of people working in the Informal economy, about 400 million workers in the Informal economy are at a risk of falling deeper into poverty during the crisis ( ILO report, April, 2020). So rural sector is not out of this situation. According to United Nation , WFP the people who are daily wage earners will suffer from covod- 19 situation (April,22, webdesk, ABP Amanda). A very recent survey was conducted by (NCAER) National Council of Applied Economic Research included 1,750 participants covering both rural and urban areas of Delhi on April 3-6, 2020, released the data showed that casual labourers were disproportionately affected with nearly 75% stating their wages were severely affected which is less than half,at 46% for salaried employees ( April 13, 2020). A report is published that India covid 19 lockdown means no food or work for rural poor by Purohit ( April, 2020). Most of the recent studies are covered by impact of Indian economy for lockdown. We have tried to understand the impact of lockdown on rural economy. Rural Condition: Gourhati village in Hooghly district in the state of West Bengal has a population of nearly 15000 (according to Panchayat records) and near about 13,084 (census report 2011). Many of the village residents both male and female depend on unorganised sector. According to our 90% population works in unorganized sector. Out of them are engaged in agriculture sector and non agricultural occupation. The persons who are in non agricultural sectors, daily wage earners. They work basically agro- based industry units ( like cold storage, vegetable transporters, vegetable sellers), grocery stores, medical stores, stock holders, small street holders, Fishermen, milk middlemen, and Weavers etc. In addition to agricultural workers and land owning farmers. Some individuals also work as plumbers, electricians and massons, while some female wage workers work as domestic workers in the house of rich people of selected village or vegetable cultivation sites outside the territory of the village. The lockdown system for protect of covid -19 has had a several impact on these workers. Many of respondents reported that during the lockdown they are unable to move to work. So they have entirely lost their daily earnings. Here we have selected some workers among the various sectors in our study area. We have classified various labourers of several sectors as economic agents who are basically Included in the poorer section of the study area i. e , agricultural labourers, construction workers, small Street shoppers, construction workers, fishermen, Weavers and middlemen of milk etc. Among all these who are adversely impacted by lockdown, we have established the set of these labourers who are directly exposed to jobless situation. We study their difficulties associated with this lockdown for preventing against the spread of covid -19 positive. Government provides them with some meager assistance distributing food and cash. However, even these are not adequate utilised by them. So, all in all, we have concentrated on basic problems that are associated with lockdown situation and their possible economic outcomes. We hope that our Study will help to focus on these socio economic effects of lockdown particularly in the rural based underdeveloped economy like India. Empirical findings : First consider the sector wise distribution of the sampled workers who have been unemployed during this period for covid -19 in our selected area. Table 1: stratified sample of workers among the several sectors Types of workers No of workers Farmers 20 Small shoppers (street stock holders, street vendors) 20 Construction workers (masons, carpenters, electricians) 20 Weavers 20 Middlemen of milk chain 20 Fishermen 20 Total 120 (Source: Telephonic survey) We put some questions regarding the bank loan, BPL card and RKSY card holding among the several workers of several sectors and also different difficulties faced by the people to understand the misery condition of them in our rural area. Table 2:. Distribution of Financial loan, other source of income and BPL & RKSY 1card holders among the farmers Types of holding facilities. No of farmers Loan facility. 70% BPL holder. 60% RKSY -1 holder. 60% (Source: Telephonic survey by authors) First of all agriculture sector, the farmers in the village primarily grow boro in rabi season which is concerned the harvesting period at this time, which usually begins in last week of April and first week of may. They also grow vegetables which are mostly for household consumption. 90% farmers of the respondents reported incurring huge losses through the lockdown period as they have been unable to transport for selling at the mandi and nearest market. They are also thinking for boro paddy harvesting in this season despite both the central and state government has permitted to work in agriculture and agricultural related activities. They expressed afraid about harvesting their paddy in properly. 70% farmers were worried about the repayment of loan properly. 60% of the farmers do not have BPL and RKSY card. So they are not enjoying the facilities like free food and essential commodores in this situation. However 96% of them have no source of other income. So, they are in low standard of living. Table:3 Distribution of Loan facility, BPL & RKSY-1 card holding of small shoppers Types of facility No of. Small shoppers Bank loan 85% BPL 15% RKSY -1 30% (Authors telephonic survey) Next we come to the small shoppers and street holders who are directly exposed to lockdown system. Their shops have remained closed from the first day of lockdown and so on. 95% of them have no other source of income. They expend the amount which is earned by themselves per day. They are also in misery condition. Most of them are not BPL card holders and some one are RKSY -1card holders. From the above table it is clear that they are not getting any help from the government so their conditions are very pathetic. 84% of small shoppers have started their business taking the bank loan or any other source. They are also worried how they will borrow in future. Table:4 Figure of enjoying Loan, BPL & RKSY-1 of construction workers Classification of facility. No of construction workers Loan financing. 20% BPL holders. 40% RKSY -1. 55% (Authors telephonic survey) Similarly we observe the construction workers who works in the nearest town or nearest other villages are quietly job less because they are not working for closing of hardware shops and moving to the workplace due to stop of vehicles communication. Although after 20 the May the government has excluded construction sector out of lockdown yet they are getting forced to work place by the nearest villagers or people of town as their area is lockdown for protecting against spread of coronavirus. Although a very small of them have taken loan yet maximum of them are not enjoying such facilities like food and other necessary commodities through Public Distribution System for not holding of such type of cards. Table: 5. Distribution of Loan from mohajon , BPL & RKSY -1 holders of Weavers Varieties of facility. No of Weavers Loan. 95% BPL. 55% RKSY -1. 65% (Authors telephonic survey) Next come to the Weavers who sell their making cloths to mohajon or big cloth agents. They cannot sell this because whole sale market is totally locked that leads to unsold. Although they produce the cloths to first weak of the lockdown period, wholesalers refuge to take. So they have stopped their production and stand still now. In this job less condition they are fighting to combat the spread of coronavirus in the rural area. 65% of the respondent Weavers belong to poor section of the society so they have no income at this moment. More or less 95% of Weavers are suffering from pay to because they take advance money from mohajon and stock holders or wholesalers. Only 55% of them are BPL card holders who are enjoying full free ration and rest are not. So their economic condition is not very good. Table : 6. Distribution of Bank loan, BPL & RKSY-1 card holders among middlemen of milk Types of facility. No of milk middlemen Bank loan. 10% BPL holders 30% RKSY -1 holders. 50% (Authors survey by Telephonic method) An other essential commodity that the villager produces milk is bought by middlemem twice a day who then sell it at milk booths in urban areas. The remaining milk is either sold to other households within the village who do not own their livestock or is used by milk producing households themselves. According to 85% of the respondents, the middlemen refused to buy milk on the first two days of the lockdown due to the closure of urban milk booths. Although the government has permitted to continue to collect and open milk booths after some days of this period, the workers relating to milk supply are not present for transport crisis. So, the middle men are also jobless. In our study area they have not required to make of Bank loan or any other loan. Only 30% of middle men of milk belong to BPL family. So, 70% of them are not getting help of government. Table: 7 Distribution of Loan from fish merchant and BPL&. RKSY -1 card holders of fishermen Varieties of facility. No of fishermen Loan from wholesalers of fish. 70% BPL. 60% RKSY -1. 60% (Authors survey by telecalling) Now we come to our last economic agents who are engaged with fish catching and selling. The fishermen of this area move to catch fish in the nearest villages and sell in the local market. They face a demand drop because most of their customers (i.e., villagers) are either jobless or have paucity of cash at hand. A 75% respondent fisherman faces the problem of being fish unsold. From the above table we see though maximum of them are BPL and RKSY card holders the rest 40% are absolutely in misery condition. They are also worried about the debt which is taken from wholesaler fish merchants. From above discussion we understand that most economical activities have come to standstill. We have also surveyed the Gram Panchayat pradhan. He told us that most of the households are registered under MGNREGA scheme. However the workers have not be given work for even a single day during this period. Although both the central as well as state government provides some opportunities through public distribution system and transfer of cash into bank account of the poorer sections of the society, they are unable to maintain their family properly by a little assistance. So in this situation they are upset and hopeless. They have been able to save only meagre amount for rainy days. Hence they have little to fall back upon by which they can buy essential and daily food. During this period they can not take care of health and nutrition to their family members. The economists of United Nation, World Food Program recently reported with when free from the covi-19 pandemic current situation, the world will be in crisis of food. They are afraid that 26.5 crore people will spend the days in terrific food crisis ( April, 2020). We observe that there is absence of labour market despite of huge labour supply. Most of the people of the workers of the society are job less in this area so they have no purchasing power. They can not create demand in the rural market. Most of them have reported their miserable condition. When asked to rank them on a Likert scale with the level varying from miserable to good, most of them concentrated on the lowest point (Table 8). Table 8: Distribution of misery condition despite of government assistance Types of workers % of sectoral workers Farmers. 80% Small shoppers. 90% Construction workers. 75% Weavers. 85% Middlemen of milk. 65% Fishermen . 70% (Source: Telephonic survey by author) Concluding Remarks: Coming to the conclusion point, villagers of Gourhati have faced various difficulties during the spread of covid -19. All types of economic agents in this area have faced huge financial losses. The farmers are anxious about harvesting the boro production, the small shoppers are in depression, the construction workers are in jobless, the middlemen of milk are unemployed, Weavers are in recession and fishermen are in unsold condition. If the farmers face difficulties to collect their paddy properly, the food crisis will be appeared in the world in future. Starting from the daily wage earners to marginal workers, Small street holders and sellers are more poor even they will be forced to sell their last capital like shelters and essential amenities. So, the rural economy is not excluded from the impact of lockdown for covid 19 pandemic . It is clear that unless proper steps taken, the rural economy is all set to enter into a great depression. Reference: Anganwadi report of local Panchayat (updated) [7] A report of RBI on rural economy, ( April, 2020), moneycontrol. [1] Census report, 2011 [3] ILO report, (April, 2020) NCAER report , (April, 2020), A survey report on effects of unorganized labourers due to covid-19. Economictes.indiatimes. [6]. Nitiayog report, 2017 [4] Purohit, kunal , (April, 2020), A news report on rural economy due to lockdown. Aljazira.com news [6]. Singh, HarjindermcC, ( April, 2020), A study on impact of lockdown on the rural economy. Networkidea. [2]. Webdesk report, (April, 22, 2020) [5] United Nation, World Food Program report, ( April, 2020) [8]. Dr. Atanu Sengupta, Professor, Economics Department, Burdwan University, Burdwan, West Bengal, India email:sengupta_atanu[at]yahoo.com Dr. Asish Kumar Pal, Assistant Professor, Economics Department, Tarakeswar Degree College, Hooghly, West Bengal, India email:asish.kr.pal[at]gmail.com Inside Hook Earlier this month brought news of a thrilling rescue on a Pacific island several decades ago. To many observers, the parallels with the novel Lord of the Flies were clear. Both the real and fictional incidents involved a group of teenage boys stranded on an island and left to fend for themselves. But while William Goldings novel offers a deeply bleak view of humanity, its real-life counterpart offered more grounds for hope. Rather than reverting to a constant state of conflict, the young men stranded on an island near Tonga worked together to keep each other safe and happy. Writer Rutger Bregman spoke to several of the participants, including one of the men stranded on the island and the boat captain who found them stranded there. Its not hard to see why this story has captivated so many people and now its set to potentially captivate many more. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. This week, three political parties will attempt to move forward the serious business of working out a programme for government. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael had already agreed a framework document. Now the Green Party has voted to enter talks. Its almost 100 days since the country went to the polls. In normal times, a new government would be assessed on its achievements in that time. Not so in the situation we have at the moment. If nothing else comes from Covid-19, we should approach significant policy decisions in a mature and measured way. The latest stark warning from the UN World Food Programme is that the pandemic will push an additional 130 million people to the brink of starvation. Undoubtedly, the Green Party will seek to extract concessions in return for participating in the next Government. The task for the two main parties is to avoid travelling down a cul-de-sac in the pursuit of ideology. The economic landscape is vastly different from what existed when we voted in early February. Re-building the public finances and supporting businesses post-Covid-19 will require a Programme for Government that nurtures the economy back to full health. And we have to safeguard the backbone of our rural economy, which is agriculture. It has been very disappointing to see the debate narrowing to a head count of the national herd. For some in political and media circles, there would appear to be an obsession about reducing the national cow herd. The genesis of climate action, the Paris Agreement states that emission reductions should not threaten food production. Some commentators simply refuse to accept that important premise. Its also now clear the way methane from bovines is being accounted for in the climate figures is inappropriate. Climate research continues to evolve. For example, research from Oxford proposes a more accurate method of evaluating the climate impact of short-lived greenhouse gases such as methane, known as GWP. This is important for Irish agriculture and should result in immediate changes on how methane is accounted for. To achieve this, the EPA, when compiling Irelands national GHG inventories, should use the GWP calculation. Ireland should insist that the GWP methodology is adopted at EU and UN levels. Neither are farmers getting credit for the carbon they are sequestering. We need to talk about net emissions from agriculture rather than gross emissions. Irish farmers have created and are managing a huge carbon sink through our pasture land, hedgerows and forestry, but farmers are not getting the credit for this. The government must ensure that the full carbon sink provided by the sector is credited to agriculture. The danger is that we pursue a lazy narrative of cutting the national herd while ignoring the science and international climate policy. If we are to look at this in a global context, there is increasing demand for the beef and dairy proteins that Irish farmers produce with nature, predominately from grass. Ireland is also one of the most carbon efficient countries in the world to produce food. If its not produced here, it will be produced elsewhere with higher emissions. Farmers are fully engaged in climate action. Future action for the sector, as set out by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action is based on the implementation of Teagascs 2030 climate roadmap. To deliver this, IFA is proposing that: Teagasc fully cost the implementation of the measures proposed. A budget from non-CAP resources is created by government and ring-fenced for farmers to deliver the actions of the Teagasc climate roadmap. An implementation group, which includes IFA, relevant government departments and state agencies is established to drive the delivery of the measures proposed. Irish farmers have huge potential to provide renewable energy. However, the government is focused on designing support schemes which are encouraging large scale projects. We need an immediate and coherent plan to put farm-scale and community-based renewables at the centre of government policy. The government response in this area has been next to non-existent. If we are to make headway, lets look at a fundamental re-draw of how the bio-economy can work, not the threat of a land-use policy. The emphasis should be on carbon efficiency, environmental and economic sustainability, not on reducing cattle numbers. IFA will monitor the ongoing discussions and we will expect our key issues to be reflected in the programme for government. It's lunchtime and Barry McNerney's voice echoes around his empty restaurant. A blackboard from another time hangs on the wall behind him touting a now unattainable tomato and pesto dish that sounds perfect for a normal sunny May afternoon lunch in Dublin 4. McNerney's words come through a stuttering Zoom connection that makes two-way conversation a challenge. But it is not a big issue. When it comes to talking about the food business he has built, he needs little prompting. Before Covid-19, Juniors Deli & Cafe in Beggars Bush would have been packed with a crowd from nearby Silicon Docks. As would Paulie's Pizza and Lotts & Co, his other nearby businesses. But now the room is filled with nothing other than McNerney's determined positivity. McNerney, a former equity trader, has helped place this corner of Dublin firmly on the foodie map since 2008 - creating 120 jobs in the process. Apart from Junior's, he and brother Paul opened Paulie's Pizza, as well as chic grocery store Lotts & Co, and were part of the original team behind popular gourmet pub The Old Spot, later selling out. "When coronavirus first kicked in, we were like 'F**k, this is it, we're dead as a dodo," he says. "But something you think is going to be the death of you can actually be the making of you. That's happened other times throughout my career." Indeed, the recession in 2008 was the perfect backdrop for his first venture, Juniors. "We started Juniors with just 20 grand. It would have been nearly impossible to start in the restaurant business in Dublin for less than a quarter of a million quid the last couple of years. So hopefully this will bring a new breed of young entrepreneurs and people into the business and into the economy to start their own businesses." But McNerney's real focus right now is his online wholesale food ordering platform, Unify Ordering. He believes it can be a lifeline for some of Ireland's best-known independent food producers and suppliers ,who are struggling to cope with the closure of so many restaurants, pubs and cafes. Two months ago Unify was on the brink of raising funds and international expansion with a revenue target of 22m by 2024. In 2017 McNerney had been approached by Louis Williams, manager of Rathmines coffee shop 250 Square. Williams had been working on simplifying his own Byzantine ordering process. It was a problem common to many kitchens with orders often just scribbled on scraps of paper So Williams had commissioned app developer Paul Lawless - coincidentally a former schoolmate of McNerney's - to produce a simple solution that would become the basis of the Unify Ordering platform. They approached McNerney to see if he would use it in his growing food businesses. "Usually these apps want to provide solutions to problems I don't have or else they're looking for a huge commission to sell my product." McNerney asked Lawless to add a function for credit notes: "Do that and I'm interested in investing." The partners began a period of development, sitting in kitchens, observing chefs in action. "Chefs don't like change or any extra work. They're in a very time-poor environment. So we made the platform absolutely super simple to use on their phones. I knew that if this thing wasn't as easy as picking up an old-fashioned telephone to ring in an order to a supplier then they would just continue to pick up the telephone." The other key decision was to make the app free to use, with commission only paid when an order was made. It was also supplier agnostic, so chefs could use the app to send an email order to suppliers who didn't have the platform. "The chefs loved it. And then the suppliers started to contact the chefs themselves saying 'What is this system that you're using?' The problem for receiving orders on the supplier side is even worse, it's a complete nightmare." They set about digitising product lists for a range of independent producers and wholesalers. "It put their product lists into their customers' hands 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We integrated it into their invoicing system so it reduced the labour costs on inbound orders by 85pc. The by-product of fixing the ordering is that we have created a network of buyers and suppliers and a completely new way that restaurants and wholesale suppliers can meet each other and create new business through the platform." Since 2017 the focus had been on development. But by the beginning of March, Unify Ordering was ready to take the next step. "It was flying. We were on track to do 20,000 orders from nearly 1,500 restaurants with an order value of about 5m. It was growing at 20pc month on month, so we figured by the end of the year we could have been processing about 10m to 15m a month through the platform. We were in talks with investors about raising about 500,000 for 10pc of the company and also partnering with Enterprise Ireland. And we were looking to move to the UK within the next six months. Everything was going great. And then the coronavirus kicked in." McNerney says his first thought when the lockdown shut the restaurants was "We're screwed". "But what actually happened was a lot of the suppliers on our platform came to us and asked was there a way we could change it so that the public could use it to buy directly from them. We also noticed we had about 50 people a day downloading the app obviously because people at home were searching for food-ordering systems." The team spent two weeks frantically repurposing the platform for home users. "We are adding suppliers and even restaurants who are putting together meal kits all the time. We have about 40 suppliers and we think we can have 80 by the end of next week. We have small producers like Donabate Dexter - a guy in north Dublin who's raising his own Dexter beef. We've Doyles Seafoods, FX Buckleys, Gleneely Foods, which is a supplier to top-end restaurants." Many of the early adopters in the app were suppliers into McNerney's food and retail businesses. Lotts & Co, for example, was conceived of as a neighbourhood store that would partner with a range of independent suppliers inspired by McNerney's memories of growing up in Dun Laoghaire. Instead of shopping in the big supermarkets, his parents would frequent local fruit and veg shop McGoverns or Cavistons in Glasthule. "My Dad was the local TV repairman, so we didn't really have much - but he was also a huge foodie. We used to have these amazing dinners. I remember as a four year old having fondue, dipping steak in boiling hot oil. And every other week there'd be a pheasant hanging up in the kitchen. That kind of rubbed off on us. I love to cook and my brother went on to become a chef." But he was also the family swot and had his eyes on a different life: "I saw Wall Street and liked the slicked-back hair and the lifestyle and decided I wanted to get into trading." After a commerce degree in UCD and a Master's in finance at the Smurfit School he began working as an equity trader in Davy Stockbrokers. "I finally got the job I always thought I wanted. And as soon as I had it I just hated it." He left Davy to go travelling in South America but joined Dolmen on his return, hooked on the adrenaline of a trading desk. One 100m deal that came his way delivered a 12,000 commission. "My hands were shaking so badly I struggled to fill out the docket. Another time I bought the wrong stock for a client and spent the following day hoping the price would fall. It rose. A mistake in trading is the worst thing ever. It cost thousands. A mistake in a restaurant is only a piece of burnt toast." The end was hastened when he failed an exam needed to operate one of the trading systems. "I was completely humiliated and felt like a loser. But in hindsight, if I hadn't failed that exam, I never would have opened up my own business." Even before he quit, McNerney had put his Plan B into action with evening shifts as a waiter in Gruel, a much-loved casual restaurant on Dame Street that was ahead of its time, but which fell to the scourge of high rents in a crashing economy. But, for McNerney, a seed had been sown. After a few months of waiting tables and absorbing ideas the opportunity arrived. His brother Paul, a chef with experience in Michelin star restaurants, spotted a newly vacant premises on Bath Avenue. "I remember thinking 'OK, let's do this' even though the two of us didn't have a pot to piss in. 20,000 was all we had to start that business. But we got all our friends who were electricians and plumbers to muck in. The idea was to do really good food in a humble kind of setting." It was the right idea in the right part of town with Google's expansion kicking off up the road. "We got lucky and hit the crest of a wave. Myself and my brother worked extremely hard for the first six months doing breakfast and lunch. Every other day one of us would go upstairs and sleep while the other would be downstairs doing the prep." When the Leinster rugby team started to come in business really took off. "People often say we did so well to open in a recession. But the recession was the only reason we were able to do it. Property was cheap and staff were plentiful." McNerney believes those circumstances now pertain once again: "This could be a great time to start a business. Rents will fall and there'll be more available units." But, he says, for the many small businesses in the sector it is a struggle to stay afloat. The Government and the banks urgently need to provide supports, he says. For most in the sector the next year will be about nothing but survival. "But if you can just keep the lights on, in whatever which way you can do it, when a vaccine comes or something else changes, then we can all get back to business." CURRICULUM VITAE Name Barry McNerney Age 39 Position CEO of Unify Ordering and co-founder with brother Paul of Juniors Deli & Cafe, Paulie's Pizza and Lotts & Co. Education Secondary school in CBC Monkstown, followed by a Bachelor of Commerce degree in UCD and a Masters degree in finance at the Smurfit School. Previous experience Equity trader at Davy Stockbrokers and Dolmen Stockbrokers Family "Very much in love" with partner Grainne. Their home has recently had a new addition, Jack Russell pup Bella Favourite book Nick Leeson's Rogue Trader was one of the reasons he decided to get into stockbroking and a standout read was The Grapes of Wrath. He is also a fan of George Orwell Favourite movie Goodfellas. "I have a bit of an obsession with the American Mafia and that has influenced the names of some of the places we have set up." Favourite restaurant 777 on South Great Georges St BUSINESS LESSONS What is your advice to someone setting up in business for the first time? Only do something new in business if you think its going to be better than anything else that is out there. If you try hard enough and you think hard enough about it, you will be able to do something thats unique and better. But dont ever do a business just to make up the numbers because youre doomed to failure if you do. What are your tips for surviving in business through a recession? Its about having passion and having resilience and just never ever giving up, never stopping. It can be detrimental to relationships and all that kind of stuff but you need to have drive and you need to just never ever quit. Thats why its easier when youre a little bit younger to start because you dont have as much to lose. You have gone from finance to food to technology. How important has a grasp of technology been to your career? Im not techie at all or into gadgets. I can barely work the remote control. Were not tech people trying to sell software. Were restaurant people who happen to have a tech solution. Mario Dispupidiwa recalls a way of life that is only a distant memory now. "I watched my mother give birth in the forest and cradle the baby by the fire to keep it warm," he recalled. "We moved constantly from place to place." MORE: Displaced by fire, Amazon's migrants fight to rebuild their home But then the loggers and oil workers arrived, bringing with them terrifying diseases without cure, ending that life forever. Dispupidiwa is a member of the Nahua tribespeople, who crossed a threshold into the modern world after their forced contact with the outside world in Peru's southeast Amazon nearly 40 years ago. In the years that followed, more than half of the Nahua died of influenza and whooping cough, for which they had no immunity, according to research by Peruvian anthropologist Beatriz Huertas. Indigenous tribes have suffered from contagious diseases dating back to 16th century European incursions into the Amazon basin. Today, as COVID-19 reaches some of the most remote corners of the globe, highly vulnerable tribal peoples like the Nahua, with limited contact with the outside world, are sealing off their isolated villages and bracing for the arrival of a deadly new pathogen. PHOTO: A Nahua elder displays a scar from an arrow wound. The Nahua live in a protected territorial reserve home to several bands of isolated tribes. (Neil Giardino) Although the Nahua have had sustained contact with society since the 1980s, they are still defined by Peru's government as a tribe in "initial contact" with the outside world. Numbering roughly 400, they live within a federally protected area called the Kugapakori Nahua Nanti Territorial Reserve. But extreme poverty, inadequate access to modern medical care, and a way of life incompatible with social distancing could devastate communities like the Nahua, experts warn. "The people who have survived [earlier epidemics] may have the genetic capacity to resist but it's not enough. They're still vulnerable. They have to avoid contact with potential bearers of outside diseases," said Thomas Moore, an anthropologist who has studied tribal peoples in Peru's Amazon for decades. Story continues Avoiding contact has proven difficult. Despite a staggering expanse of lowland jungle here, the outside world is rapidly encroaching. Nearby the Nahua village of Santa Rosa of Serjali, narcotraffickers are suspected of illegally entering the reserve, moving cocaine paste from the Andean slopes into Brazil. Christian missionaries, illegal loggers and frontiersmen also trespass, posing increased risk of disease outbreak within Nahua territory. MORE: How dying and mourning have changed around the world amid coronavirus pandemic "We're trying to guarantee their land and health is protected. If they choose to maintain relations with those outside their territory, we want to ensure they're not affected by contagious illnesses," said Nancy Portugal, director of Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact within Peru's Ministry of Culture, the state agency which advocates for tribes in Peru. Despite the Ministry of Culture's attempts to prevent illegal entry into protected areas, powerful timber, oil and gas companies often operate with impunity within protected native territory. The Nahua, who live in one of the most biologically diverse regions on Earth, not only share their reserve with several bands of isolated tribes, but also with Peru's most lucrative energy project, the Camisea Gas fields. The multinational gas concession, managed by PlusPetrol, has operated here since 2004. Most Nahua men work as seasonal laborers for the company, which pays the tribe a monthly stipend in order to operate within the reserve. PHOTO: The Camisea gas concession, Peru's largest hydrocarbon project, overlaps Nahua territory in the Kugapakori, Nahua, Nanti Territorial Reserve. Nahua men work as seasonal laborers for the gas company. (Neil Giardino) While most Nahua welcome the ability to earn a wage, contact with national society has exposed them to a host of illnesses like diabetes, gastritis, and malnutrition. The Nahua also suffer from severe mercury poisoning from an unconfirmed source. "We demand to know the source of what keeps contaminating our Nahua brothers," said Edwin Humanga, president of regional indigenous organization CORPIAA. "In the meantime our brothers will continue to die, little by little." For the Nahua, who mere decades ago lived as nomadic hunter-gatherers, the urge to travel is deep-rooted. Most Nahua make frequent trips to the logging town of Sepahua, a day's journey by boat, where they maintain relations with the Dominican Church. PHOTO: Sepahua is a remote logging town in Peru's Amazon. The Nahua make regular trips to town from their remote village of Santa Rosa of Serjali. (Neil Giardino) Father Ignacio Iraizoz, who leads the Dominican mission in this remote hamlet -- and advocates for the contact of isolated tribes into national society -- minimized biological threats to isolated and initial contact tribes like the Nahua. PHOTO: Father Ignacio Iraizoz, of Spain, is a priest in the jungle outpost of Sepahua, Peru. His Dominican mission has encouraged contact of isolated tribes in the region. An unintended consequence has been tribes' exposure to Western diseases. (Neil Giardino) "Today contact must be made they're seeking contact. They want it, and we have the means to keep them safe," Iraizoz told ABC News. While the Dominican Mission has promoted education and health services for the Nahua, they are also criticized for aggressively assimilating them into national society and stripping them of their indigenous cosmovision. "[I]t's a nefarious influence. It's ethnocidal. It's hostile to their culture," said Moore. "A lot of Nahua died because they were brought into the Dominican Mission with inadequate health attention." PHOTO: Although the Nahua live within a protected reserve, illegal entry by loggers, narco-traffickers, and frontiersman could bring outside disease to this highly vulnerable tribe. (Neil Giardino) COVID-19 has claimed over 3,000 lives in Peru, with hospitals in the country's vast Amazon reaching a breaking point. In late April, Perus largest indigenous federation, the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Amazon estimated at least 1,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 11 Amazon regions of the country. But, due to a lack of testing in native communities, that number is likely much higher, a spokesman for AIDESEP told ABC News. MORE: Deforestation of Amazon rainforest accelerates amid COVID-19 pandemic Native leaders representing 1,800 communities throughout Peru's Amazon recently signed a formal complaint to the United Nations and Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The letter, published by AIDESEP, demands the government address the "constant and growing" threat of COVID-19 in indigenous communities and warns of "high risk of ethnocide" without state action. PHOTO: The Nahua people were forcibly contacted by loggers and oil workers in the 1980s. Since contact, the tribe has maintained a relationship with the Dominican church. (Neil Giardino) In response to the pandemic, the Ministry of Culture -- along with Perus national park service -- suspended all non-essential entry into the Kugapakori Nahua Nanti Territorial Reserve, granting access only to the states health sector, in the event of a medical emergency within. The ministry has also coordinated with regional authorities to bring food and medical supplies to the Nahua. In a written response to ABC News, the Ministry of Culture indicated that while there are 11 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the greater province of Atalaya, there are no known cases in Nahua territory or in the town of Sepahua, which they frequent. PHOTO: Nahua elder Mario Dispupidiwa was born into a nomadic hunter-gatherer family until his tribe's contact in the 1980s. As COVID-19 spreads through the Amazon, experts warn tribes like the Nahua could be decimated by the virus. (Neil Giardino) Mario Dispupidiwa, who has survived at least one earlier epidemic, said he still dreams of the life he once lived before his people were drawn out of isolation. I loved being free to travel the forest from one place to the next. I wonder what it would be like to return to that life, when we didnt need money or medicine, said Dispupidiwa. Remote Amazon tribe decimated by epidemic braces for COVID-19 originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Nepal has initiated a system of developing periodic policies and plans to develop and modernise the predominately agricultural economy six decades ago. Despite the strenuous efforts, the pace of development has not been satisfactory. Years of political instability hindered the development of the country. As of 1883, Nepal used to export agricultural products to India and other third countries, but now, the country depends on them. Apparently, there are many challenges and opportunities for the government to uplift the economy. The quest for a stable government got fulfilled through federal, provincial, and local level elections. While the government was struggling hard to take a direction towards economic growth, it has now severely been hit hard by the global Covid-19 crisis. Moreover, this pandemic situation is certain to hit the countrys journey towards the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs), the promises that the world together made to achieve by 2030 under the leadership of the United Nations. The United Nations has set 17 sustainable development goals and 169 targets for the future of the world. Nepal has also reviewed its sector-specific plans and strategies so as to align them with the SDGs. However, now, it is a big challenge to bring these plans into action. The current crisis will have a direct impact on the Nepali economy given that the economic system here is not shock-responsive. An economic assessment of historical information on floods and landslides between 1983 and 2010 revealed the direct economic cost of water-induced disasters was equivalent to approximately 1.5% of annual gross domestic product (GDP), averaging $270 million per year. This year, maintaining the resilience of economically vulnerable populations throughout the monsoon is more challenging due to the secondary impacts of the pandemic. The impact of the Covid-19 on economic activities will also affect other aspects of human life. After the pandemic, one of the directly impacted sectors will be employment/livelihood. The latest ILO data on the labour market impact of the Covid-19 pandemic reveals that 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy that is nearly half of the global workforce stand in the immediate danger of having their livelihoods destroyed. The IMF has anticipated that the economy of Qatar, Saudi Arab, UAE, and Kuwait will be impacted negatively. The economy of Malaysia is also at risk. These are the countries where nearly two-thirds of Nepali migrant workers work in or aspire to work in. On top of that, Nepals internal employment has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. Depending on the size and depth of impact on the international labour market, remittance goes down, which will increase poverty and obstruct the government from achieving the target of reducing the unemployment rate from 11.4% to 6% as set in the 15th development plan. As a result, the achievement of the SDGs, overall, will be hindered. The countrys journey towards the SDGs was already filled with challenges galore. Though the National Planning Commission had prepared a road map for achieving the SDGs, the government lacked a clear plan to implement it, as well as the budget. In the present context, catalysing economic development at the provincial and local levels was a key opportunity for economic transformation, but the practice of centralised development had forced the country to rely totally on the central government. The government was also unable to maintain proper coordination with donors, international aid organisation (INGOs), and other developmental partners. According to the Social Welfare Council, more than 200 INGOs and 46,000 NGOs are working on social and economic development issues, but the government has failed to mobilise them in meeting its targets. The development model of our country is more donor-oriented than need-based. The government prepares its budget plans relying on donor agencies such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and Asian Development Bank. Consequently, the programmes are designed to meet their interests. When the projects prioritise other issues than the needs of the people, they are more likely to fail. To cope with such challenges, the government should give priority to agriculture, tourism, energy, trade infrastructure sectors. In the meantime, sufficient attention has to be paid on the empowerment of all communities such as people with disabilities, women, and sexual minority groups, other marginalised communities. The private sector and non-government actors should be taken into confidence. Their participation is a must to achieve the SDGs. The author is the central president of the National Federation of Youth NGOs Nepal. Judicial Watch has uncovered a document that on its face purports to be the origin of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. It was authored by Peter Strzok, is heavily redacted and requires some knowledge of FBI protocols to understand fully. Nevertheless, the general import seems clear: FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION Electronic Communication Title: Crossfire Hurricane Date: 07/31/2016 Cc: [Redacted] Strzok Peter P II From: COUNTERINTELLIGENCE [Redacted] Contact: Strzok Peter P II, [Redacted] Approved by: Strzok Peter P II Drafed by: Strzok Peter P II Case ID #: [Redacted] CROSSFIRE HURRICANE; FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRATION ACT RUSSIA; SENSITIVE INVESTIGATIVE MATTER This document contains information that is restricted to case participants Synopsis: (S/ / ) Opens and assigns investigation Reason 1.4 (b) Derived from: FBI NSISC-20090615 Declassify On: 20411231 [Redacted] (S/) An investigation is being opened based on information received by Legat [Redacted] on 07/29/2016. The text of that email follows: SECRET/[Redacted] Title: (S/ / CC/NF) CROSSFIRE HURRICANE Re: [Redacted] 07/31/2016 BEGIN EMAIL (U/ /) Legat [Redacted] information from [Redacted] Deputy Chief of Mission Synopsis: (U/ /) Legat [Redacted] received information from the [Redacted] Deputy Chief of Mission related to the hacking of the Democratic National Committees website/server. Details: (S/ /[Redacted] On Wednesday, July 27, 2016, Legal Attache (Legat) [Redacted] was summoned to the Office of the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) for the [Redacted] who will be leaving [Redacted] post Saturday July 30, 2016 and set to soon thereafter retire from government service, advised [Redacted] was called by [Redacted] about an urgent matter requiring an in person meeting with the U.S. Ambassador. [Note: [Redacted]. The [Redacted] was scheduled to be away from post until mid-August, therefore [Redacted] attended the meeting. (S/ [Redacted]) [Redacted] advised that [Redacted] government had been seeking prominent members of the Donald Trump campaign in which to engage to prepare for potential post-election relations should Trump be elected U.S. President. One of the people identified was George Papadopolous (although public media sources provide a spelling of Papadopoulos), who was believed to be one of Donald Trumps foreign policy advisers. Mr. Papdopoulos was located in [Redacted] so the [Redacted] met with him on several occasions, with [Redacted] attending at least one of the meetings. (S/ [Redacted]) [Redacted] recalled [Redacted] of the meetings between Mr. Papdopolous and [Redacted] concerning statements Mr. Papadopolous made about suggestions from the Russians that they (the Russians) could assist the Trump campaign with the anonymous release of information during the campaign that would be damaging to Hillary Clinton. [Redacted] provided a copy of the reporting that was provided to [Redacted] from [Redacted] to Legal [Redacted]. The text is exactly as follows: (Begin Text) (S/ [Redacted]) 5. Mr. Papadopolous [Redacted] also suggested the Trump team had received some kind of suggestion from Russia that it could assist this process with the anonymous release of information during the campaign that would be damaging to Mrs. Clinton (and President Obama). It was unclear whether he or the Russians were referring to material acquired publicly of through other means. It was also unclear how Mr. Trumps team reacted to the offer. We note the Trump teams reaction could, in the end, have little bearing of what Russia decides to do, with or without Mr. Trumps cooperation. (End Text) (s/ [Redacted] [Redacted] (s/ [Redacted] Legat requests that further action on this information should consider the sensitivity that this information was provided through informal diplomatic channels from [Redacted] to the U.S. Embassys DCM. It was clear from the conversation Legal [Redacted] had with DCM that [Redacted] knew follow-up by the U.S. government would be necessary, but extraordinary efforts should be made to protect the source of this information until such a time that a request from our organization can be made to [Redacted] to obtain this information through formal channels. END EMAIL (S/ / ) Based on the information provided by Legat [Redacted] this investigation is being opened to determine whether individual(s) associated with the Trump campaign are witting of and/or coordinating activities with the Government of Russia. If this really is the origin of the Russia hoax, the pretext is the familiar conversation involving George Papadopolous, the then-28 year old foreign policy adviser to the Donald Trump campaign. But the email contains nothing that could possibly justify the investigation that ensued. It merely repeats the rumor that the Trump team had received some kind of suggestion from Russia that it could assist this process with the anonymous release of information during the campaign that would be damaging to Mrs. Clinton (and President Obama). The reference to President Obama is interesting, and may help to account for the great interest he took in Crossfire Hurricane. More on this below. Further: It was unclear whether he or the Russians were referring to material acquired publicly of through other means. So there is no tie to the intrusion into DNC emails, however that may have been carried out. And: It was also unclear how Mr. Trumps team reacted to the offer. We note the Trump teams reaction could, in the end, have little bearing of what Russia decides to do, with or without Mr. Trumps cooperation. In fact, the intelligence recited in the email contains no suggestion that the Trump campaign had reacted to the purported offer at all. And, as Strzok acknowledged, the Trump campaigns reaction was likely irrelevant. If this really is how the Russia investigation began, several points are obvious. First, it all had to do with Peter Strzok, who apparently both proposed and approved the alleged investigation, and kept it secret from most of his colleagues at the FBI. Second, the investigation is specifically tied to the Foreign Agents Registration Act. This is odd, to say the least, since 1) nothing in the Papadopoulos story could possibly invoke that statute in any way, and 2) the FARA was, as of 2016, a rather obscure and rarely enforced statute, not the stuff of secret FBI investigations. Third, the Papadopoulos rumor is an absurd pretext for what turned into a comprehensive investigation into the Trump campaign, and ultimately an effort to destroy the Trump administration. Taking the Papadopoulos rumor at face value, there was no suggestion that anyone associated with the Trump campaign had done anything wrong. Three and a half years and a million newspaper headlines later, it was confirmed that no one associated with the Trump campaign did anything wrong. Why was there an investigation in the first place? The answer obviously lies in the realm of politics, not law enforcement or national security. Fourth, it is interesting that the Papadopoulos rumor included a suggestion that the Russians had dirt on Barack Obama. Perhaps this has been reported before, but if so, I dont remember it. Might this be the reason why Obamas FBI was so interested in the Papadopoulos rumor and determined to act on it, even though, as Strzok readily acknowledged, what the Russians might do neednt have anything to do with the Trump campaigns response to the supposed Papadopoulos overture? Has anyone checked the White House visitor logs to see whether Strzok met frequently with Barack Obama? And might this explain why the Strzok-Page texts include the statement that potus wants to know everything were doing? Also, how did Lisa Page know what the president wanted? No doubt Obama preferred Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump as a successor, but there was no love lost between the two. Maybe Obamas concern, at least initially, was more about his own legacy than the 2016 election. Maybe he was terrified that the Russians might release information that reflected badly on him, relating, possibly, to his assurance to President Medvedev that he would have more flexibility to give away the store in Europe after he was re-elected. And who knows what other communications might have passed between President Obama and Vladimir Putins regime, which, according to Obama, was no threat at all? (The 1980s called. They want their foreign policy back.) Especially since Obama was weirdly determined to forge an alliance with Iran, Russias proxy in the Middle East. (Remember that Obama appointed Michael Flynn Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, but then fell out with him because Flynn opposed the Iran nuclear deal.) The deeper we dive into the worst scandal in American history, the more Barack Obama seems to be a central actor. John Solomon at Just The News consulted Kevin Brock, former chief of intelligence for the FBI, on the Strzok memo: [Brock] said the electronic communication did not meet the bureaus rigorous standards for predicating the opening of a criminal or counterintelligence case. There is nothing in the EC that meets the traditional thresholds for opening up a FARA or CI investigation, Brock told Just the News. It appears hastily constructed. The memo also contains evidence of other red flags, Brock explained, including that Strzok both drafted and approved the opening of his own investigation and originally segregated the memo so it could only be seen by case participants and not other FBI officials. Asked whether as an FBI assistant director he would have approved opening Crossfire Hurricane based on what was in the memo, Brock said: Not in a million years. I wouldnt have approved it as a squad supervisor either. This would have set off alarm bells in any FBI field for not meeting our standards for a predicate. What could have caused a veteran FBI bureaucrat like Strzok to depart so wildly from established FBI norms? The most obvious possibility is that he believedor knewthat he was doing the bidding of his ultimate boss, the President of the United States, Barack Obama. The guy who wants to know everything were doing. It may be that we will never get to the bottom of the biggest scandal in American history. If that happens, it will be because many people do not want to know where the trail of evidence ultimately leads. The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has assured Nigerians that lockdown measures put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus would not remain longer than necessary. He said this in a statement containing his message to Muslims on the occasion of this years Eid-el-Fitr. The statement issued on Saturday was signed by the Presidents Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu. Buhari was quoted as saying that COVID-19, which caught the world off guard, and has put a damper on what would otherwise have been a time of celebration for the Muslim faithful to mark the end of the Ramadan fasting period. The Nigerian leader commended the sacrifices of both Muslims and Christians for their cooperation in the enforcement of the social distancing guidelines. He assured Nigerians that the lockdown measures would not go on longer than necessary because they would be reviewed from time to time to ease the increasing hardships on the people. I am well aware of the inconveniences these tough measures have brought on the lives of Nigerians, including limiting religious activities and gatherings in large numbers. No government would intentionally impose these tough and demanding measures on its citizens if it had a choice. The retired general also appealed to Nigerians whose businesses and means of livelihoods were badly affected by the prolonged lockdown measures for their understanding and cooperation. He said, For the first time in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the peoples spiritual, social, and economic lives. This years fasting period was particularly challenging for Muslims because they had to forgo many important aspects of their daily worship, including the routine congregations for prayer and the recitation and interpretation of the Holy Quran as well as traveling for the lesser pilgrimage to Makkah. It is not easy to give up many of these important duties and activities, but it became imperative to do so in order to control or limit the spread of this deadly disease. He also urged people with means to continue helping their neighbours and the less well-to-do so that we can all come out of this pandemic stronger and more united. The President told the Muslim faithful that this years Eid event is an occasion for sober reflection rather than celebration because of the long shadows of gloom that the coronavirus has cast on peoples lives. A BROTHER and sister have produced a CD to brighten up the lives of their neighbours and friends during the coronavirus lockdown. Alex and Isabella Miles- Kingston, of Harpsden Way, Henley, are both music scholars and decided to put their talents to good use. Together with their parents, Charlotte and Edward, they recorded 16 songs over 10 days and then made 30 copies which they distributed among neighbours and members of the congregation at Holy Trinity Church. Alex, 13, who is a boarder at Wellington College in Crowthorne, has grade 8 in singing, grade 7 in oboe and grade 6 in piano. Isabella, 11, is in her final year at Rupert House School in Henley and was recently awarded a music scholarship by St Helen & St Katharine School in Abingdon, where she is due to start in September. She is grade 6 in violin and is working towards grade 5 in singing and piano. Mrs Miles-Kingston said: We were very aware that there are people on their own and we thought it would be nice to share the kids doing their music practice with them. We had seen a few reports in the Henley Standard of people doing performances and thought it would be nice to stand on the street and share the music, so we started planning a little concert. Then we thought it wouldnt be responsible because of social distancing so we decided to do a CD instead. It is a mixture of serious music and a few songs that are more relaxed and light-hearted. There are a couple in there that the kids have been playing for a long time and others that they have only just learned. I got a thank you note from someone who said it brightened up their day, which is really nice and we are very proud of both of the children. They both get such pleasure from playing and from the social side of it as well. The CD, which was recorded using an iPhone, is called Miles-Kingston Music and the case features pictures of the children from previous performances. Inside there is a leaflet which explains why the family decided to make the CD and the songs they chose. It reads: This CD was created during the incredibly challenging time of covid-19. We wanted to provide some music for family and friends and since we are unable to perform in a concert, we thought a CD with some personal music would cheer people up, especially those who are on their own. We would like to thank the incredible people who are working so hard to keep everyone safe and well at this very difficult time. Isabella performed seven songs, including Holiday in Paris by William Gillock, Fly Me to the Moon by Bart Howard and Millionaires Hoedown by Herman Clebanoff. She also learned the Last Post on the violin and performed it in the street on VE Day outside the Acacia Lodge care home in Quebec Road for the residents, who include her great grandmother Kit. Isabella said: We wanted to do a concert and it was nice to be able to help the old and the vulnerable. I like my piano and I am planning to continue with my lessons when I am allowed. I felt very happy and joyful to get accepted for the scholarship. It feels like I am just at the start of a very exciting pathway. Alex contributed six pieces, including Gabriels Oboe by Ennio Morricone, Romanez by Robert Schumann and Silent Noon by Ralph Vaughan Williams. He said: I enjoy the feeling I get from recording the pieces because I know it will bring happiness to people who are on their own. I also like the fact that we got to do it together as a family. I have a lot of opportunities to get involved with music at school. I have found being at home weird but I am used to it now. Both of them have been home-schooled during lockdown and their mother, who is an accountant, and father, an IT consultant, have been able to continue working. Mr Miles-Kingston played the Pink Panther theme tune on the saxophone for the CD and his wife performed Yesterday by the Beatles on the piano. The final song is called Duetto con Labradosa and is a musical nod to the familys one-year-old Labrador Horace, which often howls while they are performing. Mrs Miles-Kingston said: Now that we have the music on the computer, it would be very easy for us to do more copies. It was only supposed to be for local families to cheer people up and lift their spirits. We miss family and friends and I feel desperately sorry for the shops and small businesses which are suffering at the moment, so I try to stay positive. If you would like to receive a copy of the CD, send a request by email to Mrs Miles-Kingston at charlottemileskingston@sky.com As the Depression deepened in the 1930s, President Franklin Roosevelt had an idea: put an army of eager job seekers to work improving federal lands, forests and parks. His brainchild, the Civilian Conservation Corps, revived the nations outdoors and created desperately needed employment. Its time to resurrect the concept with a fresh spin. In Californias case, the threat of wildfire is a near permanent worry in a state where 45% of the land is in federal hands. In addition, the soaring jobless rate brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting hardest those under 30, the prime age category to tap for the physical task of forestry work. Putting people to work on a needed assignment works both here and across the country. Any plan to spend big on a federal project will run into political trouble, as Democrats are finding with a $3 trillion stimulus bill to aid cities and state finances. But this rebuilding proposal comes under the partisan-free heading of infrastructure. Its public spending that can benefit everyone and should draw support from across the voting spectrum. The nation could use more of that spirit in a dire time. The plan, dubbed the Restoration and Resilience Jobs measure, is collecting congressional names for now. The $125 billion spending package is divided among a half dozen topics including wildlife habitat, land conservation and reclamation work. Abandoned coal mines, wetlands used by migrating birds and fish-rearing streams would get attention. The projects range from the Everglades in Florida to the Southern California desert. A total of 76 members of Congress have signed on, including 16 from California. The possibilities are easy to see. In San Francisco, Aquatic Park needs an updating from improved beachfront seating areas to improvements to a row of seven historical ships that need maintaining. As stay-home rules give way to a more open city, visitors are flocking to this stretch of beach and pier fronts managed by the Park Service. An overhaul would be welcomed by the public. But most of the federal land is in rural areas, where fires are fed by overgrown vegetation. The proposal takes note of both this problem and its potential solution. One fireproofing tool calls for prescribed or controlled burns to rid the landscape of undergrowth that can turn a blaze into an inferno as California well knows. But that tactic needs plenty of prep work and careful oversight once the flames get going. Its hard, even dangerous, work that young crews of firefighters could be trained to carry out. With a crushing state budget shortfall, its too much to expect Sacramento to take on the task as it has in the past. A bill to train and deploy crews working on federal land would be a more complete answer. Along with controlled burns, additional workers could lower fire risks by thinning forests and widening fire-stopping breaks. It wont be just young people swinging axes and shovels. There will be a need for heavy equipment operators and seasoned construction workers as well. Its not all backcountry basics. Federal entities such as the National Park System, Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have shelves of postponed maintenance and improvements. In the northwest corner of the state, a coalition of outdoors groups, tribes and local leaders in Del Norte County have developed plans for riverside work, improved camp sites, and tree trimming. In the eastern Sierra, there are other spending needs: dealing with wild burros that chew up the landscape, an updated visitors center in Mono County and improvements to the Manzanar National Historic Site that memorializes the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II. Nationally, theres plenty more to do. Droughts, hurricanes and floods have devastated millions of federal acres, robbing the environment of a chance to bounce back. It will take hard work to revive these estuaries, rivers and forests that span both red and blue states. There are plenty of worthy causes and interest groups lining up for federal funds as the pandemic continues. The challenge requires a multitude of answers to the shattering damage. Renewing federal lands to keep them safe and accessible in a way that eases a jobless crisis should go on the priority list. FDR would likely agree. This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters. "These people fought for everything that we have," she said. Kathy Quinn said she thought it was good for the girls to get outside and learn about patriotism. She said she wasn't concerned about being exposed to the coronavirus while at the cemetery, but she did bring masks along to protect herself and her granddaughters. Above all, she said she was happy to be able to celebrate the holiday with her granddaughters on a warm Saturday afternoon. Not everyone came to the cemeteries to pay their respects, however. Local birdwatchers Kathy Wolfe and Kent Skaggs were drawn to Wyuka to enjoy the weekend pursuing their hobby. Skaggs said Wyuka is a destination for Lincoln birdwatchers, as many mature trees and the quiet atmosphere attract a wide array of birds. Wolfe wore a mask, but she said she wasn't very concerned about the spread of the virus when outdoors. "I just like to keep my distance," she said. Skaggs said the history of Wyuka also appeals to him, and the names and dates on the headstones give an interesting perspective on modern life. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended his chief adviser Dominic Cummings, amid a clamour of calls for Cummings to resign after it emerged he travelled to Durham from London while the country was on lockdown and everyone had been told to stay at home. Johnson told a news conference on Sunday that he believed Cummings had acted responsibly and legally. I think that what they did was totally understandable, he added. I think any father, any parent would frankly understand what he did and I certainly do. Cummings drove 250 miles (400 kilometres) from London to his parents home in Durham, in northeast England, with his wife and son as he was coming down with COVID-19 symptoms at the end of March. Britains lockdown, which began on March 23, stipulated that people should remain at their primary residence, leaving only for essential local errands and exercise. Anyone with coronavirus symptoms was told to completely isolate themselves. The Sun newspaper reported late on Sunday that Johnson was facing a cabinet revolt over his support for Cummings, a divisive figure most known for his role in the campaign to take the UK out of the European Union. He (Cummings) cannot stay, the paper quoted an unnamed minister as saying. There has to be some contrition from Boris too or he will spend the next ten weeks having to answer questions about it all. This is not a bubble story. Real people are furious because they have been doing the right thing and isolating. The Sun report came after some Conservative MPs joined opposition calls for Cummings to resign. Dominic Cummings has a track record of believing that the rules dont apply to him and treating the scrutiny that should come to anyone in a position of authority with contempt, tweeted Conservative politician Damian Collins. The government would be better without him. Tory politician Steve Baker on Sunday said Cummings must go before he does any more harm to the UK, the government, the prime minister, our institutions or the Conservative Party, in remarks featured on the UK website The Critic. The government has defended Cummings, saying he travelled to be near extended family because his wife was showing COVID-19 symptoms, he correctly thought he was also infected and he wanted to ensure that his four-year-old son was looked after. Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said Cummings actions were justifiable and reasonable. Taking care of your wife and young child is justifiable and reasonable, trying to score political points over it isnt. https://t.co/QVkFmKgOsW Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) May 23, 2020 The coronavirus cut a swath through the top ranks of Britains government in March and April, infecting people including Cummings, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Johnson himself, who was admitted intensive care in a London hospital before recovering. Critics of the government expressed outrage that Cummings had broken strict rules that for two months have prevented Britons from visiting elderly relatives, comforting dying friends or even attending the funerals of loved ones. The opposition Labour Party has called for an official investigation. Cummings is a key but contentious figure in Johnsons government. A self-styled political disruptor who disdains the media and civil service, he orchestrated the Conservatives decisive election victory in December. The Prime Minister has treated the British people with contempt. One rule for Dominic Cummings, another for everybody else. pic.twitter.com/XIFCztZnbu Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) May 24, 2020 Reporting from London, Al Jazeeras Neave Barker said Johnson would want to ensure that lingering questions over his chief advisers whereabouts in March and April dissipate as quickly as possible. Undoubtedly this is an unwanted distraction from what the government hopes would be its main message that it is under control, that it is easing restrictions, is in charge when it comes to making sure normality returns to this country, he said. Gradual easing of lockdown Johnsons government is already facing criticism for its response to a pandemic that has hit Britain harder than any other European country. Britains official coronavirus death toll stands at 36,757, the second-highest confirmed total in the world after the United States. Statistics that include suspected as well as confirmed virus cases put the toll well over 40,000. The UK is gradually easing its lockdown, allowing more outdoor recreation and letting some shops and businesses reopen. The government hopes primary schools can start reopening in June, although many parents and teachers worry that it is not yet safe to do so. Cummings is one of several senior UK officials to be accused of flouting the lockdown rules. Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson stepped down as government scientific adviser earlier this month after a newspaper disclosed that his girlfriend had crossed London to stay with him during the lockdown. At the time Hancock, the health minister, said he was speechless at the revelations. In April, Catherine Calderwood resigned as Scotlands chief medical officer after twice travelling from Edinburgh to her second home. A man is behind bars after police say he shot two men, killing one, during a dispute outside a Roswell home Friday night. Todd Wildermuth, a Roswell police spokesman, said 22-year-old Tyler Kelley is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery and tampering with evidence in the death of Marcelleno Briseno, 19. Kelley has been booked into the Chaves County Detention Center. Wildermuth said officers responded around 10:30 p.m. to reports of gunfire at a house in the 300 block of Jefferson. Shortly after officers arrived at the scene, two men with gunshot wounds arrived at a local hospital, driven there by another man, he said. Wildermuth said Briseno had been shot twice and was dead upon arrival. The other man was shot in the arm and released after being treated. He said police spoke with multiple people at the house and detained Kelley at the police station as they investigated. Witnesses told officers the shooting started as a fight over a woman. Wildermuth said when the two men went to the home to confront Kelley, he allegedly shot them both. Since this is Memorial Day weekend, our dedicated moderators have asked for those days off. Therefore, comment approval will be slow through Tuesday. Please be patient, and give us 24 hours! Thank you. lambert Herd Of Fuzzy Green Glacier Mice Baffles Scientists NPR (dk). Original. Like science fiction, except on Earth! Remote sensing reveals Antarctic green snow algae as important terrestrial carbon sink Nature. Despite the greenery, this is a different story! Banker Bots Rake In Nordic Wealth Business and Reshape Finance Bloomberg Tax collection, a labour of love: the Tax Justice Network podcast, May 2020 (podcast) Tax Justice Network #COVID19 Interviews: READ: The Hills interview with Anthony Fauci (interview) The Hill The house was on fire. Top Chinese virologist on how China and U.S. have met the pandemic (interview) Science * * * The science: Findings from investigation and analysis of re-positive cases (press release) KCDC. Comment: The bottom line analysis from the Korean CDC demonstrating that those testing positive for SARSCoV2 after recovering from covid WERE NOT infected or contagious. The positive hit on the subsequent PCR test was dead virus and could not replicate in viral cell culture. https://t.co/0pVP10QVpW Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) May 23, 2020 Covid-19 Patients Not Infectious After 11 Days: Singapore Study Bloomberg (original). n=72. [V]iral RNA detection by PCR does not equate to infectiousness or viable virus. There May Be a Unique Coronavirus Immune Response Derek Lowe, The Pipeline, Science * * * Spread: High COVID-19 Attack Rate Among Attendees at Events at a Church Arkansas, March 2020 CDC Mississippi church burned down, vandalized after challenging citys stay-at-home order WREG and Investigators look at possible arson at Holly Springs church Daily Journal How L.A. County became coronavirus epicenter: Slower shutdown, density, poverty among theories Los Angeles Times Nursing Home Care in Crisis in the Wake of COVID-19 JAMA One final viral infusion: Trumps move to block travel from Europe triggered chaos and a surge of passengers from the outbreaks center WaPo Next, airports: Wow: via @garyleff, with Hawaii tourism shut down, they tent fumigated the entire Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (iconic Big Island resort designed by SOM and built by the Rockefellers in 1965) https://t.co/KJmuAhFNWt pic.twitter.com/Sba6s1VuZW Josh Barro (@jbarro) May 23, 2020 * * * Vaccine: The Danger of Vaccine Nationalism Harvard Business Review Europes Covid predicament how do you solve a problem like the anti-vaxxers? Guardian * * * Treatment: Remdesivir Data from NIAID Trial Published MedPage Today Remdesivir for the Treatment of Covid-19 Preliminary Report NEJM Convalescent plasma treatment of severe COVID-19: A matched control study (preprint) medRxiv * * * Testing: Dogs are now being trained to sniff out people who have the coronavirus even before they show symptoms. Heres how this could work Business Insider. Lots of new detail on the tests. Aussie sewers a frontline in bid to flush out coronavirus Agence France Presse * * * Masks: A full-body mask: JUST IN: California Design Firm Working on Protective Suit for Concerts and Clubbing. The suit is designed for partying and safety. It includes a N95 filter as well as snap-in canisters for drinking and vaping. https://t.co/MC2uU9xZEr pic.twitter.com/vGFhN1hOiL Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) May 23, 2020 Making massssks from Florida python skin Agence France Presse Your face mask selfies could be training the next facial recognition tool CNET Former White House aide won $3M contract to supply masks amid pandemic The Hilll. Youll never guess what happened next! * * * Business response: A reckoning for small business Axios REVEALED: Two executives at drug firm Moderna quietly sold nearly $30 million of stock when they unveiled coronavirus vaccine and value rose before share price went down again Daily Mail (Re Silc). Higher Education Will Be Transformed By the Coronavirus Pandemic Teen Vogue The Nonprofit Grifters Who Want a Cut of the Coronavirus Bailout The New Republic (KW). * * * Political response: Immune to Evidence: How Dangerous Coronavirus Conspiracies Spread Pro Publica. I think shibboleths like herd immunity are partly to blame; words are used to signal group-membership and identity, rather than to communicate information (or knowledge (or wisdom)). Same deal with kompromat. Americans Have Always Politicized Public Health The American Conservative Which Post-Pandemic Government? Project Syndicate * * * Reopening: States Are Reopening: See How Coronavirus Cases Rise or Fall Pro Publica. Handy chart: Thing is, the hot spots happen at the city/county level, which the aggregated data conceals. Report 23: State-level tracking of COVID-19 in the United States (PDF) Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team. Handy chart of R 0 , Montana best, Texas worst: Politicised nature of lockdown debate delays Imperial report FT How We Reopen Safely Covid Exit Strategy. The problem I have here is that one of the major sponsors of this effort is @USofCare, a front group that the health insurance industry established to prevent Medicare for All (NC here and here), and so theyre fine with losing 68,000 lives a year, year after year, and are covid-washing that policy position. Sadly, many of the American health care pundists posting on #COVID19 are in the same equivocal position. First, do no harm, and all that, but also there is to be no exit strategy from health care for profit, never ever. Australian skincare brand Lanolips has caught the attention of both celebrities and everyday customers around the world with their hydrating balm and it retails for only $18.95. The Original 101 Ointment Multipurpose Superbalm is made from 100 per cent natural ingredients to offer extreme hydration when applied to the lips or skin. The award-winning product sells globally every minute and can be used on lips, cuticles, hands, knees or anywhere that appears to be dry. Australian skincare brand Lanolips has caught the attention of both celebrities and everyday customers around the world with their hydrating balm and it retails for only $18.95 The Original 101 Ointment Multipurpose Superbalm is made from 100 per cent natural ingredients to offer extreme hydration when applied to the lips or skin Celebrity fans who have used the product include the likes of Drew Barrymore, Sienna Miller and Miranda Kerr. The product uses naturally derived lanolin and lanolin oil, a type of wax that's secreted from sheep's wool and mimics human skin oils. It has the powerful ability to hold 400 times its own weight in water, meaning it can deliver moisture back into your skin at the same time. The balm itself isn't greasy or sticky and it's recommended to warm the ointment between the fingers before applying. It's also safe to use during or post-pregnancy for nursing mothers and newborn babies. The product uses naturally derived lanolin and lanolin oil, which is a type of wax that's secreted from sheep's wool and mimics human skin oils The multipurpose product is said to be sold globally every minute and can be used on lips, cuticles, hands, knees or anywhere that appears to be dry On the brand's website the balm has received mostly five star reviews from happy customers. 'My first Lano product and it's amazing! I'm taking accutane at the moment and my lips and eczema need all the hydration they can get and this is non-irritating as well as very soothing,' one shopper wrote online. 'It's an awesome product for cuticles, eyes, dry spots like scabs, elbows and knees,' another said. Celebrity fans who have used the product include the likes of Drew Barrymore (pictured right), Sienna Miller and Miranda Kerr Australians can purchase the product through the Lanolips website or at MECCA, Priceline, Sephora and David Jones A third added: 'This balm is really nice and thick but applies nicely when you warm it with your fingers. Would definitely recommend if you have dry skin you want to try and hydrate a little.' Other popular products include the 101 Ointment Multi-Bam Minty Edition, the Tinted Lanolin Lip Balm which comes in a variety of colours and the Rose + Lanolin Hand Cream for an intense hydration. Australians can purchase the product on the Lanolips website or at MECCA, Priceline, Sephora and David Jones. The dominos that led to Pennsylvanias worst-ever jobless rate began falling March 13, when it was announced schools would be closed starting the following week. March 19, in response to the rapidly worsening coronavirus crisis, Gov. Tom Wolf announced all businesses not deemed life-sustaining must close statewide. March 25, the Lehigh Valley was included in a stay-at-home order that eventually expanded across the state. The unemployment figures released Friday by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry put the statewide jobless rate at 15.1% for April, up 9.3 percentage points from March. Thats the worst on record since the current methodology was adopted in 1976. The previous record was 12.7% in January and February of 1983. The national unemployment rate for April was 14.7%, up 10.3 percentage points from March. The Lehigh Valleys unemployment rate has not been updated for April by either the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry or U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For March, 5.8% of the civilian labor force of 444,200 was out of work in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area. That was up 1.1 percentage points from February, showing the early effects of COVID-19 and mitigation efforts to contain it, Labor and Industry said. In the Lehigh Valley, from the week ending March 21 through May 16, Lehigh County saw 45,431 initial claims for unemployment compensation and Northampton County saw 33,749, for 79,180 total. Statewide during that time, 1.49 million people filed for assistance. Weekly initial claims have peaked April 4 at 12,498 for Lehigh County and 9,163 for Northampton County. (Cant see the above chart? Click here.) As of Friday, 49 of Pennsylvanias 67 counties have transitioned to the initial, yellow phase of Wolfs three-tiered plan to restart the states economy. The rest of the state, including Lehigh and Northampton counties, is scheduled to follow suit June 5, the day after the stay-at-home order expires. Provided newly confirmed cases of the COVID-19 continue to fall, yellow-phase counties are expected to transfer to green with more normal operations after two weeks. Pennsylvanians will still be required to maintain 6 feet of distance from others outside their household and to wear masks for commerce and when social distancing is impossible. Other restrictions on business capacity will also continue, and those who can work from home will be encouraged to keep doing so. State labor officials say they can't predict the future of the unemployment situation, but point to improvements since May 1 when construction became the first industry permitted to resume operating. "This is the first steps we need to do," state Labor and Industry Secretary W. Gerard "Jerry" Oleksiak said during a conference call with reporters Friday. "We want to make sure everyone is safe. We want to be able to reopen the counties based on the phased-in program that the governor has in place." In the meantime, signs of frustration with the shuttered economy have begun to show -- even amid newly announced freedoms, such as allowing auto dealers to reopen virtually, the real estate business to resume in-person activities and struggling bars to sell cocktails to go. In Lehigh County, small-business owner Michael McCreary last week announced a run for the state House over his frustration with having to remain shuttered. Martin Guitar outside Nazareth is the focus of a bipartisan plea to allow manufacturing to resume there. Gym owner Ed Frack announced plans to reopen Sunday despite the shutdown, saying its do or die time for his business. And on Friday, Beckys Drive-in in northern Northampton County opened, only close back up again Saturday or risk penalties. Oleksiak said he shares concerns about the long-term impacts on businesses forced to close down for so long. "We are already beginning to look forward, what will work look like, what will the economy look like, how will we respond to that as a commonwealth, as government agencies," he said. "This is a situation none of us have ever seen before." Pennsylvania as of Saturday has confirmed 66,983 cases of COVID-19, and 5,096 people have died. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. KYODO NEWS - May 24, 2020 - 14:31 | World, All North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hosted a military meeting of the ruling Workers' Party to discuss new policies aimed at boosting the country's nuclear deterrence, state-run media reported Sunday. As denuclearization talks with the United States remain locked in a standstill over sanctions relief, North Korea may step up its development of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, foreign affairs experts say. Late last year, Kim pledged to unveil a "new strategic weapon" to be possessed by North Korea "in the near future." Related coverage: North Korea further eases virus restrictions, Kim's movements unknown Xi urges cooperation against virus in message to Kim: Xinhua North Korea's Kim makes 1st public appearance in 20 days: KCNA The military meeting, which appears to have taken place on Saturday, was the first gathering of its kind since December. The Sunday edition of the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the ruling party, ran on its front page photos showing Kim in attendance at the event. The Korean Central News Agency said the meeting "discussed important military steps and organizational and political measures to further bolster up the overall armed forces" of North Korea. It marks his first appearance in state-run media since May 2, when the news agency reported his attendance at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a newly opened fertilizer factory in Sunchon, near Pyongyang, the previous day. Speculation subsequently mounted that he was staying in the nation's eastern port city of Wonsan as part of preventive steps against the new coronavirus. The photos released Sunday by North Korea's most influential newspaper notably showed no attendees at the military gathering wearing face masks, signaling the country's confidence that it has brought the pandemic under control. Since earlier this year, North Korea has cut off traffic to and from China and Russia. Pyongyang claims to have zero cases of coronavirus within its borders. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Partly cloudy skies during the morning giving way to a few showers late. High around 70F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Rain likely. Low 39F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Former US Rep Allen West of Florida has been injured in a motorcycle crash in Texas on Saturday. The 59-year-old former congressman, who is currently running to lead the Republican Party of Texas, was in stable condition after being airlifted to a hospital following the crash on Interstate 35 outside of Waco. A post on his Facebook page said that West was riding his motorcycle when a car cut him off and caused him to collide with another motorcyclist. President Donald Trump expressed his support for West in a tweet on Sunday morning, writing: 'Allen, get well soon!' Former US Rep Allen West of Florida was injured in a motorcycle crash in Texas on Saturday President Donald Trump expressed his support for West in a tweet on Sunday morning The accident occurred as West was returning home from a Saturday morning rally at the Texas Capitol in Austin, former state Sen Don Huffines told the Dallas Morning News. The 'Free Texas Rally' was focused on reopening the state amid the coronavirus pandemic. West's team said both he and the other motorcyclist were transported to Baylor Scott and White hospital in Waco with non-life threatening injuries. The politician suffered a concussion, several fractured bones and multiple lacerations. The Facebook post quoted him as saying: 'I am alive by the grace of God.' West's team said he plans 'to continue to be a proponent for freedom and the state of Texas, and will resume his normal calendar of activities as given clearance by his medical team'. 'LTC West thanks the public for their well-wishes and outpouring of support, and continued prayers on his behalf are appreciated,' the post said. Trump and West are pictured together with Fox News host Greg Gutfeld at a fundraising event in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2014 The accident occurred as West was returning home from the 'Free Texas Rally' at the state Capitol on Saturday morning (pictured) West is currently running for chair of the Republican Party of Texas The politician promoted his appearance at the 'Free Texas Rally' on Facebook West, a native of Atlanta, served in the US Army and retired as a lieutenant colonel. He went on to serve one term in the US House of Representatives from January 2011 to January 2013 before moving from Florida to Texas. In 2014 he called for his former congressional colleagues to impeach then-President Barack Obama over his move to swap five Taliban prisoners of war held by the US at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba for Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, an American prisoner of war. West considered a run against US Rep Colin Allred (D - Dallas) last summer, but ultimately changed gears and launched a bid to unseat current Texas GOP Chairman James Dickey. Dickey was among many on social media requesting prayers for West's recovery. 'I have just learned that Allen West has been in a motorcycle accident outside of Waco and is in the emergency room,' Dickey wrote in a statement on Facebook. 'I ask you to join me and my family in praying for him and his family.' Texas Land Commissioner George P Bush also extended his condolences on Twitter, writing: 'Just heard news that @AllenWest was involved in a motorcycle accident near Waco this afternoon. Please join me in sending prayers for a quick recovery.' Texas GOP Chairman James Dickey, whom West hopes to unseat in the next election, asked his followers to pray for the congressman in a Facebook post on Saturday evening Box from Empathy Wines Empathy Wines Consumers have spent the past couple decades shifting their spending habits to the internet. Now, with local stores closed and millions of people social distancing, the web has become by default the place we shop. In a tweet last week that went viral, industry newsletter 2PM posted the words, "10 years vs. 8 weeks," followed by a chart showing that e-commerce penetration climbed to 27% from 16% in just eight weeks of quarantine. That was the same amount of market share growth it achieved over the prior decade. Amazon, unsurprisingly, has been the biggest single beneficiary, focusing on essential household and medical items. Beyond the e-retailing giant, consumers have flocked to the websites of Walmart, Target and Best Buy, which all saw surging online sales in the first quarter at the expense of physical retail. But there's a wide swath of smaller sites and niche brands that were built for the internet shopper and are now seeing spikes in their business that they never could have anticipated. One of the leading categories is wine and spirits, which saw a 74% increase in online sales from March 11 through April 21, according to a report earlier this month from Adobe. Empathy Wines, a web-based vintner that ships three, six or 12 bottles at a time and sells subscriptions that include three shipments a year, is reaching daily sales levels now that it normally sees only on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The company, co-founded two years ago by media entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, has been able to dial up its digital marketing efforts to reach people who are no longer going to liquor stores. In addition to reasonable prices bottles sell for $20 Empathy's wines can only be purchased online, so for many wine drinkers it's an entirely new brand. The company's small marketing team is largely based in New York, but the product is made by a winemaker in California, where all the grapes are sourced. "If there was a silver lining to an otherwise terrible situation, it's that people are, in some cases for the first time ever, shopping for categories in a new way," said Jonathan Troutman, co-founder and CEO of Empathy. "We built this business with the idea that consumers were increasingly building toward that behavior." Venture capitalist Kirsten Green is seeing that dynamic play out across her portfolio. Her firm, Forerunner Ventures, is an early investor in eyeglass company Warby Parker, skincare brand Glossier, telehealth company Hims and pet food company The Farmer's Dog. Green said these internet-based brands were created to take advantage of the efficiencies of selling online and the preference among a large segment of consumers to avoid malls and high-traffic shopping areas. Additionally, they're attracting new customers now because people aren't spending on travel, concerts and plays or expensive meals, nor are they hiring babysitters so they can hit the town. With consumers stuck at home, "it's not that surprising that they would be spending on personal care, wellness for yourself, fitness and your home," said Green. "There's less competition for your dollars because you're not going on vacation this summer." That's not to say that all e-retail is benefiting. Luggage company Away (which is also part of Green's portfolio) saw sales plunge 90% in the first few weeks after initial stay-in-place orders and furloughed or laid off over half its staff. The company's founders said in a blog post at the time that, "it is nearly impossible to continue our mission of transforming travel when travel has come to a halt." Clothing and shoes sales are also way down. Apparel prices suffered their biggest April price drop in over five years, according to Adobe. "It's not a rising tide lifts all boats" market, said Scott Galit, CEO of money transfer company Payoneer. "We're seeing more winners and losers at this point," and the environment "has tended to favor larger more sophisticated sellers," he added. Payoneer's data points to growth in categories like electronics, toys, home essentials and home decor, and declines in apparel and cosmetics, other than skin care. What's here to stay? Galit said some of these trends are more permanent than others. While the convenience of buying groceries and hygiene-related products online will long outlast the pandemic, categories like toys "will likely flatten out over time, both as consumers have stocked up on what they feel they need, and as the rise in unemployment and falling markets begin to limit discretionary spending," he said. Even for some digital-first brands, there have been some challenges. Warby Parker, Glossier and hair care provider Madison Reed have all had to close physical stores. But they've been able to make up for those losses through their online operations. From February to April, traffic to Madison Reed's website quadrupled and the number of people buying something every day climbed 13-fold, the company said. CEO Amy Errett told CNBC that even though women have been home, they're still working and spending a lot of time on video calls so they want to look good. She also called it "an emotional experience." "Throughout the period of shelter in place, we consistently saw women skipping their makeup routines, but holding on to hair color," Errett said, in an email. "It became their one thing. For us, there was a realization that, in an incredibly difficult time, we were able to spread a little joy with a hair color kit." The company still has plans to open eight new stores between July 1 and July 15. LensDirect LensDirect UPDATE: Woman confesses to hit-and-run that injured motorcyclist near Battle Creek, deputies say CALHOUN COUNTY, MI Police are seeking help to find the driver of a vehicle that left the scene of a hit-and-run incident involving a motorcyclist Saturday. Authorities were dispatched to the scene of the crash at 1:21 p.m. Saturday, May 23, at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and VanBuren Street in Springfield, according to a news release issued by Calhoun County Sheriffs Department. The motorcyclist, a 66-year-old Albion man, was westbound on Michigan Avenue when he stopped at a stop sign and was rear-ended by a small sedan, police said. The black, two-door vehicle may be either a Nissan or Saturn, according to the release. The driver of the vehicle stopped for about a minute and then fled the scene, according to police. The vehicle was occupied by a male passenger and female passenger. The motorcyclist was taken to Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo to be treated for multiple non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Police ask anyone with information related to the hit-and-run incident to contact the Silent Observer line at 269-964-3888. More on MLive: Michigan man arrested in Indiana for potential kidnapping of wife, child Kalamazoo police seize 200 ecstasy pills and firearm during traffic stop Woman hurt by graze bullet wound in Kalamazoo Grand Rapids firefighters overcome high water to rescue kayaker in Grand River Grand Haven police investigating grab and go cell phone store theft In his original ruling last year, Kennelly called it undisputed that some members of Madigans political organization worked to put the two additional candidates on the ballot and wrote that the evidence supports a reasonable inference that Madigan authorized or at least was aware of the recruitment effort. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 24 Trend: On 24 May, 2020 Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov had a telephone conversation with the Foreign Minister of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Trend reports citing MFA press service. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov accepted the sincere congratulations of his colleague Mevlut Cavusoglu on the occasion of May 28 Republic Day of Azerbaijan. The sides also exchanged congratulations and best wishes on the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The Ministers also exchanged their views on the successful development of friendship and brotherly relations between the two states. Trinity Bellwoods Park was a lot quieter Sunday a day after thousands of people converged on the downtown green space, ignoring social-distancing guidelines and triggering a wave of criticism and warnings by alarmed officials. To ensure Saturdays droves werent repeated, an enhanced complement of Toronto police and bylaw officers spread the word in the west-end park that no alcohol was to be consumed and that COVID-19 protocols must be followed. Even Mayor John Tory, who visited the park throng on Saturday, was among those who fell short, as he conceded in a statement released Sunday. I want to apologize for my personal behaviour, Tory said via Twitter. I visited Trinity Bellwoods Park to try to determine why things were the way they were. I fully intended to properly physically distance but it was very difficult to do. I wore a mask into the park but I failed to use it properly, another thing Im disappointed about. These were mistakes that I made and as a leader in this city, I know that I must set a better example going forward. Don Peat, the mayors spokesman, said Tory had made significant efforts to maintain physical distance, moving when people came too close or asking them to step back. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he had been absolutely shocked to see photos of the crowds that showed up at Trinity Bellwoods, saying at first he thought it was a rock concert. We just cant have that right now. Its just too many people, too close, he said Sunday at Queens Park. There is still a deadly virus amongst us and if we allow it, it will spread it will spread like wildfire. City workers were dispatched to the park Sunday to pick up leftover garbage. Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders came to the area to talk to neighbours, some of them irate that their properties were used as toilets by park visitors. Saunders defended the deployment of his officers Saturday and their handling of what was not a planned event. It was impractical for police to issue tickets to all the people violating social-distancing rules or who were boozing in a public place while park washrooms remained closed due to the pandemic. While the majority of the citys nearly three million residents have complied with restrictions since the lockdown began in mid-March, Saunders said he also understands that the threat of COVID-19 is invisible to many. If it was scorpions, there would be nobody here around the park, he said. City of Toronto spokesman Brad Ross also turned up at Trinity Bellwoods, which borders Queen Street West on the south and Dundas Street on the north. He told reporters that Saturdays massive turnout there was the exception and that the vast majority of people visiting Torontos 1,500 parks did so in a safe manner. Any two or more people who are not members of the same household, and who fail to keep at least two metres of distance between them in a park or public square, can receive a $1,000 fine. Officials want to continue to emphasize education, but enforcement will take place if necessary, Ross warned: We dont want any repeats of (Saturday) so going forward well make sure that theres an appropriate presence of police and bylaw enforcement officers, not just in this park and other parks. On Saturday, officers issued 14 tickets in parks four of them in Trinity Bellwoods, according to a city press release. Read more about: The Indian Air Force is all set to raise its second squadron of the locally made light combat aircraft Tejas at Sulur in Tamil Nadu on May 27, people familiar with the development said on Sunday. The IAFs first Tejas squadron was raised at the Sulur air base in 2016 with two aircraft and more planes joined the fleet progressively. IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria is expected to travel to Sulur on Wednesday for the event. The second squadron is being raised with the first aircraft in the final operational clearance (FOC) configuration and more will be added later, officials said. The IAF has so far ordered 40 LCAs, split in the initial operational clearance (IOC) version and the more advanced and FOC configuration. The first squadron consists of IOC aircraft. The raising of the squadron, though delayed, is welcome news. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has to speed up production of the Tejas to meet the trust placed on it by the IAF; eight Tejas per year is just not acceptable, said Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies. In March, the defence ministry gave the green light to the purchase of 83 LCA Mk-1A advanced Tejas jets from HAL. The contract is expected to be inked in the coming months. The deal, expected to be worth Rs 38,000 crore, is critical for HAL to prevent a complete halt of production at its facilities. HT reported on January 11 that HALs order books are empty beyond 2021-22 and new orders from the armed forces --- especially for the 83 jets --- are critical for continuity in production. The LCA Mk-1A will come with additional improvements over the FOC aircraft, making it the most advanced Tejas variant so far. The Mk-1A variant is expected to come with digital radar warning receivers, external self-protection jammer pods, active electronically scanned array radar, advanced beyond-visual-range missiles and significantly improved maintainability. HAL is expected to deliver the first Mk-1A jet to the IAF three years after the deal is signed. The IAF is struggling with a shortage of warplanes. Compared to an optimum strength of 42-plus units required to fight a two-front war, the count of the IAFs fighter squadrons has shrunk to 31. The first four of the 36 Rafales ordered from France are expected to arrive in India by July-end. New Delhi, May 24 : A Delhi court has allowed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to question Christian Michel, an alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, for two days in Tihar jail. Special Judge Pulastya Pramachala of Rouse Avenue Court allowed the agency to interrogate him on May 25 and 26 after Special Public Prosecutor N.K. Matta told the court that Michel was required to be confronted with certain documents. Michel was extradited from Dubai last year and is currently lodged in Tihar Central Jail here in connection with alleged irregularities in the chopper deal. While the CBI is probing his role in the deal as a "middleman", the Enforcement Directorate is investigating money laundering charges against him. He is among the three alleged middlemen being probed by both the agencies. Others include Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. The CBI had alleged that there was an estimated loss of euro 398.21 million to the exchequer in the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010 for the supply of VVIP choppers worth euro 556.262 million. The ED had alleged that Michel received euro 30 million from AgustaWestland, in its charge sheet filed in June 2016. Our weekly roundup of books that should be on your radar. We love stories, and even in the age of Netflix-and-chill, there's nothing like a good book that promises a couple of hours of absorption whether curled up in bed, in your favourite coffeehouse, or that long (and tiresome) commute to work. Every Sunday, we'll have a succinct pick of books, across diverse genres, that have been newly made available for your reading pleasure. Get them wherever you get your books the friendly neighbourhood bookseller, e-retail website, chain store and in whatever form you prefer. Happy reading! For more of our weekly book recommendations, click here. *** FICTION Girl Made of Gold By Gitanjali Kolanad Juggernaut | Available for free because of COVID-19 | 256 pages Bharatanatyam practitioner Gitanjali Kolanads debut novel is a mystery set in 1920s Thanjavur. Kanaka, a young devadasi, disappears one night and a gold statue of a woman appears in the temple where she was to be dedicated. Some villagers assume she has turned into the statue, while others search for her. Read more about the book here. Boons & Curses: Legends of the Mythological Mother By Yugal Joshi Rupa Publications | Rs 295 | 264 pages Author Yugal Joshis book is a retelling of Kuntis story which says that she fulfilled her desires through her sons, the Pandavas, resulting in the destruction at Kurukshetra placing her at the centre of the narrative. Also running parallel are stories of other mythological women, from Yashoda to Soorpanakha, and from Gandhari to Anusuya, Devaki, Kaikeyee, and Kaikasi. Read more about the book here. A Conspiracy of Bones By Kathy Reichs Simon&Schuster India | Rs 550 | 352 pages Bestselling author Kathy Reichs novel, set in Charlotte, North Carolina, follows Temperance Brennan, who is recovering from neurosurgery following an aneurysm. Shes dealing with nightmares, migraines, and possible hallucinations, when she receives a series of texts that have photos of a corpse with missing hands and faces. To find answers, and the corpses identity, she must go rogue. Read more about the book here. MEMOIRS and BIOGRAPHIES Vijyant at Kargil: The Biography of a War Hero By VN Thapar and Neha Dwivedi Penguin Random House India | Rs 299 | 288 pages Doctor Neha Dwivedi and Colonel VN Thapar, father of Captain Vijyant Thapar, present the biography of Captain Vijyant, a fourth-generation army officer, martyred at 22 in the Kargil War. With anecdotes from his family and friends, the book traces his life since he was a young boy dreaming of serving his country, his journey to joining the Indian Military Academy, and the experiences that shaped him. Read more about the book here. Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein By Bradley J Edwards Simon&Schuster India | Rs 699 | 400 pages Lawyer Bradley J Edwards represented Jeffrey Epsteins victims for over a decade, and now details the story of the case against Epstein and the corrupt system that supported him. He recounts how it all started in 2008 when Courtney Wild walked into his office, how he tracked down and represented over 20 victims, brought attention to Epsteins contacts including Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and Prince Andrew, and how he came close to losing everything in the process. Read more about the book here. NON-FICTION Watershed 1967: India's Forgotten Victory Over China By Probal DasGupta Juggernaut | Available for free because of COVID-19 | 309 pages Indian army veteran and business consultant Probal DasGupta recounts the war of 1967, between India and China, where India emerged victorious, after first being defeated in the 1962 war. As a result, China shied away from allying with Pakistan and the US during the 1971 India-Pakistan war. Based on research and interviews with army officers and soldiers who participated in these wars, the book reminds of an important Indian victory thats often forgotten. Read more about the book here. How to Save Your Planet One Object at a Time By Tara Shine Simon&Schuster India | Rs 599 | 256 pages Climate change and climate justice expert Tara Shine shows how living sustainably can be fun and convenient. Through making smart choices with everyday objects and habits, she guides readers from one room to the next and one occasion to the other, offering environmentally friendly solutions, like swapping bottled soap to bars and replacing cling film with a plate. Backed by science, these environmentally conscious choices reduce ones footprint and help save money. Read more about the book here. The Meltdown: India Incs Biggest Implosions By Dev Chatterjee, Sudha Pai Chatterjee Rupa Publications | Rs 295 | 216 pages Journalist Dev Chatterjee and corporate executive Sudha Pai Chatterjee examine the collapse of some of the biggest names in India Inc, revealing reasons for non-payment of loans over Rs 9 lakh crore. They analyse how funds were illegally diverted, how some banks loaned large sums to companies based only on project reports by investment bankers hired by the company, and how some banks kept giving loans to defaulters. They discuss what all went wrong, its aftermath, and lessons to be learnt from India Incs biggest implosions. Read more about the book here. The White House on Sunday broadened its travel ban against countries hard-hit by the coronavirus by denying admission to travelers from Brazil. President Donald Trump had already banned travel from Europe and China. He said last week that he was considering similar restrictions for Brazil. The US leads the world in the number of confirmed cases, followed by Brazil, now Latin America's hardest-hit country. The White House announced a travel ban forbidding entry into the United States of anyone who visited Brazil in the last two weeks. President Trump is seen right alongside Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 7 Brazil's Health Ministry has reported more than 347,000 confirmed cases, which is the second-most in the world behind the US. Health care workers and patients are seen above at Gilberto Novaes Hospital in Manaus, Brazil, on Wednesday Third on the list is Russia. Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany cast Trump's latest move as one designed to 'protect our country.' The ban on travel from Brazil takes effect late Thursday. As with the other bans, it does not apply to legal permanent residents of the United States. A spouse, parent or child of a US citizen or legal permanent resident also would be allowed to enter the country. Brazil has reported more than 347,000 COVID-19 cases, according to a Johns Hopkins University count. It also has recorded more than 22,000 deaths, fifth-most in the world. The US has the highest number of infections, at more than 1.6 million, and has seen more than 97,000 deaths. Earlier on Sunday, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien told CBS' 'Face the Nation' that a decision to suspend entry for travelers arriving from Brazil was likely. 'We hope that'll be temporary, but because of the situation in Brazil, we're going to take every step necessary to protect the American people,' O'Brien said. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, pictured, told CBS' Face the Nation there will likely be a decision to suspend entry for travelers arriving from Brazil Mass graves at the Vila Formosa cemetery, where workers in protective clothing bury a person who died of COVID-19 in Sao Paulo, Brazil last Wednesday Trump said on Tuesday he was considering imposing a ban on travel from Brazil. 'I don't want people coming over here and infecting our people. I don't want people over there sick either. Were helping Brazil with ventilators. Brazil is having some trouble, no question about it,' Trump told reporters at the White House. O'Brien said the United States will look at restrictions for other countries in the Southern Hemisphere on a country-by-country basis. Trump suspended entry of most travelers from China, where the outbreak began, in January. In early March, he imposed travel restrictions on people coming from Europe. A U.S. government official said on Friday a proposal to add Brazil to a list of countries that face a bar on nearly all non-U.S. citizens from entering the United States had gone through interagency review and could be acted on in the coming days by Trump. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has pushed back against state governors who tried to impose limits on people's movements and commerce. Opposition lawmakers and other detractors have called for Bolsonaro's impeachment and have alleged criminal mishandling of the response to the virus. Trump suspended entry of most travelers from China, where the outbreak began, in January. In early March, he imposed travel restrictions on people coming from Europe. The president is pictured playing golf on Sunday Trump, pictured right Saturday, said he was considering imposing a ban on travel from Brazil It comes as one of the architects of Brazil's battle against the coronavirus pandemic resigned. The departure of epidemiologist Wanderson de Oliveira adds to turmoil in a Health Ministry whose recommendations for restrictions to limit the disease have often clashed with President Jair Bolsonaro's calls to open the economy. De Oliveira said he would leave his post on Monday. He had initially offered his resignation last month, but stayed on at the request of then-Minister Luiz Mandetta, who shortly afterward was fired by Bolsonaro. Mandetta's replacement, Nelson Teich, resigned on May 15 after less than a month on the job and on Saturday declined a request to serve as adviser to the new minister, Army Gen. Eduardo Pazuello. De Oliveira had been one of the public faces of the campaign against the pandemic, presenting statistics and recommendations at daily news conferences. On Saturday shocking images emerged of mass graves for coronavirus victims in Brazil. People wearing protective masks at the graves of their loved ones during a mass burial of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic victims at the Parque Taruma cemetery on May 19 Aerial view of an area at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery where new graves have been dug in Manaus, Brazil, on May 22 The true number of cases and deaths in Brazil is likely higher than the figures suggest, as Latin America's top economy has been slow to ramp up testing. Since the outbreak began, Bolsonaro has lost two health ministers, after pressuring them to promote the early use of anti-malarial drugs like chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. Several high-profile public health experts have also left. Many have been replaced by soldiers. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, pictured, has been widely criticized for his handling of the outbreak and is at the center of a deepening political crisis The World Health Organization Emergencies Director Mike Ryan told a virtual news conference that South America is a new 'epicenter' for the disease Brazil became the world No. 2 hot spot for coronavirus cases on Friday, second only to the United States, and now has over 347,000 people infected by the virus, the Health Ministry said The World Health Organization Emergencies Director Mike Ryan told a virtual news conference that South America is a new 'epicenter' for the disease. Ryan said: 'We have seen many South American countries with increasing numbers of cases. 'Clearly there is a concern across many of those countries, but clearly the most affected is Brazil at this point.' Bolsonaro has been widely criticized for his handling of the outbreak and is at the center of a deepening political crisis. The United States plans a massive testing effort involving more than 100,000 volunteers and a half dozen or so of the most promising vaccine candidates in an effort to deliver a safe and effective one by the end of 2020, scientists leading the program said. The project will compress what is typically 10 years of vaccine development and testing into a matter of months, testimony to the urgency to halt a pandemic that has infected more than 5 million people, killed over 335,000 and battered economies worldwide. To get there, leading vaccine makers have agreed to share data and lend the use of their clinical trial networks to competitors should their own candidate fail, the scientists said. Candidates that demonstrate safety in small early studies will be tested in huge trials of 20,000 to 30,000 subjects for each vaccine, slated to start in July. Between 100,000 and 150,000 people may be enrolled in the studies, said Dr. Larry Corey, a vaccine expert at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, who is helping design the trials. "If you don't see a safety problem, you just keep going," Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), said. The vaccine effort is part of a public-private partnership called Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) announced last month. The effort fits into the research and development arm of "Operation Warp Speed," the White House program announced last week to accelerate coronavirus vaccine development. Vaccines, which are intended for use in healthy people, are typically tested in successive steps, starting with trials in animals. Human testing begins with a small safety trial in healthy volunteers, followed by a larger study to find the right dose and get an early read on efficacy. The final stage consists of large-scale testing in thousands of people. Only then would a vaccine developer commit to manufacturing millions of doses. In the era of coronavirus, many of those steps will overlap, particularly the mid-stage and late-stage trials, Collins and Corey said. The approach has its risks, as certain safety issues may only appear in large-scale trials. Americans are concerned about the speed of the vaccine effort, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed. A highly effective vaccine could be tested in as little as six months if there is a big difference in benefit between the vaccine and placebo groups, Corey said. For a modestly effective vaccine, trials could take nine to 12 months. The US government has committed billions of dollars to help manufacturers produce doses of vaccines that may never prove successful. THE SHORTLIST To get the quickest answer, vaccines will be tested in healthcare workers and communities where the virus is still spreading to show whether they reduced new cases of COVID-19. Washington, DC, which has not reached the peak of its outbreak, is one likely test site. Trials may be conducted abroad, including in Africa, where the virus has just started to spread, Collins said. The government plans to tap its own trial networks, including the Department of Veterans Affairs' 100 healthcare facilities, for potential study volunteers, while drugmakers will recruit from their clinical research networks. A Moderna Inc vaccine, developed in partnership with the NIH, will be the first to the enter large-scale testing in July, and may be joined by a vaccine from Britain's Oxford University and AstraZeneca Plc, Collins said. The US government said on Thursday it would spend $1.2 billion to secure 300 million doses of the Oxford vaccine. "What we might try to do is run those two side by side, but with a control arm" that would also include 10,000 healthy individuals who got a dummy vaccine, Collins said. Moderna's candidate is already proceeding to mid-stage human trials. Vaccines by Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi and Merck & Co are a month or two behind the frontrunners and "may get added over the course of the summer" following early-stage human trials, Collins said. Merck has not made any specific announcements on its vaccine program and declined to comment. Collins would not name other candidates on the U.S. shortlist of 14, but said they will need to finish early safety testing by this summer to make it into the bigger trials. Trials will need to assess if the vaccines cause disease enhancement - a potentially dangerous side effect in which the vaccine makes the disease worse in some individuals instead of preventing it. Disease enhancement has been seen in animal studies of vaccines developed to fight a close cousin of the virus that causes COVID-19. "If there is enhancement, that's a big stop sign for everything," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH. "If all the cards fall into the right place and all the stars are aligned, you definitely could get a vaccine by December or January," Fauci said. Presidents Trump's last ditch attempt to halt travel from Europe in March ended up causing chaos and confusion and ultimately led to a surge in coronavirus-exposed and possibly virus-carrying passengers rushing back to the U.S. before the travel ban even began. The impending ban saw Americans abroad rushing back to the homeland, likely unaware they they were bringing the highly contagious virus back with them to cities and suburbs across the country. 'To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days,' Trump said in an Oval Office address on March 11. President Trump announced a ban on European flights to the U.S. on March 11. In the days following, 15,000 more Americans than usual rushed to get home The returning of citizens from overseas almost certainly resulted in a higher viral spike than might have otherwise have been the case according to a report in The Washington Post. Epidemiologists have already managed to establish that the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. was driven mainly by viral strains from Europe rather than China. As Europe became the center of the pandemic, more than 1.8 million travelers flooded back into the country in February alone. Infections were already on the rise in cities such as New York long before the White House finally took action, according to studies that have mapped the spread of the disease. Direct travel to the U.S. from Europe spiked after Trump announced the travel ban in March After President Trump's announcement, the crush of travelers coming back into the country all at once only served to add to amount of people likely carrying the virus. 'We closed the front door with the China travel ban, which was right, even in retrospect it was right, but we left the back door wide open because the virus had left China by the time we did the China travel ban,' New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said during an April press conference. Between the beginning of January to when the U.S. closed its borders to Europe in March, approximately 13,000 flights from Europe landed in New York and New Jersey airports carrying more than 2.2 million people, Cuomo said. Trump, meanwhile, had long touted his decision in January to restrict travel from China as evidence that he acted decisively to contain the coronavirus. He has claimed that doing so saved more than a million lives, however it appears that the administration's response to the threat posed from Europe was far more consequential to more than 97,000 people who have died and the 1.6 million now infected in the United States, the Post stated. Arriving passengers from Europe on March 13 faced lines lasting up to six hours as travelers were forced to enter through 13 designated 'funnel' airports. This was the scene arriving at Chicago O'Hare airport The report notes the travel ban was triggered by many of the same problems, such as missing or ignoring early warnings, chaotic coordination and undermining the administration's covid-related plans. A former senior advisor to the president tweeted her disdain on Saturday evening as to the report's findings. 'So basically Trump made it worse by screwing up what should have been a simple announcement, creating a panic and causing thousands of people to immediately fly here who otherwise wouldn't have. Oh, from virus-ravaged Europe. Awesome!' AJ Delgado tweeted. Greg Miller, National Security Correspondent for The Washington Post, who wrote the report declared Trump's announcement of a travel ban to be 'botched'. The decision to implement the travel ban came while the country was still attempting to resist other measures aimed at containing the outbreak that would later prove critical. A former senior advisor to the president tweeted her disdain on Saturday evening as the report's findings Greg Miller, National Security Correspondent for The Washington Post, declared Trump's announcement of a travel ban to be 'botched' Schools continued to remain open, no states had issued stay-at-home orders and many health officials were simply promoting the use of hand-washing as an adequate means to prevent infection. The Post believes the lack of urgency was caused by a failure to understand the true nature of the threat posted by the virus. There were just 3,714 confirmed cases in the United States on March 13, on the day the travel restrictions were implemented with 176 deaths recorded. However, it is now known that such numbers were hugely inaccurate and suppressed by the scarcity of tests. Passengers were pictured waiting in line for up to six hours at Chicago O'Hare. At the time, they were not being tested for coronavirus or even having their temperatures taken Days later, Trump said that he grasped the full magnitude of the virus soon after it spread from Wuhan, China. On March 17 he said, 'I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.' But throughout much of February, Trump continued to downplay its severity predicting the virus would recede and eventually disappear. 'It will go away,' he proclaimed on March 10, just one day before his address from the Oval Office. 'Just stay calm. It will go away.' Once the European travel ban had been announced, the numbers of passengers coming across the Atlantic from countries affected by the restriction skyrocketed 46 percent in a single day. Customs and Border Protection say around 31,000 people arrived on the day Trump made his address. The following day, some 45,500 travelers came flooding back. In March, Trump was quick to tweeted that his 'strong' border policy helped stave off the crisis The action by the Trump administration appears to have been too little, too late. By mid-February, European strains of the virus were already established in New York and quickly multiplying in the crowded streets and subways of the city before they spread out to the rest of the country, according to findings released by Trevor Bedford, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington. The virus was then allowed to continue crossing the Atlantic back and forth for several more weeks until the travel ban was implemented. In February, 1.8 million air travelers from Europe came into the United States without so much as a temperature check. While COVID-19 has disrupted our lives in unprecedented ways, San Antonios response has represented the very best of what we know and love about our community, coming together to get things done. Cross-sector groups of leaders are stepping up to help tackle both short- and long-term challenges presented by the pandemic, which we know has and will continue to exacerbate inequities that will impact public health, and economic and education outcomes. As we look toward a long and uncertain road ahead, we have a collective responsibility to ensure that all members of our community can recover, and national service programs a proven, cost-effective strategy can help accelerate our efforts. National service has long been a vehicle through which our country has recovered from the most dire of circumstances. In the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt launched programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Public Works Administration to stimulate economic recovery and growth following the Great Depression. President George H.W. Bush signed legislation that funded national service pilot programs that served as the inspiration for AmeriCorps, and President Bill Clinton launched the first class of 20,000 AmeriCorps members in 1994. Since then, more than 1 million Americans have served their country through the program, supporting disaster relief, education, veterans and military families, and more. As longtime supporters of City Year San Antonio, an AmeriCorps program that has served our students and community for the past 25 years, we see two specific ways that national service can help accelerate COVID-19 recovery in our region and across the state. Supporting students when they return to school: COVID-19-related school closures have caused enormous disruptions in student learning. When schools reopen, many students will need additional supports to help them recover from learning loss and trauma brought about by the pandemic. City Year AmeriCorps members, who work full time alongside teachers to provide students with the social, emotional and academic support they need to thrive, will have an even more critical role to play when students return to school, helping our children recover and thrive in our new reality. Promoting workforce development: AmeriCorps programs provide the opportunity for adults to develop and refine skills that employers are seeking. Through their one or two years of service, AmeriCorps members develop critical professional and leadership skills that prepare them for success in a wide range of professions. Many AmeriCorps alumni choose to stay in our community after their service and build their careers, which strengthens the talent pipeline of our community. Our students and schools across San Antonio and Texas already benefit from the service of AmeriCorps programs such as Communities in Schools, Teach for America, Relay and the National College Advising Corps. Our state service commission OneStar was instrumental in recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey, as it deployed AmeriCorps members from Texas and across the country to support everything from volunteer coordination to donations management, from shelter operations to home repairs. Imagine how our COVID-19 recovery could be accelerated if we built on the existing strength of our communities and expanded national service across Texas. The recently introduced Pandemic Response and Opportunity Through National Service Act offers an opportunity to do just that. If passed, the bipartisan, bicameral legislation would multiply the number of Americans who can serve each year through AmeriCorps and increase compensation to make it possible for all to serve. We thank U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-San Antonio, for co-sponsoring the bill and urge other members of the Texas congressional delegation to do the same, so that we can unlock the multi-faceted benefits for recovery for our region and the entire country. Rick Cavender is the dealer principal at Audi Dominion and a board member of City Year San Antonio. Maria Hernandez Ferrier was the inaugural president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio and a board member of OneStar Foundation. IRFU chief executive Philip Browne admits that some players could be tempted abroad by clubs after the pandemic. Irish rugby's governing body said its cash reserves will run out in a matter of months and they face up to 30m in lost revenue if next year's Six Nations is cancelled. Browne said clubs in England and France are also feeling the financial pinch but he thinks players could look to leave Ireland. The IRFU CEO said: "It's a possibility, At the end of the day, we all have to live within our means. "If that actually means that there are better offers elsewhere that players are likely to take up, well then so be it but I actually think that, outside of one or two markets, you are going to see a pretty significant readjustment of the market." Meanwhile, Browne has told the Mail on Sunday the IRFU will meet with Sport Ireland to review the James Cronin case. The Munster prop was given a one-month ban for an "unintentional doping violation". Sport Ireland opted not to appeal the length of the ban but Browne admits there are "lessons to be learned" from the case. Vineet Upadhyay By Express News Service DEHRADUN: Out of approximately 1.5 lakh migrants who returned to Uttarakhand till date, over 30% have not been sent to any quarantine including institutional or home. However, officials said that suitable arrangements are being put in place to quarantine the returning migrants soon. Amit Negi, secretary, state health department said, "We have made suitable arrangements for institutional quarantine of retrunees. Instructions have been also issued to monitor those who are being sent for home quarantine." This risks spreading of COVID-19 in the remotest corners of the hill state. Meanwhile, total 145 positive cases emerged in the state in last 24 hours taking the count of coronavirus patients from 153 to 245. Majority of the positive patients are among those who were brought from Maharastra via train. Uttarakhand high court, last week directed the state government to send people returning to Uttarakhand from red zone areas of the other parts of the country into a week long 'institutional quarantine' before letting them enter the state. Later, a day after, Uttarakhand high court directed the state government to quarantine returning migrants from red zone areas of the country at border ardaas of the state, the government said it was not possible. WASHINGTON>> President Donald Trump and his GOP allies are misrepresenting the facts behind the legal case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn as they seek to allege improper behavior during the Obama administration in the presidential campaign season. Broadly dubbing his allegations Obamagate, Trump points to unspecified conspiracies against himself in 2016 and suggests the disclosure of Flynns name as part of legal U.S. surveillance of foreign targets was criminal and motivated by partisan politics. Theres no evidence of that. In fact, the so-called unmasking of Americans names like Flynns is legal. Over the weekend, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro also alleged without evidence corruption involving Democratic presidential candidate Joe Bidens son, Hunter, in China. And in an interview re-aired Sunday, Trump mischaracterized messages between FBI employees to suggest a post-2016 election plot to get him. Meanwhile, Trump continued to spread falsehoods about the availability of tests needed to help stem the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. and exaggerated the scope of his travel restrictions on China. A look at the recent political rhetoric and reality: FLYNN TRUMP: OBAMAGATE! tweet Saturday. TRUMP: Biggest political crime and scandal in the history of the USA. tweet Thursday. THE FACTS: Hes making an unsupported claim that former President Barack Obama broke the law. Trump and his supporters have made the unmasking of Flynn one of their major talking points, claiming that it proves the Obama administration unfairly and illegally targeted Flynn and other Trump associates. But there is nothing illegal about unmasking. The declassified document also states that the unmasking requests were approved through the National Security Agencys standard process. This past week, when Trump was asked by reporters to define Obamas criminal offense in the alleged Obamagate, Trump failed to articulate one. You know what the crime is, he said last Monday. The crime is very obvious to everybody. All you have to do is read the newspapers, except yours. During routine surveillance of foreign targets, names of Americans occasionally come up in conversation, either because the foreigner is talking to or about them. For privacy reasons, those names are generally concealed, or masked, before the intelligence is distributed to administration officials. U.S. officials can ask the agency that collected the intelligence to unmask the name if they think it is vital to understanding the intelligence. While Trump casts unmasking as sinister, the number of identities unmasked in response to such requests has actually increased during the first years of the Trump administration from the final year of the Obama administration. ___ SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee: The unmasking of General Flynn by the Obama Administration regarding conversations during the presidential transition are deeply troubling and smell of politics, not national security. statement Wednesday. THE FACTS: There is nothing from newly released material that suggests the unmasking requests were rooted in politics rather than national security. There were indeed multiple Obama administration officials, including then-Vice President Biden, who asked the NSA to disclose the name of an American whose identity was concealed in intelligence reports. That American was revealed to be Flynn. But theres nothing inherently unusual about the requests, and the documents released by the Trump administration say the people who made the requests were authorized to receive the underlying intelligence reports. ___ SEN. RAND PAUL, R-KY: But it should be and is illegal to listen to an Americans conversation. And its even worse if youre listening to an American who just happens to be your political opponent from the opposite party. interview Wednesday on Fox News Channel. THE FACTS: It is not illegal to listen to an Americans conversations, and law enforcement officials do it routinely with a warrant or court order. But in any event, thats not what happened here. No one was listening intentionally to an Americans conversation. Instead, U.S. officials learned of the conversations that involved or mentioned Flynn during surveillance of foreign targets. ___ TRUMP, addressing the criminal case against Flynn that Trumps Justice Department is now seeking to drop: This was all Obama, this was all Biden. These people were corrupt, the whole thing was corrupt, and we caught them. interview Thursday on Fox Business Network. THE FACTS: Hes suggesting partisan politics by the Obama administration were completely behind Flynns investigation. Thats incorrect. It is true that the counterintelligence investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, and into Russia in particular, began during the Obama administration. But it continued well into Trumps own administration. The investigation into Flynn was taken over by a special counsel who was appointed by Rod Rosenstein, Trumps own deputy attorney general. ___ OBAMAGATE NAVARRO: Joe Biden has got 40 years of sucking up to the Chinese, including the eight years as vice president. And we know about the billion dollars that his son took from the Chinese. interview Sunday on ABCs This Week. TRUMP: Worst of all, was the last eight years under President Obama and Biden, where his son gets a billion and a half dollars, and then theyre supposed to be tough on China. And he walked out of China with $1.5 billion dollars to invest for them, of which he makes hundreds of thousands and actually millions of dollars. Fox interview Thursday. THE FACTS: Theres no evidence Hunter Biden pocketed $1.5 billion from China. More generally, accusations of criminal wrongdoing by father or son are unsubstantiated. In 2014, an investment fund started by Hunter Biden and other investors joined with foreign and Chinese private equity firms in an effort to raise $1.5 billion to invest outside China. Thats far from giving Hunter Biden such a sum, as Trump describes it. Hunter Bidens lawyer, George Mesires, wrote in an internet post last year that his client was an unpaid director of the fund at the time based on his interest in seeking ways to bring Chinese capital to international markets. He has not received any return on his investment, Mesires said. Hunter Biden stepped down from the Chinese board last October as part of a pledge not to work on behalf of any foreign-owned companies should his father win the presidency. ___ TRUMP: So even before I got elected, you remember the famous the two lovers, right, Strzok and Page, the insurance policy, shes going to win, but just in case she doesnt we have an insurance policy. That means that if I won, theyre going to try and take me out. Fox interview Thursday, which re-aired Sunday. THE FACTS: There was no conspiracy afoot to take out Trump in the 2016 text message between two FBI employees. Trump depicts the two as referring to a plot or insurance policy to oust him from office if he won the presidential election over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Its apparent from the text that it wasnt that. Agent Peter Strzok and lawyer Lisa Page, both now gone from the bureau, said the text messages reflected a debate about how aggressively the FBI should investigate Trump and his campaign when expectations at the time were that he would lose anyway. Strzok texted about something Page had said to the FBIs deputy director, to the effect that theres no way he gets elected. But Strzok argued that the FBI should not assume Clinton would win: Im afraid we cant take that risk. He likened the situation to an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before youre 40. He has said he was not discussing a plot to drive Trump from office. ___ TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS NAVARRO, praising Trumps pandemic response: This starting gun for the China pandemic started on Jan. 30 when President Trump had the courage to pull down the flights from China. So dont tell me we lost February, because I was there. Im right here. And this president was directing us to move as quickly as possible. interview Sunday on ABCs This Week. TRUMP: In January I put and I was criticized by everybody including Dr. Fauci I put in a wall. We put in a very strong wall. Only a small number of people were allowed in, and they were all U.S. citizens. I cant tell a U.S. citizen, you cant come back into your country. We actually acted very early. Fox interview Thursday. THE FACTS: The travel restrictions he imposed on China in late January had other loopholes besides the exceptions for U.S. citizens. It was not a solid wall or total ban, as Trump and his trade adviser suggest. There were many gaps in containment and initial delays in testing in January and February, leading to the U.S. rising to No. 1 globally in the number of people infected by the coronavirus. His order temporarily barred entry by foreign nationals who had traveled in China within the previous 14 days, with exceptions for U.S. citizens, but also their immediate family and permanent residents. Dr. Anne Schuchat, the No. 2 official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press the federal government was also slow to understand how much coronavirus was spreading from Europe, which helped drive the acceleration of U.S. outbreaks in February. Trump announced restrictions for many European countries in mid-March. I think the timing of our travel alerts should have been earlier, she said. ___ VIRUS TESTING TRUMP: We just cracked 10 million tests Ten million. If you look down here, these are other countries that have not done anywhere near what were doing. Were double. If you add them up and double them, weve done more tests. But I cant get the press to print that, unfortunately. remarks Wednesday with governors of Colorado and North Dakota. TRUMP: What weve done on testing, weve now tested more than the entire world put together. remarks Thursday to reporters. THE FACTS: False. The U.S. has not tested more than all other countries combined, let alone double the number for the entire world. It also lags many countries in testing its population proportionally. Together, just three countries Russia, Germany and Italy have reported more tests than the U.S. This week, the U.S. had reported conducting more than 10 million tests since the pandemic began, after failing in the crucial early weeks of the outbreak. That compared with more than 23 million tests by the other countries in the top 10 of the testing count. The U.S. was followed by Russia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Britain, India, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and France. ___ BRETT GIROIR, the federal health official overseeing U.S. testing: Everybody who needs a test can get a test. If youre symptomatic with a respiratory illness, that is an indication for a test and you can get a test. If you need to be contact traced, you can get a test. news briefing on May 11. THE FACTS: Not according to public health experts, who say the U.S. is not near the testing level to safely reopen. Researchers at the Harvard Global Health Institute, for instance, said the U.S. should now be doing 900,000 tests a day to help stop the spread of the virus. Trump this week said the U.S. was doing about 300,000. Giroir stressed that an adequate number of diagnostic tests were available for those with symptoms of COVID-19, but studies have shown many who get infected never show symptoms. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious diseases expert, has urged enough testing to include at the least asymptomatic people in vulnerable populations, such as nursing homes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently broadened its guidelines for coronavirus testing to include certain asymptomatic people who may be at higher risk. More than 40 states are failing to test widely enough to reach the level needed to safely loosen stay-at-home orders, according to an AP analysis of metrics developed by the Harvard Global Health Institute. The group includes four Colorado, Florida, Georgia and Texas that have already reopened. Fact check: Trump trashing virus science he doesnt like Fact check: Trump, GOP distortion on Flynn; virus fiction Fact check: Trump is not credible on virus death tolls Fact check: Trumps perfect China ban, death toll myths SEOUL, SOUTH KOREAAfter another weeks-long absence from public view, North Koreas leader, Kim Jong Un, has convened the countrys top military-governing body, outlining new policies for further increasing its nuclear capabilities and promoting top weapons officials, the Norths state-run media said Sunday. Kims attendance at the meeting was his first public activity reported by North Korean media in three weeks. A weeks-long absence from public view last month prompted rumours that he might have health issues or other trouble, and the repeat this month sparked similar rumours. During the meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers Party of Korea, Kim was said to have promoted Ri Pyong Chol to vice-chairman of the commission. Ri has been in charge of building nuclear weapons and their delivery missiles. Kim also promoted nearly 70 general officers, elevating Pak Jong Chon, a career military commander specializing in artillery and missile forces, to vice marshal, only a year after he was made a four-star general and chief of the North Korean armys general staff. Both Ri and Pak were among North Korean officials whose roles appeared to expand under Kims government as he refocused on expanding his countrys nuclear and missile capabilities following the collapse of his diplomacy with United States President Donald Trump. Set forth at the meeting were new policies for further increasing the nuclear war deterrence of the country and putting the strategic armed forces on a high-alert operation, the Norths official Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday. Taken at the meeting were crucial measures for considerably increasing the firepower strike ability of the artillery pieces of the Korean Peoples Army. The news agency did not say when the meeting took place although it usually reports Kims public activities a day after they happen nor did it clarify what Kims new policies on his nuclear weapons might be. Since taking over his country in 2011, Kim has accelerated his countrys nuclear weapons and missile programs. Kim then switched to diplomacy, meeting Trump twice, but their meetings failed to reach an agreement on how to eliminate North Koreas nuclear weapons programs or when to ease United Nations sanctions against the North. In May last year, North Korea broke an 18-month hiatus in weapons tests, conducting 18 tests of mostly short-range ballistic missiles and rockets since. Read more about: India will try to restart a good percentage of international passenger flights before August, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said, three days after announcing resumption of domestic flights from May 25. Amid the pandemic, a few states have questioned the move to restart domestic services, he admitted, adding that some hesitation was expected even as the Centre has been trying to meet their concerns. The minister, while addressing a FacebookLive session, clarified again that Aarogya Setu app is not mandatory for air passengers and they can instead give a self-declaration form. Puri said during the session, I cant put a date on it (restarting international flights). But if somebody says can it be done by August or September? My response is why not earlier depending on what is the situation. When asked about the ministers comment on resuming international services, Vistara said it will await instructions from the Civil Aviation Ministry. Other airlines did not respond. I am fully hopeful that before August or September, we will try to start a good percentage of international civil aviation operations, if not complete international operations, he said. We must have a more ambitious goal. Why not start them by mid-June or June-end or in July. All scheduled commercial passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 25 when the Modi government imposed a lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The minister said that the Vande Bharat Mission, which began on May 7, would be able to bring a total 50,000 Indians, who have been stranded abroad, home by the end of this month. Between May 7 and May 21, around 23,000 Indians have been repatriated through flights operated by Air India and its subsidiary under this mission. Passengers have to pay to book a seat on any repatriation flight being operated under the mission. If you do not have Aarogya Setu app, you can give a self-declaration form, Puri said. The passenger can get tested for the virus two or three days before departure, get that medical certificate, and just fill in the form, Puri noted.If you have the app, and if you have got yourself tested for Covid-19 and found negative, and if you do not show symptoms, then I think there is no need for quarantine, he said. While most states are ready, Puri said few states have talked to his senior colleagues (ministers) and questioned the necessity of restarting domestic flights so soon. They said the Centre should delay it further by 2-3 days. So, they (ministers) asked the states to send the concerns in writing. But the states did not. This will keep going on. When we are dealing with a situation like this, we should expect that there would be some hesitation. But it is our (Centres) responsibility and we should make efforts to make those concerns, he said The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation advises people to draw a 12-foot circle in the sand and to stay within it while enjoying the sunshine over Memorial Day weekend. Beach visitors are required to maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet or more at all times and visitors should maintain at least 12 feet minimum distance between a beach towel or blanket, according to the DPH. Some beaches have been looking at different ways to limit the number of visitors. On at least two beaches, a ticket system is being implemented. When visiting a @MassDCR coastal beach reservation this weekend, try to maintain good #socialdistancing & please respect the personal space of others. Try drawing a 12-foot circle in the sand & staying within it while enjoying the sunshine. MassDCR (@MassDCR) May 24, 2020 At Singing Beach, Manchester-by-the-Sea residents must purchase passes on the beach for $20 as well as show proof of residency. It is our hope to welcome the general public back to this beautiful beach in the near future, said Cheryl Marshall, Manchester-by-the-Sea parks and recreation director. But at this time we are taking the essential safety precautions necessary to keep the beach and staff from being overwhelmed and that means reducing beach capacity to residents only. The Buzzards Bay recreational area had cones blocking parking spots to reduce the number of cars in the lot. Crane Beach, Ipswich will adopt an advance ticket system for beachgoers starting on in June. It has been open since May 12 for visitors but has been limiting people on the beach to half its capacity. "We will be asking new things of people. We are going to be asking people to change their behavior a little bit," said trustee Alicia Leuba. "This really does require a change of behavior, a ticket in hand, and a smile to make sure everyone has a good time." The DCR encourages admission transactions where possible and says that it should be carried out through a no-contact process such as online reservations, timed-ticketing, permit issuance, or an on-site electronic transaction method that allows for social distancing. The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs published a three-page list of guidelines for beach managers to follow highlighting that no groups larger than 10 are allowed to gather. A sign placed by the Bourne recreational department. Rental equipment must be cleaned and disinfected between use. If they cannot be properly disinfected, then the items should not be used. Masks and snorkels should not be rented, according to the guidelines. When opening public restrooms, the managers should follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines when cleaning and disinfecting interior spaces. Picnic areas should be closed if social distancing cannot be maintained and sanitization cannot be performed between use. Related Content: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Sunday announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of those who died due to COVID-19, as the state reported two fresh coronavirus fatalities, taking the total number to 13. With state reporting 117 fresh positive cases, the total number of COVID-19 cases increased to 2,511 of which Patna alone constitutes 200 cases. Expressing grief over the death of 13 people due to coronavirus in the state, Kumar announced that money has been released from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for payment of Rs 4 lakh ex gratia to each of the families, an official release said. Of the 13 deceased, the ex-gratia amount has already been given to the next of the kin of a deceased while directions have been given to make payment to the next of the kin of 12 deceased immediately, it said. Earlier in the day, a 60-year-old man from Siwan died at Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH), Patna, from coronavirus while another 48-year-old COVID positive patient from Saran died on Saturday, but the health department informed about the death on Sunday. "A 60-year-old man from Siwan district died today at NMCH. He was a diabetic with kidney and respiratory problems," NMCH Superintendent Dr N K Sinha told PTI. The deceased, who belonged to Siwan district, was admitted to NMCH on May 22, Dr Sinha said, adding that he died during the course of treatment at the hospital this morning. The 48-year old man from Saran, who died on Saturday, was admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on May 22 with fever and cough, PMCH Superintendent Dr Bimal Kumar Karak said. Though, the deceased's sample was collected on May 22, his test report confirming he being a COVID positive came on Saturday after his death, Karak said. Of the 13 deaths till date, two each are from Patna, Vaishali and Khagaria while one death each has been reported from Rohtas, Munger, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Begusarai, Saran and Siwan. Of the 117 fresh cases reported so far on Sunday, Katihar recorded the highest positive cases of 38, while 11 people each from Banka and Rohtas were tested positive, nine from Begusarai and seven from Purnea were among those who tested positive. Of the total 2,511 COVID-19 cases, 1,796 are active cases while 702 have recovered and 13 have died. While giving information during a meeting chaired by Kumar to review the steps being taken by the state government to contain the spread of COVID-19, Health Department Secretary Lokesh Kumar Singh said that 1,599 migrant labourers who returned from outside have tested COVID-19 positive in the state since May 3. Of the 1,599 positive migrant labourers, Delhi constitutes the highest number of positive cases of 392, followed by Maharashtra 362, Gujarat 266, Haryana 128, Singh said. Till Saturday, 11.72 lakh migrant labourers have returned to Bihar from other states since the beginning of the month by 805 special trains, as per statistics provided by the state government's Information and Public Relations Department Secretary Anupam Kumar. They are staying at quarantine centres at districts, blocks and panchayat levels for two weeks and those showing symptoms during thermal screening have their samples sent for testing and moved to isolation wards if they test positive. Around 10.56 lakh people are presently staying at nearly 15,036 block quarantine centres across the state, he said, adding that the number of samples tested till date is 63,741. With 200 cases, Patna topped the list of positive cases, while Rohtas is second with 165 cases. The other badly affected districts include Munger (146), Begusarai (141), Madhubani (136), Katihar (121), Khagaria (118), Buxar (110), Jehanabad (109). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A top political advisor has claimed that China's economic resilience will become stronger as new infrastructure continues to improve. Liu Wei, chairman & CEO of PCITECH and also a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), spoke to reporters on Thursday afternoon at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing before the opening of the third plenary session of the country's top political advisory body. "Twenty years ago, even the controller for a subway screen door needed to be imported. Today, the world's first smart subway station was officially built in Guangzhou and 90% of it is domestically-made," he said, "We worked hard for 20 years to catch up with Western countries that have been developing their technical capabilities for 100 years," he said. Liu shared another story about how artificial intelligence (AI) technology was applied to the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. In Guangzhou, local authorities installed a smart-platform to assist a small team of seven managers looking after a community of 70,000 people. The smart-platform utilized smart cameras, remote temperature sensing devices and facial recognition software to help manage prevention and control work. At the same time, the platform used AI big data to intelligently manage the entire community, thereby forming precise governance and reducing the manpower of the entire community. "We were proud that such a very large community didn't have a single confirmed case from the outbreak. Therefore, artificial intelligence made the community's epidemic prevention and control work more precise and smarter." Since 2008, the entrepreneur has served as the president and CEO of PCITECH, a professional provider of artificial intelligence technology and products in China. The company provides facial recognition services, video structured analysis, knowledge graph and intelligent big data services. Liu said new infrastructure is not only useful in assisting epidemic prevention and control work, but also improves all aspects of people's lives. "Take the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as an example, which is where I live. The authorities have established a 'one-hour living circle" which has been realized through intelligent rail transit. You can drink morning tea in Zhuhai in the early morning, inspect the goods at the Foshan factory in the morning, and enjoy Cantonese food in Guangzhou at noon with guests, and then you can return to the Shenzhen office for work in the afternoon, and entertain international guests at Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong by night. " In one of his proposals he brought to the CPPCC, he called for the establishment of a national public transport real-name registry system. The construction of such a system would solve several problems including different local policies, different data standards and privacy information safety. He also called for more data sharing to better guarantee urban emergency management and streamline the data tracing process. He pointed out that in the past, China had facilitated the rapid growth by building key infrastructure such as roads and bridges. "Now in the information age, the 'new infrastructure' capabilities, which are represented by AI, rail transit and 5G, will also greatly promote the development of China's economy. I also believe that with the continuous improvement of our new infrastructure and technologies, the resilience and vitality of China's economy will be further enhanced." A major fire broke out at a spinning mill in an industrial area near here on Sunday. There was, however, no loss of life in the incident, police said, adding the cause behind the fire was yet to be ascertained. Over 80 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, a Ludhiana Fire Brigade official said. "Nobody was present in the factory at around 12.30 pm when the fire broke out," owner Tara Chand Singla of the ill-fated factory said/ Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has asked Ludhiana deputy commissioner to inquire into the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ROME (Reuters) - Italy recorded 119 new deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic on Saturday against 130 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new cases rose marginally to 669 from 652 on Friday. The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 now stands at 32,735, the agency said, the third highest in the world after those of the United States and Britain. ROME (Reuters) - Italy recorded 119 new deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic on Saturday against 130 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new cases rose marginally to 669 from 652 on Friday. The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 now stands at 32,735, the agency said, the third highest in the world after those of the United States and Britain. The Civil Protection Agency said the total number of confirmed cases in Italy since the start of its outbreak now amounts to 229,327, the sixth highest global tally behind those of the United States, Russia, Spain, Britain and Brazil. People registered as currently carrying the illness dipped to 57,752 on Saturday from 59,322 the day before. There were 572 people in intensive care on Saturday, down from 595 on Friday, maintaining a long-running decline. Of those originally infected, 138,840 were declared recovered against 136,720 a day earlier. The agency said 2.164 million people had been tested for the virus as of Saturday, against 2.122 million on Friday, out of a population of around 60 million. (Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. The Supreme Judicial Council in Iraq has asked the speaker of parliament to lift the immunity of a number of legislators in order for them to be investigated on charges of corruption. While this request was previously made on an individual level, this time around, the immunity lifting request was for a group. On May 11, the judiciary requested that the immunity of 18 members of parliament belonging to various political blocs be lifted on charges of corruption and defamation. The parliament, which has yet to convene, has not been able to respond to the Judicial Councils request. A source in the office of parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi told Al-Monitor, We have received these requests but have yet to respond thereto. We will do so during the coming period. The speaker of the parliament is to include such requests in parliaments agenda and put them to the vote in a bid to lift the immunity of MPs included in the requests. According to Article 20 of the internal regulations of the Iraqi parliament, a member of parliament cannot be arrested during their legislative term unless caught in the act of committing a crime or accused of a crime, and only then once a majority approves of lifting the concerned legislators immunity. The same article also says that a member shall only be arrested beyond their legislative term if caught in the act of committing a crime or if accused of a crime and only if the speaker approves of lifting their immunity. Among the members of parliament who were included in the Judicial Council's request is the Faik Sheikh Ali, a controversial lawmaker whose immunity was previously lifted at the request of a number of legislators. This time around, however, the request was made by the judiciary. Member of parliament Alia Nassif, who is well known in the Iraqi media for fighting corruption, was also among the legislators whom the judiciary is asking to have their immunity lifted. She indicated that she thought there was no real case against her as the charges are related to three cases previously filed against her, two of which were dismissed. Nassif said in a press statement that the first dropped case against her relates to her saying that Mosul residents who approved of Islamic State crimes are partners thereof. She said the second lawsuit was closed after the former defense minister was questioned in the previous parliamentary session. She said the third case concerns the Publishing Court and that will she "will appear in court in response to all the cases filed against me. Salah al-Arabawi, the former director of the office of the leader of the al-Hikma political coalition and a legal specialist, told Al-Monitor, I think that the immunity issue will be politicized just like other issues that included the replacement of MPs. The speaker of the parliament should be firm in enforcing the law. Arabawi said he believes that the measures taken by the government headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi can help boost accountability as far as legislative and governmental officials are concerned, and this is an important message to the Iraqi citizens whereby lawmakers are accountable. During the protests witnessed in the country, the Iraqi parliament voted Oct. 29 to lift the immunity of lawmakers accused of corruption once their file is received from the judiciary. While this decision can facilitate the implementation of the judicial request, it is expected to face political obstacles. Activists in Iraqi civil society consider the lifting of the immunity of a number of parliamentarrians as necessary and believe it is an essential step toward the Iraqi judiciary exercising its role in holding to account legislators who enjoy and exploit their immunity in illegal ways. Musa al-Aaraji, a civil society activist who took part in the protests, told Al-Monitor, We support such necessary measures. Most MPs took advantage of their immunity to indulge in blackmail practices and pass illegal contracts and deals. The Iraqi parliament does not seem serious about lifting the immunity of lawmakers and allowing the judiciary to interrogate them. There are many cases where legislators have been implicated in corruption files. About five years ago, former member of parliament Mishaan al-Jubouri admitted on Aletejah TV that he received a bribe during his work as a member of parliament, and no action has been taken in this regard. A professor of political science at Baghdad University, Adel Bedewi, told Al-Monitor, The judiciarys request to lift the immunity of some MPs is a positive step, but I believe that parliament will deal with this request from a political rather than technical perspective, and favoritism may get in the way. Legal expert Tariq Harb told Al-Monitor that in order to lift the immunity of the legislators whose names were mentioned in the request of the Supreme Judicial Council, parliament needs a simple majority during its session, meaning half plus one. In the event that the parliament does not lift the immunity of the MPs included in the request of the Supreme Judicial Council, the council will have to wait until the end of the parliamentary session to be able to interrogate them. If the immunity is not lifted, it will have no other option, Harb added. The first decision to lift such immunity in Iraq was in 2008 when the parliament voted to lift the immunity of former member of parliament Mithal al-Alusi following his visit to Israel. In August 2019, the immunity of six members of parliament was lifted, but no action has been taken against them, as their blocs interfered, be it directly or indirectly, to mislead public opinion and accuse the speaker of the parliament of taking a non-technical decision based on political calculations. After years of facing accusations of favoring politicians and serving their interests, the Iraqi judiciary is seemingly trying to stand up for itself, but it still may be unable to interrogate lawmakers who belong to large political blocs or are linked to armed factions. In the best case scenario, it will be starting with the most vulnerable members of parliament. There will be no delay in delivery of 36 Rafale jets to India as the timeline finalised for the supply of the fighter jets will be strictly respected, French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain has said. France is reeling under swelling cases of coronavirus infection and there were apprehensions that the delivery of Rafale jets could be delayed due to the pandemic. Over 1,45,000 people were infected by the virus there, while the death toll stood at 28,330. However, Lenain asserted that the original timeline for the delivery of the jets will be adhered to. "The contractual delivery schedule of the Rafale jets has been perfectly respected till now, and, in fact, a new aircraft was handed over to the Indian Air Force in end-April in France, in keeping with the contract," said Lenain. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh received the first Rafale jet at an airbase in France on October 8. "We are helping the Indian Air Force in arranging for the ferry flight of their first four Rafales from France to India as soon as possible. So there's no reason today to speculate that the schedule will not be maintained," the envoy said. India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore. The IAF has been maintaining that the Rafale jets would significantly enhance its combat capability. The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. Meteor is the next generation of BVR air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden. Guided by an advanced active radar seeker, Meteor provides all weather capability to engage a wide variety of targets from fast jets to small unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles. Besides the missile systems, the Rafale jets will come with various India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems. The IAF has already completed preparations, including readying required infrastructure and training of pilots, to welcome the fighter aircraft. The first squadron of the aircraft will be stationed at Ambala air force station, considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF. The India-Pakistan border is around 220 km from there. The second squadron of Rafale will be stationed at Hasimara base in West Bengal. The IAF spent around Rs 400 crore to develop required infrastructure like shelters, hangars and maintenance facilities at the two bases. Out of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater with almost all the features of the fighter jets. The Congress raised questions about the deal, including on rates of the aircraft, and alleged corruption, but the government has rejected the charges. The Gujarat High Court has directed the railway authorities to waive one-way train ticket charges of migrant workers, or the state government should bear the cost as an alternative arrangement. It said the government's response to a PIL seeking the court's direction for free transportation of migrant workers stranded due to the lockdown reflects that travel charges levied by the railway authorities are borne by a few host states, NGOs, employers, voluntary associations, and "this is not done". "We direct the railway authorities to waive one-way charges of these migrant labourers or in the alternative, for the state government to bear such charges," a division bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and I J Vora said on Friday. The court's order came after the Vijay Rupani government said in a written reply that out of 22.5 lakh migrant workers in Gujarat, only 7,512 were registered under the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act and they were thus, eligible for travel allowance. "The state government shall ensure that migrant workers do not have to face further difficulties for the purpose of travelling to their native places. The work in this regard shall continue in the right direction," the court said in an order. The state government told the court that nearly 22.5 lakh inter-state migrant workers lived in Gujarat, as per the state labour department's data. But, provisions of the Inter- State Migrant Workmen Act were applicable to only 7,512 workers who were registered under it. "Most of the 22.5 lakh migrant workers have come on their own and provisions for payment of travel and displacement allowances, as required under Sections 14 and 15 of the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, were not applicable to them," it said.. Under sections 14 and 15 of the Act, contractors are required to pay travel and displacement allowances to workers. The state government told the court that the Railways had been collecting transportation charges from workers even though travel arrangements were being made at the district- level by NGOs and civil society organisations. States, including Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, have said they would reimburse travel expenses to the Railways directly, it said. "No migrant worker has been denied travel to his hometown on account of non-payment of travel charges," the Gujarat government claimed. Following the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, over 11 lakh migrant workers have so far left from Gujarat for their native places by Shramik Special trains. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A recent statement by the Taliban on non-interference in internal matters of other countries (with reference to Kashmir) is being seen as a tactical one ahead of intra-Afghan dialogue. In my personal view, they are playing good cop, bad cop. Taliban want to cut the support base of the Ghani government ahead of the intra-Afghanistan dialogue and want to demoralise Ghani government by opening some sort of dialogue with India which has kept a distance from any talks with Taliban, Tilak Deveshwar, a member of National Security Advisory Board, told news agency ANI. No surprise, if the Taliban want to engage with India. This kind of overture is logical. They would like to assuage Indias concern over Kashmir, which in turn brings Pakistan into the picture, said Uday Bhaskar, Director, Society of Policy Studies. It appears that one group within Taliban, more moderate, malleable is seeking to create a kind of tentative political space to encourage Delhi to engage with a group that I am afraid is synonymous with terrorism, added Bhaskar. So far, India has stayed away from dialogue with the Taliban. US Special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad also recently urged India to open direct talks with the Taliban. Moot point is the way the Taliban played a double game with the international community, its playing same with India. They are trying to manufacture a narrative that they are a reasonable face which is Afghan-based and will not interfere in the internal affair of any country. However, to believe that the Taliban have severed all ties with Al Qaeda and ISIS will be delusional, said Sushant Sareen, Senior Fellow at think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF). Last week, the Taliban had denied claims on social media that it could join Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir, underlining that the Taliban was clear that it does not interfere in internal affairs of other countries. The statement published in the media about Taaliban joining Jihad in Kashmir is wrong. The policy of the Islamic Emirate is clear that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. Suhail Shaheen, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, as the political wing of Taliban calls itself, tweeted last Monday. The strong clarification came a day after officials monitoring social media noted a spike in posts around claims that a Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had said it was impossible to be friends with India unless the Kashmir issue is resolved. The spokesperson was also claimed to have said that the Taliban would, after capturing power in Kabul, capture Kashmir from infidels also. As states across the country have gradually pushed forward with reopening in recent weeks, protesters representing a small but apparently growing movement - especially within the Republican Party - have continued to push for it to go faster. And one very visible thing has somehow turned into a perceived political statement: wearing a mask. A reporter at a Minnesota news station - one who happens to be an old college friend of mine - was even harassed this week for wearing a mask while covering these protests. Across the border in North Dakota, though, GOP Gov. Doug Burgum on Friday offered a plea to stop the madness. Burgum suggested the debate over masks was being needlessly politicized and that those who are bucking federal health officials' guidance should rethink their posture. "I would really love to see in North Dakota that we could just skip this thing that other parts of the nation are going through where they're trading a divide - either it's ideological or political or something - around masks versus no mask," Burgum said. "This is a, I would say, senseless dividing line, and I would ask people to try to dial up your empathy and your understanding." The subtext of the remarks was pretty clear: This is a needless culture war. Burgum then want on, getting emotional. "If someone is wearing a mask, they're not doing it to represent what political party they're in or what candidates they support," Burgum said, before his voice began breaking. "They might be doing it because they've got a 5-year-old child who's been going through cancer treatments. They might have vulnerable adults in their life who currently have covid, and they're fighting." Burgum concluded his thought: "I would just love to see our state, as part of being North Dakota Smart, also be North Dakota Kind, North Dakota Empathetic." To be clear, the number of people protesting the wearing of masks is small. Scenes like the one in Minnesota are the exception, rather than the rule. But there are myriad images of people reemerging in society and, in doing so, declining to wear masks, even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to recommend them. President Donald Trump has conspicuously declined to wear a mask during his travels in recent weeks, even as those he was meeting with did so. He eventually donned one, but only for part of the time and away from his interactions with reporters. Trump has also stressed that the wearing of masks is voluntary, which it is. But critics have alleged he's sending the wrong message about a very simple precaution - or even subtly promoting a culture war over masks. A GOP governor on Friday seemed to sense that emerging culture war - one in which declining to wear masks is seen as some kind of statement, even as it could make it more difficult to enact the reopening that protesters are calling for. So Burgum offered a very personal and powerful plea to argue about other things. And it's important to note something else about that governor: He's got one of the highest approval ratings in the country for his handling of the coronavirus outbreak, 80 percent. BOISE, ID, UNITED STATES 05.15.2020 - Two 124th Fighter Wing A-10 Thunderbolt IIs linked up with two F-15E Strike Eagles from Mountain Home Air Force Base on May 15, 2020 for a fly over throughout cities of Idaho to honor essential workers and show appreciation to the sacrifice, commitment and bravery of all Idaho's essential workers and citizens keeping Idaho running during this challenging time with the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Brad Little, Idaho's commander-in-chief, met with pilots, learned about the 190th Fighter Squadron's mission, and helped launch the A-10 Warthogs that honored essential workers in a statewide fly over. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Becky Vanshur) 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: Linn Goldberg and Louis Speizer Goldberg, M.D., is a professor emeritus at Oregon Health and Science University and research scientist who has received national and international awards for his work in health promotion and disease prevention. He lives in Lake Oswego. Speizer received his doctorate of physiology at the University of Virginia. He has been working in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry for over 30 years and lives in Flemington, New Jersey. Even without a treatment or vaccine for the coronavirus, Oregon has already hit on a successful strategy for keeping the spread of COVID-19 at bay. Thanks in large part to the stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Kate Brown at the end of March, Oregon has the fifth-lowest number of cases per capita in the country and the sixth-lowest mortality rate, according to national data. Along with testing, contact tracing, isolating those who are infected and closing nonessential businesses and schools, the state has managed to keep a lid on how quickly the coronavirus spreads, showing the effectiveness of the states prevention efforts. Now, however, Oregon is relaxing restrictions meant to prevent transmission in 34 of 36 counties, including Marion County, which has the states highest infection rate. There may be critical problems with this approach. In giving the go-ahead, Gov. Brown said, there is no assured path to both ensuring public health and allowing the economy to recover in the foreseeable future. Then why not institute a more measured, scientific approach; lifting one restriction at a time in several of the least infected counties and evaluating each strategy before taking such broad action? Opening most counties and vacation spots is equivalent to opening the entire state. While Oregons more populous, infected counties Multnomah and Washington counties are not open, they are adjacent to many less restricted counties. COVID-19 does not respect county boundaries and neither do Oregonians. Both can travel from higher disease prevalent counties to less restricted counties, visiting bars, restaurants, salons and barbershops. When families from other counties or states crowd Oregons vacation spots, coronavirus surely will spread. Oregons blanket approach will also make it more difficult to figure out the reasons for a spike in infections. When multiple restrictions are altered, there is no way to determine the reason for the outcome if the strategy fails. To understand the path forward, Oregon could first relax stay-at-home orders, allowing people to visit friends and family and frequent outdoor areas all while keeping physical distance. If successful, other restrictions, such as closure of restaurants, bars and gyms, can be eased, while determining success by testing and tracking how quickly the virus is spreading. Coronavirus mainly spreads by respiratory droplets and its infectivity rate depends in part on exposure time. Newer evidence reveals talking in enclosed areas results in coronavirus remaining in the air for up to 14 minutes. Six-feet separations at indoor bars and restaurants are insufficient during longer exposure times, which include waiting for a table, ordering, waiting for meals and dining. Business employees should be routinely tested for COVID-19, helping ensure patron safety. Extensive testing is critical. Oregon is 46th among states in per-capita testing, although its capacity has recently grown. Testing identifies asymptomatic and presymptomatic carriers who transmit disease. South Koreas widespread testing and tracing strategies protected their economy and resulted in just 13% the infection rate and 15% the death rate of the U.S. Despite the early success that Germany, South Korea and China showed in reducing disease, all are rethinking restriction reduction policies. We should learn from their experience and rethink Oregons strategy as well. There are political and economic pressures to relax some public health restrictions. By examining a few rural, low-coronavirus counties first, state officials could more safely evaluate reopening. If the rate of spread remains controlled, more counties could be added in a step-wise fashion to relax other restrictions. We must remember what is at stake: A model developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania predicts that relaxing lockdowns, even with social distancing, will cause one death for every 98 jobs created. Gov. Brown likened moves to loosen restrictions equivalent to walking on thin ice. Using scientific methods ensures Oregons reopening safely proceeds, like measuring ice thickness before walking on it. Oregon has done well under the governors leadership. As we reopen, lets ensure Oregonians will not die for jobs, haircuts, dining out or going to the gym. India will have an important role to play in the mass production of medicines and vaccines for coronavirus infection once the treatment for the deadly disease is found, French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain has said. Dozens of researchers across the globe are racing against time to come out with a vaccine for coronavirus that has infected nearly five million people and killed over 3,30,000 globally. "It is very important for states to coordinate if we want the COVID-19 vaccine and/or medicines to be produced and distributed equitably worldwide. India will have an important role to play as a producer of medicines and vaccines," French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain told PTI in an interview. India is a leading manufacturer of vaccines and generic drugs globally. Several research institutes in India are also working on separate programmes to find a vaccine for the coronavirus. The French Ambassador's comments also came in the backdrop of efforts by a large number of countries as well as the 27-nation European Union to ensure equitable access to any vaccine or medicine for treatment of coronavirus infection through their mass production under voluntary patenting. The issue figured prominently at the recent two-day conference of the World Health Organisation where many countries pressed for making the vaccine available to all countries and not only to those who have deep pockets. "France and India have supported the European resolution (at the WHO) for universal, timely and equitable access to all necessary products for countering the pandemic, and underscored the role of extensive immunisation against COVID-19 as a global public good," he said. Since the coronavirus crisis broke out, India has been pitching for a coordinated global approach in containing the pandemic. India has already supplied 446 million Hydroxychloroquine tablets and 1.54 billion Paracetamol tablets to 133 countries, drawing praise from a number of global leaders. Last week, India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the coronavirus pandemic has reaffirmed India's role as a "pharmacy of the world. In the interview, Lenain also said that the coronavirus crisis has shown that France and India's push for multilateralism is the right option for the current century. "None of the major issues that structure the future of the world like healthcare and environment can be dealt with in an isolated manner," he said. "I am delighted that the reform of the WHO, which France encourages, has found favour in India. India and France have coordinated well and continue to do so. However, we can do much more together," he said. The COVID-19 crisis has shown the importance of international cooperation on humanitarian issues and the two strategic partners have been working together under the G20 as well as in the WHO on finding ways to check the spread of the coronavirus, the ambassador said. He also said that France is "very grateful" to India for allowing the export of certain critical drugs for treating patients in intensive care. Asked whether there was a need for global investigation to find the origin of the coronavirus, Lenain said, "Post-crisis, there will, of course, be a time for analysing the alert mechanism to see how it can be improved. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pubs throughout will now be able to operate during the Covid-19 lockdown, subject to certain restrictions, it has emerged. This is due to a lack of clarity in the liquor licensing laws. According to a report in todays edition of The Irish Times, Garda Headquarters has sought legal advice on pubs delivering drinks and selling takeaway beverages from their premises and has been told that both practices do not contravene liquor licensing laws. The report stated that as long as drinks, including poured pints, are paid for on a licensed premises they can be delivered to customers. And it added that takeaway sales are also permitted once those buying drinks in that manner consume them more than 100 metres away from a pub and not in a public place. In effect, it means that pubs can operate delivery and off-sales as an essential service during the lockdown, like supermarkets, pharmacies, hardware stores and some other businesses. Last week, the a case of OFlahertys Pub (below) in Buncrana made headlines as it was running the Guinness Express. It was forced to half deliveries after gardai called to the premises. Pints of Guinness had been wrapped in cling film for delivery purposes. At the time a spokesman for the pub complained gardai were unable to tell him what laws staff had broken. Now, it has emerged that after the legal advice received in recent days, such deliveries will be possible once the drinks are paid for in advance to a person on a pubs premises. For the full article SEE HERE Four out of the 14 COVID-19 vaccine candidates from India may enter the clinical trial stage in the next three-five months, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday. In an online interaction with BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao, Vardhan said the entire world was working on developing a vaccine to halt the novel coronavirus pandemic. "There are more than 100 candidates for developing a vaccine that are working at different levels. The WHO is coordinating the efforts," the health minister said. "India is also actively contributing to that effort. We have 14 vaccine candidates that are working on different levels," he said. "Industry, academic world are contributing to it and our Ministry of Science is helping the Department of Biotechnology in all such efforts." Financial support and regulatory clearance will be provided to those who are working on this, Vardhan said. "Out of these 14, four vaccine candidates, in the next three-five months, may enter the clinical trial stage. Right now, they are in the pre-clinical trial phase," the minister said. "It's very difficult to predict when a vaccine will come, but as a doctor, I can say that the process it involves, one year would be a modest estimate," he said. "Till the vaccine is not developed, people should use social vaccines like the mask and social distancing." The Centre and private firms have stepped up efforts to develop a vaccine to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The PM CARES Fund Trust has decided to allocate Rs 100 crore in efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. A PMO statement had said that a coronavirus vaccine was the most pressing need and Indian academia, start-ups and industry had come together in cutting-edge design and development. The Department of Biotechnology has been made a central coordination agency to identify pathways for vaccine development. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It was a bright Wednesday morning in Ifiekporo, a community in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State. Josephine Oyibo, a 28-year-old nursing mother, stood in front of her house with a worried look engraved on her face. Clad in a blue-striped wrapper that barely covered her chest, the nursing mother had her gaze fixed on the ground and one hand on her collarbone. Ms Oyibo was lost in thought when this reporter approached her to inquire about the water project awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in her community. She looked up with a jolt, sighed and began to complain bitterly. Our borehole stopped working early last year (2018), she said in a mix of English and Pidgin. Since then, water has been a big challenge. Ms Oyibos major concern that morning was where to get water to bath her five-month old baby. For her water needs, the nursing mother had relied on a neighbour who owned a borehole. I usually beg her for water to bath my child, and she gives me, Ms Oyibo said, gloomily. But she travelled and I dont have water. As her baby began to cry, Ms Oyibo became even more confused. Where do I get water now? She asked helplessly as she dashed inside her house. Ms Oyibo is not the only one disturbed about the water situation in the community. A woman in the community who identified herself as Rukewve is also troubled. We are suffering terribly here. To get common water is a big problem for us, Ms Rukewve said. We have complained to our community leader so many times, but they have done nothing. READ ALSO: Another woman who was too angered to give her name, chipped in: We are even planning to go to DBS (Delta Broadcasting Service) to air our grievance. Ifiekporo is one of the communities that benefited from the water projects awarded by the NDDC. But, findings show that the project was not executed. If it was, Ms Oyibos dilemma and that of other residents in the community could have been averted. NDDC was established in 2000 with the mandate to facilitate social engineering that will elevate and improve the quality of life of residents in the Niger Delta region. But, 19 years after the commission was set up and billions of naira invested, its impacts are barely visible. President Muhammadu Buhari has since ordered an audit of the NDDCs finances and projects from inception. Millions down the drain According to a report by the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) on revenues, deductions, disbursements, and application of funds by the NDDC, N59.8 billion was awarded for contracts in Delta State between 2007 and 2011. Out of this sum, N1.37 billion was supposedly spent on water projects within this period. NDDCs 2016 appropriation act also shows that N28 billion was approved for projects in 2015 while N25 billion was approved in 2016. This reporter visited 20 water projects commissioned by the NDDC, for verification of their respective status. The outcome seven projects listed as completed were not executed, five were abandoned, five were completed and still in use, while three were completed but are no longer functional. Advertisements Out of the 20 water projects tracked by this reporter, only five were up and running. An NDDC spokesperson told PREMIUM TIMES all the abandoned projects would be completed. On-site fact-finding To monitor the projects, this reporter embarked on the verification of the sites of some water projects commissioned by the NDDC in Delta State. Arriving Delta State on Wednesday, October 9, 2019; the first port of call was Ms Oyinbos Ifiekporo Community in Warri South Local Government Area of the state. On December 10, 2004, Bienci Resources Nigeria secured the contract from NDDC to reactivate the water supply scheme at Ifiekporo Community. According to an NDDC document submitted to NEITI and obtained by the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), the project was abandoned. Abandoned? Where? Peter Ede, secretary of Ifiekporo community, quizzed. Nobody has ever come here on behalf of NDDC to repair or do any water project. Up until early 2018, Mr Ede said, the 24-year-old borehole constructed by Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), was their only source of water supply. We kept repairing the borehole until we got tired, the secretary said, looking sadly at the borehole which was overgrown with weeds. It finally stopped working last year (2018) February. We defecate and drink from same river A stone throw from Ms Oyibos residence is a large expanse of polluted river with canoes resting on it. The river, this reporter learnt, doubles as a toilet because the community has none. Sometimes, I fetch water from here to cook, Ms Oyibo said. The water makes me stool all day, and Im still nursing a baby, but I dont have any choice. The reporter found this hard to believe but the secretary corroborated Ms Oyibos story. There is no toilet here so the people defecate inside this river. When the dirt settles, some fetch from here to drink or cook, Mr Ede said. A bag of sachet water in Ifiekporo costs N150. But, not everyone can afford to buy water on a regular basis. I cannot buy bags of pure water just to bath my baby. Who am I? Buharis wife? Ms Oyibo asked. To reach out to the contractor of the project, a Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) search was conducted, to ascertain the location of the company. The search result revealed that Bienci Resources Nigeria, the company that secured the contract, is located at No 314 Aba Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The phone number listed for the firm was non-operational. When this reporter visited the above address, she met BRISCOE, a motor repairs and servicing company, instead. The officials there said they are not aware of any company called Bienci. This reporter made further attempts to reach the contractor by asking for Ernest Egeonu and Robert Ojukwu, the two directors of Bienci Resources Nigeria. But, those asked around the vicinity said they never heard of such names. Still in Warri Local Government Area, this reporter journeyed thirty minutes on water to arrive at Ugbodede Community. Ugbodede is another community where the residents are forced to defecate and draw water from the same source because someone refused to do their job. When our borehole broke down in 2010, we started drinking water from the sea, said Mejebi Williams, a septuagenarian at Ugbodede community. The sad thing is, we excrete inside the sea because theres no toilet in our community. The water project in Ugbodede was awarded to Marigray Services Ltd on February 1, 2002, and listed as a completed project, according to details provided by the NDDC. Maybe they want to build the borehole for us but we havent seen any yet, Mr Williams said. When the reporter told him that the project was awarded 17 years ago, Mr Williams looked visibly shocked. Is that what they told you? he queried. Accompanied by two other residents, Mr Williams took this reporter on a tour of the community. There are two boreholes in the community. One is functional while the other is not. But, none of the two was provided by the NDDC. According to Mr Williams, the faulty borehole was constructed by Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), many years ago. When this borehole stopped working, the sea was all we had, Sampson Uwatse, one of the residents who accompanied Mr Williams, chipped in. We bath, drink and pass faeces inside the water, he said. Near the functional borehole is a signpost indicating that the borehole was built by Shell Petroleum Development Commission (SPDC), in September 2012. The borehole stopped working last year (2018). Our local government council just renovated it. But, the solar is no longer working, Mr Williams said. The council bought generator for us so we can pump water because we havent had electricity supply in 15 years, Mr Williams added. To buy fuel, they have to make the thirty minutes journey on water to Ugbwangue Town. With the solar borehole, life was easier. We spend so much on fuel and boat rides, Mr Uwatse said. Even with the borehole, the community still falls back to the sea from time to time. The borehole does not work perfectly. When we cannot pump water, we draw water from the sea, said Mr Uwatse. To find out why the NDDC project was not executed, the reporter paid the contractor a visit. Arriving at Gray Awani compound at Ajamogha, Warri North Local Government Area in Delta State, the reporter learnt that the owner of the firm that got the contract, Michael Awani, died in 2004. The reporter spoke with Rosemary Ete Awani, one of the directors of Marigray Services Limited the company that secured the contract at Ugbodede community. The project was done by my late Dad, Michael Awani and it was commissioned before the Ijaw and Itsekiri war, she insisted During the war, the project was vandalised. When asked for project documents, Ms Awani said she does not have any. I dont know anything about documents. The company was owned by my late father and when he passed on, that was the end of the company, she said. Two other directors of the company Matilda Awani and Juliet Jolomi Adigida are late, while a third, Victor Awani, resides in the United Kingdom and could not be reached. More Nonexistent Projects The time was 10.19 a.m. when this reporter arrived at Oghenerurie Iyede, a community in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State. In this community, the contract for the construction of a water project was awarded to Lesoda Oil & Gas CO LTD, on May 30, 2014. The NDDCs official documentation states that this project has been completed. However, a visit by this reporter showed otherwise. NDDC has never done any water project in this community, said Peter Agbroko, chairman of the community. There are two boreholes in this community but none is functional. According to Mr Agbroko, the boreholes were constructed by the local government council. This one was solar-powered, said Mr Agbroko, during a tour around the community. But, when it became faulty, the council converted it to generator-powered borehole. Continuing, he said: We have not pumped water since June (2018), because our transformer is bad. This second borehole stopped working last month (September). For now, the community relies on a well for its water needs. When there is no water in the well, we dig the well again to get water, the chairman said. The residents said dry seasons are usually the toughest period. The well is always dry. We have to enter inside the well and dig until water comes out, said Efe Akonawe, a resident of the community. Aghogho Ogagaoghene, a pregnant woman in the community said: We suffer a lot. We will be looking for well that has water because most of the wells have collapsed. Attempts to reach the contractor to ascertain why the project was not executed despite funds released were unsuccessful, as the Registration Certificate (RC) number could not be found at the CAC. The story is similar in Enhwe, a community in Isoko South Local Government. On March 23, 2011, Water Petroleum Ltd secured the contract to construct a solar-powered water project at Enhwe community, according to details provided by the NDDC. Just like in Ugbodede and Oghenerurie communities, the commissions documentation shows that the project has been completed. Again, this was far from true. Which project? Okeh Ogene, Vice President General of Enhwe community queried, when asked the location of the water project commissioned by the NDDC. Theres no NDDC borehole here. They only fight for their selfish interest and not for commoners. In 2015, NDDC approved N6.6 million for the construction of the solar-powered borehole in Enhwe community, and N21 million in 2016 to complete the project. According to Mr Ogene, all the community has is a hand pump provided by the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committee (WASHCOM), a project funded by the European Union. But, Mr Ogene said the water is barely enough. Its difficult to get water here especially during the dry season, he said. We have only the stream to go to. But, the stream is polluted because of gas flaring. To reach the contractor of this project, a CAC search was conducted to ascertain the location of the company. The search result reveals that the company, Water Petroleum Limited, is located at N0 1 Marine Base Estate Road in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. When the reporter arrived at the location, she met a Cornerstone international school, instead. She inquired about the directors of the water company Simon Okito, Ukpong Umor, Misan Dediare and Dediare Nelson. But, no one seemed to know any of them. Nobody had also heard of the company. In Otor-Owhe community, Isoko North Local Government, the story was not different. The rehabilitation of the Otor-Owhe waterworks was awarded to Crete Industries Nigeria Limited by the NDDC on March 23, 2011. A total of N2 million was approved for the project in 2015 and N50 million approved in the commissions 2016 budget, to complete the project. NDDC only brought street lights here, said Ukpemo Augustine, chairman of Otor-Owhe community. The water project was not done. However, when PTCIJ visited Crete Industries Limited in Abuja, Priceless Ndah, the wife of the contractor, claimed the project was executed. When asked for documents to authenticate her story, she said the documents were not available. We are vacating this building. So, the documents are not available here, she said. In a phone interview, Bright Ndah, the head of the firm, insisted that the project was executed. We sunk two new boreholes and rehabilitated two boreholes, Mr Ndah said. The solar panel was the only thing we didnt fix because NDDC insisted we use their supplier. According to Mr Ndah, a mobilisation fee of N9 million was redeemed out of N18 million. The job was executed and N23 million quotation was given to the NDDC, which has not been paid till date, he said. (EDITORS NOTE: This is the first part in a series on the NDDC water projects in Delta State). Adding an adult child to your house deed, or giving them the home outright, might seem like a smart thing to do. It usually isnt. Transferring your house to your kids while youre alive may avoid probate, the court process that otherwise follows death. But gifting a home also can result in a big, unnecessary tax bill and put your house at risk if your kids get sued or file for bankruptcy. You also could be making a big mistake if you hope it will help keep the house from being consumed by nursing home bills. There are better ways to transfer a house to your kids, as well as a little-known potential fix that may help even if the giver has since died. Why you shouldnt gift a house If you bequeath a house to your kids which means they get it after your death they also get whats known as a step-up in tax basis. All the appreciation that happened while you owned the house is never taxed. Certified financial planner Kenneth Robinson of Rocky River, Ohio, says last year he advised a client not to let his mom give him her house. The mother paid $16,000 for her home in 1976, while the current market value is close to $200,000. None of that gain would be taxable if the son inherited the house, Robinson told his client. The mother signed a quitclaim to give her son the house anyway and died shortly afterward. That potentially meant a tax bill of about $32,000 for Robinsons client. Families who realize the mistake in time can undo the damage by gifting the house back to the parent, says Jennifer Sawday, a partner at TLD Law in Long Beach, California. We do last-minute deeds to get that house back in place when we know someone is dying, Sawday says. Other reasons not to gift a house Sometimes people transfer a home to try to qualify for Medicaid, the government program that pays health care and nursing home bills for the indigent. But gifts or transfers made within five years of applying for Medicaid can lead to a penalty period when seniors are disqualified from receiving benefits. Transferring your home to someone else also can expose you to their financial problems. Their creditors could file liens on your home and, depending on state law, get some or most of its value. In a divorce, the house could become an asset that must be divided. A potential Hail Mary fix Robinson consulted a certified public accountant and an estate planning attorney. Both said what Robinson feared was true: The client was stuck paying taxes on the $184,000 gain in value since his mother bought the property. They were as discouraged as I was, Robinson says. But then Robinson hired a tax research firm and learned of a workaround. Section 2036 of the Internal Revenue Code says that if the mother retained a life interest in the property, which includes the right to continue living there, the home would remain in her estate rather than be considered a completed gift. Many people do not know about this and are therefore losing out on the step-up and the lower taxes they would be entitled to, says Michael Eisenberg, CPA financial planner with the American Institute of CPAs Financial Literacy Commission. There are specific rules for what constitutes a life interest, including the power to determine what happens to the property and liability for its bills. To ensure that outcome, the son, as executor of his mothers estate, filed a gift tax return on her behalf to show that he was given a remainder interest, or the right to inherit when his mothers life interest expired at her death, Robinson says. There are better ways to transfer a house There are other ways around probate. Many states and the District of Columbia allow transfer on death deeds that allow people to leave their beneficiaries their houses without having to go through probate. Another option is a living trust, which typically costs $1,500 to $3,000 to set up but can ensure all a persons assets avoid probate. And probate in many states is nothing to fear. Most states have simplified probate procedures for smaller estates. Only in a few, such as California and Florida, is probate so expensive and time-consuming that most people should try to avoid it. We see avoidance of probate as a big issue in peoples minds, sometimes bigger than it has to be, Robinson says. More From NerdWallet Liz Weston is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: lweston@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @lizweston. The article Dont Give Your Adult Kids Your House originally appeared on NerdWallet. Senators demand Planned Parenthood return $80M in Paycheck Protection loans Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Republican Senators are demanding that the nation's largest abortion business return $80 million in coronavirus relief loans that its affiliates applied for and received despite their ineligibility. Thirty-seven Planned Parenthood affiliates received Paycheck Protection Program loans even though the organization has over $2 billion in net assets and doesn't meet the qualifications for the program which was intended for small businesses. Planned Parenthood, the nations largest abortion business, tried to defraud taxpayers during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said Wednesday. The Paycheck Protection Program is supposed to be a lifeline for small businesses, not a slush fund for Big Abortion. The administration needs to reclaim that money and fire the bureaucrats who signed off on this scam. The reason why Planned Parenthood was ineligible to receive the loans is because affiliates of larger organizations with over 500 employees were not allowed to accept PPP funds, according to the Small Business Administration. The SBA wrote a letter to Planned Parenthood explaining that, in addition to mandatory repayment, "severe penalties" were possible, even criminal or civil sanctions, if the agency determined the group made knowingly false statements in its application. There is no ambiguity in the legislation that passed or public record around its passage that organizations such as Planned Parenthood, whose parent organization has close to half a billion dollars in assets, is not eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said in a statement. Those funds must be returned immediately. Furthermore, the SBA should open an investigation into how these loans were made in clear violation of the applicable affiliation rules and if Planned Parenthood, the banks, or staff at the SBA knowingly violated the law, all appropriate legal options should be pursued, he added. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., tweeted in response to the development that the funds must be recovered "and if anybody knowingly falsified applications, they need to be prosecuted." Similarly, the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life political action committee that works to elect pro-life female politicians, said in a statement to The Christian Post on Wednesday that around the country the abortion giant has "refused to cease its abortion operation in the wake of the pandemic, hoarding personal protective equipment and putting its staff and women at risk. "It is rich that they, in turn, feel entitled to taxpayer dollars meant to help businesses in need. After decades of feeding at the taxpayers trough while running the nations largest abortion operation, they have nearly $2 billion dollars in net assets. They should return this funding immediately. We thank President Trump for his strong commitment to stop taxpayer funding of abortion and abortionists like Planned Parenthood," the SBA-List said. In August 2019, Planned Parenthood announced it was leaving the Title X federal family planning program over the Trump administrations Protect Life Rule that prevents clinics that receive Title X funds from referring patients for abortion. An attempt to defund the organization entirely a longtime goal of pro-life advocates failed by one vote as part of an unsuccessful healthcare reform package in 2017, when the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., cast the deciding vote against the measure. Amid state lockdown orders that forced businesses to close and scheduled surgeries to be canceled, Planned Parenthood argued that its abortion facilities provided "essential" services and should remain open during the coronavirus pandemic. In some conservative states, such as Texas, the clinics were temporarily closed, whereas in more liberal states, such as Illinois, the abortion clinics were allowed to remain open. Whilst it may not be a huge deal, we thought it was good to see that the Silverlake Axis Ltd (SGX:5CP) Head of Strategic Digital Value Program, Yong Sin Kwong, recently bought S$57k worth of stock, for S$0.23 per share. However, it only increased their shares held by 1.2%, and it wasn't a huge purchase by absolute value, either. Check out our latest analysis for Silverlake Axis Silverlake Axis Insider Transactions Over The Last Year In fact, the recent purchase by Head of Strategic Digital Value Program Yong Sin Kwong was not their only acquisition of Silverlake Axis shares this year. Earlier in the year, they paid S$0.29 per share in a S$89k purchase. That means that even when the share price was higher than S$0.21 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. 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. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares is very important. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when insiders have purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. In the last twelve months insiders purchased 1.25m shares for S$413k. On the other hand they divested 250000 shares, for S$84k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Silverlake Axis insiders. The average buy price was around S$0.33. These transactions suggest that insiders have considered the current price attractive. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! SGX:5CP Recent Insider Trading May 24th 2020 Silverlake Axis is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Insider Ownership Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Insiders own 3.6% of Silverlake Axis shares, worth about S$20m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment. Story continues So What Do The Silverlake Axis Insider Transactions Indicate? It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Silverlake Axis insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. 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. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 2 warning signs with Silverlake Axis and understanding them should be part of your investment process. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. Love or hate this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email 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. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. Nursing Homes Ireland has said the setting up of an expert panel on Covid-19 nursing home care is an appropriate step. The panel will look at how well the measures brought in to protect residents in nursing homes have worked. It comes as the latest figures show there have been 13 more Covid-19 deaths in the Republic and 76 new cases. Minister for Health Simon Harris announced the establishment of a Covid-19 Nursing Home Expert Panel yesterday. The decision comes following a recent National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) recommendation. The panel will examine national and international measures in response to Covid-19, as well as emerging best practice to ensure all Covid-19 response measures are prepared for. The Department of Health said this was in light of the expected ongoing Covid-19 risk and impact to nursing homes over the next six to 18 months. The panel will report to the minister by the end of June 2020. Nursing Homes Ireland Chief Executive, Tadhg Daly, is concerned over the high level of deaths in residential care settings: Mr Daly said: "Well the 867, as I understand it, are in all care facilities - disability services, mental health services and indeed nursing homes - clearly that is very concerning. "The nursing home sector is at the very front line. As a society, we were preparing for a surge at the acute hospitals, that didn't happen, and it happened ultimately in nursing homes sector." There has been widespread concern over the number of deaths associated with residential care facilities, with more than 60% of all Covid-19 deaths in Ireland related to care homes. Mr Harris said: Throughout the response to the pandemic there has been particular focus on the challenges in the nursing home sector and it has been and remains an absolute priority for me in the overall response to Covid-19. We must continue to plan appropriately to meet the ongoing challenges of Covid-19 into the foreseeable future. I believe that the establishment of a Covid-19 Nursing Home Expert Panel to examine and advise on these matters is a crucial aspect of good planning to support Irelands navigation through the Covid-19 landscape and ensure the best possible safeguards are in place to protect the many people who call nursing homes their home. The expert panel will be chaired by Professor Cecily Kelleher, principal of the College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, UCD. Professor Kelleher will be joined by Professor Cillian Twomey (a retired geriatrician), Petrina Donnelly, group director of nursing, RCSI Hospital Group, and Bridget Doherty, representing the public interest. Mr Harris added: I want to sincerely thank the experts for their willingness to undertake this important task and I look forward to working closely with them in the weeks ahead. It is expected that the expert panel will commence its scoping work early next week. Hyderabad, May 25 : Telangana police on Sunday reportedly cracked the mystery behind nine bodies recovered from a well in Warangal district with the arrest of four accused. Main accused Sanjay Kumar Jha from Bihar and three others have confessed to killing the nine, all migrants from West Bengal, Bihar and Tripura. They allegedly gave soft drinks laced with sedatives to the victims and threw them in the well. Police sources said the accused were likely to be produced before media on Monday. Bodies of Mohammed Maqsood Alam and four members of family were recovered from the well at Gorrekunta village near Warangal town on Thursday. The next day bodies of two more family members of Maqsood and two men from Bihar and one from Tripura were also found in the same well. The dead were identified as Maqsood (55), a native of West Bengal working in gunny bag manufacturing unit in Warangal for last 20 years, his wife Nisha (48), daughter Bushra Khatoon (22), sons Shabaaz Alam (20), Sohail Alam (18) and Bushra's three-year-old son. The bodies of Sriram Kumar Shah (26), Shyam Kumar Shah (21), both natives of Bihar and Mohammed Shakeel (40) of Tripura were also recovered from the well. They were all workers in the same gunny bag manufacturing unit. Sanjay Kumar, also a worker in a gunny bag unit, allegedly was in relationship with Bushra, who had left her husband and was staying with her parents. The main accused bore grudge against Maqsood's family as the relationship was stopped recently. Since two Bihari youth and another man from Tripura had moved closely to Maqsood's family, he planned to eliminate all with the help of two friends from Bihar and a local youth, who also had some grudge against the family. They hatched a plan and executed it when Maqsood hosted a party at his house on the occasion of his son's birthday. They served soft drinks laced with sedatives to the victims and then dumped the bodies in a nearby open well. Multiples teams formed by Warangal police made hectic efforts to gather evidence in the sensational case, which was proving to be a challenge for the investigators. Bodies of all nine preserved after autopsy at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital (MGH) at Warangal. The district officials said if nobody comes forward to claim the bodies, they will arrange the last rites. By William Schwartz | Published on 2020/05/23 For all the way prison is romanticized in movies as being a cruel place where mean people brutalize each other in the name of power, and only the strongest survive, real-life prison is quite a bit duller than that. Fights are less about who gets to control the illicit internal drug trade and more over failing to properly apologize hard enough after bumping into somebody by accident. Pathetic luxuries like snack food which we on the outside take for granted are prized like precious metals. Advertisement While structured like a typical prison movie, writer/director Kang Tae-ho focuses "King of Prison" around these generally pitiful stakes. What follows is a surprisingly subtle character study. The titular "King of Prison" played by Lee Sol-gu might be a veteran gangster but in the immediate sense he just wants to be left alone. He's predisposed to use force only when prisoners from other cell blocks try to bully his roommates. Lee Sol-gu is outstanding in the lead role. Despite being a short fifty year old man with a thin moustache Lee Sol-gu exudes physical intimidation and charisma that could only ever possibly come from genuinely exhausted experience. The rest of the cast is similarly excellent. with small, tortured roles as men who are more than anything else just horribly bored. Their masculinity is sometimes cruel, yet also shines with moments of genuine camaraderie. "King of Prison" is also impressively frank when it comes to sex. The shared prison cell where most of the action takes place is littered with random sexy pictures of women from a wide variety of sources. Sad sexual release is one way of relieving the tension. One particularly striking scene has a prisoner briefly meet his wife. We then quickly see how having such fleeting contact with the opposite sex over a long period of time has really warped the prisoners' minds. Thus "King of Prison" frames prison life quite well for those on the outside, even as the main perspective character isn't really particularly important. This is appropriate, since the main thing he does is listen to the rules of prison. Respect others as much as yourself, in an environment where it's hard to even respect yourself. It's not that complicated, amusingly enough. The main villain is bad less because he's violent and more because he's just trying to stir up conflict for no reason instead of just quietly doing his time and avoiding unnecessary drama. But in the unnecessary drama department, I was also impressed with the down and dirty fight choreography. It helps make Lee Sol-gu look like a legitimate action star, even as he deals with relatively realistic constraints and can't just quickly shrug off any punch. There's also plenty of nice comedic touches. The final throwdown is inconclusive due to the way it's awkwardly and repeatedly interrupted. There's whiffed punches, failed schemes, and when all else fails, tattling to the guards. Such goofily plausible elements have prominence in "King of Prison" that they do not have in other prison genre films. Review by William Schwartz ___________ "King of Prison" is directed by Kang Tae-ho, and features Lee Sol-gu, Kang In-sung, Yoo Sang-jae, Lee Hyun-woong, Na Yoon-chan, Cho Myeong-yeon. Release date in Korea: 2020/05/14. Turkey has entered the Eid al-Fitr celebrations on the second day of a four-day nationwide curfew on May 24, beginning May 22 midnight to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Hurriyet daily reports. Although Turkey usually declares curfew at the weekends in the major cities, this one is covering all of the country for four days to include the Eid holiday which is marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Markets, grocery stores, greengrocers, and butchers were open on May 23, but they will be closed on May 24-26. Also, bakeries will remain open during the rest of the curfew. The first curfew was declared on April 11-12 and followed by others in the past weeks. Corona India news and COVID-19 tracker: With airlines all set to resume flights from tomorrow, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued new guidelines on domestic and international travel. "I hope travellers strictly follow these self-regulatory norms and strengthen India's hands in this fight against COVID-19. Remember, each one of us is a soldier against the pandemic," Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said. According to the guidelines, asymptomatic domestic passengers will be permitted to go with the advice that they shall self-monitor their health for 14 days. In case, they develop any symptoms, they shall inform the district surveillance officer or the state/national call centre. Prescribed clinical protocol will be followed in case any domestic or international traveller shows symptoms of COVID-19. States can, however, develop their own protocol for quarantine and isolation as per their own assessment. India reported its highest one-day jump in COVID-19 cases on Sunday with 6,797 more people getting the infection in the last 24 hours. 138 deaths were also recorded in the past 24 hours. The country's total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country jumped to 1,31,868, including 73,560 active cases, 54,440 recoveries, 1 migrated, and 3,867 deaths, according to the Union Health Ministry. Also Read:Coronavirus: COVID-19 cases breach 1.30 lakh-mark; check state-wise tally, deaths Also Read: No flights to and from Mumbai? Maharashtra govt opposes air operations starting May 25 Follow BusinessToday.In's live blog for the latest updates on the coronavirus crisis in India:- 9:00 PM: Coronavirus in Gujarat: 394 new cases reported in last 24 hours As many as 394 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Gujarat, taking the total number of cases to 14,063 including 6412 cured/discharged and 858 deaths: Gujarat Health Department. 8:25 PM: West Bengal records 208 new cases, 3 deaths today West Bengal reports 208 new COVID-19 confirmed cases and 3 deaths today. The total number of positive cases in the state rise to 3,667, including 2,203 active cases and 203 deaths: Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal. 8:00 PM: No domestic flight operations to begin in Kolkata from Monday The West Bengal government has said that no domestic flight operations will begin in Kolkata from Monday, clarifying that flights will be allowed only from May 28 onwards, as per PTI report. 6: 55 PM: COVID-19 cluster of Italian tourists poses higher attack rate COVID-19 cluster of 23 Italian tourists posed a higher attack rate of 65.4% than 2 other ships, says ICMR. 6:30 PM: Civil Aviation ministry calls meeting of airlines, airport operators ahead of domestic flight resumption Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has called meeting of airlines and airport operators today on domestic flight resumption from 25 May, to discuss SOPs for States/UTs. The discussion is also for states which have requested not to resume operation. 6:00 PM: Visuals showing sanitisation process and other preparations underway at Goa Airport as domestic flights will resume operations from tomorrow in the country amid COVID-19 lockdown. Goa: Sanitisation process and other preparations underway at Goa Airport as domestic flights will resume operations from tomorrow in the country amid #COVID19 lockdown. pic.twitter.com/FayvQ6I0VA ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 5.38 PM: Resumption of domestic flights will generate a requirement for hotels in order to facilitate the stay for travellers. Hence hotels should reopen with some conditions. We have also planned to begin the tourism industry step by step, says Karnataka Tourism Minister CT Ravi. 5.25 PM: Bank of Maharashtra has sanctioned loans amounting to Rs 2,789 crores under Agriculture, Self Help Groups (SHGs), Retail, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with almost 1 lakh beneficiaries between March 2020 and May 2020, says Bank of Maharashtra. Bank of Maharashtra has sanctioned loans amounting to Rs 2789 crores under Agriculture, Self Help Groups (SHGs), Retail, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with almost 1 lakh beneficiaries between March 2020 and May 2020: Bank of Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/geO1o4g3ja ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 5.17 PM: Prepared to deal with the most anomalous situation, says Health Minister Harsh Vardhan 5.10 PM: More cases reported in Kerala Number of active COVID-19 cases rises to 322 in Kerala, with 53 more people testing positive today. 5.04 PM: Job searches for remote work jump 377% In wake of the coronavirus crisis, job searches for remote work in India have soared over 377 per cent during February to May, reveals a recent report. Not only this, even job seekers are ready to take a salary cut to have access to remote working options. According to employment-related search engine Indeed, job seekers are showing greater interest in working remotely, with a rise in search for terms like 'remote', 'work from home' and related phrases. During February to May 2020, searches for remote work have jumped over 377 per cent as a share of all searches on Indeed India, it said. 5.00 PM: Coronavirus cases in Uttarakhand Fifty-four more people test positive for COVID-19 in Uttarakhand, taking total number of cases to 298 in the state. 4.45 PM: Coronavirus cases in Chandigarh The total number of positive cases in Chandigarh is now 238 including 186 discharged cases. The death toll stands at 3. Three more cases of COVID-19 in Ladakh. Now Ladakh has 9 active cases with 1 in Leh and 8 in Kargil district. Three more cases of COVID-19 in Ladakh. Now Ladakh has 9 active cases with 1 in Leh and 8 in Kargil district.https://t.co/E2crIioLvipic.twitter.com/8wGYnbLiuc DIPR Leh Ladakh (@DIPR_Leh) May 24, 2020 4.39 PM: Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine trial has 50% chance of success: Adrian Hill University of Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine trial has only a 50 percent chance of success as the coronavirus seems to be fading rapidly in Britain, the professor co-leading the development of the vaccine told the Telegraph newspaper. Adrian Hill, director of Oxford's Jenner Institute, which has teamed up with drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc to develop the vaccine, said that an upcoming trial, involving 10,000 volunteers, threatened to return "no result" due to low transmission of COVID-19 in the community. "It's a race against the virus disappearing, and against time", Hill told the British newspaper. "At the moment, there's a 50 percent chance that we get no result at all." - Reuters 4.35 PM: Around 23 lakh people have been brought back to the state of Uttar Pradesh from different states, amid the coronavirus lockdown, says UP Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi. 4.30 PM: Mayawati slams BJP, Congress for migrant crisis BSP chief Mayawati has slammed both the Congress and the BJP for migrant crisis. She said after independence, Congress stayed in power for long and ruled in many states. Mass migration from villages to big cities occurred under their reign as weaker sections of society including dalits, farmers and tribals found it hard to procure means of livelihood, she said. "The Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress both share equal responsibility for the current situation of the migrant workers. It would have been better if before announcing the COVID-19 lockdown, migrant workers would have been given some time and facilitated to their native places," says BSP chief Mayawati. After Independence, Congress stayed in power for long and ruled in many states. Mass migration from villages to big cities occurred under their reign as weaker sections of society including Dalits, farmers&tribals found it hard to procure means of livelihood: BSP chief Mayawati pic.twitter.com/zi9dOK4pxp ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 4.18 PM: Three employees at Hyundai's Chennai plant test positive for COVID-19. 4.10 PM: Low-cost carrier Air Asia India starts bookings for 21 destinations ahead of resumption of domestic flight operations from Monday. 4.03 PM: COVID-19 tally breaches 2K mark in Karnataka COVID-19 cases in Karnataka breached the 2,000 mark on Sunday with the detection of 97 cases, most of them returnees to the state from Maharashtra, the health department said. It said the total number of positive cases was now 2,056, including 634 discharges, 1,378 active cases and 42 deaths. Of the total number of cases, 73 had returned from Maharashtra and 41 among them were women. 3.56 PM: After row, UP govt withdraws order on cellphone use The UP govt has withdrawn the order that banned the use of mobile phones by patients in isolation wards of L-2 and L-3 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. The state govt had issued an order on Saturday banning use of mobile phones by patients in isolation wards. UP govt withdraws the order that banned the use of mobile phones by patients in isolation wards of L-2 & L-3 dedicated #COVID19 hospitals. The state govt had issued an order y'day banning use of mobile phones by patients in isolation wards of L-2 & L-3 #COVID19 hospitals. pic.twitter.com/7EA7fxB1xh ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 24, 2020 3.50 PM: MP Issues Travel Advisory All passengers coming by flights will be scanned for COVID-19 on their arrival at the airport in Madhya Pradesh. If anyone is found symptomatic, they will be sent to quarantine and their samples will be collected for testing, says the Madhya Pradesh government. 3.39 pm: Tamil Nadu lockdown latest updates Markets witness relatively low footfall in Chennai ahead of EidUlFitr as COVID-19 induced lockdown continues. A shopkeeper in Triplicane area says, "The sheen of Ramzan & Eid is missing this year. Our business is badly hit as sales have gone down". Tamil Nadu: Markets witness relatively low footfall in Chennai ahead of #EidUlFitr as COVID-19 induced lockdown continues. A shopkeeper in Triplicane area says, "The sheen of Ramzan & Eid is missing this year. Our business is badly hit as sales have gone down". pic.twitter.com/MfDXL3nB7X ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 3.24 pm: Kerala issues exhaustive guidelines for domestic flights to the state Issuing detailed guidelines for domestic flights to the Kerala, the state said that passengers travelling to Kerala must obtain digital passes by registering themselves in the COVID-19 jagratha portal. It added that travellers can use their own vehicle or rented ones to commute home, 14 days home quarantine is compulsory for all passengers coming to Kerala, in case, the LSGI (Local Self-Government Institutions) does not confirm the availability of proper home quarantine facility, the person will be shifted to an institutional quarantine. 3.15 pm: Andhra Pradesh coronavirus cases State reports 66 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday taking its total count to 2,780, Andhra Pradesh health department said. 3.00 PM: China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on COVID-19 "World will not be same again and China will not stop moving forward. COVID-19 has been an all around test on Chinese social system and governance capacity. China stood the test, displayed its national strength and shown itself to be a responsible major country." 2.50 PM: "Labour reforms do not mean abolition of labour laws. Rs 20 lakh crore COVID-19 economic stimulus package to revive aggregate demand," says Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar. 2.42 PM: A total of 52 new COVID-19 positive cases reported in Rajasthan today. The total number of positive cases in the state now stands at 6,794, says the Rajasthan Health Department. - ANI #COVID19 drives home once again that no country, no matter how strong it is, can insulate itself from a global challenge. The disaster wrecks havoc watching from an apparently safe distance & sitting idle will eventually backfire: Chiese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pic.twitter.com/F0CyDP8awf ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 2.34 PM: Hardeep Singh Puri: "Prescribed clinical protocol will be followed in case any domestic or international traveller shows symptoms of COVID-19. States can also develop their own protocol for quarantine and isolation as per their own assessment." 52 new COVID19 positive cases reported today; the total number of positive cases in the state now stands at 6794: Rajasthan Health Department pic.twitter.com/zNGMOM3Ebo ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 2.33 PM: Hardeep Singh Puri: "Only for exceptional & compelling reasons such as cases of human distress, pregnancy, death in family, serious illness & parent(s) accompanied by children below 10 yrs, as assessed by the receiving states, home quarantine may be permitted for international travellers for 14 days." 2.32 PM: Hardeep Singh Puri: "In case of international travellers, they shall give an undertaking that they would undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days including 7 days paid institutional quarantine at their own cost, followed by 7 days isolation at home with self-monitoring of health." 2.31 PM: Civil Aviation ministry issues new guidelines for travellers Those found negative at airports to be allowed to go home and quarantine themselves for 7 days at home. According to the guidelines, asymptomatic domestic passengers will be permitted to go with the advice that they shall self-monitor their health for 14 days. In case, they develop any symptoms, they shall inform the district surveillance officer or the state/national call center. 2.30 PM: Uddhav Thackeray on resuming flights, opening of schools "I have spoken to Hardeep Puri. I have told him that let us take stock of the situation, we want to open up. But, how the travellers will board and how will staff of airport commute...all this needs to be checked. We have also formed a group on how we can start the schools, we are looking at how education can restart and exams be taken. We are preparing for this." 2.22 PM: Further easing lockdown curbs, Tamil Nadu government allows 17 industrial estates in Chennai to resume work from Monday with conditions, including confining the workforce to 25 per cent and implementing safety measures. 2.18 PM: A flight carrying 132 Indians stranded in Muscat lands at Gaya airport in Bihar. 2.10 PM: Akhilesh slams the BJP over migrant crisis 'Government for everyone', it should not be a slogan but a resolution: Akhilesh to the Modi government. Latest guidelines on domestic & international travel have been issued by @MoHFW_INDIA. I hope travellers strictly follow these self-regulatory norms & strengthen India's hands in this fight against COVID19. Remember, each one of us is a soldier against the pandemic.@MoCA_GoIpic.twitter.com/xVbTG1K44n Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 24, 2020 2.07 PM: Akhilesh on Yogi's decision to ban cellphones inside isolation wards The Uttar Pradesh government's decision to prohibit coronavirus patients from using mobile phones inside isolation wards of hospitals has been put in place to hide "poor condition" of hospitals in the state, says Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. - . . , . #UnfitBJPpic.twitter.com/TSWnHaFjjl Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) May 24, 2020 Health infrastructure should be ramped up to ensure preparedness for the next two months in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, government conveys to 11 municipal areas that have accounted for 70 per cent of the country's coronavirus case load. 1.53 PM: Coronavirus cases in Germany The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 431 to 178,281, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday. The reported death toll rose by 31 to 8,247, the tally showed. - Reuters 1.45 PM: Medical insurance worth Rs 25 lakh for 11 sewadars Free medical insurance of Rs 25 lakh has been provided to 11 sewadars performing langer sewa at Gurudwara Shaheed Baba Deep Singh in Ludhiana's Model Town Extension, with the efforts of Punjab Youth Development Board Chairman Sukhwinder Singh Bindra. . . , . . Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) May 24, 2020 1.30 PM: Ready for fight against coronavirus: Thackeray "The fight against COVID-19 is going to be tougher now but there is no need to panic as we are prepared with extra health facilities," says Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Punjab: Free medical insurance of Rs 25 lakh has been provided to 11 sewadars performing langer sewa at Gurudwara Shaheed Baba Deep Singh in Ludhiana's Model Town Extension, with the efforts of Punjab Youth Development Board Chairman Sukhwinder Singh Bindra. pic.twitter.com/uburF8EWUz ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 1.05 PM: Russia reports 9,434 new coronavirus cases Russia said on Saturday that 9,434 new cases of the novel coronavirus had been reported in the last 24 hours, pushing its nationwide tally to 335,882. The country's coronavirus crisis response centre reported 139 new fatalities after a record of 150 deaths the day before, bringing the death toll to 3,388. - Reuters 12.53 PM: 14-day quarantine must for returnees in Odisha The 14-day quarantine will be compulsorily for the returnees in Odisha. In rural areas, seven-day institutional and seven-day home quarantine. In urban areas, 14-day compulsory home quarantine, says the Odisha government. CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray addressing the State https://t.co/YA14xh2GWf CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) May 24, 2020 12.47 PM: Delhi resisters 508 new cases. As many as 6,267 people have recovered in Delhi, while 231 patients succumbed to the coronavirus disease 12.38 PM: Australia seeks exemption from UK quarantine Australia, after bringing its coronavirus outbreak largely under control, said on Friday it is seeking an exemption from a requirement that travellers arriving in the UK quarantine for 14 days to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The British government is planning a 14-day quarantine for most people arriving in the country in the coming weeks to try to prevent a second peak of the pandemic, with details to be finalised next month. - Reuters 12.34 PM: Italy's daily coronavirus death toll dips Italy recorded 119 new deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic on Saturday against 130 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new cases rose marginally to 669 from 652 on Friday. The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 now stands at 32,735, the agency said, the third highest in the world after those of the United States and Britain. - Reuters 12.30 PM: MLA distributes masks to newly-wed couples in Karnataka BJP MLA MP Renukacharya distributes masks to three newly-wed couples in Honnali area of Davanagere. The state govt has allowed pre-scheduled wedding on Sundays (May 24 and May 31) when the state observes complete lockdown which has been induced by COVID-19 pandemic. The 14-day quarantine will be compulsorily for the returnees in Odisha. In rural areas, 7-day institutional and 7-day home quarantine. In urban areas, 14-day compulsory home quarantine: Government of Odisha#COVID19pic.twitter.com/bqSkVWWwzF ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 12.23 PM: US tally reaches 1,595,885 cases, 96,002 deaths The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 1,595,885 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 24,268 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,852 to 96,002. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on May 22, compared with its count a day earlier. - Reuters 12.20 PM: INDIA COVID-19 TRACKER The number of COVID-19 cases in India has now surged to 1,31,868, including 73,560 active cases, 54,440 recoveries, 1 migrated, and 3,867 deaths. 12.14 PM: Coronavirus cases in Rajasthan Rajasthan reported 52 fresh positive cases of coronavirus and one more death, the state government said today. The tally in the state stand at 6,742, including 3,786 cured and 160 deaths. 12.05 PM: Coronavirus cases in Himachal Hamirpur district reports another positive coronavirus case, a Delhi returnee who tested positive on Sunday. The district continues to have the highest number of novel coronavirus cases. The total cases in the state are 185, including 61 cured and 3 deaths. 11.57 AM: 87 more cops test positive Maharashtra A total of 87 police personnel of the state found COVID-19 positive in last 24 hours taking total number of affected cops to 1,758 out of which 18 have died due to the virus and 673 have recovered. Karnataka: BJP MLA MP Renukacharya distributes masks to three newly-wed couples in Honnali area of Davanagere. The state govt has allowed pre-scheduled wedding on Sundays (May 24 & May 31) when the state observes complete lockdown which has been induced by #COVID19 pandemic. pic.twitter.com/VFlvidcfDN ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 11.45 AM: 132 people reach Gaya under Vande Bharat Mission A total of 132 people reach Gaya in a Oman-Delhi-Gaya repatriation flight under Vande Bharat Mission. Gaya DM Abhishek Singh says: "Sixteen returnees hail from Jharkhand and we will send them to Ranchi by a bus. Rest of them will be sent to 14-day quarantine in Bodh Gaya." Maharashtra: 87 police personnel of the state found COVID-19 positive in last 24 hours taking total number of affected cops to 1,758 out of which 18 have died due to the virus and 673 have recovered. pic.twitter.com/gnA4bLRgt9 ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 11.35 AM: Yogi holds review meeting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath holds a meeting with the senior govt officers over COVID-19 situation in the state. The coronavirus tally in the state has reached 6,017, included 3,406 cured and 155 deaths. 11.29 AM: Country will win over COVID-19: Naqvi For the first time, we will offer prayer & celebrate Eid-Ul-Fitr at home due to COVID-19 pandemic but that will not affect the festive spirit. We will pray that the country gets rid of COVID-19 at the earliest, says Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. -ANI Bihar: 132 people reach Gaya in a Oman-Delhi-Gaya repatriation flight under #VandeBharatMission. Gaya DM Abhishek Singh says, "Sixteen returnees hail from Jharkhand & we will send them to Ranchi by a bus. Rest of them will be sent to 14-day quarantine in Bodh Gaya". pic.twitter.com/Y6UoUHjVl9 ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 11.25 AM: Sanitisation drives at Delhi airport Domestic flights to resume in the country from Monday, May 25. Sanitisation and preparations to ensure social distancing underway at Delhi's Terminal-3 from where flights will operate. - ANI Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath holds a meeting with the senior govt officers over #COVID19 situation in the state. pic.twitter.com/91NVfrglZQ ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 24, 2020 11.18 AM: Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane: In view of upsurge of cases in the state via railways, roadways and others, I will be meeting the Goa CM to brief him on the present status in order to curb the rising cases. We will be requesting him to implement stringent measures for passengers entering the state of Goa with a mandatory COVID-19 negative certificate that will be valid for 48 hours from the time of issue. We are going to unitedly fight this menace of COVID-19. 11.10 AM: Coronavirus cases in Goa State Health Minister, Vishwajit Rane: A total of 11 passengers who arrived from Mumbai yesterday via Rajdhani express have reported positive on the TrueNat device. This brings the total number of active cases in the state of Goa to 50. For the first time, we will offer prayer & celebrate #EidUlFitr at home due to #COVID19 pandemic but that will not affect the festive spirit. We will pray that the country gets rid of COVID-19 at the earliest: Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi pic.twitter.com/dVdusITj72 ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 10.58 AM: Coronavirus cases in Odisha The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Odisha now stands at 1,336, with 67 new positive cases reported yesterday. 10.53 AM: 93 Indians return to Indore from London. On Saturday, 2,441 more people returned on 15 flights from Jakarta, Toronto, Dubai, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Melbourne, Sydney and Male. 10.44 AM: UP bans cellphone use in isolation wards UP govt bans use of mobile phones by patients in isolation wards of L-2 & L-3 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. The mobile phones of such patients needs to be submitted to the ward incharge of the COVID care centre so as to ensure mobile phone infection prevention norms. Domestic flights to resume in the country from Monday, May 25; sanitisation and preparations to ensure social distancing underway at Delhi's Terminal-3 from where flights will operate. pic.twitter.com/06vAlBZa7W ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 10.40 AM: Senior doctor at AIIMS, Delhi, dies of COVID-19 A senior doctor at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) died of coronavirus on Saturday. The deceased, Dr Jitendra Nath Pande, was director and professor of the Pulmonology Department at AIIMS Delhi. Dr Pande and his wife tested positive for the infection on May 19, Tuesday with mild symptoms. AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria said that after the couple was detected with COVID-19 symptoms, they decided to remain under home isolation. However, on Saturday, Pande's wife was hospitalised after her health condition worsened. Also read: Coronavirus: Senior doctor at AIIMS Delhi dies of COVID-19; wife hospitalised 10.35 AM: RML College dean tests positive Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital medical college dean and the head of urology department has been tested positive for novel coronavirus. 10.25 AM:Highest single-day spike in U'khand Uttarakhand sees its highest single-day spike of 92 COVID-19 cases, 55 of them from Nainital, state's tally reaches 244; death toll rises to two after woman succumbs to infection at AIIMS Rishikesh. 10.15 AM: PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry report on media Media one of the most adversely affected sectors due to COVID-19 pandemic with significant decline in ad revenues, says a research report of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 10.12 AM: Jail inmates who are aged above 60 will be granted emergency parole in view of COVID-19 pandemic, says Delhi Prisons department. 10.06 AM: Chhattisgarh records biggest increase Chhattisgarh records its biggest one-day increase in COVID-19 cases with 44 people testing positive, state's tally now 216, says health officials. 9.57 AM: Employee who tested positive stable: Maruti An employee at the company's Manesar plant tested positive for COVID-19 on May 22. His last attendance at the plant was on May 15. The employee has been admitted to a hospital and his condition is stable, says Maruti Suzuki. 9.52 AM: People in Malapurram, Kerala, offer Eid-Ul-Fitr prayers at their homes as mosques remain closed for devotees, amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Update: 11 passengers who arrived from mumbai yesterday via Rajdhani express have reported positive on the TrueNat device. This brings the total number of active cases in the state of Goa to 50. VishwajitRane (@visrane) May 24, 2020 9.51 AM: A total of 52 new COVID-19 positive cases reported in Rajasthan in the past 24 hours. The total number of positive cases in the state now stands at 6794. 9.40 AM: Rani Chennamma Circle in Hubli, Karnatak, wears a deserted look as state-wide total lockdown has been imposed today, to contain the spread of COVID-19. UP govt bans use of mobile phones by patients in isolation wards of L-2 & L-3 dedicated #COVID19 hospitals. The mobile phones of such patients needs to be submitted to the ward incharge of the COVID care centre so as to ensure mobile phone infection prevention norms. pic.twitter.com/uMAZWDmsVK ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 23, 2020 9.37 am: Delhi coronavirus news Dean of Ram Manohar Lohia Medical College Hospital and head of Urology department tests COVID-19 positive. 9.28 am: Coronavirus deaths in India The country recorded 138 deaths in the last 24 hours taking India's toll to 3,867, according to Union Health Ministry's update on Sunday. 9.15 am: Biggest 1-day spike in COVID-19 cases in India The country recorded 6,797 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking India's tally past 1.31 lakh, as per the Union Health Ministry. 9.09 am: India's total COVID-19 cases cross 1.31 lakh The total count of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country jumped to 1,31,868, including 73,560 active cases, 54,440 recoveries, 1 migrated, and 3,867 deaths, according to the Union Health Ministry. 9.03 am: West Bengal coronavirus lockdown news State CM urges Centre to defer flight resumption from May 25 in view of cyclone Amphan 8.54 am: COVID-19 vaccine latest updates Meanwhile, as Indian firms are in race to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, experts are of the opinion that research in India is still at an early stage. PM CARES Fund Trust has taken the decision to earmark Rs 100 crore assistance to coronavirus vaccine development measures. 8.45 am: Coronavirus cases in India India's total count of confirmed COVID-19 cases currently stand at 1,25,101, including 69,597 active cases, 51,783 recoveries, 1 migrated, and 3,729 deaths, according to Union Health Ministry. 8.30 am: Maharashtra coronavirus lockdown: State govt opposed to flights' resumption from Monday Maharashtra is opposed the Centre's announcement to resume flight operations from May 25. In a late-night tweet, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh cautioned against the same making it clear that arranging adequate transport under the present circumstances would be difficult and would only add to the stress on the red zones. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-23 22:35:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHANGHAI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Stefan Bott was pleased with and astonished at China's efficient governance during its fight against the COVID-19 epidemic and the quick business resumption in the country as the epidemic wanes. The program director with Ventilation China under Vaillant Group, a global leader of high-efficiency heating, cooling and hot-water products and solutions, returned from China to Germany during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday and worked in the German headquarters. At the time he was concerned about his ongoing projects in China, while now he has witnessed on site the group's step forward in the evolving Chinese market. Vaillant Group opened a new exhibition hall in east China's Anhui Province Tuesday and plans open another in southwest China's Sichuan Province by the end of this year, in a bid to get closer to its consumers. "I came back to Shanghai as soon as the epidemic was well controlled in China," said Bott, adding that he hopes international business travel will resume soon so that he can reunite with his family. The group's sales in China have returned to 80 percent of last year's sales in May, indicating the Chinese market's resilience amid the COVID-19 epidemic, according to Li Lintao, a sales director of Vaillant China's heating department. Li said Vaillant remained confident in its development in the Chinese market despite the epidemic, adding that as China entered the phase of regular epidemic prevention and control, the company's investment plan in China will remain unchanged this year and it will increase the number of its sales staff by 15 percent to expand its business in China's third-tier and fourth-tier cities. Shanghai, where Vaillant's China headquarters is located, saw rising foreign capital inflows totaling about 4.67 billion U.S. dollars during the first quarter of this year, up 4.5 percent year on year. As part of China's continuing opening-up steps, the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) will be held in November as planned in Shanghai, offering further opportunities for foreign companies to get closer to the world's largest consumer market. Europe-based Louis Dreyfus Company, one of the exhibitors who will attend the CIIE for the third time, has seen its facilities in China gradually resume full operations in line with the Chinese government's anti-virus measures. "We highly appreciated China's efforts and achievements in fighting the epidemic, which allowed us to resume business in China rapidly and continue to fulfill our key role to keep customers and consumers supplied with essential food and feed products," said Nam-Ham Chai, head of industry for Asia at Louis Dreyfus Company. "We hope China's experiences will help the world at large to get through this very challenging time," he said, noting that the company was confident about China's continued economic growth, and committed to investment and development in China. The company is continuing to expand its presence in the country, most recently with investments in Shandong and Guangdong, to increase its oilseeds processing capacity and meet the country's growing demand for soybean products. We recall that on the night of January 7-8, Boeing 737 passenger plane, which belonged to UIA, crashed near the Iranian capital. 176 people were on board, nine of whom were crew members. 11 Ukrainians were among the dead are. Iranians and Canadians are the most numerous victims.On Saturday morning, January 11, the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces announced that a missile launched by the military center of the Guards of the Islamic Revolution hit the Ukrainian Boeing 737 aircraft. Soap opera fans will have to kiss goodbye to lip-locking sessions in their favourite shows as a result of the coronavirus crisis. EastEnders and Emmerdale have employed a 'no snogs' policy and characters will be banned from kissing because of social distancing guidelines in place. Although soaps have now stopped filming because of the crisis, they are due to start filming again next month but will be stopped from including kisses scenes. Lip-lockdown: Soap fans will have to kiss goodbye to lip-locking sessions in their favourite shows as a result of the coronavirus crisis and lockdown (pictured is a steamy scene from Coronation Street) According to The Mirror, steamy scenes won't be on the cards until a coronavirus vaccine is found or the virus is dealt with. Emmerdale star Katherine Dow Blyton, who plays the vicar Harriet Finch, told the publication: 'We were supposed to have a big snog but we had to keep a distance and leave everything to the audiences imagination. 'I think this will be the norm when we go back.' No snogging! Soaps have employed a 'no snogs' policy and characters will be banned from kissing because of social distancing guidelines. Pictured is a kiss from Channel 4's Brookside Katherine, 55, engaged in a sexy scene with Mark Womack (who plays DI Mark Malone) but the racy scenes were left out of recording. She added: 'This even spells the end of holdings hands.' The first soap opera aired on British TV to resume filming was Neighbours, which started recording again last month. Missing out: Katherine, 55, engaged in a sexy scene with Mark Womack, who plays DI Mark Malone, (pictured in a recent scene together) but the racy scenes were left out of recording As protests continue to erupt in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and across the world in outrage against the horrific shooting of Jacob Bla Read more In the beginning, everyone was skeptical. But Elon Musk's SpaceX defied expectations -- and on Wednesday hopes to make history by ferrying two NASA astronauts into space, the first crewed flight from US soil in nine long years. US President Donald Trump will be among the spectators at Kennedy Space Center in Florida to witness the launch, which has been given the green light despite months of shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. The general public, in a nod to virus restrictions, has been told to watch via a livestream as Crew Dragon is launched by a Falcon 9 rocket toward the International Space Station. NASA's Commercial Crew program, aimed at developing private spacecraft to transport American astronauts in to space, began under Barack Obama. But his successor sees it as a symbol of his strategy to reassert American domination of space, both military -- with his creation of the Space Force -- and civilian. He has ordered NASA to return to the moon in 2024, an unlikely timetable but one that has given the storied space agency a boost. In the 22 years since the first components of the ISS were launched, only spacecraft developed by NASA and by the Russian space agency have carried crews there. NASA used the illustrious shuttle program -- huge, extremely complex, winged ships that carried dozens of astronauts into space for three decades. But their staggering cost -- $200 billion for 135 flights -- and two fatal accidents finally put an end to the program. The last shuttle, Atlantis, landed on July 21, 2011. After, NASA astronauts learned Russian and travelled to the ISS in the Russian Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan, in a partnership which survived political tensions between Washington and Moscow. But it was only ever meant to be a temporary arrangement. NASA had entrusted two private companies -- aviation giant Boeing and upstart SpaceX -- with the task of designing and building capsules that would replace the shuttles. Nine years later, SpaceX -- founded by Musk, the outspoken South African entrepreneur who also built PayPal and Tesla, in 2002 -- is ready to launch. - 'Success story' - At 4:33 pm (2033 GMT) on Wednesday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to take off from Launch Pad 39A with the Crew Dragon capsule at its top. NASA has awarded SpaceX more than $3 billion in contracts since 2011 to build the spacecraft. The capsule will be crewed by Robert Behnken, 49, and Douglas Hurley, 53, both veteran space travelers -- Hurley piloted Atlantis on its last trip. Nineteen hours later they will dock at the ISS, where two Russians and an American are waiting for them. The weather forecast remains unfavorable, with a 60 percent chance of bad conditions, according to Cape Canaveral forecasters. The next launch window is Saturday, May 30. The launch has taken five years longer than planned to come about, but even with the delays SpaceX has beaten Boeing to the punch. Boeing's test flight of its Starliner failed due to serious software issues, and will have to be redone. "It's been a real success story," Scott Hubbard, former director of NASA's Ames Center in Silicon Valley who now teaches at Stanford, told AFP. "There was huge skepticism," Hubbard, who met Musk before the creation of SpaceX and also chairs a SpaceX safety advisory panel, recalled. "Senior people at the legacy companies, Lockheed, Boeing, would tell me at a conference that these SpaceX guys don't know what they don't know," he told AFP. SpaceX finally came out on top with its cheaper Falcon 9 rocket, the first stage of which comes back to land vertically on a barge in the Atlantic. Since 2012, SpaceX has been resupplying the ISS for NASA, thanks to the cargo version of the Dragon capsule. The manned mission, called Demo-2, is crucial for Washington in two ways. The first is to break NASA's dependence on the Russians. But the second is to catalyze a private "low Earth orbit" market open to tourists and businesses. "We envision a day in the future where we have a dozen space stations in low Earth orbit. All operated by commercial industry," said NASA boss Jim Bridenstine. Musk is aiming higher: he is building a huge rocket, Starship, to circumnavigate the Moon -- or even to travel to Mars and ultimately make humanity a "multi-planet species". The Crew Dragon spacecraft and the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket are pictured at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 21, 2020 Douglas Hurley, left, and Robert Behnken, wearing SpaceX spacesuits, are seen as they depart for Launch Pad 39A on May 23, 2020 during a dress rehearsal prior to the mission launch, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard at Launch Pad 39A during a brief static fire test on May 22, 2020, ahead of Wednesday's mission -- the first crewed flight from US soil into space since 2011 SpaceX has confounded expectations with its space craft, built using more than $3 billion of NASA contracts Elon Musk, fondateur de SpaceX, le 10 octobre 2019 au sige de sa socit Hawthorne (Californie) SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule dimensions and features By Thomas Brostrom, Mark Goodwin, Logan Landry, John Zahurancik Brostrom is the president of Orsted North America, based in Boston, Massachusetts. Goodwin is the president and chief executive officer of Apex Clean Energy, based in Charlottesville. Landry is the chief executive officer of Sigora Solar, based in Richmond and Charlottesville. Zahurancik is the chief operating officer of Fluence, an energy storage company based in Arlington. Nearly 17 million Americans are now unemployed because of the economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic. No state is immune from the devastation created by this virus, including Virginia. Just like it is taking all of us to unite to defeat the virus, we will all have to come together to rebuild the Commonwealths economy. During the recent legislative session, the General Assembly passed the Virginia Clean Economy Act, a vision for growing our states economy, creating jobs, and fighting climate change all rolled into one. Little did they know that vision could soon become a lifeline for Virginians in need of work one that is estimated to create 13,000 jobs a year. As executives in companies that create well-paying jobs, we know that putting Virginias wind, solar, and energy storage resources to work was a smart move by the General Assembly and governor. That investment will play a key part in rebuilding the commonwealths economy, and we are eager to be a part of that. Clean energy has for years been one of the fastest-growing sectors in Virginias economy. As of the start of 2020, more than 101,000 people were employed in advanced energy across the commonwealth. This represents twenty times more than those employed coal and more than twice as many jobs as in real estate, tens of thousands of jobs at risk unless policymakers move quickly to shore up this sector. In light of these important economic contributions, we are thrilled that Gov. Northam signed the VCEA and rejected calls by entrenched interests to delay its implementation. Gov. Northam rightly rejected their discredited claims that clean air, affordable energy, and economic progress cannot coincide. The truth is, not only can we rebuild Virginias economy while benefiting the environment; such clean energy investments are one of Virginias best opportunities for long-term job growth and investment. The legislators and Gov. Northam didnt know this terrible pandemic before they started working for Virginias clean energy economy, but they were smart enough to know that the economic and health benefits to our communities were too big, too important, to ignore. They also were aware that unlike the extremely volatile price swings of fossil fuels solar, energy storage, energy efficiency and wind energy are price-stable and cost-effective. Thats why governments and Fortune 500 companies alike are seeking clean energy sources for their needs. Low-cost, clean energy also makes great economic sense for Virginias families, who are using more electricity than before as they spend more time at home. As with any economic slowdown, theres a temporary dip in energy use across commercial and industrial sectors. Demand has fallen in all markets as stay-at-home orders have closed businesses and likely caused a global recession. Loads have declined 5% to 15% with significant regional variation according to the Rocky Mountain Institute. When the economy recovers, and energy demand rises, Virginia needs to be ready to supply the demand with efficient, affordable, clean energy. Our state legislators were right to support clean energy in the last session of Virginias General Assembly, and they should continue to do so. But largely, the baton has been passed to us, the businesses that will help implement the VCEA in a cost-effective manner that will bring multiple benefits to the commonwealth and will put Virginia on the leading edge of an economic recovery. The bottom line is that the Virginia Clean Economy Act and renewable energy make sense for our commonwealth. Its the clean, low-cost and efficient path to economic recovery and healthy communities. It made sense before the coronavirus, and it makes even more sense today. The Reverend Kennedy Okosun, Executive Chairman of Krif Ghana Limited, says COVID-19 has created grounds for many organisations to be the target of hostile measures and have to brace for the possibility of takeovers. There might be critical unanswered questions rummaging through the minds of many, especially corporate leaders as we move into a period of a new normal under COVID-19. Our culture, corporate behaviour and organisational output are going to be affected, whether we like it or not. Organisations will never go back to doing business as usual, or doing business the way they know best. All must embrace change; that change may be negative or positive depending on how we adapt to the prevailing exigencies of COVID-19. Rev. Okosun said this at the maiden edition of Webinars organised by Integrity Magazine, a subsidiary of Krif Ghana Limited, on the theme: Effects of COVID-19 on Good Corporate Governance in Ghana. He said the webinar served as a platform to inform and educate businesses on the next strategic steps to take as business leaders in order to sail through the Coronavirus crisis with minimal losses. Speaking on the effects of the pandemic on companies, Rev. Okosun explained that; Given the unexpected, and extremely rapid, onset of the COVID-19 crisis, most companies did not foresee the dramatic slowdown of the global economy. There are questions to ask and very far reaching decisions to make during this pandemic, with respect to the liquidity and capital considerations of companies. Rev. Okosun, also the Publisher of the Integrity Magazine, said understanding the impact of the crisis on the companies cash flow was a very difficult decision on upcoming maturities of outstanding account payables that needed to be settled and the likelihood that financial covenants would be maintained. On the effect of the COVID-19 on corporate governance, he said corporate governance might not be the obvious focus during this crisis for some entities albeit it is during these moments that leadership and management structures are tested and exposed for their strengths and or weaknesses. Mr Michael Osikoya, the Chief Executive Officer of Mikensy Consulting Limited, who examined the effects of COVID-19 on various stakeholders, said; Just as we are recording human fatality, we may not be able to account for the number of businesses that suffer similar fatality from the hands of the pandemic. He identified tourism and leisure, aviation and maritime, automotive, construction, real estate, manufacturing, and academia as sectors, which had been affected badly by the pandemic. He, however, said the medical supply and services chain, food processing and retail, personal and healthcare, ICT, e-commerce and agriculture sectors had actually gained during this season. Mr Osikoya said the Government had been affected adversely by this virus because it had had to provide various stimulus packages and dole out free cash to support various stakeholders, interest groups, businesses and the vulnerable. He stated that government had lost income from taxes and had to borrow to re-inflate the economy, noting that some hard decisions had to be taken that was not palatable for the economy such as the closure of airports and other entry points. Mr Osikoya suggested that business leaders and stakeholders should enter into a restart mode to get out of the challenges imposed by the virus. The webinar brought together leaders from various organisations in the corporate environment in Ghana. The next webinar is slated for Tuesday, June 2, 2020, which would focus on the banking sector. The series will run for the next six weeks. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Congress on Saturday released a video of an interaction between former party chief Rahul Gandhi and a group of migrant workers who were walking back to their village in Uttar Pradesh from Haryana during the lockdown. The interaction took place on May 16 near the Sukhdev Vihar flyover in New Delhi. The workers were on their way from Ambala to Jhansi, a distance of about 600 km. Gandhi met them when they stopped to rest, after walking over 100 km. In the 17-minute video, Gandhi is seen sitting on a footpath with the migrants. For almost an hour, he listened to their story, their hardships and the reasons for deciding to flee their workplace and why they were forced to walk home, and also their fears, and aspirations, the Congress said. At the request of the group, Gandhi and Congress volunteers organised transport and the necessary permits to get them back to their village,the party added. In the video, Mahesh Kumar, a migrant worker, tells :We are helpless. What can we do? We have to walk. Another construction worker and his family members tell Gandhi that they would have left for their homes had there been prior information about the lockdown The workers remained non-committal about returning to their work places. Gandhi concluded the video with a message :My brother and sisters, you are the strength of this country, you carry the burden of this country on your shoulders. The entire country wants justice (nyay) for you. The BJP reacted sharply to the documentary. Rahul Gandhi has been indulging in camera politics by visiting and speaking to migrants in non-Congress ruled states. He has not given them any relief but indulges in misery politics, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said.From Ambala in Haryana, Rajasthan (ruled bythe Congress) is only a few km away. He would have heard woes of migrants in Rajasthan had he ventured there. Alas, Rahul is only interested in politics and not helping migrants. Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has announced that more students will be allowed to return to university campuses and residences under alert level 3. Nzimande said his department has been working hard during this month of May towards saving the academic year whilst saving lives. He said all public universities have developed strategies for remote multi-modal teaching and learning during the period of the current lockdown to be implemented from 1 June. Each institution has committed to ensuring that all students are given a fair opportunity to complete the academic year 2020, he said. To address the cost of connectivity, which remains a huge barrier for students who want to use the digital learning, a deal with mobile operators has been struck. NSFAS students will receive 10GB daytime and 20GB night-time data for three months, starting from 1 June till end of August, which is subsidised by the government. In weeks to come, we will give detailed information on how to access these offers, said Nzimande. He acknowledged that students who fall within the so-called missing middle category, as well as students in private institutions, also need support in accessing data for their online learning. The government is, however, not in a position to subsidize them. We appeal to MNOs to work with institutions to also offer affordable packages to such students, he said. Level 4 versus Level 3 Under level 4 of the lockdown, the controlled return of final year students in programmes requiring clinical training were allowed. This started with medicine (MBChB) and will be followed in a phased approach of other programmes, such as nursing, dental, and veterinary sciences. Medical students have been returning to clinical training platforms from 11 May, and final year students in other programmes requiring clinical training will start returning from 1 June 2020. All other students are supported through remote multimodal teaching, learning and assessment until they can return to campus. Under level 3 more students will be able to return to university campuses, but under very strict conditions. A maximum of 33% of the student population will be allowed to return to campuses, delivery sites and residences on condition that they can be safely accommodated and supported. This will include the following cohorts: All groups that have already returned during alert level 4. Students in the final year of their programmes, who are on a path to graduating in 2020 may return. Final year students who require access to laboratories, technical equipment, data, connectivity and access to residence and private accommodation should return. Students in all years of study that require clinical training in their programmes. Post Graduate students who require laboratory equipment and other technical equipment to undertake their studies. In addition to the above, institutions may also consider selected return of other categories of students to residences who may face extreme difficulties in their home learning environments. When a district moves to Level 3 of the strategy, then the reintegration of the next group of students to return to campuses located in that district will take place, said Nzimande. Students will be given two to three weeks to return to campus. For example, if level 3 begins on 1 June 2020, then institutions will recall students to start their contact tuition two to three weeks after the announcement. Under level 2, a maximum of 66% of the student population will return to campus for teaching, learning and assessment in line with the following criteria: All groups that have already returned. Students in all years of study who require laboratory and technical equipment to complete the academic year. Students in all years of study who require practical placements/ experiential learning/ work place-based learning to complete the academic year. First year students in all undergraduate programmes. Under level 1, it is expected that 100% of the student population should return to campus. Under level 2 and level 1 students must again be given two to three weeks to return to campus to start their tuition. Now read: Metros could stay at level 4 while rest of South Africa moves to level 3 lockdown North Korean leader DailyNK The DPRK leadership seeks to increase the nuclear power of its army and, at an expanded meeting, considered new policy directions to further increase nuclear deterrence, as well as to bring strategic forces to high alert. Deutsche Welle reports it with reference to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The meeting participants also discussed measures to significantly increase the firepower of artillery of the Korean Peoples Army. According to the KCNA, DPRK leader Kim Jong-un was personally present at the event. The agency published his pictures taken, allegedly during the meeting. There is no confirmation of this information from other independent sources. As we reported before, on May 3, a shootout occurred on the border between North and South Korea. At 7:41 a.m. local time, several shots were fired from the direction of North Korea in the direction of the South Korean guard post, which borders the DPRK. South Korea responded with two shots in the direction of North Korea. No one was injured in the incident. Tensions between the two countries intensified the day after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made himself felt after an almost three-week absence from the public eye. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom Sun, May 24, 2020 07:09 606 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd9d47d1 2 Environment Britain,United-Kingdom,swan,animals,royals,coronavirus,COVID-19,census Free An annual swan census on the River Thames in southeast England, a royal tradition dating back to the 12th century, has been cancelled due to the coronavirus, press reports said Sunday. The so-called Swan Upping, which involves measuring, weighing and checking swans on a stretch of the waterway between Surrey and Oxfordshire, is usually conducted over five days in July. The spectacle, which involves so-called Royal Swan Uppers in scarlet uniforms on traditional rowing skiffs, draws crowds along the riverbank with many schools typically invited to meet the Swan Uppers during their journey. It is a regal affair because Queen Elizabeth II owns all Britain's unmarked swans, in a custom dating back to 1186 which spawned the annual count. However several Sunday newspapers said it had been decided that it cannot take place safely this year while adhering to social distancing guidelines. Buckingham Palace, which is expected to make an announcement in the coming week, declined to confirm the reports. "Swan Upping was due to take place on (the) 13th - 17th July, between Sunbury-on-Thames and Abingdon in Oxfordshire," a palace spokesman told AFP. Read also: Britain's Queen Elizabeth invokes wartime spirit to 'never despair' "It is led by The Queen's Swan Marker, David Barber. "The Queen's Swan Marker is working on a daily basis with the Thames Swan Rescue Organisation to continue overseeing swan welfare as usual." The event was last cancelled in 2012 due to flooding, the Daily Telegraph noted. Swans were an important source of food when the census first started, but it has been continued today for wildlife conservation and education purposes. "Swan Upping plays an important role in the conservation of the mute swan," said the website royalswan.co.uk, which is dedicated to the census. "Cygnets are extremely vulnerable at this early stage in their development and Swan Upping affords an opportunity to help both adults and cygnets that might otherwise go untreated." It would appear that there is no respite yet for Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State after the Kogi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal siting in Abuja, on Saturday, upheld the election of Bello in its judgement. It was a narrow escape for Governor Bello as his election was upheld by two of the three judges of the tribunal; while a dissenting judgment annulled Bellos election. Governor Bello, however, may be facing more troubles as Musa Wada, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 16, 2019, governorship election in Kogi State, vowed to appeal the judgment of the election tribunal on Saturday. The rejection of the tribunals judgment by Musa Wada created fresh uncertainty over the victory of Governor Bello in the controversial election in which the PDP Women Leader was murdered in cold blood on the election day in Kogi. Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Kashim Kaigama, reading the judgment upheld by two judges with one dissenting judgment, said the tribunal held that the petitioner had failed to prove the allegations of over-voting, massive thumb printing, voter intimidation, and other electoral malpractices. The tribunal also awarded a cost of N1 million against the petitioners, PDP and Musa Wada, to be paid to the INEC, Yahaya Bello and APC, the respondents. However, in a dissenting judgment, Justice Ohimai Ovbiagele annulled the election of Governor Yahaya Bello and ordered INEC to conduct fresh elections in seven local government areas where the petitioners proved their allegations of over-voting, thuggery, voter intimidation, massive thumb printing, and other electoral malpractices. The dissenting judgment was upheld by many stakeholders in Kogi State as clear representation of the fraud and flaws of the November 16, 2019, governorship election, including the senatorial election in Kogi State. The two judgement will be tested at the Court of Appeal. Governor Bello may be facing the second phase of uncertainty when the case proceeds to the Court of Appeal. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday turned 75, but it was a quiet birthday for him as he continued with official work and COVID-19 related matters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, actor turned politician Kamal Haasan and Malayalam superstar Mohanlal greeted the Chief Minister. In a tweet, Modi extended his birthday greetings to the Chief Minister, wishing him good health. "Birthday wishes to Kerala CM Shri @vijayanpinarayi Ji on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and a long life," the Prime Minister tweeted. Gadkari also took to twitter to greet Vijayan. "Birthday greetings to Chief Minister of Kerala Shri @vijayanpinarayiJi," he said. Mohanlal did likewise, tweeting "Birthday wishes to our Honourable Chief Minister, Shri @vijayanpinarayisir". Kamal Haasan took to Twitter and mentioned the CPI(M) leader's speech at the Kerala Assembly in 1977, holding up his bloodstained shirt. Vijayan, along with other party leaders, was arrested and taken into custody on September 28, 1975 during the Emergency and reportedly beaten up. Upon his release two years later, Vijayan rushed to the state legislative assembly with his bloodied shirt from that day and spoke against the state's "excesses." "Then, he created a storm by talking with a bloodstained shirt. Now he has made his state the object of adulation in the country. The CM of Kerala emphasised our bond, calling us brothers, keeping the borders open. Our Heartfelt birthday wishes to our comrade @vijayanpinarayi," Kamal Haasan tweeted. Meanwhile, a senior official at the Chief Minister's Office said Vijayan continued with official work and evaluating the COVID-19 situation "Comrade has never held any celebrations on his birthday. Today is no different. He evaluated the COVID-19 situation and was checking office files at his residence, the Cliff House, here," the official told PTI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fear of contracting the dreaded coronavirus has led to two deaths in two separate incidents in Karnataka, officials said. In the first instance a father-son duo N Anthony (70) and Francis Rego (42) of Ramanbail village of Sirsi taluk in Uttara Kannada district who were both suffering from cough and breathing issues decided to take a native herbal medicine as they were apprehensive that a conventional medical doctor might ask them to get checked for Covid-19. After consuming the herbal concoction Francis Rego died and his father who was rushed to Sirsi government hospital is battling for his life. Sirsi police who have registered a case said that they are investigating and getting details of what the two men had drunk and on whose advice. In a separate incident a 53-year old native of Koppa in Chikmagalur who was sent to a quarantine centre on May 20, after he displayed fever and cough hung himself in the toilet of the building in the early hours of Sunday fearing he had Covid-19. The results of his throat swab test which came a few hours later in the morning indicated that he did not have the virus. His body has been shifted to the district government hospital for post-mortem and authorities said that they are investigating the matter. Meanwhile, Karnataka continued to record a high number of Covid-19 cases with 130 more being registered on Sunday, even as the state observed curfew-like conditions with very little movement of traffic. The government has said that till the end of May all businesses and non-essential services will be shut on Sundays to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission. The state has recorded 2,089 Covid-19 cases so far which include 42 deaths and 654 recoveries. A large number of cases have been attributed to migrants returning to the state primarily from Maharashtra. Interestingly Mandya district in Southern Karnataka with 226 active cases has overtaken the capital city Bangalore which has 127 active cases. The state, therefore, has made it mandatory for all inter-state travellers to compulsorily undergo a 14-day quarantine. There were subdued Eid celebrations in coastal Karnataka which observed the festival on Sunday while other parts of the state will observe it on Monday. Prayers were offered at homes with no congregations at any of the major mosques across the coastal belt. A woman sits near a pot of flowers with lush red blooms. A wide swath of sunlight streams into the room, bathing the plant in brightness. We cant read the womans expression as she gazes toward a window, but the artwork is called Renewal, so wed like to think shes feeling optimistic. Stamford artist Bruce Horan included just a few elements in his oil painting, yet this picture speaks volumes especially when considering the state of the world. Renewal is among the thought-provoking works in The Maritime Garage Gallerys new virtual exhibit, Strength Through Unity. Curator Robert Abriola says this is the gallerys first virtual show, a change forced by coronavirus concerns. Artists are encouraged to enter pieces depicting the unity and strength of humanity, given the pandemic. Ive always been a fan of Bruces work but this piece in particular is very powerful, Abriola said, of Horans painting. The theme and composition show an individual who is sitting in solitude next to a beacon of light shining on beautiful flowers. The flowers represent strength, renewal and the spirit of hope. Creative, inspiring images featured in Strength Through Unity will remain online through June 30, and the exhibit continues to grow; submissions will be considered through June 15. You can view this evolving show on The Maritime Garage Gallerys social media sites @maritimegaragegallery See Facebook and Instagram. Virtual online shows are not new in the arts industry, but have become much more prevalent given the current situation with the global pandemic, says Abriola, a Norwalk-based artist. We wanted to continue our efforts by providing inspiring art to the community... The gallerys last show, Seeds of Peace, featured works embracing harmony, tranquility and generosity. Abriola says he hopes this new exhibit expresses the idea that we will come through this... together. He shared more via email. Q: The guidelines ask artists to explore the unity and strength of humanity in this unprecedented time. What led you to this theme? A: I created the concept ... based on how the spirit and willpower of humanity can rise together to overcome this challenge. Art is a very powerful medium and is part of our culture. Culture is everywhere and art inspires us all because it can provide mankind with imaginative links to parts of ourselves... Q: But did something specific inspire it? A: There wasnt any one thing in particular that inspired the art shows theme. The pandemic has impacted the entire world and will inevitably change the way we live forever. The willpower of the human spirit is stronger than any other force... I believe we all have a responsibility to the world and making it a better place. As an artist, I feel an even greater responsibility to this, as our artwork often represents a visual journal of life. Artwork is powerful and can influence hearts and minds to ultimately drive behavior and change. The brush is mightier than the sword. Q: Can you share more about the Maritime Garage Gallery? A: On average, we run three shows a year ... and feature artists from the surrounding area. But since our call for entries is national, its not uncommon for us to receive submissions from artists outside of Connecticut as well. We currently have a call for entries running for our spring show, titled DeFACEment, which is themed for portraiture work. The DeFACEment show is being moved to a later date this year due to the pandemic, and weve replaced it with our online gallery show, Strength Through Unity. The Maritime Garage Gallery is across from the Maritime Aquarium and features juried art shows and community exhibits. This collaboration of the Norwalk Parking Authority and the Norwalk Arts Commission is part of a broad effort to support the arts, making Norwalk a more vibrant destination. Q: Whats your background? A: My background and passion has always been in the visual arts. I hold a bachelors degree in studio art and worked in the creative industry for 37 years as an art director. I'm best known for my work in the music industry where I was creative director at EMI Universal Music. I create my artwork in my studio at the Oakwood Estate mansion as a member of the St. Philip Artists Guild (SPAG) in Norwalk. I strive to be active in the local art community and serve as a voting member on the Norwalk Arts Commission. (Aside from being The Maritime Garage Gallerys curator, Abriola is also a steering committee member at the St. Philip Artists Guild, and a visiting professor at Norwalk Community College and The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC.) Positive images are sought for Strength Through Unity artworks suggesting kindness, support and togetherness. All mediums are accepted and theres no fee to submit a piece for consideration. The email is maritimegallery@norwalkpark.org) lkoonz@newstimes.com; Twitter: @LindaTKoonz The police here have registered a case of abetment to suicide against unidentified people after the SHO of Churu district's Rajgarh Police Station ended his life by hanging himself, an official said on Sunday. The body of inspector Vishnu Dutt Vishnoi was handed over to family members after post-mortem on Sunday. The family has taken the mortal remains to Sriganganagar for the last rites. On the basis of a suicide note and allegations of family members that Vishnoi was under pressure, a case under section 306 of IPC (abetment to suicide) was registered late on Saturday night at the Rajgarh Police Station. Vishnoi's relatives were promised a judicial inquiry into the matter and a government job to a family member on compassionate grounds. The staff of Rajgarh Police Station gave a written application to Inspector General of Bikaner range Jose Mohan requesting him to transfer them elsewhere due to the pressure created by local Congress MLA Krishna Poonia, who keeps lodging unnecessary complaints against them to senior police officials. BJP leaders including deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore and others have accused Poonia of pressuring Vishnoi. The Congress legislator could not be reached for comments over the issue. Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police, Churu Tejaswini Gautam said that she was talking to the staff of Rajgarh Police Station to ascertain the facts. I am talking individually to all staffers to ascertain the facts. Some have said that it was an emotional decision to sign the application, she said. The SP said that the SHO's family has been assured that the collector will refer the matter for a judicial inquiry to the state government and a family member will be given government job on compassionate grounds despite the cause of death being suicide. The family members were pacified. The body was handed over to the family members after post-mortem today, she said. The SHO was found hanging from the ceiling in his quarter on Saturday morning. He left two suicide notes, one addressed to his parents and the other addressed to SP, Churu. In the suicide note addressed to SP, Churu, he said he was not able to bear the pressure which was created around him. He said that he tried to give his best to Rajasthan Police and that he was not a coward but could not bear the stress anymore. He, however, did not hold anyone responsible for taking the extreme step. As soon as the of his suicide spread on Saturday, a large number of locals assembled outside the police station while BJP leaders, who too reached the spot, blamed the local Congress MLA. A screenshot of a purported WhatsApp chat between Vishnoi and his activist friend went viral on Saturday wherein the SHO revealed that he was trapped in dirty politics. Vishnoi was one of the top inspectors of Rajasthan Police and was popular in his department and among general public for his work and honesty. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) More than 1,000 demonstrators joined together in the Belarusian capital on May 24 to oppose another term for longtime President Alyaksandr Lukshenka in one of the biggest protests of the year in that country. The challenge against a sixth term for Lukashenka comes less than three months before an election and with outside groups warning of a roundup and other measures to clamp down on dissent in the post-Soviet country of around 9 million. The demonstration was reportedly organized jointly by Mikalay Statkevich -- a former presidential challenger whose candidacy for the August 9 presidential election was rejected last week -- and opposition blogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, who was recently jailed over an "unsanctioned mass gathering" and whose candidacy was also nixed by authorities. Some of the attendees signed up to back the candidacy of Tsikhanouski's wife, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Many of those who turned up near the Kamarouski market in downtown Minsk on May 24 wore masks and physically distanced in an apparent riposte to Lukashenka's public rejection of the COVID-19 pandemic as a "psychosis," despite climbing infection and death tolls in Belarus. GALLERY: Belarusians Protest Against Lukashenka's Run For Sixth Term As President (CLICK TO VIEW) Police, accustomed to shutting down gatherings of government critics on the slightest pretext, did not intervene. Belarus, which has reported more than 36,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including an improbably low 199 deaths, hasn't ordered a lockdown. It bucked other countries' cancellation of major sporting competitions and even of gatherings earlier this month to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, instead holding a military-style parade attended by thousands of spectators. None of the elections since Lukashenka took power in 1994 has been deemed free or fair by Western standards. Belarus abolished presidential term limits in a referendum in 2004. Statkevich ran against Lukashenka in a 2010 presidential election that was widely decried as rigged and was followed by a brutal crackdown. Statkevich was arrested after attending a large demonstration protesting the 2010 results and spent 5 years in prison after being convicted of organizing riots at a trial criticized by human rights groups and Western governments as unfair. The Belarusian Central Election Commission on May 19 rejected documents filed by an initiative group for a Statkevich candidacy, citing his "criminal record." Tsikhanouski controls a popular YouTube channel, called The Country For Life, which frequently challenges Belarusian officialdom. Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned this week that authorities in Belarus have intensified their crackdown on independent activists and journalists with a new wave of arbitrary arrests ahead of the election. The rights watchdog noted that more than 120 peaceful protesters, opposition bloggers, journalists, and other government critics had been arrested in 17 Belarusian cities between May 6 and 13. Critics of Lukashenka, who has been in power in Belarus for more than 25 years, say his government has shown little tolerance for dissent and independent media. The country has been the target of U.S. and EU sanctions over its poor rights record and lack of fair elections, but Belarus and the West have recently sought to mend ties in an apparent bid to reduce Russias influence in the country. With reporting by AP Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are accused of wasting British taxpayers' money. The Queen must feel ashamed. Harry and Meghan reportedly bilked British taxpayers of tens of millions before they officially left the UK. This accusation was made by a former member of Parliament and even a current member of the Privy Council himself. According to Norman Baker, an ex-Liberal Democrat for East Sussex as well as the writer "And What Do You Do?", between the time Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married up to the time they officially stepped down from their senior roles, they essentially used up a huge chunk of taxpayers' money. In fact, based on his computations, British taxpayers shelled out around $53 million or 44 million to support their lifestyle. Baker, clearly outraged that the two decided to just leave the country and even accuse the British of various things, the bills are ongoing even if the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now in the United States. He added that even if it is possible to describe Harry and Meghan as rich, they are not rich enough for the lifestyle they prefer. Harry and Meghan net worth is estimated to be over $25 million, a far cry from how much they need in order to live the so-called good life they want. As such, Baker accuses them of living the good life at the expense of the ordinary British taxpayers. Baker even broke down the massive expenses that the two incurred in the years they were in their royal positions. The largest one can be attributed to their wedding. This was just natural since it was an event that the world tuned in to, but Baker said the wedding reached a whopping $40.8 million. The royals only shouldered $2.4 million personally. The costs are further highlighted to be humungous when compared to the costs incurred during Prince William and Kate Middleton's 2011 wedding. It only reached $24.3 million. The wedding costs of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reached this high because of the security costs. As high as $35 million went to security costs alone. Still, the politician said the remaining money went to other extravagances as well, including the 20 new trumpets that amounted to $109,000. Crowd control barriers reached a total of $1.2 million. After the wedding, the couple did not leave cheaply while in Kensington Palace. Before they even settled in, they incurred $1.7 million renovation to the 21-room apartment. Moreover, once renovated, they still decided to live elsewhere! The Queen gave them Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Castle estate. Instead of moving in as is, they had another round of renovations at $2.9 million. Here they stayed less than six months before deciding they wanted to leave the UK, promising they would pay for the costs incurred on this second renovations. Now that the two are starting to pay a bit of what they owe, Baker said that it is apparently not enough. In fact, it will literally take them forever to pay up. "The couple have said they will repay the renovation costs for Frogmore Cottage. They have offered ($22,000) a month, which is also meant to cover rent," he wrote. "Assuming a rent of ($12,000) a month, it will take them 25 years to repay the renovation costs, and that is without interest or any ongoing maintenance," he added. Aside from the wedding and the house, they racked up hundreds of thousands too for their staff and travel expenses. British taxpayers actually shouldered $721,000 for over two years. Their jet setting activities cost the taxpayers $1.2 million, in the estimate. Reports had it that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are now out of their heads thinking about how to pay their security in the United States. Understandably, since their security costs while in the UK already reached an overwhelming $8.5 million before Megxit. At present, with them essentially jobless in the US, people are wondering what their next steps would be. According to reports, Prince Charles has alloted for them 2.5 million in allowance a year. Baker finds this extra contentious. "Controversially, Charles is allowed to classify this allowance to Harry as a business expense, which he can set against tax. This means that the public purse continued to support Harry for as long as Charles continued with this approach to funding the Duke." READ MORE: Prince Harry Insulted: Meghan Markle Not 'Megxit' Mastermind With 14 hospitals, more than 350 clinics and several millions of patient interactions every year, OSF HealthCare leaders wanted the ability to easily track novel coronavirus activity as the disease made its way to Illinois. That included everything from the number of individuals with COVID-19 to how many patients were on ventilators. But that information wasnt initially easy to come by. We were probably looking at six or seven different patient volume models from various sources when we first started this work in February, said Dr. Mike Cruz, chief operating officer of OSF HealthCare, chief executive officer of the Central Region and lead of the Emergency Operations Center. We not only needed much more information, we also needed it to be specific to our organization. Working with Healthcare Analytics, a COVID Surveillance Dashboard was created in March that shows a variety of activities related to the virus in every area OSF HealthCare serves. That allows leaders to keep track of virus trends across the Ministry and ensure resources are matched with demand. COVID Surveillance Dashboard Updated daily, the COVID Surveillance Dashboard is broken into four sections. The first tracks information on confirmed and suspected cases of the virus, including patient volumes, hospitalizations, deaths, recoveries and lab tests. It also collects data on digital health activity, said Bryan Kaiser, director of Analytics and Reporting. This includes the number of people who are screened through the OSF Digital Health Call Center and how many clients are taking advantage of our Pandemic Health Worker and Acute COVID@ Home programs. The second section visualizes the OSF Pandemic Impact Model, which predicts the spread of COVID-19 across Illinois over the next several weeks, including where patients live, if they will require general hospital care or ICU care and the percentage of COVID patients who will seek care at OSF HealthCare facilities. The third shows how many people are making or canceling appointments with the organization. And the fourth includes how many COVID tests have been completed statewide as well as cases and deaths separated by county. Winter is coming While shelter-at-home orders, social distancing measures and requests to wear masks in public are helping reduce the spread of COVID-19, the virus isnt going anywhere any time soon. In fact, its very conceivable health care systems will likely have to deal with both the novel coronavirus and regular flu season this winter. We think it would be shortsighted to think we will only be managing cases of the flu later this year. That means its possible we will have the same demands on supplies, places and people we are experiencing with this pandemic, said Dr. Cruz. The various models we are using now to track the virus and its activity across the organization ensures we will have a handle on any future outbreaks. Denise Molina-Weiger is a Writing Coordinator for OSF HealthCare, where she has worked since March 2015. Health chiefs eye human trials of vaccine this year BANGKOK: The government is hoping to start testing its locally manufactured COVID-19 vaccine on humans before the end of the year, according to Suvit Maesincee, Minister of Higher Education Science Research and Innovation. COVID-19Coronavirushealth By Bangkok Post Sunday 24 May 2020, 11:37AM Researchers of Chulalongkorn University on Saturday show the samples of Covid-19 vaccines to be tested on monkeys at the National Primate Research Centre in Kaeng Koi district of Saraburi province. Photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut / Bangkok Post If our vaccine trial on monkeys proves successful, we will start the human trial phase after August, Mr Suvit told the media on Saturday (May 23). Thailand is testing several vaccines. This one involves the government, Chulalongkorn Universitys Centre of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development, the National Vaccine Institute and the Department of Medical Sciences and the private sector. He said a research team tested their mRNA vaccine on guinea pigs before moving on to monkeys, identified as long-tailed macaques, which share a similar genetic structure to humans. The vaccine will continue to be trialled on monkeys for three months in the next phase of the process. If all three tests are successful, the team will start the human trial phase, Mr Suvit said, noting the government could make the vaccine available next year. We are using mRNA technology, the newest method for developing vaccines, because the vaccine can be developed rapidly and small amounts can be used to run tests, he said. Meanwhile, the government on Saturday reported three new Covid-19 cases. It identified the carriers as an Italian living in Phuket and two Thais who had returned from abroad and were in state quarantine. The three raised the national figure to 3,040 with no new deaths. Panprapa Yongtrakul, assistant spokeswoman for the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration, yesterday said the Italian was male, 49, and tested positive on Friday. She said the other two were a 24-year-old student who studied in Egypt and a 43-year-old Thai national who worked at a spa in India. Lucknow 'Sewaiyan', an essential delicacy on Eid, is in short supply in Lucknow due to the lockdown. While the thick variety of vermicelli is available, the finer varieties that are used in preparing 'sewaiyan' are not easily available. Rizwan Khan, a wholesaler in Yahiyaganj area, said, "We start making the different varieties of sewaiyan almost a month before Ramzan begins. Different varieties are used for different kinds of dishes. This year, the lockdown began even before we could start production and now there is no time left because making the vermicelli strands is a time-consuming craft." Incidentally, the packed vermicelli brands that are sold in the markets throughout the year, have already flown off the shelves. "When we ran out of Maggi stocks, people started buying vermicelli packets and used them as noodles," said Harish Seth, a grocery shop owner in Mahanagar area. Muslim families are looking at other options to sewaiyan. "I will make a very small quantity of sewaiyan with the stock that I have and also make kheer," said Aisha, a student who lives with her grandparents. With the ban on the sale of meat, Muslim families are also looking for an alternative to 'biryani' and jackfruit seems a perfect one. "Kathal (jackfruit) biryani is actually no biryani - at best, it can be a pulao but then we have to find alternatives because the situation is not normal. Eid, too, will be different this year but we will try to make it feel good," said Shaheen Ahmad, a homemaker. Some families are holding 'trial runs' of variations of vegetable biryani and these range from 'paneer' biryani, soya biryani and a mixed vegetable biryani. "I am trying out the variations every day and will settle for the one that tastes best for Eid," said Asma, another homemaker. Despite the ban on the sale of meat, some online grocery portals have started the sale of frozen meat and chicken and also frozen non-vegetarian dishes. However, Muslim families are not too keen on buying delicacies online. "If meat is not available in the corona crisis, we should all learn to make some sacrifices and opt for a vegetarian fare. Heavens will not fall if we do not have non-vegetarian delicacies on Eid," said Asma. The majority of the Muslim families have not made new clothes for themselves and are using the money to help the poor in celebrating the festival. Popular television actor and Bigg Boss 13 finalist Rashami Desai got candid during an Ask Me Anything session with her fans recently. When she was asked if she was in love, she admitted that she was, but with herself. When an Instagram user asked Rashami about her relationship status, she replied with a gif saying party of one, implying that she was single. Another asked her if she was in love, to which she shared a quote which said, Love yourself fully, deeply, honestly, faithfully, gloriously. She also wrote, In love with myself all over again and again. Rashami Desai on her Instagram stories Rashami was in a relationship with television actor Arhaan Khan but the couple broke up after their stint on Bigg Boss 13. It was during the reality show that she found out that he had been previously married and even has a child. There were also allegations that Arhaan misused Rashamis funds and stayed in her apartment with his family in her absence, without her knowledge. Also read: Nawazuddin Siddiquis wife Aaliya told him not to write controversial autobiography, says he thought he was being mahan In an earlier interview, Rashami said that she was shaken up when she found out about his divorce and child on Bigg Boss 13. I didnt expect him to hide such a big aspect of his life from me. It came as a shock; at one point, I contemplated leaving the show, as I wasnt able to handle it, she said. Rashami also claimed that one of the main reasons that she took up Bigg Boss 13 was to give Arhaans career a boost. On being asked if he used her and her popularity for fame, she said, I believe that he used me emotionally. I dont want to comment on other things at this moment. Earlier, Rashami was married to her Uttaran co-star Nandish Sandhu. After more than three years of being married, they got divorced in 2016. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON D ominic Cummings has been reported to police after allegedly breaching lockdown rules by travelling more than 250 miles to Durham, according to reports. Conservative MPs had been baying for Mr Johnson to dispense with Mr Cummings after it emerged he had travelled to Durham in March to self-isolate with his family while official guidelines warned against long-distance journeys. Further reports also suggested he took a second trip to the North East in April, having already returned to London. Downing Street has defended Mr Cummings' actions, insisting he "acted in line with guidelines" and that his journey was "essential" because it related to the welfare of his child. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended Dominic Cummings / Getty Images Amid a weekend of mounting pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to sack his chief adviser, new reports from the Guardian and Mirror on Sunday evening suggest Mr Cummings is facing a possible police investigation under health laws. Retired chemistry teacher Robin Lees has reported Mr Cummings for a suspected breach of lockdown after claiming to have seen Mr Cummings and his family on April 12 walking in the town of Barnard Castle - 30 miles from his family home. In his report to Durham Police, seen by the Mirror, Mr Lees describes the possible sighting of Mr Cummings, his wife and child approaching a grey Range Rover parked on the Sills between Ullathorne Rise and Gill Lane. He has also given the number plate of the vehicle. The police report was quoted as saying: In the light of recent information I feel that as well as an important breach of the lockdown there may also have been concerns over Health Protection Regulations. "I assume you are able to view CCTV to ascertain whether this vehicle travelled locally or from further away." The Standard has approached Durham Police for comment. Reports suggest Mr Cummings made two trips to Durham during lockdown / AFP via Getty Images The new claims come as ex-chief constable Mike Barton criticised Mr Cummings for trying to evade his responsibilities. Speaking to BBC News on Sunday, Mr Barton said: Millions of people over the last two months have made great sacrifices, sacrifices looking after their family in really frustrating circumstances, businesses have gone bust, people who run businesses havent been able to do certain things. And thats why I was really quite surprised to learn that somebody who has made the rules that are very clear that if youre suffering from coronavirus, you have to stay at home, youre in lockdown, you do not leave your home under any circumstances. Not only did they do that and travel 260 miles, but also have then tried to justify it and evade their responsibility through the use of weasel words. I find it quite shocking really. Mr Barton went on to say he was angry and worried that Durham Constabulary had been embroiled in a dispute with Downing Street and praised the force for its handling of the situation. Police visited Mr Cummings' address in London on Sunday / Getty Images On Saturday, Durham Constabulary said police officers did speak to Mr Cummings father despite Downing Street denials there was any contact with his family over his alleged lockdown breaches. But Downing Street had said on Saturday morning: At no stage was he [Mr Cummings] or his family spoken to about this matter, as is being reported. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps also reiterated the Government statement was black and white at the daily Downing Street briefing later in the day. Mr Barton said: Lets not beat about the bush, he broke the rules, its very clear. Now what theyre trying to do is use this sophisticated sophistry to suggest that if youve got a child then the rules dont quite apply thats rubbish. The area that theyre going to, which mentions children, does not allow you to do what they did. The deputy chief medical officer, whos been a beacon of wisdom for me in all of this, made it really clear, its got to be a life-threatening issue that allows you to break the coronavirus lockdown. This was not life-threatening, so lets not beat about the bush, Im making it really clear, 40 years of policing, understanding the law, interpreting the law, the reasonable excuse is not to do what they did. But Mr Johnson has defended his chief adviser, saying he has had "extensive face-to-face conversations" with him after the reports emerged. Speaking at the Downing Street press briefing on Sunday, he said: "I have concluded that in travelling to find the right kind of childcare, at the moment when both he and his wife were about to be incapacitated by coronavirus and when he had no alternative I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent. And I do not mark him down for that. Mr Shapps also told Sky's Sophy Ridge that Mr Cummings was "trying to do the best by the child". He said: "What they've done is gone to make sure there's a support network around them, both parents were concerned about being ill, so they've gone somewhere which was adjacent to his parents. "It meant that if they were both ill that the child would be getting support." The South China Morning Post (SCMP) and international academic publisher World Scientific announced today the launch of Rebel City: Hong Kong's Year of Water and Fire --a new book that chronicles the political confrontation that has gripped the city since June 2019. The anthology is a nuanced and in-depth account of the unprecedented turmoil and complex manoeuvrings that defined a summer of discontent, distilled from more than 5,000 news reports, analysis and commentaries from Hong Kong's paper of record. Rebel City is more than a collection of stories--it aims to profile the Hong Kong protests without fear or favour, underpinned by journalistic instincts that know every tale has multiple sides. It comprehensively outlines the city's worst political crisis through a plurality of perspectives that goes beyond the perceived dichotomy of the people of Hong Kong versus its government. This book is for anyone seeking to understand not just what Hong Kong has gone through but also the global phenomenon of increasingly leaderless protest movements. Edited by SCMP's Deputy Executive Editor Zuraidah Ibrahim and Political Correspondent Jeffie Lam, the book draws on the work of more than 35 of the Post's newsroom across Hong Kong, Beijing, Washington and Singapore--a team with unmatched access to all sides of the conflict. Hong Kong was in retrospect ripe to be the laboratory for a new-age protest movement, fueled by profound angst about the place of millennial youth in society, widening income inequality, and the speed of digital communications. The anti-extradition bill protests that morphed rapidly into a wider anti-government movement in 2019 left no aspect of the city untouched, from its social compact to its body politic to its open economy. Against the backdrop of the "one country, two systems" model and its growing ambiguities, SCMP's reporting team took a contemplative look back at Hong Kong in Rebel City on its most wrenching political crisis since its return to Chinese rule in 1997. "The book is a non-partisan account of the events of 2019 and a fact-based attempt to explain all the contradictions, nuances and complexities of the anti-government protest movement triggered by the ill-fated extradition bill. Rebel City encapsulates the blood, sweat and tears of a world city at a crossroads that, and is still impacted by those events today. I'm proud of what this book represents and our team's contribution in covering one of the biggest social and political upheavals of our times," said Tammy Tam, Editor in Chief, South China Morning Post. "We are grateful to our newsmakers and sources on all sides of this complex story. The events of 2019 produced many conflicting narratives and shades of grey, and it was important to hear the voices of all who were impacted. No one has emerged from it unscathed. This book would not have been possible if they were not willing to share their perspectives so generously," said Zuraidah. "This insightful book provides a holistic array of differing perspectives during one of Hong Kong's most turbulent times in recent history as the world witnessed the series of events unfold before its eyes. World Scientific is privileged to be a part of this book project that brings about first-hand accounts of different encounters from within the city," said Max Phua, Managing Director, World Scientific. Rebel City retails for US$28 / 22 / S$28 / HKD$198 in paperback and US$68 / 60 / S$68 in hardback (before taxes, where applicable) at major bookstores, distributors and online. SCMP readers may order a copy on https://www.scmp.com/rebel-city/order. More details about the book can be found at https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/11777. Individuals may also purchase electronic editions through Kindle, Kobo, Google Play and ebooks.com. Advance Praise for "Rebel City" "This excellent book is an inspiring reminder of the vital importance of a free press in any society that is struggling with difficult social and political problems. Throughout 2019, international observers relied on the South China Morning Post to reveal the full complexity of the Hong Kong situation. This book provides a chance for readers to reflect on what happened, and draw lessons for the future." Kurt Tong, former United States Consul General to Hong Kong and Partner of The Asia Group "As mentioned in this book, the protests in Hong Kong against the extradition bill of 2019 were 'among the world's most visible political events in history'. Like the 2003 protest against the national security bill and the 'Umbrella movement' of 2014, the 2019 movement was a watershed moment that raised fundamental questions about the future of 'one country, two systems'. This book, written by South China Morning Post journalists who eyewitnessed the turmoil is an indispensable guide for anyone who wants to know what happened and to understand why." Albert H.Y. Chen, Cheng Chan Lan Yue Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Hong Kong, and member of the Basic Law Committee "2019 was a turbulent and tumultuous year for Hong Kong. Events followed fast upon each other. This collection of stories, interviews and analysis by seasoned reporters from the South China Morning Post performs the crucial service of recording what happened, asking why it happened, and, most important of all, not rushing to any quick conclusions. A powerful, and at times moving, account of a city under siege, but trying to find its way." Kerry Brown, Director, Lau China Institute, King's College London "One of the British Prime Ministers once complained of bias in the media and he was asked in which direction, and he said it's biased in every direction." - Chris Patten. The events in 2019 shocked and polarized Hong Kong. A fearless and vibrant press is indispensable in such times. It is the price to pay for a free and pluralistic society that the press provokes disagreement, irritates, or even occasionally gets it wrong. The pieces in this volume will not - and are not designed to - please everybody. This is in the best traditions of the Post - long may it continue. I congratulate the Post for a job well done." Paul Shieh SC, former Chairman, Hong Kong Bar Association About the South China Morning Post The South China Morning Post is a leading global news media company that has reported on China and Asia for more than a century. Founded in 1903, SCMP is headquartered in Hong Kong and is the city's newspaper of record. To serve its global readership, its network of correspondents spans across Asia and the U.S. reporting on issues relevant to its mission, which is to lead the global conversation about China. Its digital reach makes it one of the region's biggest publications, providing readers with accurate, credible and compelling content. SCMP became the first news organization in Asia to join the Trust Project in 2020, a consortium of top news companies developing global transparency standards for credible journalism. For more information, contact Andrea Leung at andrea.leung@scmp.com About World Scientific Publishing Co. World Scientific Publishing is a leading international independent publisher of books and journals for the scholarly, research and professional communities. World Scientific has published for luminaries that include both former Prime Ministers of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong, former ministers and senior civil servants of the likes of George Yeo, Ho Peng Kee, Lim Siong Guan, Tommy Koh, Peter Ho, and Bilahari Kausikan, and prominent public figures like Ho Kwon Ping, Claire Chiang, Albert Hong, Liu Thai Ker, and Wang Gungwu, amongst others. World Scientific also collaborates extensively with research institutes, universities, governmental organisations and companies locally as well as globally to publish professional, scientific, technical, medical and popular content. The company publishes about 600 books annually and 150 journals in various fields, and has also established a global presence with 13 offices around the world. To find out more about World Scientific, visit http://www.worldscientific.com. For more information, contact Amanda Yun at heyun@wspc.com About the Editors Zuraidah Ibrahim is Deputy Executive Editor of the South China Morning Post, overseeing local Hong Kong coverage and Asia and International news. Previously the deputy editor of The Straits Times in Singapore, she was a key author of the bestselling memoir Lee Kuan Yew, Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going (2011). Her most recent publication is The Opposition in Singapore (2017). Jeffie Lam is a correspondent and leads the Hong Kong politics team at the South China Morning Post. An award-winning political journalist, she started her career as a reporter in 2009 and joined the Post in 2013, covering the city's legislative affairs, social movements and party politics. Jeffie reported on the Occupy movement in 2014 and the protests of 2019. ### Eighteen soldiers assigned to the US Army's 101st Airborne Division have returned to Fort Campbell after spending more than a month in New Jersey helping with COVID-19 response operations. Fort Campbell officials say the soldiers deployed April 14 to help provide logistical support for the response to the new coronavirus outbreak throughout the Northeast. The troops helped receive, process and move supplies, equipment and personnel in critical areas affected by the virus outbreak. The soldiers will undergo a precautionary quarantine under medical supervision. An official welcome-home event is being planned, officials said. The Fort Campbell Army post is located along the Kentucky-Tennessee border. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After having the ski season cut short in March by the coronavirus pandemic, Colorado's Arapahoe Basin is planning on a limited reopening Wednesday. We have been given an extraordinary opportunity. We need to take this very seriously and we need to respect the guidance given by our Summit County and State of Colorado health officials. Please follow link for more information on re-opening. https://t.co/x9o3uZFqjX pic.twitter.com/xWpg2kDmiG Arapahoe Basin (@Arapahoe_Basin) May 24, 2020 Lift tickets will only be sold to existing pass holders, including A-Basin, Ikon, Mountain Collective and Any Day passes. Although it's known as the ski area with "The Beach," which is an area of several parking spaces where skiers typically tailgate, Arapahoe Basin will have a different vibe when it opens Wednesday. In an online post Sunday, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area's chief operating officer, Al Henceroth, said, "This is going to be very different." The reopening rules are as follows: 1. Reservations are required. 2. Physical distancing will be enforced and guests must wear face coverings in designated areas. 3. Tailgating and other gatherings will not be allowed. "We have been given an extraordinary opportunity. We need to take this very seriously and we need to respect the guidance given by our Summit County and State of Colorado health officials," Henceroth wrote. "We have to open in a responsible way. We need everyone to help." Several Colorado counties had their health order variance requests approved to begin reopening dine-in services this week, but Arapahoe Basin's announcement is the first Colorado ski area to reopen. Gov. Jared Polis ordered Colorado ski resorts to close on March 14 amid an outbreak of the disease in Aspen and other ski resorts traced to vacationers from Australia and other countries. Read all the details at arapahoebasin.com/may27-reopening Widely known as the largest mangrove forest in the world, the Sundarbans form the very last point of contact between the Ganges river and the mainland of both Bangladesh and India. Striking many parts of the Bay of Bengal with impunity, cyclone Amphan left a wake of death and destruction - and the Sundarbans were no exception to this. Along with the cyclones approximated $13 billion damages was an unprecedented amount of harm to the Sundarbans ecosystems - some of which have featured in recorded history for nearly two thousand years. Here are 5 aspects of the legendary forest that need to be preserved through such debilitating natural disasters: 1. Featured Across Ancient History wikimedia While the name Sundarbans translates from Bengali to beautiful forest, the forests have featured in the writings and recordings of historians from various cultures. The earliest known reference brings up a rich and powerful Assamese merchant, Chand Sagar, who colonised the area back in AD 200-300. Several centuries later, the land would come under the control of the Mughals - when Akbars historians would write of dacoits hiding amidst the forests mangroves. 2. UNESCO World Heritage Site NASA The forests 10,000 sq. km were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, joining the ranks of Indias 38 listed areas, such as the city of Jaipur, the Taj Mahal and colonial art-deco buildings of South Mumbai. 3. The Local Population Reuters Fertile and home to millions of agriculturists, the Sundarbans happen to be one of the most populated forested regions in the world, with 4.5 million inhabitants. This is true especially on the Bangladeshi side, where their activities contribute the lions share of forest produce for the whole country. Some of these villagers also have unique and interesting ways of making a living in such tough conditions - such as using otters to help them guide fish into nets, and harvesting honey from the hives of giant Asian honey bees. 4. The Mangroves Wikimedia The characteristic tree of the forest is the sundari, after which the forest is named - also known as the looking-glass mangrove in English. These trees are a landmark feature of the entire region, and aside from giving the forest its own unique beauty, also help protect the quality of soil in the region, while providing the forest a defence against seasonal floods that strike every monsoon. 5. An Incredible Display of Wildlife Reuters The Sundarbans provides a unique ecosystem and a rich wildlife habitat. According to 2015 estimates, the forests were home to around 150 royal bengal tigers, which are infamous for their attacks on local villages, resulting in around 50 human deaths each year. It isnt just all tigers though - the forests are also home to their prey the chital deer and wild pigs, as well as their distant cousin, the fishing cat. All of these stunning examples of natural beauty and culture have been hit hard by the Amphan cyclone - you can look towards a comprehensive list of donations here. "Most readers appear to have already arrived at a view similar to mine, although quite a few were pessimistic about how Australia will respond." Some readers saw a re-evaluation of our strategic relationships as a silver lining to the pandemic. For others, while acknowledging change was necessary, the challenges ahead seem insurmountable. That pessimism ranged from despair about the trajectory the US is on and growing concerns over what damage China could inflict on Australia, to doubts Australia has what it takes to go it alone. Kennari wrote: "Great piece. My American relatives are just baffling. Whenever we talk about politics they start telling me how universal health care is just socialism and that Americans are free. They just seem to accept that their government has no obligation to them at all. How is this freedom? Watching the US now is so incredibly sad." Anwa58: "Yes, thanks Shaun. Seeing the United States mentioned in black and white as a 'failed state' is sobering but unfortunately not surprising. It conjures up images of Nero fiddling while Rome burns. As America declines and China's influence is in the ascent the future is likely to be tough on a number of fronts for Australia which will challenge our Nation's fortitude and capabilities." TopMac: "Excellent article Shaun - it is well past time that Australia moved from obedient adolescent to a self assured Adult member of the Global family. Sadly, I am not sure that we have the leaders to take such bold steps as they are embedded in failed democratic and economic philosophies that serve a different master than the populace." Yola: "Without allies, we are nothing. Who could we rely on if it came to a fight? New Zealand?" Others readers chose to pick up where Carney left off, stepping forward with their thoughts on how Australia could forge ahead. Most believe we need to diversify our alliances and trading links. Several suggested we follow Switzerland's lead and adopt a foreign policy of neutrality. Loading The Rookie: "Trump's America breathes life into the CANZUK proposal: a loose political and military alliance of the senior members of the Commonwealth: C (Canada) A (Australia) NZ, and the UK. Cousins we can trust, cousins who think like us, cousins who govern themselves like us, cousins who fought with us and cousins with whom we're very close in very many ways." Balance: "Bring on the 'Coalition of the Competent'. Australia should strengthen its relationship with countries like Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, etc. as well as diversifying our sources of trade and investment, including immigration." Pallas: "I can't see why we can't aim to be more like Switzerland and as unaligned as best we can manage. Morrison rushing to grandstand on the world stage and please the US at such a time re: an independent enquiry in China when the world is still in the midst of a pandemic and without the support of other allies was asking for problems and now threatens our barley industry." Lefty: "Much greater alliance with Europe!" Loading Carney says, while grateful, he thought this contribution from the DukeofWoyWoy- NSW Central Coast "probably went just a touch overboard": Never in the field of human journalism has one journo written what the majority of Australian (sic) think and feel concerning both the United States and China and Shaun Carney has become the first without fear or favour. Nevertheless other readers agreed with DukeofWoyWoy, his comment earning the respect of at least 22 other readers. "While the media focus is on Trump, the fact that his presidency is a joint project with the American public tends to get lost in a lot of the coverage," Carney said. The Big Island of Hawaii will allow places of worship, restaurants, hair salons, barber shops and a variety of personal-service businesses to reopen starting June 1, county Mayor Harry Kim announced Saturday night. Kim said in his order that the establishments have to follow guidelines on sanitation and social distancing as outlined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Hawaii Health Department. Restaurants can resume in-dining services as long as they follow the CDCs Interim Guidance for Restaurants and Bars and National Restaurant Association Guidelines, Kim said. The other personal services that are allowed to reopen are tutoring, music lessons, massages, yoga and personal training. Kim excluded dedicated bars and nightclubs from the reopening order. Hawaii County has 81 cases of coronavirus and no deaths. The state of Hawaii has 633 cases and 17 deaths. Sixteen people who recently returned from Maharashtra have tested positive for COVID-19 in Tripura, taking the total number of cases to 191 in the state, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said. Deb urged travellers returning to the state to follow coronavirus-related guidelines and sought their cooperation. The chief minister said 996 samples were tested for COVID-19 in Tripura on Saturday. "Among them, 16 persons found COVID19 positive. All of them have returned from Maharashtra. They have been admitted to hospital," Deb tweeted on Saturday. "Requesting all travellers to follow the quarantine instructions & co-operate with Govt," he added. Officials said 23,418 people have been placed under surveillance in Tripura so far. Of them, 15,736 have been discharged after completing 14 days' observation. Altogether, 359 people are in institutional quarantine in different places at present, while 7,327 are in home quarantine. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 20:43:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A resident signs in a street campaign in support of national security legislation for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Hong Kong, south China, May 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Gang) HONG KONG, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A petition activity was launched here on Sunday in support of national security legislation for Hong Kong, with the number of participators quickly amounting to tens of thousands. More than 1,000 street stands were set up across Hong Kong to collect public signatures for the petition. At a street stand in Sheung Wan area on Hong Kong Island, a total of 456 signatures were collected in only two hours on Sunday. Piana He, a volunteer at the street stand, told Xinhua that the petition was welcomed and supported by many Hong Kong residents as they believed that national security legislation at the state level will provide crucial support for maintaining Hong Kong's prosperity and stability and safeguarding Hong Kong residents' well-being. The petition activity was launched by a newly established organization jointly initiated by thousands of people and hundreds of groups representing various sectors in the Hong Kong community. The petition, to be held for one week starting from Sunday, was also launched online. As of Sunday evening, more than 100,000 people had participated in the online petition. After a draft decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security was submitted to the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) for deliberation, many Hong Kong residents have voiced support for the legislation. Chung Pui-lan, a retired kindergarten teacher who participated in the petition, said she supports the legislation and hopes that it will help protect Hong Kong from scourge caused by external forces and restore its prosperity and stability. The prolonged disturbance has dealt a serious blow to Hong Kong's economy and people's livelihood, and many innocent residents were brutally assaulted by rioters just for holding different views, a Hong Kong resident surnamed Lau said, adding that she hopes national security legislation will help protect Hong Kong residents' freedoms and safety from being threatened by violence. Suen Ming-fung, a retired civil servant, agreed that it is necessary for the central authorities to take action since Hong Kong failed to enact laws for safeguarding national security on its own. Suen said he believes the legislation will help Hong Kong restore prosperity. "Only when its security is ensured can Hong Kong attract more foreign investment and develop more vigorously." Fung Kuen-kwok, a doctor living in Yau Ma Tei area in Kowloon, said since the social unrest started in June 2019, many of his neighbors and clients have been worried about their own safety due to rampant violence. Many countries around the world have relatively complete legal systems to safeguard national security, Fung pointed out, adding that it is the duty of every citizen to safeguard national security, but Hong Kong as a special administrative region of China has been slow in completing national security legislation "We have been looking forward to this (national security legislation) for a long time," he said. "I believe that after the completion of the legislation, it will have a deterrent effect on violent elements and help the residents to resume normal life and work." A bakery owner in Chennai's T Nagar has been placed under arrest after an advertisement of his store said products were only made by Jains and not by "Muslim staff". Reuters The owner of the bakery "Jains Bakeries and Confectionaries" was taken into custody after the advertisement went viral. There was a lot of outrage over the ad. Reuters Police arrested him based on a complaint that he had mentioned "misinformation about Muslims" and tried to create communal tension. Reuters In a country where communal riots can start due to sensitive reasons, such posts only add more fuel to the fire. No wonder it set the internet on fire and kudos to the police for taking action. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has requested India to provide a special $ 1.1 billion currency swap facility to boost the country's draining foreign exchange reserves in view of the economic slowdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Rajapaksa's office said that the new request is in addition to the $ 400 million amount Sri Lanka has sought from the Indian government under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) framework. The Sri Lankan President made the request during his telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, it said. Modi discussed the situation arising out of the COVID-19 crisis with Rajapaksa and said that India will continue to support "our close maritime neighbour" in dealing with the pandemic and its economic impact. Also read: Coronavirus Live Tracker: Centre issues new guidelines; those found negative at airports to be allowed to go home The two leaders agreed to accelerate Indian-assisted development projects in the country and also strengthen investment links. Rajapaksa's office said: "If the government of India could provide USD 1.1 billion special SWAP facility to top up USD 400 million under the SAARC facility, it would enormously help Sri Lanka in dealing with our foreign exchange issues". Sri Lanka had previously asked India for a 400 million dollar foreign exchange swap under the SAARC arrangements. Rajapaksa also asked the prime minister to expedite investments in Colombo port's east terminal. According to the Sri Lankan president's office, Rajapaksa asked Modi to "direct those responsible from India's side to expedite construction of the east terminal of the Colombo port as soon as possible". Facing issues in its foreign exchange during the coronavirus pandemic, Sri Lanka has taken drastic measures to keep its foreign reserves and currency stability. Import restrictions announced are meant to stop the flow of foreign reserves. The Opposition has accused the government of printing money to create liquidity in markets. The deadly coronavirus has claimed nine lives and infected 1,068 people in the country. India has sent four consignments of essential life-saving medicines and medical supplies weighing over 25 tonnes to Sri Lanka in the last few weeks as a goodwill gesture. Also read: Troubled hospitality sector seeks MSME tag for more firms, loan recast to tide over COVID-19 crisis Also read: Coronavirus: Senior doctor at AIIMS Delhi dies of COVID-19; wife hospitalised The Delhi government has directed private hospitals and nursing homes with a capacity of 50 beds or more to reserve 20 percent of their total bed strength for coronavirus patients, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Sunday. Ten private hospitals have been declared as COVID-19 dedicated hospitals for admitting confirmed/ suspected cases of coronavirus on payment basis. "It has been found that in the recent past the majority of beds earmarked for COVID-19 patients in the dedicated private hospitals are occupied at any given time. Therefore, there is a need to increase the number of beds dedicated for COVID-19 patients in the private hospitals in the city," an order issued by the government said on Sunday. To increase the bed capacity for COVID-19 patients, all 117 nursing homes/private hospitals having bed strength of 50 beds or more are directed to reserve/ earmark at least 20 per cent of their total bed strength for COVID-19 patients, it added. "The Delhi govt felt an imperative need to increase the no. of beds, dedicated to COVID19 patients. Hence, all 117 pvt hospitals/nursing homes with a capacity of 50 beds or more, have been directed to reserve 20% of their total bed strength for COVID19 patients," Jain tweeted. These 117 private hospitals shall bill the COVID-19 patients as per their respective schedule of charges, the order said. "However, the billing for non-COVID patients admitted on extra beds shall not be more than 50 per cent of the lowest economy category of the hospital concerned as per earlier practise during upsurge of cases of vector borne diseases," it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) OTTAWA, May 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the last month, the Taliban and Afghani-U.S. government have stepped up their military operations in Afghanistan that left mostly civilians killed and injured contrary to the peace conditions that were agreed. Handout Photo: Meladul Haq Ahmadzai:Photo of Meladul Haq Ahmadzai, CEO of Taleam Systems. Taleam Systems, which provides computer services to hospitals and medical clinics in Canada, has been working on new technology but lack of enduring peace in Afghanistan is a problem for the business. The longest war in Afghanistan will continue amid todays Eid celebrations and there are no plans for a long period of ceasefire, signals Meladul Haq Ahmadzai, CEO of Taleam Systems. No ceasefire plan has been called in Afghanistan so far to last longer than three days, says Ahmadzai. The US war in Afghanistan which started in 2001 has not stopped to this day. U.S. diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad visited Doha, Kabul and US for talks but no progress made so far regarding peace efforts in the war-torn country. Ahmadzai questions the peace agreement whether that document mentions plans for a long period of ceasefire or not. He says, Peace is the utmost desire of all Afghans ordinary people dont want war. Mike Pompeo also visited Afghanistan this year to stabilize relations between President Ashraf Ghani and Dr Abdullah which ultimately progressed towards the creation of a coalition government. Ahmadzai says, It is this kind of pressure that would change the Afghan officials attitudes and make more progress towards peace in Afghanistan. Taleam Systems hopes to make its technology available to the wide market including Afghanistan sometime in June. According to past media reports, the U.S. government withheld $1 billion from the Afghan government which pressured the coalition government to come together. Ahmadzai says, If there is no permanent ceasefire to achieve real and stable peace in Afghanistan, the Afghan people have the right to know that information. Some other countries are stepping up for example, China, India, Pakistan and Russia. China which is a business country wants to export products to Afghanistan, signals Ahmadzai. Story continues Russia is also seen stepping up to the plate. Ahmadzai says, Russia has fought in the war in Afghanistan and now wants peace. This is the worlds longest war in Afghanistan which has been ongoing for the last 42 years. The thousands of widows, orphans and children of war affected have no support. The many schools that were built were recently also destroyed in the war. Ahmadzai concludes, Afghanistan everlasting ceasefire plan is important, but the different political groups and countries are not in favour of peace they benefit from the US war. Meladul Haq Ahmadzai is the CEO of Taleam Systems which is a computer business based in Canada. Visit www.taleamsystems.com to learn more about the business. Media contact: Meladul Haq Ahmadzai The chief investment officer of one of the country's largest super funds has said it is unlikely the fund would invest in a new gas pipeline, after the chair of the federal governments coronavirus commission promoted major public spending on new gas infrastructure. It comes as Independent MP Zali Steggall told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald the federal government's COVID-19 advisory body is racked by conflicts of interest and has a major bias towards gas. She is calling for the commission to host public hearings that involve the private sector, including super funds and insurers. "We dont want another situation where its like a sports rort where youre unravelling it after the fact, she said. "My concern with the COVID commission is that it's all happening behind closed doors Its a mates environment, which is so wrong on so many levels. Zali Steggall says super can play a major role in Australia's transition to renewable energy. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Former Fortescue Metals chief Neville Power chairs the commission and has been promoting cheap gas as the way to reboot the economy, including a gas pipeline from Western Australia. Mr Power is a non-executive director of oil and gas explorer Strike Energy and holds $2.5 million in the company's shares that will be worth an additional $2.1 million if the share value rises to 35 from 20, ASX disclosures show. Punes Lohegaon international airport will resume domestic flight operations from Monday, May 25. Which destinations domestic flights will operate to, and from Pune, is a list that still has to be finalised by the higher authorities, a top Pune airport official said. A meeting is going on in this regards and the destinations and schedule will be finalised, Pune airport director Kuldeep Singh said, adding, We are all set to run operations from the Pune airport once we get the finalised list of destinations. Editor's note: In conjunction with Monday's holiday, The Citizen is publishing the full text of this year's presidential proclamation for Memorial Day: Since the first shots fired in the Revolutionary War, Americans have answered the call to duty and given their lives in service to our Nation and its sacred founding ideals. As we pay tribute to the lives and legacies of these patriots on Memorial Day, we also remember that they sacrificed to create a better, more peaceful future for our Nation and the world. We recommit to realizing that vision, honoring the service of so many who have placed love of country above all else. As Americans, we will always defend our freedom and our liberty. When those principles are threatened, we will respond with uncompromising force and unparalleled vigor. Generation after generation, our countrys finest have defended our Republic with honor and distinction. Memorials, monuments, and rows of white crosses and stars in places close to home like Arlington, Virginia and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as well as far-flung battlefields in places like Flanders Field in Belgium and Busan in Korea, will forever memorialize their heroic actions, standing as solemn testaments to the price of freedom. We will never take for granted the blood shed by these gallant men and women, as we are forever indebted to them and their families. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Allied victories over Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in World War II. As we commemorate these seminal events, we also remember the tremendous cost at which these victories came. More than 400,000 souls of the Greatest Generation perished during this titanic struggle to liberate the world from tyranny. In his address to the Nation on Japans surrender, President Trumans words remind us all of our enduring obligation to these patriots for their sacrifice: It is our responsibility ours the living to see to it that this victory shall be a monument worthy of the dead who died to win it. As we pause to recall the lives lost from the ranks of our Armed Forces, we remain eternally grateful for the path they paved toward a world made freer from oppression. Our fallen warriors gave their last breath for our country and our freedom. Today, let us pause in quiet reverence to reflect on the incredible dedication of these valiant men and women and their families, invoking divine Providence as we continue pursuing our noble goal of lasting peace for the world. In honor and recognition of all of our fallen heroes, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 11, 1950, as amended (36 U.S.C. 116), has requested the President issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people of the United States might unite in prayer. The Congress, by Public Law 106-579, has also designated 3:00 p.m. local time on that day as a time for all Americans to observe, in their own way, the National Moment of Remembrance. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Memorial Day, May 25, 2020, as a day of prayer for permanent peace, and I designate the hour beginning in each locality at 11:00 a.m. of that day as a time when people might unite in prayer. I further ask all Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. I also request the Governors of the United States and its Territories, and the appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that, on Memorial Day, the flag be flown at half-staff until noon on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and in all areas under its jurisdiction and control. I also request the people of the United States to display the flag at half-staff from their homes for the customary forenoon period. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth. DONALD J. TRUMP Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Winnie N. Chibesakunda, Zambian Ambassador to China (Photo provided by Zambian Embassy in China) Learning from Chinas successes in poverty alleviation cannot be overemphasized, said Zambian Ambassador to China Winnie N. Chibesakunda. In a recent written interview with Peoples Daily Online, Chibesakunda expressed high hopes of hearing about Chinas experiences in its fight against coronavirus as well as poverty alleviation, and said she was looking forward to enhanced bilateral cooperation in the future. Noting that this years Two Sessions are special in that the meetings are being held in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the ambassador expressed her interest in the Chinese governments efforts regarding public health mitigating strategies on the pandemic, which the rest of the world could emulate in their efforts to protect peoples lives and safety, such as how China implemented its lockdown, social distancing and efforts directed at preventing a second wave of the virus. Since 2020 is an important year in Chinas journey to achieve its Two Centenary Goals, the ambassador also expected to hear policies which would guide Chinas future development in realizing socialist modernization. Other issues of interest would concern Chinas opening up strategy, implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, poverty alleviation, diplomacy, as well as party governance, she said. This is a decisive year for China to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all aspects and to end extreme poverty. Chibesakunda reviewed Chinas unprecedented economic and social development over the past four decades, citing Chinas redoubling of its efforts in poverty alleviation to win the critical battle of poverty reduction by 2020. More than 700 million people have been lifted out of poverty, which is a miracle in the history of poverty reduction, she said. Africa, and Zambia in particular, would be looking forward to the Two Sessions to discuss, review and propose ways forward on rural affairs and poverty alleviation, said the ambassador. Noting that Zambia plans to take its people out of poverty and into an upper middle income status by 2030, Chibesakunda said Zambia stands ready to cooperate with China in all aspects of socio-economic management. In this regard, she noted, Zambia envisages mutual benefits with China in areas such as helping connect local farmers with consumers using e-commerce and modern logistics services, tax breaks, funding support and other favorable policies to attract young entrepreneurs back to the countryside and engage in commercial farming. While striving to end poverty domestically, China has been actively engaged in South-South Cooperation for common development. According to Chibesakunda, the FOCAC Beijing Summit successfully held in September, 2018 was a milestone in the history of China-Africa relations. Outcomes of the summit, she added, have continued to produce a number of satisfying early results that have brought tangible benefits to the Chinese and African people, such as the China-Africa Economic and Trade Export Expo, the second China International Import Expo and the inaugural Forum on China-Africa Cooperation on Agriculture. China has also sought to promote infrastructure connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative since 2013, Chibesakunda noted. Chinas commitment to the African continent and integration of Africa into the Belt and Road Initiative will contribute significantly to strengthening sustainable trade and investment relations between Africa and China. The ambassador firmly believes that China will continue to play a significant role in helping Africa to exploit its development potential by bridging the infrastructure gap. Chibesakunda said China has demonstrated a strong resolve to assist countries in fighting the spread of COVID-19, supplying various medical supplies to other nations, including Zambia, despite its own challenges at home. The current support Africa has received from China in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic gives us hope that China will remain committed to its global commitments, she added, voicing confidence in the prospects of stronger bilateral cooperation. In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, guided by the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, China and Africa will seize new opportunities to enhance communication, deepen unity, and strive for concrete progress in the implementation of the follow-up actions of the Beijing Summit, thus promoting the wellbeing of the 2.6 billion Chinese and African people, she said. According to the diplomat, Zambia anticipates concluding a number of trade protocols which will open Zambian agriculture, dairy and meat products, among others, to access the Chinese market in the future, presenting immense investment opportunities in such sectors as agriculture, renewable energy, mining and mineral beneficiation, tourism, manufacturing, construction and ICTs. The ocean is vast because it rejects no rivers, Chibesakunda said. As such, China and Africa will continue to work together to achieve a shared goal of building a closer China-Africa community with a shared future which will eventually turn into a pacesetter for building a shared global community for mankind. By PTI NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has allowed the Enforcement Directorate to interrogate alleged middleman Christian Michel at the Tihar central jail here, where he is lodged in connection with the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam case. Special Judge Pulastya Pramachala on Saturday allowed the ED to interrogate Michel on May 25 and 26 in the jail premises. The court allowed the ED's plea moved by the agency's special public prosecutor N K Matta after he submitted during a hearing held through video conferencing that the accused was required to be confronted with certain documents during its ongoing probe in the case. Michel, extradited from Dubai, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on December 22, 2018. On January 5, 2019 Michel was sent to judicial custody in the ED case. He is also lodged in judicial custody in the CBI case related to the scam. He was arrested in the UAE and extradited to India on December 4, 2018. The next day, he was produced before the court which allowed his custodial interrogation by the CBI. Later, he was arrested by the ED. Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the case by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. The CBI has alleged that there was an estimated loss of Euro 398.21 million (about Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer in the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010 for the supply of VVIP choppers worth Euro 556.262 million. The ED, in its charge sheet filed against Michel in June 2016, had alleged that he received EUR 30 million (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland. Two Alabamians are dead after vehicle crashes this weekend. Neither of the victims were wearing their seat belts, according to state troopers. A Phenix City woman died in a two-vehicle crash on Friday, May 22 at 9:33 p.m. after the vehicle crossed the centerline and collided with another vehicle. Melissa Nicole Moss, 39, was not wearing her seat belt in the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt in which she was the passenger. The vehicle collided with a 2013 Volkswagen GTI on Alabama 169 at the 16-mile marker just south of Opelika, according to the Alabama highway patrol. On Saturday, May 24, a Prattville man, William McDonald Sanders, 60, was killed when his 2015 Dodge Ram 3500 went off the roadway and struck a power pole, according to troopers. The single-vehicle crash occurred at 10:18 p.m. on Saturday, May 23, on Bridge Creek Road near Lakeview Drive, seven miles south of Prattville. There is nothing more available on either of these fatalities as the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency continues to investigate. Laura Jackson, 35, co-founded gourmet popcorn brand Popcorn Shed with her cousin Sam Feller, also 35, in 2016. They both live in North-West London. Ive always been a foodie. Growing up, my large, tight-knit family would cook together, and wed take turns hosting dinners. You had to make a new cuisine each time. I was particularly close to my cousin, Sam. We grew up more like siblings. After graduating from university I studied psychology at Birmingham, and he trained in real estate at Reading we both moved to London. Laura Jackson, 35, (pictured) who lives in North-West London, revealed the inspiration behind her gourmet popcorn brand Popcorn Shed I got a job as a management consultant at Accenture, but it wasnt my passion. I never really felt like I fitted in. Sam was a property manager. We both had entrepreneurial streaks. I was running a singles supper club in my spare time and Sam organised club nights. We would always discuss our side projects and say how much fun it would be to start a food-themed business together. Then, in 2014, we visited Chicago, where we discovered the world of gourmet popcorn. In the U.S. you could get all these wacky flavours, such as seaweed, or cheese and caramel. There would be queues around the block at a shop which sold it fresh. I hadnt seen anything like it. Back home, the most exciting flavour you could buy was sweet and salty. Delicious: Ten-shed variety pack, 33.50, popcornshed.com After our holiday, I remember sitting in Sams flat, talking about how much we missed the popcorn. This was our light bulb moment. Wed spotted a gap in the market for a luxury popcorn brand. We bought rows of hot air poppers to make popcorn, and tried out recipes on evenings and weekends. It became an obsession. We made so much mess in my mums kitchen that she made us store all our equipment and popcorn in the shed hence our name. In September 2016, we finally launched our business at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair. We had three flavours: salted caramel, pecan pie and rich chocolate. We had only made our website that very morning. Luckily, we won Harrods as a customer, and things snowballed from there. Now, were stocked at John Lewis, Ocado, Harvey Nichols, the Co-op and Amazon, too. I feel so fortunate to be working with Sam, and Im proud of what we have achieved. Popcorn Shed is all about sharing those moments that really matter, and bringing joy to peoples lives through food just as we were taught growing up. Popcorn Shed uses small business platform Xero to help manage its cash flow and finances https://www.aish.com/jw/me/Islamic-Terrorism-From-Libel-to-Bloodshed.html What role does radical Islamist ideology and lies about Israeli schemes for the Temple Mount play in Palestinian terrorism? On Jan. 1, 2015, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi gave a speech at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, and what he said stunned the religious leaders who were in attendance. It was the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, and the leadership of the most important educational institution in Sunni Islam was eager to hear what el-Sissi had to say. "It is unacceptable that the ideology we have sanctified become a source of worry, of danger, of killing and destruction among other peoples," the Egyptian president said. "It is unacceptable that 1.6 billion Muslims should have to kill the rest of the populations of the world, which number some 7 billion, in order to live" The problem, el-Sissi said, "lies in ideology. Not with faith." In his unusual speech, which was forgotten after a few months, the Egyptian president was making a direct appeal to religious officials in his country. He called on them to "reexamine Islamic philosophy from a more enlightened point of view," with the goal being to "shape the right religious discourse." El-Sissi was speaking after waves of major Islamist terrorist attacks all over the world. Israel was engulfed by "lone wolf" terrorism, as it was called at the time. Technically, the attacks were being perpetrated by individuals without known ties to terrorist organizations. But an overwhelming percentage of them were inspired by common beliefs and ideas in 93% of the attacks carried out in Jerusalem from August 2014 to May 2016, the story of the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa played a part, either as a sole motivation or one of the motivations that prompted the terrorists to take action. All the "lone wolf attackers" were Muslim, although not all were devout. They took to the streets to murder Jews because they had been incited to believe that "Al-Aqsa was in danger;" that Israel was about to demolish the mosques on the Temple Mount; or even change the status quo on the Mount. They believed that murdering Jews would help them "liberate Al-Aqsa" and free it from the "Jews who defile its Muslimhood." They planned major attacks on Jewish visitors to the Mount, as well, to keep them away. The fiction "Al-Aqsa is in danger" ceased to be false propaganda and became a catalyst for terrorism. Many members of the Palestinian national and religious leadership made frequent use of the libel, and put a public face on it. A twisted interpretation of Islam El-Sissi, however, gave voice to a much more enlightened and moderate version of Islam. He spoke on behalf of others among the Palestinians and in the Arab and Muslim world who condemned Palestinian terrorism in general and "Al-Aqsa terrorism" in particular. There weren't too many of them, and they stood out. But they represented hope. Some of them were convinced that Islamic zealots are perverting their religion and giving it a twisted interpretation. Others thought that Islam was inherently perverse and from its inception had invited violence, terrorism, and bloodshed and that the religion itself needed reform. Some found legitimacy for the Jewish presence in Jerusalem and on the Temple Mount in the Quran and were even able to appreciate the religious autonomy Israel gives Muslims there. Others espoused the Palestinian national issue but rejected terrorism entirely. These rare voices were shunned, and frequently condemned and persecuted in their communities. But they represented an expectation of change and goodness, and should be recognized. Salman Masalha, a poet, translator, and columnist who is a member of the editorial board of the journal Masharef which has won the President's Prize for Literature was one of these voices. Masalha isn't an observant Muslim, he is Druze (who defines himself as Arab), but still it took plenty of courage for him to say in January 2015 that "the roots of terror lie in Islam." Masalha published his statements in Haaretz. He said that when Islamic terrorism had appeared in the world these past few decades, Muslims were alarmed and said it tainted Islam. "These terrorists have hijacked Islam," they said. But according to Masalha, the question is who hijacked what? And wouldn't it be more probable that Islamic texts had hijacked the terrorists? After analyzing original texts by radical fundamentalist figures and organizations "who draw their power and inspiration from the same basic texts of Islam itself," Masalha reached the conclusion that "Islam needs a serious ideological shake-up a revolution that will adapt it to the modern world." Egyptian-German intellectual Hamad Abdel-Samad, the son of an Egyptian imam exiled to Germany, has been saying similar things for years. Samad became one of the most notable critics of Islam in Germany and in 2015 published his bestselling book Muhammad A Final Reckoning. Samad holds the prophet to account and notes that Muhammad had two problems with the Jews: his failure to get them to acknowledge that he was a divine prophet, and the prohibition against murder to which the Jews clung. "The fact that in the Quran it is written that Jews are monkeys and pigs," Samad wrote, shows "total dehumanization of the rival; such that makes it allowable to annihilate them." He writes that Mohammed himself "beheaded hundreds of members of a Jewish tribe that surrendered to him, the day they surrendered the people today who cut off the heads of their prisoners take Mohammad as an example, so it is important to hold him to account and it needs to be said that he must not be a symbol of politics or principles." Samad thinks that it is vital to "confront our forefathers and their religious texts. We have to open the complex problems once and for all (But) every time we try to free ourselves and move our thinking forward, we are pulled back to where we started by our fears, the taboo, the bans, and the fear of being punished there can be no enlightenment where there is fear!" Only a few have managed to break through the barrier of fear. One was Sandra Solomon, a Christian who was born Muslim, the daughter of a family of terrorists in Ramallah. She was educated to hate Israel and admire terrorists. Her uncle, Sahar Habash, one of the founders of the Fatah movement, was close to former PLO leader Yasser Arafat and considered the author of the organization's ideology. Solomon was once a supporter of terrorism. "We learned to hate Jews and glorify Hitler and the Holocaust. We were happy every time we heard about a successful terrorist attack, because then they would hand out candy From the age of five I recited the Quran constantly. Even today I know the verses by heart. These were the poems of my childhood. They taught us that the Jews are the descendants of monkeys and pigs. They said they were the dirtiest people in the world of infidels, that they needed to die what was most important to us was to free Al-Aqsa Mosque, liberate Jerusalem, and destroy Israel," she said. Solomon's eyes were opened only after she researched the Quran and the rules of Islam by herself, and even read the Bible. She was forced into marriage, and when her husband found work in Canada, she used the opportunity to divorce him there. Today she is demanding that the Palestinians condemn terrorism, take down pictures of "martyrs" and also stop calling to "redeem Jerusalem through spirit and blood." "The story about Muhammad's journey on a winged horse named Buraq to a place called Al-Aqsa was added to Islam much later," she claims. "And in any case, it has nothing to do with Al-Aqsa Mosque, which stands in Jerusalem today, because it didn't exist at the time." Even if we take into account that faith doesn't necessarily have anything to do with facts, and that millions of Muslims around the world take the story of Muhammad and Buraq as the truth, Solomon's comments are important because they show first-hand that hatred of Israel doesn't stem purely from a territorial dispute. "It comes from the Quran, and the hadiths, that tell about the time when the Muslims will kill all the Jews, and the stone and the tree will week and reveal that 'A Jew is hiding behind the tree, come kill him,'" she says. "I lived that hatred and I am willing to debate any religious official and prove to him that the Muslims hate the Jews because they are Jews, and not because of the state of Israel." Walid Shueiba, who was once active in the PLO's military wing and even recruited to a Muslim Brotherhood cell in the US, had a similar journey to Suleiman's. Eventually, after he delved into the Bible, he converted to Christianity. His grandfather, who was the mufti of the town of Beit Sahour, was a friend of Hajj Amin and Abdel al-Husseini, the leaders of the struggle against Zionism and Judaism prior to 1948. Shueiba says that as a child, he had been brainwashed. "They taught us songs about killing Jews," he says. "From the age of five, you're recruited and learn to hate the Jews. As the years go by, you also learn racist ideology and Holocaust denial. My Muslim father and environment expected me to kill Jews and become a shahid [martyr] so I could go to paradise." Opinions like those of Solomon, Shueiba, or Noor Dahri who joined a terrorist organization in Pakistan after having been taught that "Jews are worse than animals," but eventually had his eyes opened are unusual. Sometimes they are voiced by researchers of Islam who are themselves Muslim, so the words carry extra weight. Two Turkish religious officials, Dr. Hayat Gundogan and Oktar Babuna, visited Israel in January 2016, a time when Jews were being stabbed and run over in the streets to "defend Al-Aqsa." Gundogan made it clear that he had come to sound the alarm that "In Islam, there is no hatred of Jews" and that "Islam opposes terrorism." Muslims, he says, "Cannot object to Jews praying on the Temple Mount, because Solomon declared it a place of prayer, and Islam honors him." His colleague notes that "the main victims of Muslim terrorism are the Muslims since the state of Israel was founded, it has killed 35,000 Muslims, but in the same time period Muslims have killed 11 million Muslims." Another such voice is Saudi thinker Abdel Hamid al-Hakim, who until 2018 served as the director of the Middle East Center for Strategic and Legal Studies in Jeddah. After the US Embassy relocated to Jerusalem, Al-Hakim did not hesitate to note that "Israeli society respects its holy capital and the culture of freedom of religion there." "I thanked God that Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem are under the rule of regimes that respect the holiness of these cities and made them some of the most beautiful in the world. Be reasonable, Jerusalem is a holy city to the Jews and they have a historic right to it, just like Mecca and Medina are holy to Islam. It is best that Jerusalem be under the management of Israel, which will allow Muslims to visit Al-Aqsa, than under Arab management, which will turn it into a third world city" Al-Hakim said. Discussing the phenomenon of terrorist attacks and the Palestinians' glorification of terrorists, Al-Hakim said that the Palestinian Authority need to decide which side it was on the side of peace, or terrorism: "The lives of Palestinians are more precious than territory or the stones of a mosque," he said. Religion and politics create terrorism Different voices sometimes emerge from the Arab Israeli sector, too. They are notable for their moderation, especially in light of the radicalism of the Islamic Movement in Israel and its ties to Hamas, or the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement's involvement in terrorist attacks. Take, for example, Nail Zoabi, the principal of a school in the Galilee village Tamra, who says, "Our public is fed lies. The leaders sell them [the story] that Al-Aqsa is in danger and the Jews want to harm it. But I don't accept these things" Dr. Ramadan Dabash, chairman of the community council of Zur Baher in east Jerusalem, and an Israeli citizen, also warns that "the combination of religion and politics is a combination that creates terrorism." He and Zoabi choose to describe the Quran as a "book of peace." They suggest "taking the things that connect us." After two members of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement carried out a terrorist shooting on the Temple Mount in July 2017, more people spoke out in the Arab media. Saudi writer Mujahad al-Muthaalit argued that "Solidarity with the refugee camps takes priority over solidarity with Al-Aqsa, because people are more important than stones." Hamid al-Sharifi, the founder of Liberal Muslims group, which works on liberal and moderate interpretations of Quran verses to adapt them to current times, spoke out even more forcefully. Al-Sharifi, a former Iraqi diplomat who currently works in London, survived three attempts to assassinate him because of his opinions. In 2015, when the wave of terrorist stabbings by "Al-Aqsa" fanatics was at its heights, he defined himself as "a blind man whose eyes had been opened." In an interview to Maya Pollak from Israel's Makor Rishon, he said, "I understand a 13-year-old Muslim boy who grabs a knife and goes out to stab Jews. If I'd had a chance to do that when I was young, I'm not certain I'd let it go by. When you're young, religious officials come and read a few verses from the Quran and that's it, you're a walking time bomb. "They'll say, for example, 'Who is the enemy of God? The Jews. Don't think. Kill as many of them as possible and paradise is yours.' They promise you you'll go to a beautiful place. They taught us not to use our minds when we see a text from the Quran, just read it and implement it, and it doesn't matter how many years have gone by since it was written. Slowly, as my mind developed, I realized it was all deceit, that it was all a mistake I understood that everything they had taught us was nonsense," he says. Al-Sharifi explains that the Quran is like a double-edged sword: "I can read you content to make you a fanatic, and I can read you content to make you calm and serene Those who oppose me will say that the Quran is for every ear, all the time The Quran says to honor your parents and not to eat pork, and that's still in effect today, but the Quran also says to buy and sell slaves and beat women. Am I supposed to beat my wife?" Al-Sharifi stopped attending Friday prayers at mosques, which he says is the main source of incitement to killing. He does not want to be a part of it. "Friday prayers have been taken over by the radical Islamic countries From prayer and worship of God, they have turned into cheap propaganda designed to spread hatred. The Jumah, as these prayers are called, are an opportunity for the imam to reach people through his speeches and it is customary for him to be holding a weapon." Kasim Hafeez, a young Muslim from Birmingham in the UK, also thought for himself. Hafeez, the son of an immigrant from Pakistan (his father admired Hitler), was exposed to heavy incitement from Hamas and Hezbollah. According to Hafeez, "The conflict is a political one, over a piece of land, but Sheikh Muhammad Amin al-Husseini, the mufti of Jerusalem during the British Mandate, brought religion into it. He was a Nazi who cultivated hatred for years, who met with Adolf Hitler. He was the one who created the volatile mix of religion and politics. His radicalization won, unfortunately. Today the situation is that not all Muslims are terrorists, but a lot of them espouse zealous and violent hatred" From Al-Aqsa Terrorism: From Libel to Blood, by Nadav Shragai. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu wears a face mask as he stands inside the court room (Ronen Zvulun/Pool Photo via AP) Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a tirade against the nations justice system as he arrived at court for the start of his corruption trial, accusing police and prosecutors of conspiring to depose him. Netanyahus comments opened what is sure to be a tumultuous period for Israel as he becomes the countrys first sitting prime minister ever to go on trial. Netanyahu faces charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes in a series of corruption cases stemming from ties to wealthy friends. He is accused of accepting lavish gifts and offering to grant favours to powerful media moguls in exchange for favourable coverage of him and his family. He denies the charges. Expand Close Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, attends court (Ronen Zvulun/Pool Photo via AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, attends court (Ronen Zvulun/Pool Photo via AP) Netanyahu entered the Jerusalem courtroom wearing a blue surgical mask, in line with public health restriction due to the coronavirus pandemic. He stood and talked to his lawyer and lawyers for other defendants, refusing to sit until TV cameras left the room. As the proceedings began, the lawyers and judges also wore masks, with the three-judge panel sitting behind a glass divider. His lawyers said they would need two to three months to respond to the arraignment, and said they needed additional funds to add to their defences legal team. Expand Close Netanyahus convoy arrives at Jerusalem district court (Sebastian Scheiner/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Netanyahus convoy arrives at Jerusalem district court (Sebastian Scheiner/AP) Netanyahu sat silently and did not speak during the one-hour session, rising just once, briefly, to confirm that he understood the charges. He will not be required to attend future hearings during a case that legal analysts expect to stretch over several years. Throughout the proceedings, the loud chants of his supporters could be heard in the courtroom. When he arrived at the courthouse, Netanyahu revived his claims that he is the victim of a deep state-type conspiracy by media, police, prosecutors and judges out to oust him. The objective is to depose a strong, right-wing prime minister, and thus remove the nationalist camp from the leadership of the country for many years, he said. He said police and prosecutors had conspired to tailor a case against him, and said the evidence was contaminated and exaggerated. He called for the court proceedings to be broadcast live on TV to ensure full transparency. While the media continues to deal with nonsense, with these false, trumped-up cases, I will continue to lead the state of Israel and deal with issues that really matter to you, he said, including to resuscitate the economy and continue to save the lives of thousands of Israelis ahead of the possibility of a second wave of coronavirus. Critics have said that Netanyahus deep state arguments have undermined Israels court system and risk deeper damage to the countrys democratic institutions. Avi Nissenkorn, the countrys new justice minister, defended the legal system just before Netanyahu arrived in court. Israel is blessed with a quality justice system without bias, Mr Nissenkorn wrote on Twitter. I have no doubt that the judicial process will be managed in a matter-of-fact and fair fashion. Netanyahu was forced to attend Sundays hearing at the Jerusalem district court, after his request to have his lawyers represent him instead was rejected. Expand Close Protesters wave flags and banners outside Netanyahus residence in Jerusalem (Ariel Schalit/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Protesters wave flags and banners outside Netanyahus residence in Jerusalem (Ariel Schalit/AP) The dramatic scene came just days after the long-serving leader swore in his new government, breaking more than a year of political stalemate following three inconclusive elections. Netanyahu held his first Cabinet meeting with the new government just hours before heading to court. Neither he nor any of his ministers addressed the looming trial but the countrys outgoing religious affairs minister wished Netanyahu that God will bring the truth out at his trial. Netanyahu and his allies have spent months lashing out the countrys law enforcement system, and the charges against him have deeply divided the nation. Ahead of the trial, two sets of protests and counter-protests gathered outside the courthouse and the prime ministers official residence in Jerusalem. Several of Netanyahus Likud Cabinet ministers, including the newly appointed internal security minister who oversees the police, came to the court to back him. Netanyahus court appearance on Sunday caps a three-year investigation. It also comes after more than a year of political turmoil, with three inconclusive elections finally ending last month when the Israeli leader and his main rival, former army chief Benny Gantz, came to a power-sharing deal. As part of their power-sharing deal, Netanyahu will remain prime minister for the next 18 months, and alternative prime minister for the 18 months after, and will not be legally required to step down during what is expected to be a lengthy trial. In a tweet, Mr Gantz said he was sure Netanyahu will receive a fair trial. I repeat and emphasise that my colleagues and I have full faith in the justice system and law enforcement, he said. Two American space agency astronauts are making final preparations for the first crewed space flight to launch from American soil since 2011. Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley - both former NASA shuttle pilots arrived at Floridas Kennedy Space Center last week. They had been training at their home base in Houston, Texas. The astronauts are set to launch from Kennedy on a test mission to the International Space Station, or ISS, on Wednesday, May 27. They will fly on a Crew Dragon spacecraft, carried by a Falcon 9 rocket. The American company SpaceX designed and built each. The flight will be the first by a private company to send astronauts into orbit. The trip will also mark the first U.S.-based space launch since NASA ended its space shuttle program nine years ago. Since then, American astronauts have been flying to the ISS on Russian rockets launched from Kazakhstan. Hurley was one of the four astronauts who took part in the final NASA shuttle flight in July 2011. Speaking to reporters in Florida, he said it has been a long road back. But he added that it was humbling to be here to start out the next launch from the United States. Behnken called it an awesome time to be an astronaut, with a new spacecraft. Kennedy Space Centers director, former shuttle commander Robert Cabana, and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, welcomed the astronauts on their arrival. The NASA chief told the two he saw them as a bright light for all of America right now. The crowd in attendance was greatly reduced because of the coronavirus crisis. The astronauts did not wear nose and mouth covers but stayed socially distant. Cabana and Bridenstine wore face coverings. Bridenstine spoke to the group. During these difficult times, he said, this is a moment when we can all look and be inspired as to what the future holds. The two astronauts do not know how long they will remain at the ISS, but the stay is expected to last at least a month. NASA has said the length of stay will be decided after their arrival and will be based on the readiness of the next crew launch. Only one American is currently on the ISS, astronaut Chris Cassidy. NASA says the three U.S. astronauts will team up to test the Crew Dragons systems and carry out research and maintenance operations. Some of the tests will aim to confirm that the spacecraft will be able to carry out future missions while connected to the station for up to 210 days, NASA said. The mission is part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program, which partners with private American companies to develop U.S. spaceflight systems. NASA selected SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to transport crews from the United States to the ISS. The space agency is paying the two companies a combined $6.8 billion to build competing rocket and capsule systems. Boeing is also preparing to launch astronauts aboard its Starliner spacecraft to the ISS. But the company suffered a setback in December during an unmanned test flight to reach the space station. After lifting off for the test flight, the Starliner experienced software issues that sent the spacecraft to the wrong orbit, causing officials to cancel its trip to the ISS. Boeing says it has been working on the software issues and plans to carry out another unpiloted test flight later this year. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and NASA. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Quiz - NASA Astronauts Make Final Preparations for First Private Space Launch Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story mission n. an important task, usually involving travel somewhere humbling adj. not proud or arrogant inspire v. to make someone feel that they want to do something and can do it maintenance n. work that is done to keep something in good condition setback n. a problem that makes something happen later or more slowly than it should analysis After a threat of legal action, the government has eased coronavirus travel restrictions slightly to enable 'locked in' South Africans to get on with their studies and livelihoods. The threat of legal action appears to have persuaded the government to relax its coronavirus travel restrictions to allow thousands of South Africans living and working abroad, but trapped in South Africa, to leave the country. On Saturday, a day after the organisation LISA- Locked in South Africa -applied for an urgent court order, Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced he had approved essential travel for South Africans who wanted to return to countries where they are based. "South Africans who wish to leave the Republic are permitted to depart only for the following reasons: Work Study Family reunion Take up permanent residency Receive medical attention. Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi. The family reunion concession is believed to apply only to family members who have been separated form each other, not a general concession. On Friday at a virtual press conference LISA coordinator Bev Schafer, had announced that after failing to get any response for weeks from the departments of home affairs and international relations and cooperation, the... Tanaiste Simon Coveney has been in contact with Verona Murphy and a number of other independent TDs as Fine Gael seeks to attract further support for a coalition government with Fianna Fail and the Greens. Coveney reached out to members of the Regional Independent Group in a series of phone calls on Friday evening. Members of the group, which includes controversial TDs Michael Lowry and Noel Grealish, expect to take part in talks about joining the government within the next two weeks. Murphy, a TD for Wexford who fell out with Fine Gael over comments about migrants when she ran for the party in a by-election last year, said she had a "very good relationship" with Simon Coveney. She spoke to him on Friday about the progress being made in the government formation talks and did not rule out being involved. "If they come up with a programme for government with the Greens, then we need to see that," she said. Expand Close Verona Murphy / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Verona Murphy Murphy said a key issue for her would be moving Dublin Port to Rosslare, which is in her constituency, to help reduce high nitrogen oxide emissions in the capital. "If the Greens are really serious, they'll be looking at this," she added. Coveney's calls to Independents sparked alarm among some in the Green Party who harbour concerns over the potential involvement of controversial figures such as Lowry, who has been found guilty of tax offences, and Grealish, who was widely criticised last year for claiming African migrants "sponge off the system". Neither returned calls yesterday. A Green Party source said the involvement of some TDs would be a "hard pill to swallow". A spokesman for Simon Coveney said: "The Tanaiste told many of the Oireachtas colleagues he'd met since the election that he'd keep in contact with them and he's done that. The government formation talks are going well." Waterford TD Matt Shanahan and outgoing junior minister Sean Canney said they were both interested in participating in talks. The group's co-ordinator, Denis Naughten, did not return calls. Other members are Independent TDs Peter Fitzpatrick and Cathal Berry and Aontu's Peadar Toibin who has ruled out joining the government. Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens discussed healthcare yesterday. The parties are now aiming to have a government in place by the third week of June, after allowing two weeks to ballot members. It is hoped the programme for government can be agreed before June 7, the date when nominations for the Green Party leadership close. The talks were disrupted last week when it emerged that Green Party members wanted deputy leader Catherine Martin to replace Eamon Ryan as leader. She said was giving "serious consideration" to challenging Ryan. A Fine Gael source said Ryan was "quite diminished" by the move. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Criticism Cannot Be Sedition IMPRESSIONS Two things worry me. Deeply. Feeling patriotic, I sat glued to the television set for the Prime Ministers "address to the nation." After two minutes I felt hungry and moved to the dining table. Like me the majority of people in the south must have lost interest in the Hindi prabhashan. I dont feel good about my lack of interest in Hindi. But I dont feel guilty either. The second thing that sent me off to the dining table was the nothing-new feeling created by the prime ministerial message. Economic package. Rebuilding. Demand-Supply chakra. Self-reliance. Rs. 20 lakh crore for self-reliant India. Of course, if even a few of the promises are fulfilled, it will be progress. But the fact remains that we have lived for 70 years on slogans, the last six of them on well-phrased slogans well delivered. They didnt click because urgent issues, like massive movement of migrant labour, were ignored. But one thing is new, and disturbing. Sedition law is being used to suppress the common democratic right of criticism. Patel, a local journalist in Gujarat, was booked for sedition when he uploaded a report about Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. It was a routine report saying that there were problems between the chief minister and the BJP High Command, the kind of report that appears about many state leaderships in many forums. If the report was incorrect, both the Chief Minister and the BJP High Command could have publicly said so and the media would have been obliged to publish the denial. But that is not what the Rupani Government did. It ensured that the Ahmedabad Police crime branch filed an FIR against Patel under the sedition act. The police chief perhaps saw the farcical nature of the action and said: "As a precautionary measure in view of the corona virus pandemic, Patel has been detained, not arrested, and sent to SVP Hospital for Covid treatment." Thus the police turned the sedition story into a corona story. Sedition means inciting people to rebel against the state. In Indian democratic system, governments have always been criticised by political opponents and by media. This was never interpreted as rebellion against the state. Therefore, using the sedition act to prevent legitimate give-and-take in a democracy is a cheap trick. It wont work. BJP and Congress, CPM and Trinamool, all must face democracys challenges; none can get refuge behind sedition laws. Strangely, many of our elected leaders seem to belive that, once elected, they are above the checks and balances of democracy. Such leaders resort to sedition laws at the slightest provocation. Parliamentary criticism of a government or a minister is the essence of democracy. To say that such criticism is sedition amounting to rebellion against the state is nonsense. That the Rupani Government in Gujarat resorted to nonsensical procedures to silence critics is ironical. Gujarat has the worst morbidity rate in the country. The first covid cases were confirmed in Gujarat. It remains the worst affected state after Maharashtra. Gujarat became known for announcing precipitate policies without giving people sufficient notice. People were banned from leaving their homes; shops were closed for a week. Ahmedabad is notorious for localities crammed with people Dharavi-style. In fact it is worse because, unlike in Dharavi, religion plays a role in separating one over-crammed sector from another. Large numbers of men and women sharing one bathroom is scary enough. Imagine the complications if the scarce bathrooms are segregated religionwise as well. Many years of rule by BJP stalwarts have not succeeded in improving the situation in Gujarat and in its capital in particular. British bureaucratic legalese is the hallmark of the sedition law that India still follows. It says that "whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite, disaffection towards the Government, shall be punished..." A century and a half have passed since the original enactment. But the language and the mentality remain unchanged. The Prime Minister deflects all criticism by giving his oratory full play. Abraham Lincoln was no orator. He delivered the Gettysburg Address in a most unimpressive style. But it changed the course of history. Infosys founder Narayana Murthy recently made a relevant comment. "India cannot continue in this situation for long. At some point deaths due to hunger will outweigh deaths due to corona. We must facilitate return to work by the able-bodied while protecting the vulnerable." Wisdom, not oratory. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday said that 508 new Covid-19 infections were reported in the national capital till May 23 midnight. The coronavirus tally in Delhi now stands at 13,418, while 261 people have died due to coronavirus in Delhi, the minister added. Jain also talked to reporters about the Covid-19 containment zones in the national capital, stating that the number of containment zones now stands at 83. House numbers 600-800 in Hari Nagar, Rani Bagh and two houses at street number 8, Shastri Park have been declared as new containment zones. Till now, 41 zones have been de-contained, Jain said. Also read: 67% of Indias Covid-19 cases come from 4 states With 508 new cases, the total number of COVID19 positive cases in Delhi is now 13,418 (till midnight of 23rd May), total death toll 261: Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain pic.twitter.com/3dZDjOJ6lL ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 Earlier this week, the South Delhi district administration added two more areas to the list of Covid-19 containment zones in Delhi. South Delhis Zamrudpur in Greater Kailash and Dakshinpuri were added as Covid-19 containment zones. This comes when the Delhi government has partially lifted restrictions on movement across the national capital amid lockdown 4.0 in a bid to restart economic activity. Delhi: The number of containment zones in Delhi now stands at 87 with the addition of house numbers 600-800 Hari Nagar, Rani Bagh, and two houses at street number 8, Shastri Park. Till now, 41 zones have been de-contained. ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 Public transport, barring Delhi Metro, has resumed operation in Delhi on conditions. Standalone shops have also lifted shutters. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged citizens to show discipline amid the coronavirus crisis ensure that the virus does not spread further. He said that no relaxations will be provided in Covid-19 containment zones. Large gatherings, places of worship, malls, educational institutes, theatres, dine-in restaurants, barbershops and salons are still shut in Delhi amid the fourth phase of the lockdown. Vulnerable people such as the elderly, pregnant women, children are urged to avoid stepping out of their homes. A man in his 30s has been arrested by police in London on suspicion of attempted murder after a child was stabbed. The London Ambulance Service called police at 1pm on May 22 to Larch Road, Brent. Officers arrived to find a young child with stab injuries who was later taken to hospital. Police are not yet releasing the age or gender of the child who continues to be treated in hospital. Police were called to an address on Larch Road, Brent, (pictured) by the London Ambulance Service at 1pm on May 22 after a young child was stabbed The child's condition is not believed to be life-threatening. In a statement the MET police said: 'Officers attended and found a young child suffering from stab injuries. The child was taken to a London hospital; their condition is not believed to be life-threatening. 'An injured man, aged in his 30s, was also taken to hospital where he remains. His condition is not believed to be life-threatening.' Superintendent Tim Alexander, of the North West Command Unit, said: 'This is clearly an incredibly shocking incident that has left a young child seriously injured and we are working urgently to understand the full circumstances. Police arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of attempted murder and have stayed with him at hospital while he is treated for non-life-threatening injuries (stock image) 'We are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and we are satisfied that there is no risk to the wider public.' The man in his 30s was also taken to hospital to be treated for injuries but a police presence has remained with the man. It is believed the man and child are known to each other. The man in his 30s had previous contact with police so the MET's Directorate of Professional Standards have also been informed. Police ask anyone with information to contact them by calling 101 or tweeting @MetCC and quoting the reference 4266/22May. A total of 23% of Americans are food insecure. That is a shocking and shameful number in the self-proclaimed richest country in the world. Food insecurity is not knowing where your next meal is coming from. Maybe youve got enough to cobble together something for your kids today but how are they going to eat tomorrow? Imagine the stress that must put on a family, having to make a conscious decision to pay rent or eat. During normal times, when our dynamic economy is, in the words of Jared Kushner, rockin, 11% of your fellow Americans are food insecure. That was the case a few months back when the Trump administration took an ax to the SNAP program, which had been a valuable source of food for our most vulnerable citizens. The federal government has fully abdicated any and all responsibility to care for people who have the audacity to not be rich, leaving community food banks to fill the void. As you can imagine, the pandemic has taken a toll on the already taxed capabilities of these organizations to feed those in need. They could sure use our help. The Community Food Bank of New Jersey is a good place to start. They stock more than 1,000 pantries, food banks and shelters across the state and they need just about everything from food to cleaning supplies, but most of all they need cash. They have a good deal of purchasing power and know how to stretch a buck. The legislature is stepping in to offer some food assistance, but demand will still outpace supply. Click the link on their page and help out if you can. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Pastor Charles Clark III conducts service at the Solid Rock Baptist Church in Berlin, N.J., in defiance of Gov. Phil Murphy's closure orders to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Read more A South Jersey church held services on Sunday in defiance of government closure orders and amid concerns that large gatherings involving loud speech and song could put participants in danger of coronavirus infection. Parishioners of the Solid Rock Baptist Church in Berlin, Camden County, gathered for what its clergy told Gov. Phil Murphy prior to the service would meet or exceed safety recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Were not looking for trouble; were not lawbreakers, Pastor Charles Clark Jr. could be seen in a live internet broadcast exclaiming from the pulpit toward a crowded front pew. Were exercising our constitutional rights. Clark was one of about a dozen people who stood before the congregation, all without masks, to speak and sing over the course of the roughly hour-long service. By next week, theres going to be churches opening all over the state, with permission or without permission," he said. Murphy has begun relaxing the states stay-at-home order, allowing the resumption of some recreational and business activities that had been banned. But the order has mostly been kept intact, including for religious gatherings. Spokespeople for Murphy, the state Attorney Generals Office, and Camden County prosecutors had no immediate comment. Berlin police did not respond to an email. Later on Sunday, SS. Philip & James Parish, a Catholic church in Exton, Chester County, held services, following a Mass held Saturday evening, according to its website. Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Perez had said daily and Sunday Masses werent expected to resume until June 5, based on Gov. Tom Wolfs plan for relaxing Pennsylvanias stay-at-home restrictions. The archdiocese is preparing guidelines for its churches to help them safely resume services at that date, after which initially there will be no religious obligation to attend, diocesan spokesman Kenneth Gavin said Sunday. The archdiocese was aware that the Mass had taken place in Exton, but that would have been a decision made by the pastor at the local level, Gavin said. It is our position that something of this nature should not have happened this early. A message for the church was not immediately returned. READ MORE: A reminder that were not alone: In Chestnut Hill, a church turned to bagpipes to reach those forced inside by the coronavirus Large church gatherings have been linked to major outbreaks of the coronavirus in Germany, France, and South Korea. German officials said at least 107 people tested positive for COVID-19 after some attended services at Evangelical Christian Baptist Congregation in Frankfurt on May 10. A study published by the National Academy of Scienceson May 13 found that one minute of loud speech could produce thousands of tiny droplets that can remain airborne for about 12 minutes. If they come from an infected person, others in the area could contract the virus. President Trump, however, pressed governors on Friday to allow churches to reopen immediately, declaring them essential places that provide essential services" and threatening to override the governors, without clarifying how he would do so. The CDC last week published guidelines for faith-based gatherings that call on leaders to encourage staff and congregants to wash their hands frequently, wear cloth face coverings, and promote social distancing. Solid Rock Baptist Church said in an online statement that parishioners would be protected by provisions including the projection of hymn lyrics on a screen so church songbooks need not be passed around and mandatory masks for those in the pews. The passing of collection plates was also being skipped, but Charles Clark III, Clark Jr.'s co-pastor, said during the service that due to the health crisis the church had been receiving more in donations than usual. Clark III began the service by addressing what he suggested was a thinner-than-usual crowd. Only 250 parishioners were being permitted into the church that was designed for a capacity of more than 1,000, church leaders had said earlier. Families were separated by PVC piping across the churchs pews to enforce social distancing. Others were watching remotely from a gymnasium, Clark III said from the pulpit. Weve just got a remnant here today, but at least were here, he said. I am glad to be back in church. Inquirer photographer Yong Kim contributed to this article. Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said he has missed the opportunity of touring the country during Ramadan periods to pray and have iftar with his fellow Muslims in various communities due to the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the coronavirus restrictions, Muslims for the first time cannot gather at the mosques to mark Eid al-Fitr today, Sunday, 24 May 2020. They have been advised to pray at home. In a video message to his fellow Muslims as they mark an end to Ramadan, Dr Bawumia prayed for Allah to bless Ghana. I missed the opportunity that I usually have on my Ramadan tour to pray and have iftar with various communities across the country. Nonetheless, this has been a very spiritually fulfilling experience and we pray to the Almighty Allah to accept our sacrifices during this month of Ramadan and to bless the nation, he stated. For her part, Mrs Samira Bawumia noted that As we continue to observe the coronavirus restrictions and guidelines by celebrating Eid at home this year, let us continue to pray for our friends, families, loved ones and our nation. ---classfmonline The United States is pushing relations with China to 'the brink of a new Cold War', China's foreign minister said Sunday, rejecting Washington's 'lies' over the coronavirus while saying Beijing was open to an international effort to find its source. Keeping up the worsening war of words with Washington over the pandemic and a Beijing move to tighten control over Hong Kong, Wang Yi said the United States had been infected by a 'political virus' compelling figures there to continually attack China. 'It has come to our attention that some political forces in the US are taking China-US relations hostage and pushing our two countries to the brink of a new Cold War,' Wang told reporters during a press conference at China's week-long annual parliamentary session. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the United States had been infected by a 'political virus' compelling figures there to continually attack China Longstanding friction between the two powers over trade, human rights and a range of other issues have been pushed to new heights since the virus outbreak. Wang did not identify what 'forces' he was referring to, but US President Donald Trump has led world criticism of China's initial response to the pandemic, which has caused more than 340,000 deaths and economic carnage worldwide. Trump and members of his administration have said China covered up the emergence of the virus late last year and bungled its initial response. Washington's criticism has been widely seen in the United States as an attempt by Trump to divert attention from the White House's own COVID-19 failures. Wang took an apparent swipe at the US struggles to contain the virus, which has now infected more people in the United States than anywhere else. 'I call on the US to stop wasting time and stop wasting precious lives,' Wang said. He said China was 'open' to international scientific cooperation to identify the source of the novel coronavirus, but stressed that any investigation must be 'free of political interference', based on science and led by the World Health Organization. The WHO has called on Beijing to invite the UN body in to investigate the source, but Wang did not indicate if foreign scientists would be invited to come to China. President Donald Trump has led world criticism of China's initial response to the pandemic. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are pictured at the G20 leaders summit in July 2019 Wang Yi accuses US officials of 'stigmatizing' China 'Some political figures in the US rush to label the virus and politicize its origins, stigmatizing China,' Wang said, adding that an investigation must 'oppose any presumption of guilt'. Most scientists believe the virus jumped from animals to humans after emerging in China, possibly from a market in the central city of Wuhan where exotic animals were sold for meat. Governments including the US and Australia have called in recent weeks for an investigation into the exact origins of the virus. China has proposed instead that the 'global response' to COVID-19 should only be assessed when the pandemic is over. WHO members on Tuesday adopted a resolution, tabled by the European Union, at the UN body's first virtual assembly to review the international handling of the pandemic, but it does not single out China. 'Aside from the devastation caused by the novel coronavirus, there is also a political virus spreading through the US,' he said. 'This political virus is the use of every opportunity to attack and smear China. Some politicians completely disregard basic facts and have fabricated too many lies targeting China, and plotted too many conspiracies.' The introduction at China's legislature on Friday of a proposal to impose a security law in Hong Kong to suppress the semi-autonomous city's pro-democracy movement also has drawn US and world condemnation. But Wang defended the plan, saying it must be implemented 'without the slightest delay', adding that months of often-violent Hong Kong protests last year against China's growing influence in the financial hub had 'seriously endangered China's national security'. Vacationers flocked to the Lake of the Ozarks over the holiday weekend, flouting social distancing guidelines as they packed into yacht clubs, outdoor bars and resort pools in the Missouri tourist hot spot. Images of the revelry rippled across social media, showing people eating, drinking and swimming in close quarters. In one picture shared by the news station KSDK, dozens of people could be seen crammed on an outdoor patio underneath a sign reading, "Please practice social distancing." CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Mayor Turner moves to enforce 25 percent capacity limit for Houston businesses The scenes underscored how some have interpreted the loosening of the coronavirus restrictions ahead of the Memorial Day holiday as an invitation to return to a pre-pandemic version of normal. Amid varied and sometimes conflicting orders from state and local officials, people across the country have been left to decide on their own how strictly to follow the rules. The images elicited a barrage of criticism from people angered by the open disregard for the guidelines that public health experts have spent months promoting. "I don't even know what to say anymore," Meghan McCain, co-host of ABC's "The View," tweeted. Like most of the country, Missouri has allowed some businesses to reopen and rolled back pandemic-related bans on nonessential activities, even as researchers warn the virus is still spreading at epidemic rates in Missouri and 23 other states. After Missouri's stay-at-home order expired May 3, Gov. Mike Parson. a Republican, said a range of businesses, including large venues, could resume service as long as seating was spaced out to enforce social distancing. State guidelines mirror those issued by the federal government, instructing people to stay six feet apart when they are outside their homes. Many businesses around the Lake of the Ozarks closed in the spring when the pandemic hit. But as the state moved to reopen, they allowed guests to rebook reservations. Several hotels and resorts told local media last week that they were fully booked through the weekend. In videos shared widely on social media, people could be seen lined up outside Backwater Jack's, waiting to enter the already packed bar and grill. "Corona-free," one man in line shouted in as the camera panned to him. The waterfront establishment hosted a pool party Saturday called "Zero Ducks Given" that featured DJs and live bands. A Facebook page described the event as a summer kickoff party and showed nearly 400 people had attended. PACKED WATERPARKS: Crowds descend upon Texas waterpark on Memorial Day weekend A representative from Backwater Jack's did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday. The event organizer said in a May 7 Facebook post the venue had "worked with and taken the advice of government officials and management teams and will be following social distancing guidelines," adding, "extra precautions and safety measures will be taken." Missouri has reported more than 11,700 cases of the coronavirus and 676 deaths. A study by researchers at Imperial College London said it was one of 24 U.S. states that had yet to rein in the coronavirus and risked a second wave of infections. Thick crowds also were seen at beaches and other attractions on the East Coast, including the Ocean City boardwalk and a beach on the reopened Jersey Shore. - - - The Washington Post's Meryl Kornfield contributed to this report. Ms. Rothenbergs divorce in the late 1970s was reflected in her art, which became darker and more threatening, shot through with hints of depression and anger. She switched from acrylic paint to oils, giving her work more texture and depth. In the 1980s, she began to draw a male figure I was just moving my hand on the paper. It was like a Ouija board and decided it was Dutch abstract painter Piet Mondrian, who died in 1944. When Dan Levitis, his wife, Iris, and their three young children trooped into a Madison, Wisconsin, urgent care clinic around 8 a.m. on New Year's Day 2018, the staff didn't seem surprised to see them. The family had sought treatment several times in the previous two months for recurrent strep throat infections. They had taken multiple rounds of drugs, professionally deep cleaned their home and replaced contaminated toothbrushes, but none of it worked for long. Inevitably, the infection came roaring back. "It seemed like the whole family was on antibiotics, had just stopped taking antibiotics or was coming down with strep again," recalled Levitis, an evolutionary biologist who at the time was an associate scientist at the University of Wisconsin. That New Year's Day, rapid tests showed that Iris and all three children had strep; Levitis did not. Three weeks earlier Iris and two of the children were found to be infected. And two weeks following the New Year's visit, after everyone had taken a full course of antibiotics, two of the children tested positive. Over the next three months, which included several more bouts of strep, Levitis began to suspect that the cause of the repeated infection was in their home. But finding medical professionals who took his controversial hypothesis seriously proved to be a challenge. After a search, Levitis managed to find a receptive audience. And once the possible source of recurrent strep was treated, the round robin infection stopped. The first case occurred in late October 2017. Levitis was in Massachusetts on a research trip when his wife called to tell him that she and all three of their kids - Tigerlily, then 6, Kestrel, who was 3, and 14-month-old Peregrine - had tested positive for strep and were taking antibiotics. Levitis, who had been battling a sore throat since leaving Madison several days earlier, called his doctor and was given a prescription for an antibiotic. Because the rest of his family was infected, he, too, was presumed to have strep. After a round of antibiotics, everyone seemed to recover. But five weeks later, his daughters complained of sore throats. This time the entire family was tested. Throat cultures revealed that all five had strep. Within a few days the infection seemed to have cleared. But success was short-lived; the New Year's Day visit occurred three weeks later. This time the doctor prescribed a different antibiotic. Levitis said that he and his wife were reminded of the need to finish the full course of antibiotics and of sanitation measures they had been following, including replacing the toothbrushes they had been using. But two weeks later, on Jan. 16, Kestrel and Tigerlily had strep again. And at the end of January, all three kids tested positive. "We were so done with this and painfully aware that something was wrong," Levitis recalled. Nobody at school or day care was getting strep, he said, so he suspected that something in their house was the source. Levitis called his mother, a retired pediatrician who had practiced in suburban Maryland, for advice. She told him about a family she had seen who kept getting strep until they got rid of their pet cat. Four months before the first outbreak, the family had adopted Umberto, a 3-year-old gray cat, from a nearby family. "I started looking at the scientific literature, and everything said that cats can't transmit strep," Levitis recalled. Levitis said his wife asked their doctors about the possibility that cats could be vectors of strep, while he queried his cousin, a veterinarian. "They all pretty much said the same thing: 'There's no evidence that cats can transmit strep to humans, but if you want to be safe, get rid of the cat,' " Levitis recalled. That seemed unthinkable; they all adored Umberto. "He's so loving and patient with our kids and such a wonderful pet," Levitis said. "And we didn't know for sure that he was the culprit." Although there are diseases that cats can transmit to people - including toxoplasmosis, cat scratch disease and ringworm - Streptococcus A, the bacteria that causes strep throat, is not believed to be among them. A 2002 report from the American Veterinary Medical Association noted that while doctors sometimes blame pet cats and dogs for recurrent strep throat in children "evidence doesn't support this." "There is more evidence that pets carry group A Strep[tococcus] temporarily and only when in contact with an infected person," a former association president concluded. "So, tell your kids with Strep[tococcus] not to kiss the kitty." Cats and dogs can infect humans with a strain called strep canis, which is present in animal saliva and is usually transmitted through a bite. Iris Levitis asked their vet whether she could test Umberto for strep in case he was a conduit. The vet refused: Umberto seemed healthy and there was no reason to swab the throat of a healthy cat, which would require hooking him up to oxygen and administering general anesthesia. As a scientist, Levitis said he was frustrated that no one seemed willing to consider the possibility that in rare cases a cat might harbor strep that could be transmitted to humans. A few published reports had suggested such a scenario. Among them is a 2007 letter in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings by a Pennsylvania internist who described an experience similar to the Levitis family. His three young children developed recurrent strep, which was eradicated after they - and their cat - were treated simultaneously with antibiotics. The Levitises called a few veterinary practices to see if they'd test Umberto; all said no. "We thought about dosing him ourselves," Levitis recalled, but "decided it was a bad idea." In early March, 3-year-old Kestrel got strep throat along with respiratory syncytial virus, which led to pneumonia, resulting in a two-day hospitalization. After she got home, the couple was discussing the plethora of medical resources available in Madison, which includes a large and respected college of veterinary medicine. "Iris had the brilliant idea" of calling the university animal hospital and trying to talk to an expert there, Levitis recalled. Maybe, the couple thought, an academic center would be more receptive to the cat hypothesis than community vets had been. She wound up talking to Caitlin Barry-Heffernan, a fourth-year veterinary internal medicine resident. Then she handed the phone to her husband for his pitch. "I talked about it as a research case," Levitis said, "not a guy who got strep throat from his cat." "We were all kind of skeptical," recalled Barry-Heffernan, who now practices in Southfield, Michigan, outside Detroit. It is uncommon, she said, for cats to carry strep A, because the bacteria "doesn't like to live on animals." But she was intrigued by the possibility and persuaded by Levitis. He was scientifically knowledgeable and "it was a pretty believable circumstance." Barry-Heffernan said she walked down the hall to consult with a veteran microbiologist. "She was very skeptical," Barry-Heffernan recalled, but agreed that "we should be able to culture it if it's there." So Barry-Heffernan told Levitis to bring his cat in for a throat culture. On April 4, while the entire family was taking antibiotics for the seventh bout of strep in as many months, Umberto was seen by Barry-Heffernan and a vet student. They whisked Umberto, who Barry-Heffernan said seemed "perfectly healthy," into a nearby room and quickly swabbed his throat. Neither anesthesia nor oxygen was required. "Umberto was a really nice cat," she recalled, so the procedure wasn't difficult. To the surprise of the vet school faculty, group A strep was found in the cat's throat; it appeared to match the strain of strep collected during Levitis' most recent throat culture. "Almost certainly Umberto was contributing to the family's infections," Barry-Heffernan said. She prescribed antibiotics for the cat and a disinfectant spray for his fur. And the Levitis family was given another round of antibiotics. Soon afterward they left on a previously scheduled two-week trip to Costa Rica. In their absence Umberto was given his medication, and the house was professionally cleaned for a second time. Since then, Levitis said, no one has had strep. "Once we identified Umberto as a carrier, it was really easy to address," Barry-Heffernan said. It seems likely that the infection was being passed among the asymptomatic cat and various members of the family; it probably originated in a human. (Similarly, the small number of cats and dogs known to have tested positive for the novel coronavirus are believed to have been infected by people; there is no evidence animals can transmit the virus to humans.) Barry-Heffernan said she hopes that the Levitises' unusual case doesn't cause people to get rid of their pets. "It was very easily treated," she noted. Levitis, who now lives in Northern California with his family - and Umberto - said he is convinced that treating the cat eradicated the infection that had bedeviled his family. "We got lucky," he said, "because Caitlin had an open mind." The Congress on Sunday said the Gujarat government's "inefficiency" in handling the coronavirus crisis has rendered it "undermining, underconfident and underachieving", as the number of COVID-19 cases in the state rose rapidly. "In Gujarat, today we don't have a health care system, we have a sick system," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said. He quoted a Gujarat High Court judgement to target the BJP-ruled Gujarat which is also the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, and said such words have never been used by the judiciary against the state authorities. At a press conference through video conferencing, Singhvi also sought to know why the prime minister or the home minister did not intervene, chastise or punish the Gujarat government. "We would respectfully ask the prime minister, home minister, the Government of India, chief minister of Gujarat and the government of Gujarat - Are they even aware of what is happening in their own home state? "If so, have they ever intervened, chastised or punished the Gujarat government or does the latter have Covid immunity vaccine because they belong to the BJP?" he posed. Singhvi also asked why the Gujarat Governor did not use similar standards like those adopted by the West Bengal governor against the state government and whether similar inspection teams were sent to Gujarat by the Centre, as has been done for West Bengal. "Why has the Gujarat Governor not adopted the same intrusive standards for the Gujarat Government as his West Bengal counterpart did?" he asked. Singhvi said if powerful people, including leaders and "controllers of the central government", themselves are "unable to provide medical justice" to the poor and the needy of their home area, "what Covid justice can the rest of India's teeming millions expect from them". "Sadly, we and the nation seek answers about which we are confident and pessimistically sure we will never get," he said. The Congress leader alleged that the High Court of Gujarat has used "some of the severest, most scathing and harshest strictures" against the state government, alleging that references have been made to "sinking of the Titanic", the "extremely bad shape" of the hospital and the state government's "bizarre intent to artificially control the data of the number of cases". "The inefficiency of the Gujarat government in handling the COVID-19 crisis depicts that it is undermining, underconfident, and underachieving," Singhvi said. "Is it not true that by such methods of suppressed testing, transparency the true nature of the problem is critically compromised, distorted and misrepresented for purposes of personal image?" he asked. Singhvi also alleged that the Gujarat government was making profits out of N-95 masks. "Why is the Government of Gujarat, close on the heels of the 'non-existent ventilator scam', selling N-95 masks admittedly at Rs 65 per mask as against the admitted procurement cost to it of Rs 49.61 per mask i.e. at a straight profit arbitrage of 31 per cent?" The Congress spokesperson also sought to know why the Gujarat government "is on one hand profiteering from an essential item like N-95 mask, and is levying steep penalty on those who do not wear masks in public". "Why it is making public hospital spaces like City Hospitals a death trap?" he asked. The Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad contributed to 62 per cent of the total deaths in Ahmedabad which has over 85 per cent deaths of all COVID-19 fatalities in Gujarat, He said quoting the High Court judgment. It also said that the death rate at Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, is almost double than that of two other government/municipality-run hospitals in the city itself. The number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose to 13,669 after 396 new cases were reported on Saturday, while death toll rose to 829 with 27 new fatalities. In Ahmedabad district alone, the number of cases crossed the 10,000-mark after 277 new instances of the infection was reported on Saturday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MBABANE The Eswatini National Treasury and the Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE) should be working with commercial banks in the Kingdom to provide government-guaranteed loans to SMMEs. The call to support the small, micro and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs) that may not be able to meet their financial obligations during the lockdown and when the economy reopens has been made by the Federation of Eswatini Business Community (FESBC). FESBC Vice President Hezekiel Mabuza said loan guarantee arrangement should make E1billion in new loans available, of which E200 million should be made available in the first phase. SMMEs and businesses with an annual turnover of less than E100 million, which are in good standing with their commercial banks, should be eligible for bank loans. borrowed Funds borrowed by SMME can be used for operational expenses including salaries, rent and lease agreements, and supplier contracts. Loans should cover up to three months of operational costs and will be drawn down monthly, said Mabuza. Mabuza said banks should not be obliged to extend COVID-19 loans, and those that do should use their normal risk-evaluation and credit-application processes. SMME business owners may be required to sign surety for the loan. Each SMME and business may accept only one COVID-19 loan. Loans should be offered at a single agreed lending rate, which tracks the repo rate, by all participating banks. FESBC further recommended a six-month repayment holiday commencing from the first draw down. Interest and capital repayments should start after six months, and businesses should have a maximum of 60 months to repay the loans, he said. stressed Mabuza stressed that as local and state governments issued shelter-in-place orders, asking residents to remain home for all but essential errands, businesses especially micro and small local businesses across the Kingdom were facing difficult decisions. These institutions are crucial to our nations economy, employing about 47.5 per cent of the total private sector workforce in our Kingdom. CEOs, and owners of SMMEs across the kingdom are facing these measures. Bigger SMMEs usually support other smaller businesses and organisations by providing capital, loans, supplies, labour, technology, and raw materials for manufacturing, production and services. Suddenly but understandably demand for these services has dropped. However, SMMEs and businesses are not alone as the public sector is also feeling the pinch, he said. At FESBC Mabuza stressed that they were advocating and supporting many SMMEs and private businesses across the Kingdom. In the past weeks weve watched our SMMEs and small businesses that make up the franchise industry struggle with dwindling sales due to this unforeseen economic crisis, he highlighted. Meanwhile, South Africa came up with a R200 billion loan guarantee scheme last month that will operate from May 12, 2020. The loan guarantee scheme is an initiative to provide loans, guaranteed by government, to businesses with an annual turnover of less than R300 million to meet some of their operational expenses. agreements Funds borrowed through this scheme can be used for operational expenses such as salaries, rent and lease agreements, contracts with suppliers, and so on. The initial set of participating banks (Absa, First National Bank, Investec, Mercantile Bank, Nedbank and Standard Bank) is ready to accept loan applications from distressed businesses which bank with them. South Africas government and commercial banks are sharing the risks of these loans. Initially, that countrys National Treasury has provided a guarantee of R100 billion to this scheme, with the option to increase the guarantee to R200 billion if necessary and if the scheme is deemed successful. nv.ua Seven Ukrainian sailors, who were crew members of the Portuguese ship MSC TALIA F captured by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea this March, were released from captivity. Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba wrote about this on his Twitter page. On March 22, pirates captured seven Ukrainian citizens, crew members of MSC TALIA F in the Gulf of Guinea. The Ukrainian consul, the Ukrainian embassy in Nigeria, the shipowning company worked together to release them. I am happy to finally inform: our sailors are already free, safe, and will be heading home soon, he said. We recall, on March 22, off the coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea, pirates attacked the MCS TALIA F, sailing under the flag of Portugal. It became known that seven crew members - citizens of Ukraine - were abducted from the ship. In total, there were 17 people on board. Related: Ukraine to pass evidence of Russia's capture of ships in Black Sea to UN International Tribunal Earlier, pirates attacked the ship Rio Mitong off the coast of Equatorial Guinea and reportedly abducted a Ukrainian sailor. The director of the Consular Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Serhiy Pohoreltsev said this in a comment to Ukrinform. According to the diplomat, a pirate attack occurred on May 10 near the port of Malabo (Equatorial Guinea); Rio Mitong sailed under the flag of Comoros, and the shipowner was Belgian company Smart S & P SA. "According to preliminary information, as a result of the attack, one citizen of Ukraine, a crew member of the vessel, was captured and taken to an unknown destination," Pohoreltsev noted. He said that the Embassy of Ukraine in Belgium is establishing contact with the shipowner and the operator of the vessel regarding verification of this information and clarification of the circumstances of the case. In addition, the Ukrainian Embassy in Senegal, which is responsible for Equatorial Guinea, and the Ukrainian Embassy in Nigeria, which is the closest diplomatic institution to the scene, applied to the local competent authorities to confirm the capture of a Ukrainian citizen New Delhi: Avoid going out for prayers and gatherings, 46-year- old Saira* from Farukhabad has been telling her relatives ever since the lockdown was imposed across the country in view of coronavirus spread. Over the last few weeks, she has been requesting her family and friends to avoid going out for Eid shopping. Keep the celebrations as simple as possible, she tells them. It's not just Coronavirus that Saira fears. It's fake news and a lived reality. The outbreak of Covid-19 in India has presented yet another opportunity to launch a fresh attack on the Muslim community with the news that people who had attended a large gathering of Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim missionary movement, in New Delhi had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Sunni Islamic missionary movement group came into limelight in April after over 3,000 members, including foreign nationals, had gathered at Markaz Hazrat Nizamuddin for a congregation in March. Hundreds of the Tablighi Jamaat members later tested positive for coronavirus. This incident triggered a wave of disdain against the Muslims who were dubbed as super-spreaders of the virus. Fake news saying the Tablighi Jamaat members were misbehaving with the staff at quarantine facilities or that they were spitting on fruits to spread the virus further fuelled the fire. There was a sudden surge in Islamophobic hashtags and social media posts. This triggered incidents of discrimination and even violence against Muslims across the country. The subsequent media coverage of Markaz Hazrat Nizamuddin among other incidents has compelled Muslims to take cautious steps in their daily life as they fear that even the slightest deviation may be used against the entire community. The festival of Eid (celebrated at the end of the holy month of Ramzan) is a day away and for the past couple of weeks, the conversations have been mostly about how not to be noticed. A year ago, Saira wasnt very politically aware. The recent news has made her more conscious of her identity and the stereotypes against Muslims. WhatsApp and Twitter are being used to drive home the message of keeping the celebrations low-key and avoiding social gatherings. Its our duty to take precautionary steps to avoid any social outrage against Muslims and also remind the entire nation that Muslims are as vigilant and responsible as any other corona warriors in India in order to safeguard our society. Eid is some days away and its very obvious that Muslim pockets pan India may witness social gatherings in the last week of Ramadan. Media houses and other agencies may use such clips to further malign the image of Muslims and portray us in a bad light in the ongoing global corona pandemic, reads one of the Whatsapp forwards asking people to join Twitter trend encouraging people to stay at home on Eid. Screenshot of the WhatsApp message Soon after coronavirus cases were detected from Markaz, media reports called it corona jihad-- the incident was shown as a deliberate attempt to spread the contagious virus across the country. The apprehension among many is that the images of Muslims going out for Eid shopping may also be used to deviate attention from major issues like the migrant crisis. The testing rate is low for now and the number of cases seems artificially low. If there is a spike in the cases later, Muslims can again become the easy targets to pass the buck, says Akram*, a Delhi-based consultant. The month of Ramzan began on April 25 and keeping in mind the lockdown norms, none of the mosques held congregational prayers. Delhis iconic Jama Masjid and the adjoining area of Old Delhi, which brims with celebration and food during the Ramzan, wore a deserted look for the entire month in view of lockdown. Meanwhile, Muslims religious bodies and scholars in India have also asked people to avoid mass gatherings in view of the virus. Deputy Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Delhi asked everyone to offer Eid namaz from their homes only and follow government guidelines to avoid the risk of virus transmission. The deputy Imam in a statement said, We cannot allow any congregations in courtyards and parks as it will expose people to an increased risk of contracting the virus. Hence, we urge you to offer holy prayers of Jamat-ul-Vida, Namaz-e-Eid from your homes. I would also like to request all citizens, especially the Muslim community, to abide by the lockdown mandates and help the poor and destitute persons during this period, and pray to the almighty to help keep everyone safe and evade this pandemic. Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband issued a fatwa asking Muslims to offer their Eid prayers this time at home, instead of congregating at mosques. Similar directives have come from religious organisations across the world. The Muslim Council of Britain has asked people to celebrate Eid from home, and virtually with friends and family. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Turkey have ordered curfews to avoid gathering on Eid. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), an anti-inflammatory drug used for malaria and autoimmune diseases now for many years, has turned out to be a hare and not the tortoise (we hoped for) in the COVID-19 race. It has brought more chaos than clarity, thanks to the interplay of political, scientific, public and educational factors.The starting point was the publication of a controversial French study which showed reduction in viral load (dose of the virus detected) in nasopharyngeal swabs in Covid patients. This study underwent heavy criticism from the scientific community for its methodological flaws. Despite this, it created a wave of enthusiasm leading to an Emergency Use Authorization issued by the FDA. Closer to home, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), recommended the use of HCQ (400 mg twice on day 1, then 400 mg once a week thereafter (for a period of time) as chemoprophylaxis for asymptomatic Health-Care Workers (HCWs) treating patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and for asymptomatic household contacts of confirmed cases in an advisory released on 22 March 2020. This advisory came as a surprise especially given the lack of robust scientific evidence for the use of HCQ even as treatment, let alone chemoprophylaxis. The ICMR statement stated its use in prophylaxis is derived from available evidence of benefit as treatment and supported by preclinical data and did not provide any further detailed evidence base or review of evidence in its use for such purposes. Although some in-vitro evidence existed for the antiviral activity of HCQ, peer-reviewed evidence studies evaluating the drug for exposure prophylaxis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was definitely lacking at that time, and continues to be so now. Foregoing the issue of proven efficacy, the issuance also proved problematic since it elicited a panic reaction from the lay public. Despite the explicit focus on HCWs and contacts of those tested positive, it led to a public perception that the drug is effective for prevention purposes. This was demonstrated as there was a drug shortage within a few days. Furthermore, this made it difficult to test the hypothesis in carefully conducted clinical trials which may have provided justifiable evidence of this indication as it made the use of HCQ for prophylactic purposes a de facto standard of care in certain high risk populations Back in the US, President Trumps address was another turning point, when he touted the drug to be an effective coronavirus treatment despite the lack of scientific evidence and experts calling the evidence anecdotal. This highly publicized discussion saw a huge spike (1389%) in the internet searches for purchasing of the drug. His comment mentioning that he himself regularly consumes the drug might push this hype even further. Over the past month as more evidence has emerged against the efficacy of HCQ (especially in combination with azithromycin), most US hospitals are refraining it for treatment purposes. In fact, the FDA has issued a warning against the use of HCQ outside of hospital settings. However, ICMR did not scale back its recommendation for chemo prophylactic use of HCQ despite the lack of evidence. This has led to its continued use, with concerns over indiscriminate use by health authorities. In Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation rolled out a seven-week course for slum dwellers, which is beyond even the purported scope laid out in the ICMRs March advisory. Although well intentioned, this erodes the public trust especially as evidence for a mass prophylaxis without rigorous monitoring is lacking and may be deleterious given that the drug can cause severe cardiac side effects and even death. It also could give a false sense of protection to these high risk populations and divert attention and resources from the need to focus on, or strengthen strategies, which could help reduce further spread of infection. Furthermore, the issue is complicated by ethical and legal deficiencies given the lack of clarity on need for informed consent, screening for eligibility, lack of effective widespread pharmacovigilance, and monitoring of side effects, in those consuming the drug based on the advisory. Hence, one would think the ICMR will address these issues, ensure adequate oversight for those who are taking the drug and immediately withdraw its advisory as new data of a skewed risk-benefit equation has become available. However, the ICMR released a revised advisory on May 22, which revised the eligibility criteria for HCQ prophylaxis and broadened it to include asymptomatic frontline workers, such as surveillance workers deployed in containment zones and paramilitary/police personnel. This puzzling revision is reportedly supported by data quoted in the advisory from in-vitro, safety and observational studies in India, none of which seem to be peer-reviewed or publicly available for independent review. This revision came on the same day when the results of a multinational registry analysis (from 671 hospitals in six continents) were published which did not demonstrate any benefit in in-hospital outcomes for COVID patients. Given existing and emerging data, it should be clear that if the ICMR wants to explore the HCQs potential chemo-prophylactic use, it should only be done through properly designed and conducted randomized controlled trials. Apart from exposing some of the administrative, legislative and pharmaceutical deficiencies, this case study has unearthed another issue of the Indian healthcare system failure of medical education to train doctors for modern practice. Traditionally, much of the medical education has focused on learning well established diagnostics methods and treatment protocols. However, there is a dearth of training in understanding, evaluation and appraisal of scientific medical literature, and using this learning to drive clinical decision-making. With the ever-changing landscape of medicine, well demonstrated by the COVID-19 response, critical appraisal of medical literature is of paramount importance for a physician. With increasing trend of guideline driven medical care, it is important that physicians are able to make critical judgements on these recommendations by scientific bodies based on their evaluation of the existing scientific evidence. This is in their best interest, as well as for patients. Professional physician associations should take a lead in reinforcing the need for following evidence to drive health policy decisions, even at times of pandemics. Thus, the HCQ fiasco excavated many of our familiar foes: inadequacy and short-sightedness of the governing scientific bodies, lack of accountability to the public, and inability to stay current and critically evaluate the growing body of scientific evidence. Despite the pandemics intensity, we must not abandon sound scientific reasoning in these desperate times, exemplified by the blanket recommendation on chemoprophylaxis in the absence of any credible evidence. As a nation, we must strive to learn a lesson from this crisis and view it as an opportunity to improve our healthcare infrastructure, and the way we practice medicine and public health. Dr. Aakash Desai is an internal medicine resident in Dept of Medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center, US. Dr. Anant Bhan is a researcher in global health, bioethics and health policy. Follow them on Twitter @ADesaiMD @ AnantBhan This was one rail trip Vijay Kumar says he will never forget. Nor will the 1,398 other passengers on the Shramik Special from Maharashtra's Vasai Road that rolled into platform number 9 here, taking two and half days for the journey that was supposed to be just 25 hours. Our train was moving in all the wrong directions and went to Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha. All the stations were new and I thought I was part of some adventure movie, Vijay Kumar told PTI. Another passenger, Suraj Gupta from of Sahjanwa in Gorakhpur, described it as a horror journey. At one time, Vijay Kumar thought he will never make it to his village in Siddharthnagar, where the family was returning due to the lockdown against coronavirus. I won't forget the journey in my life, the student said. The train left Vasai Road station outside Mumbai on Thursday, was diverted to Rourkela in Odisha and finally reached Gorakhpur on Sunday. The Railways has dismissed suggestions that the train was a victim of a goof-up. They said it was a planned diversion because of the congestion on the usual route, clogged with trains bringing stranded people home. But nobody appears to have told the passengers, mainly migrant workers, who ended up spending about 60 hours on the journey. We got food twice and also water. But more than hunger or thirst we were only thinking of reaching home," said Vijay Kumar, a student. Akhilesh, an electrican in Maharashtra, travelled home to Gagha in Gorakhpur with his father. "I had sent my family earlier and finally we decided to return, he said. At last, we boarded the train on May 21 but instead of taking the right route, the driver lost his way and we reached Odisha. I appeal to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that please never let this happen again," he said. When he asked the guard about the wrong route, he said he was only following signals, according to Akhilesh. He said the railway staff gave passengers food at Nagpur and Mughalsarai stations. But it was just placed in the compartment for them to pick up, and those with more muscle power grabbed more, he said. Suraj Gupta from Sahjanwa said, "The best food was served in Gorakhpur. After the horror journey it seems that I have reached paradise. There were about 20 other people in his group. Joint Magistrate Gaurav Singh Sohgarwal told reporters that 1,399 passengers reached Gorakhpur. Most of them are from Gorakhpur division, he said. Passengers were baffled when they reached Rourkela instead of Gorakhpur. Some went on Twitter saying they feared that loco driver had taken the wrong route, a suggestion dismissed by railway officials. "There is no question of the train losing its way or its driver forgetting the route. We were very much aware that it is going to pass through Rourkela station, Abhay Mishra, the station manager there, earlier said. During its halt, the train received water and other necessary things before proceeding towards its destination," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) JERSEYVILLE A second lieutenant outranks a virus, at least as far as Jerseyville is concerned. Jerseyville native Gabriel Parish received his first salute as a United States military officer Saturday on the Jersey County Courthouse lawn. The commissioning ceremony for Parish was to have been held Saturday following graduation with his fellow classmates at the West Point Military Academy. But the pandemic meant that West Point graduates had to officially become U.S. military officers during small, hometown ceremonies. We have this saying that West Point is a 47-month experience and at the end of it youll be prepared to be a leader of character in the Army, said 2nd Lt. Parish. The commissioning ceremony for the 23-year-old Parish marked his official transition from cadet to active duty as a United States Army officer. West Point has been closed since March 6 due to the pandemic; cadets have been learning remotely since then like other students across the country. Academy officials encouraged graduating cadets families to host the commissioning ceremonies locally to recognize this important milestone in these young soldiers lives. Parish received his first salute from Brooke Tuttle of Jerseyville, a Cadet Third Class at West Point. I hope that my commissioning will be a reminder of all of the students in all of the graduating classes in Jersey County who have worked so hard to complete their studies during the pandemic, said Parish, who chose to serve in the infantry and will be posted to the Third Cavalry Regiment in Fort Hood, Texas. Parishs father, Todd, was also a West Point graduate, and his son is proud to carry on that family tradition. My dad never told me I had to go, but he didnt dissuade me either, Parish said. But growing up I saw the close relationships he had with the people he served with in the Army, and those kind of relationships are important to me. Parishs family and friends witnessed Saturdays ceremony, attempting to follow social distance guidelines that were difficult during their moments of excitement and pride. It makes me feel blessed and honored that the Lord gave him an opportunity to go to West Point and he was able to graduate, we are very thankful today, said Todd Parish. Its an opportunity to serve the country, serve the Lord, and live an honorable life. Gabriels mother, Cindy Parish, said the Saturday ceremony in Jerseyville was every bit as special as it would have been were it held at West Point. As a family we had built up excitement about going to West Point for the graduation, and (the virus) of poured water over that, Cindy Parish said. So this is something we feel that we can do thats celebratory in nature and signifies that hes completed something he has been working toward for a long time. Gabriel has a gregarious personality and normally he doesnt want to draw a lot of attention to himself, Cindy Parish said. But for this he said, we should even invite the press! On June 13, Gabriel Parish will join his fellow seniors at West Point for a rescheduled graduation ceremony featuring a keynote address by President Donald Trump. Im very proud of him. Of course Im a mom and there are times that his decision gives me pause, Cindy Parish said. I cant say Im not concerned about how he may be in harms way. But Im confident that the Lord will protect him and that he will persevere and be a valiant leader for our country. That valiant leader has three younger siblings two sisters and a brother and we are always really good at encouraging each other to do better, but we do it in some pretty funny ways, Gabriel Parish said. A lot of it has to do with who can cook the best meal for the family, who did the best on the ACT test, who is better at Tae Kwon Do, because we all do fighting sports. Its just about who can fulfill their purpose the best, he said. Saturdays commissioning ceremony is something that Parish could never have imagined when he entered West Point four years ago, but he will always treasure the memory of those special moments in his home town. It feels kind of surreal that its all coming to an end in this manner, he said. But Im really excited by what is to come in the next phase of my life. Amid coronavirus pandemic, many stars seem to find out unique ways to fight boredom while sitting at home. The lockdown in various parts of the world has made it hard for people to venture out and indulge in their favourite activities. It seems like Bollywood's newbie Sara Ali Khan is also missing her normal life as she spends quarantine with her mother Amrita Singh and brother Ibrahim Ali Khan in Mumbai. The actress recently shared a hilarious picture on social media and explained what her state of mind seems like after not being able to step out due to the strict lockdown in India. Sara Ali Khan shares a funny post on social media The Simmba actress took to her Instagram story and shared a humorous picture as a meme while describing her condition amid the lockdown. In the first picture, the Love Aaj Kal 2 actress can be seen striking the 'Namaste' pose with the caption of Day 1. Alongside that, another picture of the actress striking a crazy pose making a funny, whacked-out face for the camera with the caption 'Day 61' and Lockdown Effect written in bold. The picture of the actress is sure to leave her fans in splits after watching it. The actress even used a GIF for more drama which read, "Things gotta change around her," and "Who Is She." Read: Sara Ali Khan's Chemistry Was Better With Kartik Aaryan Or Sushant Singh Rajput? Read: Unseen Pic Of The Day: Kartik Aaryan Feeding Sara Ali Khan In This Pic Is Unmissable Apart from this, sometime back, the actress even shared some heartwarming pictures from her graduation ceremony where she can be seen donning her cap and the gown. In the post, she put up her graduation pictures as she said that she remembers every detail of the day. In the pictures posted on her official social media handle, she can be seen celebrating the event. In the first picture posted, she can be seen wearing a blue coloured graduation gown and cap as she poses amid other students of the university. She can be seen looking towards her left as everybody in the line that she is in looks forward. She also wears an adorable and humble smile in the picture posted. In the second picture, she can be seen posing at the entrance of Colombia University. She can be seen wearing a white formal dress with a pair of white heels. She can also be seen wearing the blue robe in the picture along with the graduation cap that rests on her head. On the work front, Sara was last seen in Love Aaj Kal 2 opposite Kartik Aaryan in the lead role. The actress has two films in her kitty including, one with Varun Dhawan, the remake of Coolie No. 1 and another with Dhanush and Akshay Kumar, Atrangi Re. Read: Kiara Advani Or Sara Ali Khan: Whose Summer Style Are You Rooting For? Read: Varun Dhawan Drops Hilarious Comment On Sara Ali Khan's Graduation Post Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. This comes to roughly one death every 25 minutes, and a staggering average 127 new cases recorded every hour in the state. Mumbai: Maharashtra saw its Covid-19 tally crossing the 50K mark with the highest single-day infections of 3,041 patients catapulting the number of cases to 50,231, besides 58 deaths, health officials said here on Sunday. The state has been recording over 50 fatalities and over 2,000 new patients for the past one week now, with the previous highest figure standing at 2,940 cases on May 22. With 58 fatalities -- down by 18 from highest 76 notched on May 19 -- the state death toll has touched 1,635. The Health Department said with the new cases, 33,988 were 'active cases'. Of the total 58 fatalities, 39 were recorded in Mumbai alone, taking the city deaths up from 949 to 988 now, while the number of Covid-19 positive patients here shot up by 1,725 cases to touch 30,542. Mumbai's congested Dharavi slum continued to be a major hotspot with 27 new cases on Sunday, taking the total number of infectees to 1,541 and 59 deaths till date. In a new initiative, the civic authorities are experimenting with group 'laughter therapy' for the people of Dharavi in a bid to ease stress and anxiety levels in the crowded slum district, now largely in containment. Besides Mumbai's 39 deaths, there were six each in Pune and Solapur, four in Aurangabad, two in Thane (Thane City and Mira-Bhayander) and one in Latur. They comprised 34 men and 24 women, and nearly 67 per cent of them suffered from other serious ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, heart problems and asthma. On the positive side, 1,196 fully cured patients returned home on Sunday, taking the number of those discharged to 14,600. Addressing the state on Sunday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has warned of cases spiking in the next few days besides hinting at an extension of the lockdown 4.0 and flight restrictions. Meanwhile, top leaders including Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Thackeray, Congress state President Balasaheb Thorat, Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Nawab Malik and others greeted the Muslim community on Eid on Monday and urged them to celebrate the festival at home amid coronavirus safeguards. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (Thane Division, comprises Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts) continued to cause grave concerns with 1,110 Covid-19 deaths and positive cases shooting to 38,585. Though trailing a distant second after Mumbai, Pune Division (Pune, Solapur, Satara) fatalities touched 309, besides 6,562 patients. The next major area of concern is Nashik Division (Nashik, Ahmednagar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar) with 103 deaths and 1,570 positive cases, followed by Aurangabad Division (Aurangabad, Jalna, Hingoli, Parbhani) with 47 fatalities and 1,446 cases, and finally Akola Division (Akola, Amravati, Yavatmal, Buldhana, Washim) with 34 deaths and 733 cases. There's Latur Division (Latur, Osmanabad, Beed, Nanded) with 8 deaths and 226 cases, Kolhapur Division (Kolhapur, Sangli, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri) with 5 deaths and 504 patients, and finally Nagpur Division (Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli) with 8 deaths and 556 cases. Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home-quarantine increased from 485,623 to 499,387 -- a jump of 13,764 -- and those in institutional quarantine went up from 33,545 to 35,107, a spurt of 1,562. The state's containment zones came down from 2,345 to 2,283 on Sunday and 16,913 health teams have carried out a survey of a population of around 66.6 lakhs in the state. People wait for their haircuts outside of a Great Clips location in Round Rock, Texas on May 8, 2020. The reported symptomatic stylist worked at a Great Clips salon in Missouri. SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images A hairstylist at a Missouri Great Clips salon exposed at least 91 people to the novel coronavirus after showing up to work while symptomatic. Springfield health officials said they had identified an eight-day period in which the stylist worked and visited several local stores. Officials are offering testing for those who might have been "directly exposed," though the stylist, clients, and coworkers all wore masks during the appointments. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A hairstylist in Springfield, Missouri exposed at least 91 people to the novel coronavirus over an eight-day period, health officials said Friday. Springfield-Greene County Health Department director Clay Goddard said at a press conference that a Great Clips stylist worked on eight days between May 12 and May 20, during which the stylist came into contact with 84 clients and seven coworkers while showing symptoms. Officials are offering testing for those who were "directly exposed" to the hairstylist, though the stylist, clients, and coworkers all wore masks during the appointments. The stylist also stopped at stores like Dairy Queen, Walmart, and a fitness center, but Goddard said those who were at those locations are still at a "low risk" for infection. "We are hopeful that their strictly-enforced policy of masking will prevent any future spread from this case," Goddard said Friday. "They also kept detailed records that have made contact tracing a speedy process." Great Clips franchise owners told Missouri's KY3 in a statement that the salon where the stylist worked has since been closed while it undergoes "additional sanitizing and deep cleaning" in accordance with recommendations from the local health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The well-being of Great Clips customers and stylists in the salon is our top priority and proper sanitization has always been an important cosmetology industry practice for Great Clips salons," the statement said, according to the outlet. Story continues Goddard said in the press conference that though the incident will likely not affect the community's reopening plans as a whole, he urged individual responsibility as businesses open throughout the month. "We can't have many more of these," Goddard said. "We can't make this a regular habit or our capability as a community will be strained and we will have to re-evaluate what things look like going forward. Each of us owns just how this will go forward in our community." Missouri is one of more than half of US states where hair salons are among the businesses allowed to open in the early phases of reopening after coronavirus lockdowns. Salons and barbershops were first allowed to reopen in Missouri on businesses to reopen on May 4. Read the original article on Insider opinion banner Business Insider A sign asking Navajo residents to stay safe and warning of a curfew near the Navajo Nation town of Casamero Lake in New Mexico on May 20, 2020. MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images Tyrone Whitehorse, of the Navajo Nation, writes that the coronavirus is wreaking havoc on his community. Navajo Nation currently has the highest per capita COVID-19 infection rate in the United States. The reservation, which has a population of 173,000 people, has had 4,434 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 147 deaths, making an infection rate of 2.5%. Whitehorse writes that it's hard to follow public health guidelines when the reservation is facing "systemic disparities," like limited access to healthcare, minimal running water, and a lack of protective supplies. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. My name is Tyrone Whitehorse, and I am a member of the Dine Nation, or Navajo Nation from Lechee, Arizona. As is tradition among my people, I would like to introduce myself to you in our customary way so you get a small idea what makes up my identity as a Navajo person: Ya'at'eeh shi k'e doo shi Dine'e (Hello my relations and fellow Dine people), I am T'iziani (Manygoats), born for Asdzaa Naadaa'gai Dine'e (White Corn Woman People). My maternal grandfather is Honaaghahnii (One Who Walks Around), and my paternal grandfather is Todich'ii'nii (Bitterwater). This introduction is a cultural presentation that familiarizes you to my clans and informs those who are also of the same or similar clans that they are my family, and lets them know I am theirs and they are my family. Because of this cultural way of introduction, I can immediately identify my relationship to others. Who others would consider a relative; they are my brother or sister, uncle or aunt, grandmother or grandfather. Our familial ties align through our matriarchs and we turn to them for wisdom and gathering. The Dine are one of 573 recognized Native American tribes in the United States. Our homeland is found among our four sacred mountains in the southwestern parts of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. According to our history, we were placed here as protection from outside threats to our people. These windswept mesas and mountains have been a fortress and cradled us to survive almost anything. We survived a forced march to a prison camp in New Mexico from 1860-1864. We survived livestock reduction in the 1930s, assimilation in the 1940s and '50s, and lean times resulting from corporate land grabs of natural resources. In fact, we have thrived and are among one of the largest tribes in the United States. Although we have been resilient in the past it has left us in a generally precarious situation. Story continues Tyrone Whitehorse with one of his grandmothers. Tyrone Whitehorse Today, an unseen threat has reared its ugly head in an especially ominous manner over my people. The novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, has hit my people especially hard. The infection rate is one of the highest in the United States, along with New York City and New Jersey. As a public health educator myself I have been actively engaged in following the spread of COVID-19 since its discovery in China in late 2019. Understanding the threat that novel viruses can have on the human population, I began to warn my family and loved ones of the possibility of an outbreak among our people. I urged them to be prepared for a rush on groceries and commodities and to inform them of ways to prevent the spread of a viral outbreak. When the virus made its appearance among the Navajo people in March, I called Shimasani (my maternal grandmother), and Shinali Asdzaa (my paternal grandmother) to hear their thoughts on the matter. Their expressions of fear and anxiety piqued my concern and increased my desire to help my people. Talking to his family's matriarchs inspired him to do more to help Shimasani recalled that her grandmother died during the flu pandemic of 1918, leaving her mother an orphan to raise her siblings and recover from the emotional and physical trauma from losing her mother at such a young age. Shinali Asdzaa reminded me of what disease has done among our people. Diseases that ran through the land at first European contact left the Dine ravaged and afraid of what can happen when there is no immunity in a population against foreign infections. My grandmother both expressed anxiety and fear as another microbial pest threatened our people once again. Families are putting signs on their doors telling people not to come in because they need to keep their families safe. Tyrone Whitehorse These conversations with the matriarchs of my family filled me with a resolve to do more to help my people. It was then I posted a call to action on social media for any and all who wanted to participate to sew CDC-compliant facemasks to send to the Navajo Nation. Within a week I had over 1,000 facemasks to send from individuals who had made masks from Hawaii, California, Utah, New York, and Florida; within a few weeks thousands of masks had been sent. When the coronavirus crisis hit across the country, there was a rush on grocery stores for needed supplies such as food and toilet paper. The same urgency hit home, as well. On the Navajo reservation, many people have to drive an hour or more, mostly on dirt roads, to the nearest grocery store. When they got there, much of the supplies they needed were gone already. Having few grocery stores results in food scarcity across the reservation There are only 13 grocery stores on the Navajo reservation to serve an area the size of West Virginia with a population of 173,667 people, resulting in food scarcity. As I began to hear that elders were in need of food, and to decrease their chances of contact with anyone with the virus, a food drive was organized and several truck loads of food were sent to elders on the Navajo Nation. My efforts to help my Navajo elders caught the attention of other like-minded individuals who all had a desire to help preserve the lives of our Native nation's storytellers. Soon, there were many people wanting to help and Protect Native Elders (a Native community-focused charitable organization) was born. Supplies from Protect Native Elders. Tyrone Whitehorse Protect Native Elders aims at serving the most vulnerable people among the many marginalized Native American tribes in the United States the elderly. Since our inception in April, we have delivered thousands of needed personal protective equipment (PPE) to clinics and hospitals that serve the Navajo nation as well as others around Indian country, as well as food, personal hygiene supplies, water, and hand sanitizer. During this time, I have had the opportunity to coordinate the delivery of needed supplies and act as an advocate for my Native people across the country. I am reminded of an individual who reached out to me to help secure some supplies for her family member who had contracted COVID-19. This individual was alone in his hoghan, the traditional home dwelling. His mother and sister were both hospitalized, but he was sent home and told to monitor his symptoms because there was not room for him at the local clinic. After securing the needed supplies to be delivered, I called the individual to ensure that the supplies would be arriving soon. In our conversation, I could hear the desperation in his voice and his shortness of breath left me feeling saddened, angry, and helpless. In spite of his dire circumstances, he was optimistic and spoke with the dignity of one who has already faced many hardships in life and saw COVID-19 as just one more to overcome. He is still recovering from the effects of the virus. Nearly 1/3 of families on the reservation don't have access to running water or electricity On the Navajo Nation, there is a weekend curfew from Friday evening to Monday morning. These curfews have disrupted the way of life for families and individuals whose income and livelihoods revolve around their livestock and their ability to care for them. Up to 30% of families on the reservation do not have access to running water or electricity. Many individuals live an hour or more away from a clinic or a hospital. Members of Navajo Nation receiving supplies from Protect Native Elders. Tyrone Whitehead I have lost friends who were sent home after testing positive for COVID-19 to self-monitor their symptoms. When they realized they needed to get to a hospital they were unable to get there in a timely manner as they lived an hour away from any healthcare facility. Culturally, we are a tight-knit, family oriented society. It is not uncommon to find multi-generational homes where up to three, even four generations live under one roof. When public health experts inform us that the way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus is through thorough hand washing and social distancing, we find it difficult to do so. Many cannot even wash their hands under a faucet with running water, or cannot socially distance from their loved ones living in the same home. We can help each other through this Signs that read "Please stay away, we are trying to keep grandma safe" are found on homes throughout the reservation. Like much of the country, we are trying to survive this pandemic the best way we can, but we lack many of the resources that the rest of the country has. A road sign outside Bloomfield warns Navajos to stay home during their nation's 8pm to 5am curfew to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID 19), New Mexico, in April 2020.JPG REUTERS/Andrew Hay It's challenging to follow public health guidelines against such systemic disparities. Access to healthcare, a lack of critical infrastructure like running water, electricity, and paved roads, and cultural norms are all part of the complex causes of the spread of COVID-19 among my people. The blame seems to be passed from one party to another, but that's not what matters at this point. What matters is what we can do now to help one another. We seek only to preserve the lives of those who are the most vulnerable among our people our storytellers, our wisdom keepers, our elders. Our future for us lies in the wisdom found in our elders. I invite you to help us preserve their lives by making a contribution to protectnativeelders.org. Thank you. Current needs on the reservation include PPE such as gowns, N95 face masks, hand sanitizer, bottled water, and water containers. Donations can be made at protectnativeelders.org. Read the original article on Insider Hong Kong: Gearing up for a new career Joe Wong, 46, has been working as a hotel room attendant ever since he graduated from secondary school. He has been in the hotel industry for more than two decades. But Mr Wong has always had a passion for cooking and has been interested in pursuing a career in catering. Lacking the work experience to switch careers, he joined the Employees Retraining Boards Foundation Certificate in Local Cafe Kitchen Assistant Training programme to kick-start a new career. I thought I was only going to learn how to make milk tea, coffee and snacks when I first joined the course. But it has offered so much more than I imagined because it teaches us how to make famous Chinese dishes. Mr Wong has gained a new sense of confidence from the programme, and has high hopes he will find a new job soon. Hands-on training St James Settlement is one of the trainers for the Employees Retraining Board programme. Students there learn a variety of skills ranging from the intricacies of operating a restaurant to the art of brewing the perfect cuppa. Soft Yuen, who has worked in the catering industry for three decades, is one of the courses instructors. He said working in a local cafe is not an easy task, especially when it comes to making stocking milk tea. The key feature of Hong Kong-style milk tea is the use of a sackcloth strainer to filter tea leaves. I teach my students to add milk after they make the tea. This way the tea will have the optimal texture in both colour and taste. The course takes about 180 hours to complete and enhances the students technical skills as well as stimulates their creativity through hands-on learning, Mr Yuen added. Making a contribution The course is also helping the unemployed join the workforce. Fifty-year-old housewife Bicky So wanted to return to work now that her kids have grown up. With no prior experience, she decided to join the training course last year. She is now working as a part-time kitchen assistant in a canteen. She said: My duties include cleaning and food preparation in the kitchen. I believe people of different ages can join this industry. Older people have lots of experience. After we receive the training, we can return to the workplace and contribute to society again. St James Settlement runs about three courses a year. More than 80% of its students are aged between 40 and 69, and the employment rate of its graduates was about 80% in the past three years. The Employees Retraining Board also offers about 700 training courses covering nearly 30 industries, including performing arts, finance, tourism, Chinese healthcare and many others. This story has been published on: 2020-05-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. It's never unfashionable to beat up the Irish data protection commissioner. "Why hasn't Ireland fined the big tech firms yet?" "What's the point of GDPR with no big fines?" "What would you expect from Ireland? They're only interested in keeping the tech giants as big employers." And so on. It's been a running theme in chunks of the European data privacy industry, especially in German-speaking areas. There was more last week, where the topic was tackled by the European desk at Politico. The underlying theme was familiar: the Irish DPC is perceived as being either too tardy, unmotivated or insufficiently resourced to take timely action against the tech giants for privacy breaches. Justice delayed is justice denied. And it is now "make or break" for the Irish regulatory body. I've heard a different view in recent times from some privacy and industry professionals I respect. Most of it boils down to a common thread - if the DPC is pulled along at the pace its critics crave, its decisions will have holes, lack certainty and will be far more likely to be appealed. While the body blow to Facebook or Google or Twitter would be satisfying from an optics perspective, it would be a hollow victory. Those very companies may end up avoiding actual enforcement for years longer, while other industry players would look at proceedings and decide there was less merit in simply accepting the initial decision. This is a criticism sometimes levelled against the British counterpart of the Irish data protection office, which has been accused of moving too quickly on some headline fines. It's very hard to prove or disprove this theory, as we haven't yet had a major decision against a big tech player in Ireland, yet. Helen Dixon's office has indicated the decisions are on the way fairly imminently. Even then, further consultation periods with the entities involved are still likely, even if only for a few weeks. But for what it's worth, the most senior privacy officials in the top tech companies privately say that the more methodical and comprehensive the paperwork, the less likely they are to appeal, even if the fine is a big one. Cynics on this point are unlikely to accept such a theory. To them, corporate privacy chiefs are algorithmically-fuelled vampire capitalists who only seek to wring every last drop of blood from a process. Then again, these are the same commentators who have been arguing for almost 15 years that tech multinationals will leave Ireland any day now. And that they have no interest whatsoever in 'the talent', that it is purely an offshore tax play, a giant con. In terms of what happens next, it does look very likely that the Irish DPC will issue at least one major fine this year. But maybe not because the mob is baying for it, but because the cases merit it. Facebook works it out Facebook's 'remote working' new deal is a fascinating one. You'll get paid according to where you live. Mark Zuckerberg says that up to around half of the company will be working from home permanently within five to 10 years. But if you base yourself miles away from a pricey rental area, you'll be paid less. Seems fair, right? Zuckerberg is dead serious about this, even though company executives here pointed out to me late last week that the move to start this won't initially apply to Ireland's near-5,000 Facebook workers. (So that huge office expansion in Dublin 4, with room for up to 10,000 people, is still on.) But if it proves effective in the US, it can only be a matter of time before it's introduced here. Is it logical that two people working for the same company should be paid differently depending on where they rent or buy? Remember, this pay differentiation will only apply to 'remote' workers, not 'flexible' workers (office some days, home other days) or workers who turn up normally to the central office. Still, in Ireland it would effectively mean a company subsidy for living in Dublin 4 or 6. Such things aren't that unusual in some industries. The concept is established in London, for instance, where a whole swathe of white-collar workers get bumped up pay to allow for London rents. But as a structural pay grade in a tech company, it's a very interesting debut. This is especially so because other companies will surely follow in Facebook's footsteps. Where firms like Zuckerberg's and Sundar Pichai's (Google) go, hundreds more traditional corporations follow. Personally, I'm ambivalent about working from home: I like the physical distinction that a workplace brings. I also find that there's energy in physical presence that is very hard to replicate remotely, no matter how high a resolution your Zoom call is. And the cultural element of presence is underrated, too. Seasoned, experienced workers may be comfortable getting on with things, because they know what they need to do and how they need to interact with colleagues. But for younger ones, workflow culture can be essential. We all scoff at the peccadilloes and absurdities of some parts of office life, but it's still mostly a productive environment. And yet it is now clear that a very sizeable number of people are not only willing, but eager to work from home. "I never want to see the office again," is how a media colleague put it to me last week when I asked how he was getting on with work at home. Maybe he'll fancy a job in Facebook in a few years' time. President of the Union of Communities of Armenia Emin Yeritsyan has issued the following statement: The events unfolding in Kajaran and Kapan are very troubling. What sparks concern is the alleged relationship of legal procedures with the political processes and the interpretation according to which the legal procedures are politically motivated. There are not only statements on social networks and by demonstrators, but also a special statement by the head of Kajaran town Manvel Paramazyan, who viewed the events as political persecution. Such a statement by an elected official is itself a fact that needs to be investigated. These are extraordinary evaluations for local democracy and local self-government bodies in Armenia and the Union of Communities of Armenia, and what is also extraordinary is how the head of the town and the local demonstrators make statements about political persecution. As a supporter of local democracy in Armenia and the high reputation of the Republic of Armenia, I expect the political and law-enforcement authorities of Armenia to make the investigation as transparent as possible and rule out any overt or concealed act of political repression on the head of the town. I also call on the demonstrators of Kajaran to show restraint. As reported earlier, the situation in Kapan is tense. Several residents of Kajaran town have gathered in front of the police building with the demand to release their fellow citizens who were apprehended and later detained and not to transport them to Yerevan. According to the information of the relatives gathered in front of the building, the apprehended were beaten at the police station, but the police refute news about use of violence. There are three detainees, and another person by the name of Nver Khachatryan was apprehended by mistake and released. There are bruises on his body. The gathered demand that the arrestees arent transported to Yerevan and that the investigation is conducted in Syunik Province since they fear that the arrestees will be beaten more brutally in Yerevan. They threaten to close down roads. Head of Kajaran town Manvel Paramazyan has declared that this is political repression against him, adding that a few days ago police officers conducted searches in his apartment and his close ones apartments, after which residents of Kajaran were detained for no reason and through the use of violence. Low-cost carrier AirAsia India has started bookings for 21 destinations ahead of resumption of domestic flights from Monday. In a release, the airline said it would strictly follow the SOPs (standard operating procedures) and guidelines laid out by the regulatory bodies to enable safe travel. AirAsia flights are open for booking for travel to all its 21 destinations where it flies to in the country, the release issued on Saturday said. "We are appreciative of the government working collaboratively with all stakeholders to define the new protocols to help open up domestic flying in a calibrated manner keeping the health and safety of passengers and the airline crew in focus. "The new SOPs and guidelines will pave the way for ensuring and instilling a sense of confidence amongst passengers," Sunil Bhaskaran, AirAsia India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, said. Among other measures, the airline would facilitate regular disinfection procedures to control or kill infectious agents using cleaning, sanitising and disinfecting products approved by the public health authority and aircraft manufacturer. According to the release, passengers would have to mandatorily web check-in, complete their self-declaration form and download the Aarogya Setu app before they arrive at the airport. They have also been advised to report two to four hours prior to the departure time to allow enhanced health and safety processes to take place. Reverse zone boarding process starting from the rear of the aircraft would be followed, it added. Commercial flight services remain suspended since March 25 when the nationwide lockdown to prevent spreading of coronavirus infections was imposed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One of the most searched-for recipes on the BBC Food website during lockdown is pizza. At home, weve been making our own in the oven every Friday night and more often than not, a cold crisp beer is my go-to choice with these edible Italian discs of delight. But the last few weeks of lockdown, Ive been on a mission to find wine and pizza pairings so good to make your smile wide enough for an extra slice. First of all, decide what type of pizza you fancy. If its seafood or just a plain pizza bianco (minus tomato), white wine is your one-way ticket to the pinnacle of Mount Glory. PIZZA IN OUR TIME 5 This Is Rich & Smooth Spanish Red (12%) M&S, SLICE OF LIFE 6* The Best Nerello Mascalese 2018 (13.5%) Morrisons (*on offer price until July 5) and TOPPING TREAT 10 Alinos Vermentino di Gallura 2019 (13.5%) Tesco Meaty rich toppings are all about the red vino. While rose is a safe all-rounder (and Id be going for a Provencal bottle to soak up those sunny Mediterranean flavours), I think zooming in with the precision of Goldfingers laser beam is worthwhile for that little bit of extra enjoyment. Lets say youre going for dough balls too chilled Prosecco contrasts splendidly with their soft plump texture and oozing golden melting garlic butter. UPPER CRUST 14.95 MIP Rose 2019 (12.5%) Lea & Sandeman and WINE OF THE WEEK 8.99* Nero Oro Appassimento 2018 (14%) Majestic (*Mix Six) Or how about a plain old Margherita with molten cheese and vibrant tomato? A decent Chianti with the natural acidity that unfurls from the Sangiovese grapes is always good, or reach for a Valpolicella Ripasso for a red with bit more welly. But for value, head to Sicily and nab a bottle of reliable Nero DAvola as smooth and mellow as black cherry on a lilo. DISSIDENT murder victim Kieran Wylie was gunned down after being accused of betraying an Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH) weapons hide to police and setting its members up for arrest. He was also suspected of providing cops with details of a paramilitary meeting that led to the jailing of a senior figure in the gang. Ex-Provisional IRA member Wylie strongly denied the informant claims, and in the weeks before his death used intermediaries to contact ONH leaders on his behalf to make this known. In a final act of desperation, he painted graffiti on walls branding his main accuser a "tout" - a reckless move that cost him his life. Read More Last Sunday night, the 57-year-old grandfather was murdered by two masked gunmen at his home in the Lenadoon area of west Belfast. The killing, which occurred in front of the victim's two horrified daughters, was professional in its execution. He was shot in the torso before being finished off with a bullet to the head as he lay helpless on the floor. Wylie had been a prominent member of ONH and was regularly seen in the company of its leaders, but he was sidelined by the terror gang after police discovered an arms dump on the outskirts of west Belfast in 2016. A Skorpion machine gun, two semi-automatic pistols, two magazines and a quantity of ammunition were found in a shed at the rear of a house on Foxes Glen in Twinbrook. The tenant, Edward Corr - a 40-year-old with no links to dissident republicans - was jailed for nine months for possessing the stash. Expand Close Edward Corr / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Edward Corr The father-of-three told detectives he was threatened at gunpoint by a man who ordered him to store the weapons, which were to be collected within six weeks. A short time later, heavily armed police officers acting on intelligence recovered the firearms and bullets and said they had belonged to ONH. Sunday Life understands that this is when the organisation first began to doubt Wylie, but what sealed his fate was a court case earlier this year that led to a senior figure being jailed. Robert O'Neill (42) was caged for 12 months after he was secretly recorded by MI5 interrogating an alleged drug dealer who the gang had abducted and were holding in a dissident safe house. Expand Close Robert O'Neill / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Robert O'Neill He pleaded guilty to collecting information likely to be of use to terrorists and assault, with a charge of ONH membership left on the books. A further three prominent dissidents were arrested as part of the same MI5 bugging operation, one of whom cannot be named because he is facing fresh criminal charges. Expand Close Kevin O'Neill / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kevin O'Neill The other two, Kevin O'Neill (62) and Mark Heaney (52), were found not guilty of ONH membership when the prosecution offered no further evidence against them. Expand Close Mark Heaney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mark Heaney O'Neill had been previously named in court as having a "leadership role" in ONH, while Heaney was described as a "middle-ranking member". Both deny these allegations. After the court case concluded in January, the dissident group is understood to have held a second internal inquiry into Wylie and identified him as an informant. For the past four months he had been the target of a whispering campaign branding him a "tout". The pub doorman was also accused of setting up Conor Hughes, who was arrested by police while transporting an ONH blast bomb through west Belfast in 2014. The 28-year-old was subsequently caged for 11 years for possessing explosives. Wylie was further suspected of tipping off police about a planned kneecapping attack that led to the jailing of ONH Belfast boss Sean O'Reilly (44), Stephen McAllister (50) and 57-year-old Anthony Rooney. He furiously denied the informant claims and made it known to the terror gang that he was innocent of the allegations, but Wylie's pleas were in vain and he was murdered last weekend in the most horrific of circumstances. Shortly after 10pm last Sunday, two gunmen forced their way into his home and shot him multiple times in front of his two daughters before escaping on foot. Detective Chief Inspector Darren McCartney, who is leading the murder probe, said: "Those involved in this appalling murder have absolutely nothing to offer Northern Ireland. Nothing justifies killing another person, and the recovery of the gun that was used in last night's murder is a key line of inquiry." Expand Close Detective Chief Inspector Darren McCartney PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Detective Chief Inspector Darren McCartney After Wylie was killed, rumours began circulating that he had been gunned down by drug dealers in revenge for an extortion attempt. However, this has been rubbished by dissident sources. One said: "He was shot because ONH accused him of being a tout- it's as simple as that. "There were all sorts of rumours flying about on social media that drug dealers murdered him, but that's nonsense. "Wylie was blamed for telling cops about the arms dump in Twinbrook and setting up ONH members for arrest. "He should have left his home when he was first threatened. Instead, he stupidly painted graffiti on walls around Lenadoon accusing a senior ONH member of being a tout. "It was this and staying in west Belfast which cost him his life." Wylie's role within ONH was to act as muscle and drive its members to safe houses where alleged drug dealers were interrogated. He is understood to have suffered a mental breakdown some years ago. Republican insiders believe his killers are also linked to the gangland murder of millionaire cocaine baron Jim Donegan in December 2018. Police have accused the ONH and INLA of jointly being involved in the fatal shooting at the gates of a west Belfast school. Expand Close Jim Donegan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Jim Donegan The violent republican group emerged out of a split in the Real IRA a decade ago. It called a ceasefire in January 2018, but was careful to say this applied only to the "British state". Since then ONH, which has since divided into two rival factions, has carried out several attacks in nationalist areas of Belfast. The organisation achieved notoriety in 2010 when it maimed Irish-speaking PSNI constable Peadar Heffron in a booby-trap car bomb attack. cbarnes@sundaylife.co.uk By Trend Iran has participated at a virtual meeting of the health ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) pursuing to bring nations together against the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19), Trend reports citing IRNA. Baku of Azerbaijan hosted the summit and Director General of the International Cooperation Department of the Iranian Health Ministry Mohsen Asadi Lari took part at the event. The Iranian representative called for the key role of the World Health Organization in combating the virus. In the wake of the virus outbreak, Iran has launched a variety of healthcare measures, such as the National Mobilization of COVID-19, he noted. Over 78 million Iranians were screened and the number of patients admitted to the hospitals were remarkably reduced, he undelined. In the second round of screening, Iran targeted 22 million high-risk individuals; he said, adding, the laboratory capacities, outpatient clinics, tracking emergencies, segregation as well as home treatment were expanded. He voiced Irans support for the UN Secretary-General's plans to fight the pandemic, condemning unilateral coercive measures against member states that breach the UN Charter and international law. Syracuse, N.Y. A man driving in Syracuse on Saturday was stabbed in the neck by a pedestrian he confronted over how the other man was crossing the street. Syracuse police said the driver, a 33-year-old man, was driving in the 3000 block of James Street in the citys Eastwood neighborhood around 4:34 p.m. when he got into an argument with a pedestrian over how the man was crossing the street. During the argument, the pedestrian, identified by police as 26-year-old Anthony Snyder, stabbed the driver in the neck, said Sgt. Matt Malinowski, a department spokesman. The driver was taken to Upstate University Hospital with injuries police described as non-life-threatening. Snyder was charged with second-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree harassment. Snyder is currently being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center. Any state which wants migrant workers of Uttar Pradesh back, has to seek permission from the state government and need to ensure their socio-legal-monetary rights, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday. Upset that migrant labourers were "not properly taken care of" by various states in wake of the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, Adityanath said, "These workers are our biggest resource and will give them employment in Uttar Pradesh as state government is going to set up a commission for their employment." "They are our people... and if some states want them back, they have to seek permission from the state government," Adityanath said in an interaction with the RSS- affiliated publications 'Panchjanya' and 'Organiser'. As per feedback received from migrant workers who reached Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath said safeguarding their rights should get utmost attention and importance. "All migrant workers are being registered and their skills mapped. Any state or entity interested in inviting migrant workers will need to assure and provide for their socio-legal-monetary rights," he said. About the commission, Adityanath said it has been proposed to look into various factors associated with migrant workers' rights and to prevent exploitation while providing an official framework to ensure socio-economic-legal support for them. "Insurance, social security, re-employment assistance, provision for unemployment allowance etc are some of the factors which will be looked into by the commission," he said. So far, over 23 lakh of migrant workers have returned to Uttar Pradesh by the efforts of the state government, Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, adding, "75 per cent of those who came from Mumbai and 50 per cent from Delhi were tested positive for coronavirus. He said that by next week, all migrant labourers who want to come back to Uttar Pradesh, will reach the state and every necessary arrangement for their screening and onward journey to their final destinations have been made. Adityanath praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "effectively handling the coronavirus crisis", and said that India is in secured position due to the timely decisions taken by the government at the Centre. Credit should be given to PM Modi, he kept on guiding the chief ministers, he said. About generating new employment opportunities in Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath said a German company is shifting its production facility from China to India and may start manufacturing more than 30 lakh shoes in Agra. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A fund run by Christopher Mills has quietly built up a stake in AIM-listed Urban Exposure, which provides finance to property developers. The Oryx International Growth Fund has snapped up 3.8 per cent of Urban Exposure, which is trying to offload its loan book after a deal was called off because of the pandemic. It has set tongues wagging in the City as to whether the respected activist investor is plotting a campaign to shake the company up or even make a bid for the whole group. The Oryx International Growth Fund has snapped up 3.8 per cent of Urban Exposure Urban Exposure recently came under fire after it emerged that it made a secret 1.2milion loan to a charity run by the company's chief executive Randeesh Sandhu and his wife, Daljit, to finance the refurbishment of a nursery school. The Oryx fund sits within Mills' Harwood Capital, which bought tenpin bowling firm Essenden in 2015. An investment vehicle controlled by Graham Wellesley, the 8th Earl of Cowley, also has a substantial stake in Urban Exposure while property tycoon Robert Tchenguiz owns 13 per cent. Both of them submitted separate 'proposals' to Urban Exposure, which have been rejected. It's shaping up to be an interesting three-way tussle between Mills, Tchenguiz and the Earl. SIG Fears of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on SIG have hammered the insulation and roofing giant's shares largely because investors are fretting over an equity fundraising that could dilute existing shareholdings. On Thursday, SIG may address that fear with an update on liquidity as it reports final results. Number-crunchers at Peel Hunt are looking for SIG to update investors on talks with lenders too. It won't have helped that the planned 37.5million sale of its building solutions business has now fallen through, which would have relieved pressure on the balance sheet. Is that fundraising now looking more likely? Britvic Are fizzy drinks being guzzled in great quantities in the lockdown? Scribblers at Swiss bank UBS think so, though it might not be children drinking more Pepsi but adults buying mixers for cocktails to cool down in the sun. Are fizzy drinks being guzzled in great quantities in the lockdown? Swiss bank UBS thinks so The analysts reckon Britvic, which reports its half-year results on Wednesday, has seen a 6.5 per cent jump in sales of carbonated drinks in the six months to the end of March. Britvic sells mixers and Tango, and makes and sells Pepsi's drinks in the UK, including 7Up. The big issue for Britvic in 2018 was the introduction of the sugar tax, but it looks to have weathered that particular storm. British Land Investors in British Land will keep a close eye on the London office and retail landlord's rent collection numbers when it releases its annual results on Wednesday. Tenants are struggling to pay and the FTSE 100 company has already cut its dividend to save cash. While British Land might feel the worst of the coronavirus crisis this year, last year's financial results to the end of March will also take a hit. Analysts reckon adjusted profits will tumble about 6 per cent based on a 4 per cent fall in gross rental revenues to 552million, which is largely down to a few crippling weeks during the pandemic. Army and NDRF teams on Sunday helped forest department and civic agencies to get cyclone-ravaged West Bengal back on its feet. The teams reached areas likes Salt Lake, Behala and Golpark in the morning to clear the arterial and other link roads blocked by uprooted trees. Army personnel equipped with road and tree clearance equipment started working at Roy Bahadur Road and Parnashree in Behala, Ballygunge in south Kolkata and Salt Lake area, a Defence official said. The Army was deployed in Kolkata and neighbouring districts on Saturday, hours after the West Bengal government sought its help and other support for immediate restoration of essential infrastructure and services in the state ravaged by Cyclone Amphan. Five columns of the Army were deployed in different parts of the city and North and South 24 Parganas districts, a Defence official said. These three parts of the state reported the maximum damage due to the cyclone which claimed 86 lives, flattened homes and damaged crops. The Forest department and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation have also engaged their staffers in the road clearance work. Electricity and water supply remained affected in many parts of the city. Agitated residents blocked roads in several areas in south Kolkata on Saturday, demanding restoration of electricity and water supply which are not available since Wednesday afternoon. In places like Mudiali in south Kolkata, locals stepped in with saws to clear roads blocked by uprooted trees. Mobile and internet services were restored in some areas of the city even as many places in South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and East Midnapore remained cut off. On Friday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the situation as "more than a national calamity" and put the estimated loss at more than Rs 1 lakh crore. She had stated that more than six crore people have been affected by the cyclone. Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Banerjee had conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas in South and North 24 Parganas districts on Friday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) San Francisco, May 24 : US President Donald Trump wants to form a panel that would examine complaints of anticonservative bias and censorship on social media platforms, said a media report. Trump has on many occasions alleged that the platforms like Facebook and Twitter do not give equal weightage to conservative views. "The Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google," he tweeted last week. The US President added that the administration is "working to remedy this illegal situation." According to a report in The Wall Street Journal on Saturday, it now seems that the US President actually has an action plan to address his concerns. The scope and authority of the panel is still under the clouds, but sources of the outlet said that the plans may include a "White House-created commission" that would work in tandem with other agencies like the Federal Elections Commission and Federal Communications Commission. In a White House meeting last year, Trump, who is a prolific Twitter user, complained to the company's CEO Jack Dorsey that he was losing followers. On one occasion, Trump even accused Twitter of playing "political games." Social media platforms have said that its rules are impartial. A Twitter spokesperson told The Verge on Saturday that the platform enforces "the Twitter Rules impartially for all users, regardless of their background or political affiliation." Twitter is also in regular touch with elected officials in efforts to improve the platform, the spokesperson added. Indian and Chinese troops appeared heading for a long haul as their tense standoff in the disputed areas of Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh showed no signs of abating even as efforts to de-escalate the tension through talks continued. In the midst of the flare-ups, the Indian Army on Sunday categorically rejected reports that Indian patrol teams were detained by Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh in the last few days, but did not provide any details of the current situation in the region. "There has been no detention of Indian soldiers at the borders. We categorically deny this. It only hurts national interests when media outlets publish unsubstantiated news," the Army said in a statement. People familiar with the situation in the region said the two sides were engaged in trying to resolve the dispute, but there was no indication of a positive outcome yet as both the armies continued to bolster their positions in disputed areas of Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley and Demchok. The Chinese side has particularly strengthened its presence in the Galwan Valley, erecting around 100 tents in the last two weeks and bringing in heavy equipment for construction of bunkers. The Indian side has conveyed its strong objection to China pitching tents and bringing in heavy equipment during the meetings between local commanders of the two armies last week. There have been reports of multiple incidents of transgressions by Chinese troops in several areas in Eastern Ladakh and soldiers from the two sides were involved in scuffles on at least two occasions, sources said. The sources said the Indian Army has also been increasing its strength in both Pangong Tso lake, Galwan Valley and Demchok. The Indian troops are also resorting to "aggressive patrolling" in several sensitive areas including Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldi, they said. The situation in Eastern Ladakh deteriorated after around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on the evening of May 5 which spilled over to the next day before the two sides agreed to "disengage" following a meeting at the level of local commanders. Over 100 Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in the violence. The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in North Sikkim on May 9. India on Thursday said the Chinese military was hindering normal patrolling by its troops and asserted that India has always taken a very responsible approach towards border management. At a media briefing, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava also strongly refuted China's contention that the tension was triggered due to trespassing by Indian forces on the Chinese side. India's response came two days after China accused the Indian Army of trespassing into its territory, claiming that it was an "attempt to unilaterally change the status" of the LAC in Sikkim and Ladakh. On May 5, the Indian and Chinese army personnel clashed with iron rods, sticks, and even resorted to stone-pelting in the Pangong Tso lake area in which soldiers on both sides sustained injuries. In a separate incident, nearly 150 Indian and Chinese military personnel were engaged in a face-off near Naku La Pass in the Sikkim sector on May 9. At least 10 soldiers from both sides sustained injuries. The troops of India and China were engaged in a 73-day stand-off in Doklam tri-junction in 2017 which even triggered fears of a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long LAC. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet while India contests it. Both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. China has been critical of India's reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir, and has particularly criticised New Delhi for making Ladakh a union territory. China lays claim over several parts of Ladakh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first informal summit in April 2018 in the Chinese city of Wuhan, months after the Doklam standoff. In the summit, the two leaders decided to issue "strategic guidance" to their militaries to strengthen communications so that they can build trust and understanding. Modi and Xi held their second informal summit in Mamallapuram near Chennai in October last year with a focus on further broadening bilateral ties. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MAYFIELD, Ohio -- The 2019 Cuyahoga County Urban Tree Canopy Assessment showed that tree coverage throughout the county fell by 6,600 acres, or 6.1 percent, when comparing 2011 coverage to that of 2017. Of all of the countys 59 communities, Lakewood saw the biggest loss at 18.5 percent, ranking it 46th in the county with just over 20 percent tree coverage. On the other hand, Bentleyville, with 74 percent, led all communities in tree coverage. As for Mayfield, it placed ninth on the list, with coverage of about 52 percent. Fortunately, Mayfield Village remains one of the communities retaining a higher percentage of tree cover, thanks to having the North Chagrin Reservation of the Metroparks within its borders, Director of Administration Diane Wolgamuth stated in a Feb. 28 memo to Mayor Brenda Bodnar and Village Council. The causes for the loss of county trees include diseases, the age of trees and more frequent violent storms. Although its percentage of coverage is strong, Mayfield Village Council took a step toward protecting the trees now standing in Mayfield by unanimously approving an ordinance Monday (May 18) that limits the number of trees that can be removed from a property per year without a permit. That limit has been reduced from 10 trees to three. It was the first time the village has updated its tree ordinance since 1985. Under the old form of the ordinance, no more than 10 trees with a trunk diameter of 9 inches or more at a height of 14 inches above ground level could be removed from a property without a permit in a given year. The amended ordinance states that up to three trees, having a diameter of at least 8 inches at breast height, can be removed in a calendar year without a permit. The amendment exempts work the village may do necessitating the removal of trees and any developments that have had a plan approved or that have already had a permit issued. In addition, the amended ordinance simplifies the permit process. Formerly, those who wanted to remove more than 10 trees had to appear before the villages Board of Appeals. Believing this to be too time consuming and burdensome for the applicant and not necessarily in the scope of the board, those now seeking to remove more than three trees will need to get the approval of the villages building commissioner. The new ordinance also allows more than three trees to be removed without a permit if, in the opinion of the building commissioner, city engineer and arborist, trees are likely to be damaged during construction or would would interfere with the location of a driveway that cannot be located elsewhere on a property. There were no changes made to the permit fee cost of $10 or the $500 fine for each violation of the ordinance. In developing the amendment, village officials worked with the Chagrin River Watershed Partners and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Increased spending authority Also at the May 18 meeting, council agreed to increase Bodnars spending authority. The mayor can now -- without needing approval from council -- spend up to $10,000. Before, the limit was $5,000. The ordinance also increased from $25,000 to $50,000 the amount of an expenditure that will require the village to seek bids. The mayors spending authority had not been increased since 2008, Wolgamuth said of the changes, and the $50,000 bidding threshold is in conformance with requirements of the Ohio Revised Code. The ordinance also provides that for expenditures between $10,000 and $50,000, two written quotes have to be obtained and submitted to council. On March 25, Bodnar declared the village to be in a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, her spending authority maximum was increased from $5,000 to $50,000 during the period of emergency for matters concerning health, safety and public welfare. The period of emergency has not yet been concluded. Read more from the Sun Messenger. If you or a family member test positive for the coronavirus in Camden County, the official calling to ask about your symptoms and advise you to quarantine might be a health inspector, a school nurse or even a police detective. Like health departments all over the state, the county has rushed to train other government workers to do contact tracing, scaling its workforce from six to 52. Camden Countys growth is a nearly nine-fold increase. But the county averages around 100 new cases a day and tracking down all their close contacts is a time-consuming job that involves investigation and good interview skills. Thats why county Health Officer Dr. Paschal Nwako was so glad to hear Gov. Phil Murphys announcement this month that the state would train and hire 1,000 new contact tracers to help out local health departments. Well take all the help we can get from anywhere, Nwako said. Experts say that until there is a vaccine, the key to limiting the spread of the disease is widespread testing and contact tracing, and Murphy announced plans to scale up both. Contact tracing is a long-standing public health tool where tracers interview positive people about their close contacts who may have been exposed, and then advise those contacts to quarantine, get tested or monitor for symptoms, depending on the virus. In the absence of a statewide plan to enlist new contact tracers, the states patchwork of 94 municipal and county health departments have found their own help from volunteers and repurposed public workers, essentially tripling the number of workers doing disease investigation in New Jersey to about 900, according to the Department of Health. Murphys plan comes nearly a month after some states launched their own massive contact tracing plans, though many state efforts are still in the early stages like New Jersey. The governor said the state will partner with Rutgers School of Public Health to train at least 1,000 members of a Community Contact Tracing Corps. Members will deploy as needed to help local health departments, ideally in their own neck of the woods. In places that have been able to keep up on contact tracing like Camden County, the new workers can help ease the workload and replace the government workers who will need to go back their regular jobs as things reopen. But in some of the hardest hit areas of the state where health departments were so overwhelmed with cases that they had no choice but to tell positive patients to inform their close contacts themselves an influx of contact tracers could be a game changer. Camden County Environmental Health Specialist Onyi Udgh, left, and Disease Control Senior Field Representative Mary Ann Rahman do contact tracing work last week.Phil McAuliffe | For NJ Advance Media The problem is contact tracing doesnt scale easily. It was already time-consuming work before the pandemic, Nwako said. His investigators would be notified that someone had tested positive for HIV, hepatitis A or another virus, and they would reach out to that person to do an in-depth interview about who else they might have exposed. Then each of those close contacts would have to be called and advised to quarantine, monitor for symptoms or get tested, depending on the virus. For coronavirus, close contacts are those who have been within six feet of the person for 10 minutes or more. Now, tracers are trying to do the same detail-oriented work but for thousands more patients in a very short amount of time. And while there is some technology that can make it more efficient, contact tracing a lot of infections simply requires a lot of workers. Nwako said having far more contact tracers earlier in the pandemic would have been better, but no one was prepared because the public health workforce has been decimated over the years. You should be scaling in peace times, not in war times, he said. Would it have been better to get more contact tracers in March? Yes." Murphy said implementing the expanded testing and contact tracing plans will cost hundreds of millions and then clarified that might be the bill every six months. Based on the hourly wage of $25 Murphy suggested and the maximum 35-hour workweek, it could cost as much $875,000 each week for 1,000 tracers. We are hoping for a big support from the federal government. We've got to do it anyway, we have no choice, but we were very much hoping for a big slug of federal money, Murphy said when asked how the state would pay for the plan. Murphys Chief Counsel Matt Platkin said the $484 billion COVID 3.5 bill passed in April has funds earmarked for states to use on testing and contact tracing, but the money hasnt come through yet. How is New Jersey going to train and deploy all these tracers? While training 1,000 new contact tracers may not be an easy job, finding people willing to do the work does not seem to be a problem. In the first week, over 32,000 signed up to be considered as prospective tracers, the state said. The states plan starts with Rutgers School of Public Health, which is collaborating on comprehensive training for new tracers that can be used statewide. Perry Halkitis, the schools dean, estimated the first new hires could be trained and ready within a few weeks. According to the Department of Health, the first round of hires will likely be public health graduate students and alumni followed by students in nursing, social work and psychology and then members of the general public. Halkitis said dozens of his graduate students are already volunteering as contact tracers around the state. It doesnt feel like all of a sudden were turning the ship in a different direction. It actually feels like were making the ship go even faster, he said of the states plan. Its an opportunity for the school to work with the state to train both students and a workforce around a practical skill set that then serves the public health of the population." Megan Baker, a Camden County environmental health specialist, is on the phone in her office doing contact tracing last week.Phil McAuliffe For The Times Of Trenton Halkitis said that while the School of Public Health is training and helping to deploy these tracers, it will be creating a kind of prototype for how to do it, so it can be scaled up and eventually managed by a third party, like a staffing company or nonprofit. Youve got a brain trust at Rutgers School of Public Health. We know how to do this. An employment agency hiring tracers doesnt necessarily know how to do this, he said. So were going to manualize it and help them, and when the state needs more people if it needs more people we can say here are all our materials. Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said the state is soliciting proposals from vendors, organizations, and institutions to aid with recruitment, assessment, hiring, training and management of contact tracers. The state is hoping to hire a diverse and multilingual workforce who can work in the area in which they live. Halkitis said the training will be intensive and ongoing, covering everything from ethics and privacy issues to how to be sensitive during interviews and refer contacts to social services if necessary. Murphy said his new plan will also increase consistency statewide by requiring local health departments to collaborate for a more regional, county-based approach and implement a new technological platform built specifically for managing coronavirus cases. New Jersey is the first state to announce plans to roll out the CommCare platform created by Dimagi, but it is already up and running in San Francisco and Santa Clara counties in California and in a handful of cities, said Jonathan Jackson, the companys co-founder and CEO. Jackson said CommCare makes it easier to input and manage case information even for those who are new to contact tracing. Currently health departments are using the states communicable disease database system. A lot of the current systems that were built in states were just not enough to handle this kind of volume, Jackson said. Will this contact tracing plan be enough to stop the virus? Persichilli said at a press briefing this month that the total number of tracers hired is not set in stone. It will be re-evaluated as the state works with Rutgers School of Public Health to stand up the new workforce. It is estimated that between 1,000 to as much as 5,000 may be needed, she said. Adriane Casalotti, chief of government and public affairs for the National Association for County and City Health Departments, said it is hard to compare states tracing plans because many are still being developed. Public health experts, including NACCHO, have advised that at least 30 contact tracers per 100,000 population will be needed in this next phase of the response, Casalotti said. New Jerseys plan would bring the ratio here to just over 20 contact tracers per 100,000 residents. To get to that 30:100,000 ratio, New Jersey would need a total of 2,665 contact tracers. A recent NPR survey found only eight states would meet or exceed the 30 tracers per 100,000 residents threshold: New York, Washington, D.C, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Alaska and California. California, like New Jersey, is relying on universities with public health know-how to train 10,000 new contact tracers. University of California San Francisco epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford is leading the effort, which uses a virtual academy to retrain current public employees as contact tracers. He said he believes case numbers, more than the state population, should determine the number of contact tracers needed, and that 1,000 hires sounds like a great place for New Jersey to start. That sounds like kind of the right number to me, he said. Rutherford said New Jerseys plan to hire new workers not only helps more people earn a living but is also more long-sighted than relying on retrained public workers who will have to go back to their regular jobs. Public health departments have been stripped of staff for years and this is the price were paying, having to jury-rig something like this together, he said. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. The grieving families of four children killed by a drunk driver have slammed calls for the removal of an 'ugly' safety barrier installed at the site. Danny and Leila Abdallah's three children Antony, 13, Angelina, 12 and Sienna, 8, were mowed down on the footpath by alleged drunk driver Samuel William Davidson in Oatlands in western Sydney on February 1. Their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11 was also killed in the horror crash. Parramatta Council installed a 98 metre long guard rail along Bettington Road following 'community feedback' to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again. But NSW Liberal Party state executive member and local resident Matthew Camenzuli is opposed to the safety guard rail outside his house and wants it removed, claiming the community wasn't consulted. A guard rail was installed at the site within weeks of the crash that killed four young lives in Bettington Road, Oatlands. Pictured are Danny and Leila Abdallah, who lost three children in the crash In an email to the council in March, Mr Camenzuli described the guard rail as 'entirely unnecessary', unsightly and jarring and believes it will set a dangerous precedent. Mr Camenzuli stands by his comments, telling The Sunday Telegraph the rail should be removed after a recently approved roundabout is installed later this year. The council regarded the guard rail as the most appropriate safety measure. 'Other systems including wire rope safety barriers and RMS urban pedestrian fencing designs were considered as alternatives, however the safest and most suitable barrier system for this location has been specified by councils traffic and transport experts,' a March council report states. Antony Abdallah, 13, and his sisters Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 8, along with their cousin Veronique Sakr (right) were mowed down by an alleged drunk driver The Abdallah and Sakr families expressed their strong disapproval in the removal of the guard rail. 'We never want anyone to have to endure our suffering, losing children in the way we did,' the families told the publication in a joint statement. 'There should be no debate about installing any safety measures that ensure all children remain safe. 'We will always support any road safety initiative that further protects our community and in particular innocent children.' Parramatta Councillor Pierre Esber told Daily Mail Australia there are no plans to remove the guard rail, which has twice been endorsed by the council at its February 9 meeting and again on March 9. Danny and Leila Abdallah (pictured at an Easter mass on April 12) believe the guard rail installed at the site after their children died should remain 'Mr Camenzuli is entitled to his opinion but nothing is going to change- the guard rail will stay,' Cr Esber said. 'Aesthetically, it's not the best looking barrier but it's practical and does the job. 'We don't want another tragedy like this to ever happen again.' Cr Esber hopes to fast-track plans for the approved roundabout to increase safety in the area. A memorial to commemorate the four young lives lost has been proposed. Samuel William Davidson, 29, faces a total of 34 charges, including four counts of manslaughter and also driving under the influence of cocaine, MDMA and alcohol. He is currently remanded in custody to appear in court June 11. A group of high-fee Victorian private schools is pushing to establish a student quarantine hub to fast-track the return of international students. With international students not expected to return to Australia en masse until next year, English-language boarding school Avalon College has approached the Victorian education department to run quarantine accommodation at its property in Lara. Avalon College's head of school, Mark Dooley, said the 22-year-old school would have to consider shutting its doors if international students weren't allowed in Australia soon. This would be the first collapse of a boarding school in decades, said Richard Stokes, chief executive of the Australian Boarding Schools Association. "We're basically dependent on the international student market so at the minute we're really struggling," Mr Dooley said. Gangtok, May 24 (IANS) The Himalayan state of Sikkim reported its first coronavirus case when a 25-year-old student who returned from Delhi tested positive, a senior official said on Sunday. Sikkim Health Secretary Pempa T. Bhutia said that the swab sample of the student was sent to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri (in West Bengal) for testing. The positive report came on Saturday. The student from Rabangla in South Sikkim district is admitted at Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital in Gangtok. Hospital sources said his health condition was stable. The student was living in Delhi to prepare for UPSC examinations but returned to the state by bus along with a few others last week. Till Saturday night, 1,707 people were tested in Sikkim. The first corona case was reported a day after the Sikkim government announced that teaching for students from Class 9 to university levels would resume from June 15. The tiny Himalayan state was one of the first states to close inter-state and international borders and ban entry of both domestic and foreign tourists, besides migrant labourers. --IANS sc/tsb Telcos, which ignored earlier advice on sharing infrastructure, have now changed their mind. Sharing the same telecommunication infrastructure system is a feasible solution as it cuts investment and maintenance costs, and helps protect the environment and urban landscapes. However, telcos decided to build infrastructure systems of their own. To date, about 400,000 base transceiver stations (BTS) have been installed throughout the country with each network operator running its own system. The investment rate for every BTS is VND1 billion on average. The director of one telco said all telcos understood the benefits of sharing infrastructure items, but they believed that owning separate infrastructure systems would help increase their competitiveness. The telcos which have good infrastructure and utilize modern technology will be able to provide high-quality service at competitive prices. Reports showed that the number of businesses registering to suspend business for definite time was stable, about 20 percent, in the first quarters of 2015-2019, but the figure soared by 26 percent in Q1 2020 compared with the same period last year. In order to have good infrastructure, telcos need to have powerful financial capability, long-term vision and investment strategy. If sharing the same infrastructure items or leasing them, a small-scale telco, or a newcomer in the market would have the same infrastructure advantages like a long lasting telco. As a result, telcos refused to share infrastructure despite the encouragement by the government over the last 10 years. However, the Covid-19 crisis which has caused big damage to the economy has forced them to rethink their strategies. Reports showed that the number of businesses registering to suspend business for definite time was stable, about 20 percent, in the first quarters of 2015-2019, but the figure soared by 26 percent in Q1 2020 compared with the same period last year. Analysts found that the number of these businesses increased sharply in 15 of 17 business fields, including information technology and communication. Telcos have been asked to expand the capacity of Internet connection bandwidth and improve the quality of services. The new circumstances have forced telcos to change their view on sharing telecom infrastructure. Tao Duc Thang, deputy CEO of Viettel, said 15 years ago, infrastructure was considered the weapon for telcos to compete with each other, because good infrastructure would determine the quality of service. However, now is the right time to think of sharing infrastructure to ensure economical and effective operation. Hanoi is pioneering the movement. In 2016, the municipal authorities, VNPT, Viettel, MobiFone and Hanoi Power Company signed an MoU on investment cooperation on telecom and underground power line in 2016-2020, which says sharing the same technical infrastructure is mandatory. In early May, VNPT and MobiFone, two of the three largest mobile network operators, signed an agreement on sharing infrastructure items of 700 new BTS. Tu Linh Vietnams second largest telco gets green light for 5G tech tests Vietnams second largest telco is ready in terms of technology, technology and network structure for deploying commercial 5G network. Representative image Premier export finance institution Exim Bank said on Sunday that the present scenario arising out of the COVID-19 outbreak is not suitable to raise resources from overseas markets. Under such circumstances, the lender had requested the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a credit line of USD two billion, an official of the Export-Import Bank of India said. "The mandate for Exim Bank is to raise resources from overseas markets primarily for disbursement under concessional finance programme on behalf of the government," he said. Due to COVID-19 outbreak, the market now is not suitable for raising funds abroad, the official said. "We requested for USD two billion credit line from RBI, equivalent to around Rs 15,000 crore, which the apex bank has agreed to," he told PTI. The Reserve Bank on Friday announced a Rs 15,000-crore line of credit to the lender. "How and in what form this money will come is not yet clear. Raising resources from overseas markets is now a challenge. There is a regular need for disbursements in foreign currency," he said. Exim Bank raises funds in multiple currencies like USD, Japanese Yen, South African Rand, Euro and Singapore dollar, he said. All the currencies are then swapped into USD, according to him. "Nearly 70 percent of our business is in USD. We have a huge requirement of dollars," he said. Speaking about outlook for export in the current fiscal, he said that it is definitely going to fall. "We don't want to speculate the extent of the fall. Due to the lockdown, demand has shrunk across sectors and there will be a decline in exports as well," the official said. The market sentiment is down at the moment, and there has been no specific request for line of credit from any quarter. "We are now trying to deal with companies which have already made inroads in Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka," he added. By George F. Will WASHINGTON Georgi Markov felt a sting on the back of his thigh as he waited for a bus at Waterloo Bridge, about half a mile from the Houses of Parliament, on Sept. 7, 1978. He turned to see a man bending to retrieve an umbrella. When Markov, Bulgarias leading man of letters before he defected in 1968, died four days later, a pinhead-sized pellet was removed from his thigh. Made of a platinum-iridium alloy, the pellet had two openings for the release of the poison ricin. In a speech shortly thereafter, a senior Bulgarian security official expressed the deepest gratitude to our Soviet comrades-in-arms of the KGB for their constant help and comradely assistance. That was 42 years ago. This was last week: Zdenek Hrib, the mayor of Prague, confirmed that he was given police protection after a Czech magazine reported that three weeks ago a Russian arrived in the Czech Republic carrying ricin and was driven to the Russian embassy in a diplomatic vehicle. Czech law enforcement has not confirmed a plot. The BBC reports that Hrib filed a report to the authorities after noticing he was being followed close to his home, and had seen the same person multiple times, but he added that he could not confirm if the protection was related to this report. As this column noted in January, last year China canceled its invitation to four Czech musical ensembles because Tibets flag flies over Pragues city hall to express opposition to Chinas attempts to extinguish Tibets national identity. Hrib, a doctor, has condemned the forced extraction of organs from members of the Muslim Uighur minority and other prisoners of the [Chinese] regime. Beijing canceled a sister-cities agreement when Prague balked at a clause renouncing independence for Tibet and Taiwan. So Hrib instituted a sister-cities agreement with Taipei, Taiwans capital, where Hrib has been made an honorary citizen. When, at a reception for diplomats in Prague, Chinas ambassador repeatedly demanded that Taiwans representative be expelled from the reception, Hrib responded that he does not expel invited guests. If Russia is threatening Hrib, this might be comradely assistance for China. Russia, however, has its own resentments. Another Czech mayor, Ondrej Kolar, has been given police protection. He advocated the April removal of the statue, erected in Prague in 1980, of Soviet Marshal Ivan Konev, who was active in the suppressions of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and the 1968 Prague Spring. Prague has named the square on which Russias embassy is located in honor of the Russian Boris Nemtsov, a fierce opponent of President Vladimir Putin. In 2015, Nemtsov was shot dead near the Kremlin. (In Washington, D.C., a portion of Wisconsin Avenue opposite the Russian embassy is designated Boris Nemtsov Plaza.) Prague is renaming a park promenade for Anna Politkovskaya, a Russian journalist and outspoken critic of Putins war in Chechnya. She was murdered in 2006 in her Moscow apartment buildings elevator. People were convicted in connection with the Nemtsov and Politkovskaya killings, but realists suspect that the murders were ordered by others. In 2006, Alexander Litvinenko, 43, a former Russian spy, was living in London when he was killed by polonium-210 evidently administered in a cup of tea. A British inquiry concluded that Putin probably approved of this assassination. In 2018, in Salisbury, England, Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy, and his daughter survived poisoning that police consider an attempted murder. Chinas arrogance in Europe is less lethal, so far. For example, three Swedish political parties have endorsed expelling Chinas ambassador. Yaroslav Trofimov, the Wall Street Journals chief foreign affairs correspondent, says the discord concerns Gui Minhai, a Chinese-born Swedish citizen who as a publisher based in Hong Kong infuriated Beijing by writing about, among other sensitive subjects, the corrupt practices of Chinese President Xi Jinpings family. In 2015, Gui disappeared from his vacation home in Thailand. Sweden says he was kidnapped. China says he voluntarily surrendered to stand trial in China for an alleged 2003 drunk-driving fatality, for which he was sentenced last month to 10 years imprisonment. Last November, when Swedens PEN Center awarded Gui a prestigious literary prize, Chinas ambassador threatened: Some people in Sweden shouldnt feel at ease after hurting the feelings of the Chinese people. Todays Russian regime, a lawless kleptocracy, is a residue of the Soviet Union, and a successor to the Soviet Unions Leninist party-state. Chinas regime is such a state and is determined not to have a successor. Todays world contains crude political menaces more durable and potentially more dangerous than a virus. Will is a columnist for The Washington Post Writers Group. When the Nigerian government in late March ordered a lockdown of two states and the Federal Capital Territory in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, Martins Obono, the Executive Director of Tap Initiative, said he envisaged a humanitarian crisis. President Muhammadu Buhari had shut down Abuja, Lagos and Ogun for five weeks from March 30 but responded to the pressure to reopen the economy, amid widespread hunger and uneven disbursement of palliatives, by ordering a phased and gradual easing of the lockdown from May 4 to 17. The gradual lifting of the restrictions which includes an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew was also extended for another two weeks last Sunday. But the country is still getting daily alerts of infections. The total confirmed cases of the virus have exceeded 7,000 and over 200 deaths from less than a thousand cases when total restrictions were lifted on May 4. Meanwhile, the restrictions brought hardship on Nigerians as the government could not implement a viable palliative package for a lot of people hardest-hit by the lockdown especially those in the informal sector who depend on daily earnings. However, where the government lagged, well-meaning individuals and NGOs such as Tap Initiative are stepping up. We knew there will be a humanitarian crisis. People will not be able to feed if there is no work, Mr Obono, the convener of Tap said in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES. We thought there is a need for us to come in to change the narrative. We then called on well-meaning Nigerians to donate food items, cash or whatever they can even before the lockdown started. Tap Initiative distributes food materials. We leveraged on the social media in making this call. We also asked volunteers to come in. The level of cooperation was encouraging. People donated as high as N50,000 and from N3, 000, he said. The food drive initiative by Tap was launched only in Abuja, the Nigerian capital in the wake of the first phase of the total lockdown. Initially, the plan was to use the donations to feed at least 300 vulnerable families in lower-income neighborhoods. Each family received a Ghana Must Go bag containing food items such as rice, beans, spaghetti, garri, tomato paste, groundnut oil, pepper among others, Mr Obono said. What we have done so far is to limit our focus to Abuja alone. In all the satellite towns within the FCT, there is no community where we dont have a representative of people that have benefitted from this initiative, he said. Internally Displaced Persons camps and barracks also benefitted, he said. But things changed after the lockdown was extended by two weeks on April 12. With many households struggling without income during the lockdown, the need for food and cash relief became critical. Tap Initiative distributes food materials. We realised that there are people doing well before the lockdown but are either sacked or their salaries were slashed and could no longer go to work so we thought they are the real casualties of COVID-19. We then announced that anybody under this category should reach out to us, Mr Obono said. This prompted the initiative to increase the target to meet people impoverished by COVID-19. It, however, affected our distributions in IDP camps and informal communities. Governments uncoordinated response The restriction is still making it difficult for many families to survive, even after it was slightly lifted especially as the governments palliative package distribution remains largely uncoordinated. The Nigerian government only provided N20,000 to about 2.6 million families and 11 million people identified as poor and vulnerable. This is, however, a fraction of the over 90 million Nigerians estimated to be living in extreme poverty. The modalities for distribution of the 77,000 metric tonnes of food the government directed to be shared to vulnerable households affected by the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja have remained vague. Many have also queried how the government continued with the school feeding programme when the pupils benefitting from it have been out of school since March 19. A report by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) revealed how the sharing of relief materials in Lagos was marred by misinformation about intended beneficiaries, political favouritism and random distribution. Tap Initiative distributes food materials. In Kaduna, the distribution of palliatives was also influenced by party membership and affiliation. Advertisements I think the government has failed (in coordinating relief response) if you asked me, Mr Obono said. The kind of palliative they give out are being rejected by many Nigerians saying they are expired food. Mr Obono said the government is not targeting the actual people that need economic assistance. If you are not targeting people who have been victimised by COVID-19 you are not targeting the general public. The humanitarian ministry is continuing with the school feeding programme when the pupils benefitting are at home. Its a misplaced priority and unorganised way of reaching people. The Tap Initiative director also blamed the government for not providing accurate data of vulnerable Nigerians and people susceptible to the diverse impact of COVID-19. Governments response package failed because there is no real data that projects the real people that need safety nets, Mr Obono said. Filling in the gap The food drive initiative by TAP is just one of several citizen-powered welfare initiatives that have sprung up in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The Peoples Food Bank launched by Seun Adebajos family is feeding almost 3,000 people daily in Lagos. Pop musician Banky W also runs a similar food bank in the Lekki area while Food Clique, another non-profit NGO focused on distributing food to the poorest households, has rapidly scaled up its operations in the face of increased demand during the pandemic. President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that the current lockdown put in place to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus, will not go longer than necessary as it will be reviewed from time to time to ease the increasing hardships on the people. President Buhari gave the assurance in his Eid-el-Fitri message to Muslims. A statement released by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity today May 23, quotes the President as saying that COVID-19, which caught the world off guard, and has put a damper on what would otherwise have been a time of celebration for the Muslim faithful to mark the end of the Ramadan fasting period. He said he is aware of the inconveniences the lockdown and other measures put in place to curb the spread of Coronavirus has caused Nigerians. I am well aware of the inconveniences these tough measures have brought on the lives of Nigerians, including limiting religious activities and gatherings in large numbers. No government would intentionally impose these tough and demanding measures on its citizens if it had a choice. Speaking further, the President said It is not easy to give up many of these important duties and activities but it became imperative to do so in order to control or limit the spread of this deadly disease. Let me use this opportunity to commend the sacrifices of both Muslims and Christians for their cooperation in the enforcement of the social distancing guidelines. President Buhari appealed to other Nigerians whose businesses and means of livelihoods were badly affected by the prolonged lockdown measures for their understanding and cooperation. He also exhorted people with means to continue helping their neighbors and the less well-to-do so that we can all come out of this pandemic stronger and more united. The President told the Muslim faithful that this years Eid event is an occasion for sober reflection rather than celebration because of the long shadows of gloom that the coronavirus has cast on peoples lives. He prayed to Allah to ease the hardship among the people as they struggle hard to flatten the curve, while wishing all Nigerians Eid Mubarak. Journalists hate mistakes. Editors hate mistakes most of all. Our credibility as conveyors of facts and truth is everything to us. The faith that we will provide the unvarnished truth, without fear or favor, is what leads readers to trust in our work. However, we are human and imperfect. Mistakes happen. We believe owning up to them adds to our credibility. Thats why we routinely publish corrections on the second page of The Oregonian. We note on OregonLive articles if we have made a correction to the original piece, in order to be transparent with readers. And when we make an error on the front page, as we did Wednesday, its embarrassing. Readers deserve an explanation, which I will give you here. I am not making excuses, though. Such an error is inexcusable. So how did it happen? Before every election day, our politics editor Betsy Hammond, who took graduate-level statistics courses at Brown University and has called election races for us since 2006, draws on her deep experience in covering elections in Oregon. She analyzes past turnout by county, taking into account whether it is a primary or general and whether its an off year. She monitors trends, such as people voting later and later, rather than in the early days of vote by mail where people returned ballots soon after they arrived in mailboxes. She looks at the voter registration by party and accounts for races that cross county lines. She draws on her experience with how fast or not -- various counties count ballots and report to the secretary of states office. She knows from experience that more liberal, more anti-establishment voters often wait until the last day to turn in ballots. And she looks at historical trends, such as the fact that a certain countys returns have never varied by more than 3 percentage points after the first release of results at 8 p.m. All of this results in a sophisticated, math-based model that allows The Oregonian/OregonLive to call results with a high degree of certainty. On Election Night, Hammond and a team of reporters and editors go to work for readers. They input partial returns into our system that displays results for readers and call races after careful but speedy consideration. When they do so, the news automatically goes out on Twitter. As you can imagine, it is a head-spinning two hours after the 8 p.m. deadline for ballots to be dropped off. This year was more complicated by the fact the reporters and editors were working from their homes, connected by a long-running conference call. Id like to blame that complication for the mistake, but, honestly, we were able to communicate pretty well. What I did not have was the ability to walk from desk to desk to look over anyones shoulder at the latest results. At 8 p.m., we began calling races based on partial returns. Every few seconds reporters chimed in to discuss and deliberate over what they were seeing for, say, House District 46, the Beaverton council, Centennial School District, Clackamas County Board races and more. Its a fast-moving, complicated process. We waited for the first big update from Multnomah County, but that was later than usual likely because 100 fewer election workers were counting ballots to allow for physical distancing. Still, some calls were easy: Joe Biden, in the Democratic presidential primary. Kim Thatcher for the GOP nomination for secretary of state. Carmen Rubio for Portland City Council. But Tuesday night we held back on the Democratic race for secretary of state because Sen. Mark Hass, while leading in Tuesday night tallies, was not ahead by the margin required by Hammonds formula. Finally, shortly after 10 p.m., Hass margin had widened. We discussed the new data, and I said I was comfortable calling Hass the winner. As we told readers in Wednesdays newspaper, I apologize unreservedly for the error. Why not wait until the results are official? In Oregon, this years results are not truly official until June 8, long after readers want to know outcomes. Why not wait longer on election night? Because the print edition lands seven or eight hours later, we can look foolish if we say a race is too close to call and by morning it is clear by a wide margin, a margin that our modeling allows us to predict. Of course, there are other ways we can look foolish as well. In the past, our models have proven correct, even when we have projected a candidate would win even if still behind in the vote totals on official sites. On Tuesday, however, our model failed to accurately project turnout given variance from historical patterns amid the coronavirus outbreak. It turns out, Lane and Clackamas counties, in particular, had many more votes than normal left uncounted until Wednesday and they broke hard for Sen. Shemia Fagan. That made the difference and reversed the results. As of Friday, it appeared Fagans margin of victory would be about 3,000 of 565,000 votes cast. Thats one-seventh of the margin we have typically called tight, and the tightest statewide primary since at least 2004. After every election, we have a debriefing. This year, my advice for the general election will add an extra note of caution especially with the unknowns about the speed of vote counting come November. Therese Bottomly is editor and vice president of content for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach her at tbottomly@oregonian.com or 503-221-8434. Leh: After a clash in Ladakh between China and Indian soldiers, India has also increased security in this sensitive area with vigilance. Indian Army Chief Manoj Mukund Narwane visited the 14 Corps headquarters in Leh on Friday. Earlier, Army Chief has also visited Jammu and Kashmir from Ladakh. Corona: Recovery rate increases in country, 54 thousand people recovered so far According to online media reports, it is being told that the visit of the army chief is also important because with this dispute of China, Pakistan is also not deterred by its misdeeds. The Army wants to be cautious about the fact that in the disorientation of China, Pakistan is not in a position to execute any conspiracy in the POK. The Indian Army has made it clear that they will not allow any kind of Chinese infiltration in their area and will further strengthen the patrolling in those areas. Corona wreaks havoc across the country, number of cases crosses 1 lakh A total of five meetings have been held between the local military commanders of India and China so far, but the situation has not been resolved on the front of about 80 km. Most officials agree that the situation at LAC is "unprecedented", with tensions high enough. He suggested that a solution to this crisis would have to be found soon as "a change of status quo by China cannot be accepted in any way." Couple tied knot in Karnataka amid lockdown Mumbai: Maharashtra ruling party Shiv Sena on Sunday (May 24) continued its attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over migrant workers' crisis and In an editorial in party's mouthpiece Saamana, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut lashed out at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over migrants issue and compared him to German dictator Adolf Hitler. He also compared the migration of labourers to the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from Jammu and Kashmir in the 1990s. Raut's statement comes at a time when Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena had asserted that no one should engage in politics in the time of the coronavirus pandemic. In his weekly column in Saamana, Raut said that atrocities committed against the Jews are similar to the atrocities committed against the migrants in Uttar Pradesh by the Chief Minister. The article read, "Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave their homes and were discriminated in their own country. Politics on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits is still being practised in the country. Today, at least 5-6 crore migrants are forced to live in the same manner." Recently the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister had issued strict instruction to authorities to prevent any unauthorised movement of people and their families coming on foot, cycles or trucks in the state. He also directed officials to arrange for food and shelter for people and buses to ferry them to their villages. Meanwhile, the Centre said on Saturday that there are around four crore migrants engaged in various works in different parts of the country and so far 75 lakh of them have returned home in trains and buses since the nationwide lockdown was imposed to stop the spread of coronavirus infection. According to official data, the Railways has ferried around 36 lakh migrant workers on board 2,600 'Shramik Special' trains since May 1. The Railways has drawn up a schedule to operate 2,600 more trains over the next 10 days to ferry 36 lakh more migrant workers home, said chairman Railway Board VK Yadav. The Railways is bearing 85 per cent of the total cost of running each of the trains while the rest is being borne by the states in the form of fares. The Commercial Court has summoned three United Kingdom- based law firms who were the masterminds of the deal in which Tullow Oil plc avoided paying taxes worth $1.1 billion (about Shs4.1 trillion) to the Ugandan national treasury following an agreement with the central government and Uganda Revenue Authority (URA). In the May 18 summon, court has also asked Three Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Three Crown Services, together with Tullow Uganda operations PTY Limited, and its affiliate Tullow Uganda, URA and the Attorney General, to file their responses to a suit recently lodged by Jackson Wabyona, a private citizen, within 15 days. Before the main case in which he essentially challenges the settlement deed saying it is illegal and has corruption written all over it is heard, Wabyona has asked the court to first determine a separate application he filed on May 15. In the application, Wabyona demands that before the main case is heard, Tullow Uganda Limited and Tullow Uganda operations PTY first furnish the court with security worthy $ 1.1 billion and property comprised in 33.3 per cent stake in each of the Lake Albert development project licenses EAl, EAIA, EA2 and EA3A and the proposed East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) System valued at $1 billion. Demands Though Tullow in theory sold off its interests in Lake Albert to French oil giant Total E&P in a deal worth $575m (Shs2.1 trillion), in the application, Wabyona asks the court to preserve or detain Tullow's interests in the lake. Wabyona says court should appoint a receiver for Tullow's stake in Lake Albert and the proposed EACOP system before the main case is heard. "An order committing the first [Tullow Uganda Operations PTY], second [Tullow Uganda ] respondents' 33.3334 per cent stake in each of the Lake Albert development project licenses EAl, EAI A, EA2 and EA3A, and the proposed East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) System to the possession, custody and management of the receiver appointed herein with such powers as the court thinks fit," Wabyona's application reads in part. Having sold off its remaining interests in Uganda, Wabyona says Tullow's farm-down deal worth $525m (Shs2 trillion) is in bad faith and prejudicial to Uganda in as far as it is meant to enable the Anglo-Irish oil company quick exit from Uganda and quit jurisdiction without paying the taxes due under $2.9b farm downs or determining the legality and validity of tax waivers under the settlement deed it was agreed upon in 2015. According to Wabyona, both Tullow Uganda and Tullow Uganda Operations PTY are on the verge of bankruptcy as their stock is so low while their debts are accumulating and unserviced. "The first [Tullow Uganda Operations PTY] and second [Tullow Uganda] defendants sold their interests valued at $992.2m (about Shs3.7 trillion) at an undervalue of $575m in order to mitigate material uncertainties facing the first and second defendants at the Group level," Wabyona says, referring to the deal Tullow signed with Total E&P in April, which now awaits Cabinet approval. Tullow, Wabyona says, is scheming to quickly close the $575m farm down transactions during this time of lockdown in Uganda and worldwide. "The courts that would subject the settlement deed to a legality and validity test are currently not operational and functional save for criminal matters and urgent civil matters," Wabyona says in an application drawn by Nyanzi, Mbabazi, Kiboneka advocates. "The first and second defendants want to take advantage of the lockdown and close the farm downs and thereafter quit Uganda without determining their liability to pay the waived and forfeited taxes under the settlement deed." If Tullow quits Uganda before the final determination or disposal of the case, Wabyona says it would be akin to giving the company a blank cheque to cheat taxes due and payable. "The plaintiff [ Wabyona] shall aver and contend that present suit raises issues of great national importance that are likely to affect the economy of Uganda, it is urgent that it should be considered and heard expeditiously and urgently during this lockdown period," the court filings read. UK lawyers In respect to the UK lawyers, Waybona contends that by the mere fact that they were witnesses of the settlement deed and legal advisors of the signatories to the deed, they are liable for professional negligence or legal malpractice. First, Wabyona attacks Curtis, Mallet- Prevost, Colt & Mosle, the law firm that was outsourced by Uganda during the drafting of the settlement deed saying it didn't know or didn't bother to do research and understand the applicable laws of Uganda in respect to such settlements. "The fifth defendant [Curtis, Mallet- Prevost, clot &Mosle] had no competency, capacity nor the ability to advise the government of Uganda on issues arising from the execution and implementation of the settlement deed, that required knowledge of the tax laws generally jurisprudence of Uganda," Wabyona says, adding that Curtis, Mallet- Prevost, clot & Mosle colluded with both Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Three crowns services to mislead and misadvise the Ugandan government and URA to enter into the questioned settlement to cheat taxes due to be paid in the Ugandan Consolidated Fund. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Uganda Legal Affairs Company By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. It is Wabyona's case that David Robert Hesse, who represented Uganda's Attorney General, Hellen Buchanan (Tullow Uganda Operations PTY), Constantine Partasides QC (Tullow Uganda) are partners of Curtis, Mallet- Prevost, Clot &Mosle, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Three crowns services respectively, acted in the course of their employment as counsel for their respective clients. Accordingly, he says the three law firms are liable vicarious for the professional legal malpractice of their partners while executing the instructions of their clients. Signatories Wabyona insists that the signatories of the settlement deed, who included Ms Doris Akol, the then Commissioner General of URA or URA as an institution, the Attorney General or Solicitor General of the government of Uganda lack the legal capacity to waive taxes or otherwise forfeit taxes that have been assessed and are due and payable to the Consolidated Fund. Such an act, he says, of waiver or forfeiture does not bind the government and is to all intents and purposes void and a nullity. Ive had the privilege of serving in the military and experiencing life as a startup entrepreneur. As a leader in both worlds, Ive learned that sound organizational decision-making is key to survival. Ive also learned over time through my formal business education and work experience in corporate America that group decision-making skills are not stressed as much in the business world as they are in the military. Todays coronavirus crisis is commonly referred to as a war. It may be valuable, then, to visit how military units make decisions in a real war. Related: Why Veterans Take the Initiative to Explore Entrepreneurship One hour to prepare I was serving as a Company Executive Officer (XO, second in command) in the worlds only air-droppable tank battalion in the 82nd Airborne Division when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait on Thursday, August 2, 1990. The 82nd Airborne maintains a one-hour recall alert status that allows it to deploy anywhere in the world on 18 hours' notice. It is Americas 911 military unit. Most of us had no idea where Kuwait was as we came into work that early morning. The 82nd would never deploy to a desert environment, so we thought. Desert warfare calls for fast-moving vehicles armed with weapons systems that can shoot at targets very far away. We were too lightly armed. If you cant jump with it strapped to your body or drop it separately from an airplane, paratroopers dont take it to the battlefield. On Monday night, August 6, my pager went off at 10 p.m. (this is before cell phones) while I was out at my favorite bar. I rushed home, changed into my uniform, and was in my unit headquarters within the hour. It was my responsibility as XO to manage the arming and aircraft loading of my companys 100 paratroopers and 17 air-droppable tanks. We regularly rehearsed this sequence. This time it was for real. Aircraft containing the lead elements of our Division Ready Brigade took off starting on the next day 18 hours after notification. We were heading to Saudi Arabia to defend it from an imminent attack by Iraq. We were told that it was highly likely that the attack would likely begin while we were in the air. I found myself in a leadership position heading to an unknown, dangerous place half a world away. The world around me had changed overnight, full of uncertainty, stress, and not knowing what laid ahead. Not only was I personally concerned, but I had a responsibility to lead my organization through the situation. I was 26 years old. Related: 3 Tips for Hiring Veterans and How They'll Help Your Business Thrive The start of the startup Fast-forward to February 2003. After leaving the military and then working a decade for a few large companies, I co-founded a startup business that I still lead. I started it with another friend, mentor and highly decorated Vietnam Special Forces veteran. He would serve on our Board but not be directly involved in the day-to-day management of the business. Our third co-founder had no military experience but seemed smarter than the two of us at the time. As with most startups, everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Together with my management team and the periodic input of my military co-founder, we tackled a series of crises not uncommon among startups, things like the painful separation from the non-veteran partner, which soured the relationship with our early investors. Constant cash flow challenges. Two separate episodes of banks calling back their loans, dealing with the calamity of 2008 and many other challenges in the first 10 years. Each time, it seemed as if we had no options and the end was near; uncertainty and unfamiliarity surrounded us each time. For instance, in 2006, we had a $500,000 line of credit with a regional bank Ill call Regional Bank A. To his credit, my non-military partner had an excellent personal relationship with the loan officer when we initiated the line of credit. Keep in mind this was pre-2008, so obtaining a line of credit based on a personal relationship was possible and common back then. One day, National Bank B bought Regional Bank A. Our loan officer immediately lost his job. We quickly learned that the new bank didnt have a small businessfriendly profile. Within weeks, National Bank A informed us they were calling our note based on being out of compliance with one of our loan covenants relating to a profitability ratio. I never heard of the word covenant it was in the fine print. I thought it was a place where nuns lived. By then, my non-veteran co-founder was no longer part of the company. I had to take the lead on this issue. My mind immediately kicked into decision-making mode. After a couple of months of extreme pressure to figure a way out of what seemed like a lights-out situation, my team and I figured out a way to refinance the debt while under extreme duress using the process described here. Somehow we made it through this and the other challenges that came our way. While going to war and starting and managing a small business seem like polar opposite experiences, they are similar in a compelling way. In times of crisis, the pressure of having to survive through seemingly impossible odds is something that goes with the territory. Unforeseen emergencies and the uncertainty that comes with them cause fear and anxiety in ourselves as leaders and our team. We call this the fog of war in the military. Similarly, the fog of business is alive and well today as we deal with COVID-19. Decision-making is more science than it is art. The military needs a defined decision-making process to accomplish missions. It even has a manual for it. Soldiers at all levels of rank learn it and apply it in training consistently. Its part of the culture. Its quite simple. It has to be usable and scalable within the military in units at all levels, across all branches of service. Part of its value is its simplicity. Related: 5 Ways This Veteran Used His Military Experience to Grow a $3.5-Million Beard Grooming Business Modeled on the military Theres a bit more to it than this (download the Army manual for more), but here is a summary of the model: Step 1: Define the situation as best you can by defining and separating facts from assumptions. Facts are facts. Assumptions are critical components that any plan needs to succeed, but that we cannot confirm are factual. For example, a company may assume that their new account sales will be reduced by 40 percent in a crisis like COVID-19. Its not a fact. Its an assumption were going to base our plan on. We want to document our assumptions and monitor them as the world around us changes. If an assumption turns out to be false, we modify our plan accordingly. If it turns out to be true, it moves over to the fact list. Step 2: Make two lists of tasks. Specified tasks are those tasks we know we have to do in a crisis. Implied tasks are tasks that well have to do to accomplish the specified tasks. From these two lists, we identify a handful of essential tasks. These are our critical path, must-get-done tasks that are key to success. For example, monitoring cash flow may be a specified task in a crisis. The implied task is to put a reporting system in place so that everyone knows what the cash flow situation is like every day. This may be such an important task that its deemed an essential task. Once tasks are identified, they can be grouped, delegated and assigned to team members who can be held accountable for them. Step 3: Establish an end-state goal and a clear leaders intent. This step is critical. It becomes the North Star that everyone looks to when in doubt. Decisions can be and should be made throughout the organization as long as that decision supports the intent and the vision of the end state of the leader. Too many organizations become paralyzed in a crisis simply because no one feels empowered to make decisions. In a crisis, decisions at all levels must be made at lightning speed. To enable this without creating a train wreck, leaders need to clearly articulate their intent and what winning looks like in order for everyone can make decisions with that in mind even when the leader is not around. Step 4: Use the time available to develop two to three courses of action. Take what was learned from the situation analysis, the leaders intent and associated end-state goal, and develop two to three courses of action on how to achieve the end state given the situation. This is not the domain of just the leader or the management team. This step should involve everyone in the organization as much as possible. Delegate parts of the development of different courses of action to junior members of the team. Theyll amaze you with their ideas. After comparing the courses of action, pick one as the basis of your plan. A common trap here is to rush to make decisions because making them feels like were doing something. Theres a saying in the military that you dont want to run to your death. It means that even in war, we should take the time to think through courses of action before acting. Its good advice. These basic four steps go a long way to getting everyone involved in the solution to a crisis. They build a sense of ownership in the plan throughout the team, providing leaders with ideas from multiple perspectives. Ultimately, it contributes to providing some order to the chaos and uncertainty around us. Use it as a framework for action that drives a plan for survival through the current crisis, and for the ones that follow. If it works for the military in a real war, it will work for us small business owners in the COVID-19 war. Related: Fight for Your Franchise Challenge, Week 8: No-Nonsense Techniques to Improve Your Cashflow 5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Prepare for the Post-Coronavirus Business World How New York's Legendary Grimaldi's Pizzeria Adapted to the Crisis Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Staunch femininist Clemintine Ford has been criticised for saying coronavirus 'isn't killing men fast enough'. The 39-year-old writer shared her divisive opinion with her 133,000 Twitter followers on Saturday in response to an article written about gender disparities in parenting children. She shared the story of a woman forced to quit her lucrative job during the COVID-19 pandemic because her stay-at-home husband couldn't cope with full time parenting - and said the man in the story was a 'pathetic... globular dipsh*t'. 'This woman deserves better,' she said. The initial tweet was followed up by a second comment, which read: 'Honestly, the coronavirus isn't killing men fast enough.' Ford, who gave birth to a son in late-2016, shared her divisive opinion with her 133,000 Twitter followers on Saturday in response to an article written about gender disparities in parenting children Ford's post attracted an influx of criticism by people who accused her of 'weaponising feminism,' having 'daddy issues' and being 'toxic' Several studies that have been undertaken globally since the deadly respiratory infection took hold have proven men are dying at a faster rate than women. Researchers from several esteemed hospitals in Beijing concluded men and women have the same potential to contract the disease, but men with COVID-19 are more at risk for worse outcomes and death, independent of age. Of 206,128 patients, researchers at the University College London found men were twice as likely to require intensive care, and 60 per cent more likely to die. It is not yet clear why men are more susceptible to fatal outcomes, but some health authorities have argued it is in part due to the increased likelihood of smoking and poorer hygiene habits. Others suggested her outspoken views on men could be potentially damaging for her own son (pictured) in the future Ford's post attracted an influx of criticism by people who accused her of 'weaponising feminism,' having 'daddy issues' and being 'toxic'. Former Senator Derryn Hinch described her opinions as 'repulsive'. 'Sometimes your Twitter views are truly repulsive. If this is a serious comment I feel sorry for you. What a way to go through life full of hatred,' he responded. Others suggested her post - which she claimed was in jest - paved the way for equally as damaging comments. 'Clementine, is this a similar joke to: ''Honestly, the corona virus isn't killing black people fast enough'' or ''Honestly, the corona virus isn't killing disabled people fast enough'' or ''Honestly, the corona virus isn't killing health care workers fast enough''?' Ford argued the backlash proved 'exactly how fragile men are.' Ford argued the backlash proved 'exactly how fragile men are' and stood by the comments 'The same men who insist all the time that women laugh at jokes about violence against us because 'dark humour' and 'relieving tension'. Men are pathetic,' she wrote. 'Men love to screech about snowflakes and triggered feminists and women not being able to take a joke and they crumble at the first sign of a hyperbolic tweet that doesn't place them as gods at the centre of the universe. Ding dongs, all of them.' The Melbourne-based author has previously spoken about being the target of graphic abuse, trolling and death threats from men on social media, and is known for her often polarising comments about men. in 2017, she hand-signed a copy of her book 'Fight Like a Girl', with a message that read: 'Have you killed any men today? And if not, why not?' Debjani Dutta By Express News Service PUDUCHERRY: After two months of shutdown, liquor shops in Puducherry and Karaikal will reopen from Monday with hiked prices equal to that of Tamil Nadu's rates, to keep tipplers in nearby districts away from the Union Territory. The government has levied a Special Excise Duty of 25 percent on the MRP of IMFL (India Made Foreign Liquor) brands which are exclusively sold in Puducherry and Karaikal, numbering 766 and some duty on the remaining 154 brands sold in the UT. The Special Excise duty is variable for these brands and is set for a period of three months from the start of sale. For arrack, 20 per cent Special Excise duty has been levied on ex-distillery price. The shops will function from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and only take away would be allowed, said PWD minister A Namassivayam holding the Excise portfolio. Each buyer can get a maximum of 4.5 litres of IMFL and 7.5 litres of beer. The shops will display the price of the liquor of all brands according to the quantity. Bars have not permitted to sell liquor. In view of Covid-19 pandemic, the Special Excise duty has been levied to ensure that people from adjoining districts of neighbouring states do not come to Puducherry to purchase liquor, said Namassivayam. Additional police force has been deployed on the borders and there would be strict vigil on the border shops by a team of Excise and police personnel, he said. For restarting liquor sale in Yanam region, a proposal by levying special excise duty to match the rates in Andhra Pradesh is being processed, while for Mahe region, reopening liquor shops will depend on starting liquor sale in Kerala, said Namassivayam. Job Title: National Expert for Land Tenure and on Responsible Governance of Investments on Land Organization: GIZ Project Name: GIZ-RELAPU Funding Source: European Union (EU) Duty Station: Soroti, Uganda Ref. No: GIZ RELAPU/NE/052028 Reports to: Team leader of Responsible Land Policy Uganda (RELAPU) About US: GIZ-RELAPU is a bilateral project of the Republic of Uganda and the Federal Republic of Germany funded by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). RELAPU aims to improve access to land as a key precondition for poverty and hunger reduction in rural areas for certain population groups, especially for women and marginalized groups, in Central and Eastern Uganda. GIZ-RELAPU received co-funding by the European Union for the implementation of a project component on Improvement of Land Governance in Uganda on private Mailo (ILGU) in the districts of Mubende, Kassanda and Mityana in Central Uganda and a second co-funding by the European Union for Promoting Responsible Governance of Investments in Land (RGIL) Key Responsibilities: The National Expert for Land Tenure and on Responsible Governance of Investments on Land is responsible for: Identification of capacity building needs of relevant partners and stakeholders. Provision of technical trainings on land management in line with national laws and international guidelines. Liaison with government and non-government partners involved in the RGIL processes. Advise to political and project partners on technical matters relevant to the project. Coordination of the national cooperation with the private sector. Ensuring coordination within the country, especially of local, regional and national activities. Cooperation with civil society, local government, private sector investors at national, regional and local levels. Assuring compliance of procedures and procedures in line with the National Land Policy 2013, The Land Act 1998 and its regulations, especially in terms of land rights documentation. Provision of technical and policy advice on customary land rights and conflict resolution processes. Identification of available and experienced partners and stakeholders. Supervision of the production and handing out of land inventory protocols. Support of the monitoring and evaluation system of the RELAPU project. Key Tasks: The National Expert for Land Tenure and on Responsible Governance of Investments on Land performs the following tasks: Provision of Capacity Development to key stakeholders Conduct of capacity building needs assessment of relevant partners and stakeholders. Support to the design and implementation of training courses. Organisation, provision of and trainer for technical trainings on land governance. Technical advice to partner organisations from civil society organizations, traditional authorities, private investors and representatives on land management and land rights issues. Coordination of government and non-government partners and investors. Supervision of land surveying, inventory and land registration processes to ensure quality of the results on customary land tenure. Enhance collaboration with other partners and projects working on lands issues. Ensure particular focus is given to rights of women and marginalized groups. Initiate and oversee the implementation of financial agreements with partner organisations supporting the Expert of monitoring and evaluation on results-based monitoring and the identification of knowledge products. Ensuring regular reporting on project progress, innovations and results. Mainstreaming gender sensitive approaches. Implementation of responsible land policy Organization of multi-stakeholder dialogues between civil society organizations, traditional authorities, private investors and representatives of the state on good land governance following the Voluntary Guidelines on the Governance of Tenure (VGGT). Support to the development and implementation of dispute resolution and grievance mechanisms. Other duties/additional tasks Ensure close coordination and cooperation within the RELAPU team, sister GIZ projects and programs and other actors in the land sector. Represent RELAPU-RGIL at meetings, workshops and conferences. Other duties and tasks at the request of project team leader Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The applicant must hold a Degree in land management and land tenure, spatial planning or relevant field. Minimum of 3 years professional experience in land management and land rights in Uganda. Experience in the context of securing land rights on customary land in Uganda. Minimum 3 years professional experience in land governance and management. Experience in conflict mediation and establishing of systematic conflict resolution structures and grievance systems. Experience in working with private land investors and their improvement of compliance with national laws and international guidelines. Experienced training provider and training curriculum developer. Work experience in Teso and Lango or adjacent regions would be an asset. Very good knowledge of English and Ateso or Luo/Langi. Other knowledge, additional competences Good working knowledge of ITC technologies and computer applications (Word, Excel, Power Point, Publisher). Strong understanding of cultural, socio-ethnical context in northern Uganda region of Teso and Lango. Experience on gender mainstreaming and results-based monitoring. Active, flexible and dynamic team player and excellent networker. Good writing skills. Excellent communication and coordination skills. Experience in workshop organisation or events management. How to Apply: All interested and qualified persons are strongly encouraged to apply online, Click Here or by email: tracy@futureoptions.org. Application and CV should be in one document and a maximum of 4 pages only. Please include name and contact of three references in the CVs. No other attachments are required at this stage. Please quote the position We encourage women, people with disabilities and minority groups to apply for this position. GIZ is committed to equal opportunities and diversity of perspective at the working place. Disclaimer: GIZ DOES NOT charge any kind of FEE(s) at whichever stage of the recruitment process. This recruitment is ONLY through Future Options Consulting Ltd. Deadline: 31st May 2020 by 5:00pm For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline A fierce row over the actions of Prime Minister's top aide continues on Sunday as reports surfaced that Dominic Cummings broke lockdown rules with a second trip to County Durham. Boris Johnson is under renewed pressure to sack the 48-year-old adviser after fresh allegations emerged that Mr Cummings travelled to visit his family a second time, despite official guidelines warning against long-distance journeys. Mr Cummings is accused of breaking coronavirus lockdown rules by making a 250-mile journey to his family, when his wife had Covid-19 symptoms. Downing Street has defended Mr Cummings' actions, insisting he "acted in line with guidelines" and that his journey was "essential" because it related to the welfare of his child. The PM pledged his full support on Saturday as Mr Cummings insisted he behaved "reasonably and legally". According to the Sunday Times, the Conservative Party leader told allies he would not throw Mr Cummings to the dogs following reports he made the journey to ensure his four-year-old child could be looked after as he and his wife were ill. But according to reports in the Observer and Sunday Mirror, the former Vote Leave campaign co-ordinator made a second trip to Durham and was seen there on April 19 five days after being photographed on his return to Westminster. Dominic Cummings told reporters he was justified for travelling to his parents home during the lockdown / PA A second eyewitness told the two papers they saw him a week earlier in Barnard Castle on Easter Sunday, a popular tourist location 30 miles away from Durham, during the period he was believed to be self-isolating. Downing Street has said it would not waste time replying to the fresh allegations from campaigning newspapers. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who was sent out to defend Mr Cummings at the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing on Saturday, will face further questions over the latest developments when he represents the Government during the Sunday morning political television programmes. As well as Mr Shapps, a host of senior Cabinet ministers including Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Attorney General Suella Braverman issued statements of support for Mr Cummings on social media. Grant Shapps on Dominic Cummings breaking lockdown rules In a statement on Saturday morning, Number 10 said Mr Cummings had travelled to be close to family to seek help looking after his four-year-old child after his wife became ill with coronavirus symptoms a virus which has seen more than 45,000 people in the UK die after contracting it, according to the latest available data. Speaking at the press conference, Mr Shapps added that Mr Cummings had stayed put for 14 days while residing at a family property, having pre-empted his own illness once his wife showed Covid-19 symptoms. But the trip to Barnard Castle on April 12, if correct, would call that testimony into question. According to the papers, 70-year-old retired teacher Robin Lees, of Barnard Castle, said he saw Mr Cummings and his family walking by the River Tees near the town. He told the Mirror and Observer: I was a bit gobsmacked to see him, because I know what he looks like. It just beggars belief to think you could actually drive when the advice was stay home, save lives. It couldnt have been clearer. The papers also reported that a second unnamed source recalled seeing Mr Cummings in woodland near his familys Durham property on April 19, recognising him due to him wearing his trademark beanie hat. He reportedly was heard commenting on how lovely the bluebells were during an early-morning Sunday stroll with his journalist wife Mary Wakefield. Sir Ed Davey says Dominic Cummings should resign or be fired The claims prompted fury among MPs, and Ian Blackford, SNP Westminster leader, renewed his calls for the PM to axe Mr Cummings from his team. He wrote on Twitter: It is clear that Boris Johnson must sack Dominic Cummings. When the PMs top adviser ignores the Governments instruction to the public not to engage in non-essential travel he has to leave office. Immediately. A Labour source questioned why senior ministers had defended Mr Cummings in light of the fresh allegations. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden tweeted shortly after the daily press conference had finished, saying: Dom Cummings followed the guidelines and looked after his family. End of story. Labour has, along with the SNP and the Liberal Democrats, written to Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill demanding an inquiry into what happened. A Labour source said: If these latest revelations are true, why on earth were Cabinet ministers sent out this afternoon to defend Dominic Cummings? Acting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said the PMs judgment would be called into question if he did not give Mr Cummings the chop. Surely Boris Johnson must now recognise the actions of his top adviser are an insult to the millions who have made huge personal sacrifices to stop the spread of coronavirus, said the former energy secretary. Responding to the allegations, a No 10 spokeswoman said: Yesterday the Mirror and Guardian wrote inaccurate stories about Mr Cummings. Today they are writing more inaccurate stories including claims that Mr Cummings returned to Durham after returning to work in Downing Street on 14 April. We will not waste our time answering a stream of false allegations about Mr Cummings from campaigning newspapers. Local media outlet discloses name of U.S.-registered buyer of Odesa stadium 21:40, 24.05.20 5815 The firm has up to 10 employees. Lucknow, May 24 : The Yogi Adityanath government has "modified" its decision to ban mobile phones in Covid hospitals. In a circular issued on Sunday afternoon, the state government has now allowed patients to carry their phones in isolation wards after making the disclosure to the officials concerned. The mobile phone and the charger will be thoroughly disinfected before the patient enters the ward. The patient will not be allowed to share the mobile phone with any other patient. At the time of being discharged, the mobile phone and charger will again be disinfected by the health workers. The 'modified' order comes hours after Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav tweeted that if the ban on mobile phones could check coronavirus, then the phones should be banned across the country. He had alleged that the mobile phones had been banned inside Covid hospitals so that patients are not able to inform their relatives and friends about the lack of facilities inside. - Adebanjo, Nwodo, Mimiko ...Buhari is not sincere in keeping the country together says Adebanjo President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, John Nwodo, Elder statesman and Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and former Governor of Ondo state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko have disclosed that Nigeria is operating an illegal Constitution forced on the people by the military. They spoke at video conference organized by Governance Index tagged, "Coronavirus Pandemic: is it time to reevaluate the political structure of the country. Opening the session, Nwodo said the constitution was given to Nigerians by the Military government which was not elected adding that in 1999, politicians went into the election without knowing the parameter that will guide the democratic process. He said the Military wrote the constitution for us and abandoned the agreement that our forefathers had with British before the Independence which was to operate a regional government. At the video conference which was the fifth in a series of the weekly conference series: 'Covid-19: Turning a crisis into opportunities', being sponsored by the Governance Index, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo said that Nigeria's political parties operate like companies owned by shareholders where there is no freedom to choose the candidates of your choice. He said the Nigeria electoral system is the most corrupt, the judiciary is compromised, while Nigerians have no confidence in the electoral process. Nwodo said, "We have never made constitution for Nigeria, it was given to us by the Armed Forces Ruling Council of the Military government, which was not elected, the composition of its legislative body was not chosen by any parameter known to anyone. "They wrote the constitution and abandoned the agreement our forefathers had with British when we got independence, for a regional based government in which every region has its security, its own economic development, with each exercising sovereignty over its resources and paid taxes to federal government to run common services for the federation, but today it is no longer the case. "Boko-Haram has completely paralysed our military and rendered them incapable of fulfilling their constitutional obligation to defend our Sovereignty, there is mutual distrust between the South and North, I mean far North, excluding middle belt. Working through your farms in any part of Southern Nigeria or the Middle belt has become a very frightening phenomenon. Nwodo lamented that our children who take up self-determination exercises without carrying arms are called terrorist organization, but herdsmen who are on rampage, who loot, kill, and rape are treated with kid gloves while their leaders threaten us in the Social media He added that 98 percent of heads of security personnel in the South East are non-indigenes, and as a consequence, there is poor security in the region. "Some of us that were trained in Europe and America, we know that in global parlance, local policing is the basis for any territory security. You have to know your territory, you have to speak the language, but if you post people to our area who do not know the terrain of the place, cannot speak the language, the situation is threatening the very fabric of our nation, that is why I am very happy to be part of Southern and Middle belt forum, which is saying we don't have a very valid constitution in Nigeria. We have got to restructure this federation and return to a constitution that is top notch, a Constitution made by the people, validated by a plebiscite, and voted for by the people. We must have a proper census of Nigerians, and not of Nigerien who crossed our borders and got to National Identity Management and claimed nationhood and that have no parentage in this country." Also, speaking at the session, Chief Adebanjo, the Afenifere leader agreed "totally" with the position of the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and added that if we are serious about keeping this country together, it is time to restructure back to true federalism. He said, The present constitution is an imposed constitution by the Muslim Military in the North. Nobody contributed to it. Even General Abdulsalam said he did not know what is in the constitution before he swore-in (fomer president) Obasanjo. "I will say without any hesitation we are all deceiving ourselves, (President) Buhari is not interested in keeping this country together that is why we are having this problem, that is why we are putting square pegs in a round hole, and that is why we tell him to keep to the constitution by the appointments he is making, but he said; no, I can only work with people I have confidence in, which is against the Federal Character Principle that the whole country is talking about. Buhari simply turn deaf ears to the agitation for restructuring that has been on for over five years. "All these arrangement we talking about now, he (Buhari) has never find an occasion to address it, even his military colleagues have now agreed that we should restructure, all his predecessors have agreed, all political parties have agreed, even his political party has agreed and yet Mr. President who says he is sincere has not said anything, he (Buhari) has private programme, he has a programme of his zone." "Buhari ignored the recommendations of the 2014 constitutional conference, he ignored the manifesto of his own party, and even ignored the recommendations of his own party, that is why I say we are not practicing democracy in this country." There is no sincerity on the part of Far North in putting this country together when people like me talk about the Unity of the country, I have gone through it. He said there is nothing in Nigeria Constitution that created 774 local governments in the country, that is the beginning of the fraud in which majority of the local governments are in the North while the Minority are in the South. He explained that what was in the independent constitution is for each federating Unit to be autonomous adding that through the independence constitution, Chief Awolowo was able to do a lot for us in the western region like free education, free medical services. Adebanjo accused elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai of hypocrisy for saying that proponents of restructuring have not explained to Nigerians what restructuring entails. Recall that during last weeks 4thedition of the video conference also organised by Governance Index, Yakasai had said the agitators of restructuring should come up with modalities for their proposal for proper scrutiny. But Adebanjo said that they attended the 2014 constitutional conference with Yakassai where the case for restructuring was carefully marshaled out, adding that what they are asking for is a country where everybody is satisfied and where there is no injustice adding that where there is injustice there can be no peace. According to Adebanjo, once there is injustice there can be no peace and when there is no peace, no equity, there will be no development. All things we are doing now is to play up to an individual. He wondered how could we have a democracy in a country where the party that is ruling is not democratic citing the issue of Ondo and Edo governorship elections where the expression of interest form cost N22 million. In his contribution, former governor of Ondo State, Dr Mimiko concurred with the position of Adebanjo and Nwodo on the restructuring agenda, adding that if we want to keep this country together there is need for us to restructure. He said, "I associate myself with the positions of former speakers, and whether we like it or not in this country, restructuring is an idea whose time has come." Other speakers at the video conference included Afenifere spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, Ms Ankio Briggs, and Mr Chido Onumah among others. Watch Video CROWNPOINT Growing up without running water or electricity in rural New Mexico on the Eastern Agency of the Navajo Nation in the 1950s, Daniel Tso contracted tuberculosis at the age of 5 and had to spend the next five years of his childhood in a TB sanatorium in Albuquerque. Tso, who is serving a third term as Navajo Nation Council delegate and is the chairman of the Councils Health, Education and Human Services Committee, remembered that on the first day at the Torreon Day School, the students lined up for the tuberculosis vaccination. At the time, officials would conduct a TB skin test. The next day, when I went to school, my right arm, where the skin test was made, was red and swollen, which meant I had TB, he said. I remember that I had to go home and put some clothes in a little suitcase, and I remember being in a government vehicle from Torreon to Crownpoint, where I spent one night at the hospital. I remember being out in a plane. I remember sitting by the pilot and looking down at some of the hogans along the way that turned into little dots. But I dont remember landing in Albuquerque, probably because I had fallen asleep. And then, in a vehicle to Albuquerque Indian Health Hospital, and remember being taken to a room on the fourth floor. Within a certain time, then, I was taken to a regular tuberculosis sanatorium where there were more Navajo children. Tso spent five years at that sanatorium. A U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs report of the late 1940s concludes that housing conditions of the Navajos were incredible to most Americans who have not seen them. The Navajo family lives in a hogan which is one room built of logs and mud without a floor or window. There are no sanitary facilities or modern conveniences. The report includes that most of the Navajo children are being housed in shacks, often two in a cast-off bed, or sleeping on dirt floors. With no toilets, conditions are shockingly unsanitary, and epidemics are frequent. The same report concludes that tuberculosis and pneumonia were the main causes of death among Navajos in the largest Navajo hospitals. Two main tuberculosis sanatoriums serving Navajos, one in Phoenix and the other in Albuquerque, provided six beds per 1,000 population in 1948, and they were considered inadequate. While there has been improvement on the Navajo Nation, a high percentage of the population still lives in similar conditions without running water, adequate housing or access to sanitation. Navajo authorities estimate 15,000 homes on the Navajo Nation lack running water and/or electricity. These inadequacies have been recently linked to the current crisis on the Navajo Nation, where Navajos are facing a devastating coronavirus outbreak. The Nation has the third-highest per capita infection rate, after New York and New Jersey. Tso, who earlier this year asked the governor of New Mexico to activate the Naataanii Development Corp. to gain access to Medicaid dollars to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 on the Navajo Nation, said the Nation has been making slow progress in developing a reliable water system to supply its communities, and efforts are finally paying off. Construction of a major water pipeline to move water from the San Juan River to various communities of the Navajo Nation continues, and part of the project on the Eastern Agency of the Navajo Nation is near completion. Patrick Page, deputy construction engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation said Tuesday that construction of the pipeline system on the Eastern Agency will be completed this summer and engineers expect to begin introducing this new water source into the existing distribution system by fall. Well be providing communities in that area with a more firm, reliable source of drinking water, Page said. Our plan, reclamation intent, is to transfer operation maintenance to Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. The eastern pipeline system is known as Cutter Lateral. Navajo Tribal Utility Authority Deputy Manager Rex Kontz said Tuesday that Cutter Lateral will serve about 1,579 homes. This project brings bulk water through the treatment plant out of Cutter Dam, he said. This replaces and increases water over the existing ground water supply. The project connects up all the smaller individual systems between Cutter Dam and all the way to Jicarilla. While Cutter Lateral will not immediately serve new homes, the project has potential for community growth and economic development across the chapters of the Eastern Agency along the path of the pipe, including Tsos hometown, Torreon. The western pipeline, which runs parallel to N.M. 491, is still under construction, with completion planned for no later than Dec. 31, 2024. While these systems might not be ready in time to help Navajos during the ongoing crisis, the tribe is moving in the right direction, Page said. It may not help to get us through this particular crisis, but will be there for future needs, he said. The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project is a major infrastructure undertaking that will convey a reliable municipal and industrial water supply from the San Juan River to the eastern section of the Navajo Nation, southwestern portion of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and Gallup through about 280 miles of pipeline, several pumping plants, and two water treatment plants, according to the project website. The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project is designed to provide a long-term sustainable water supply to meet the future population needs of approximately 250,000 people in these communities by the year 2040 through the annual delivery of 37,764 acre-feet of water from the San Juan Basin. The projects eastern branch will divert about 4,645 acre-feet of water annually, with no return flow to the San Juan River. The projects western branch will divert 33,119 acre-feet of water, with an anticipated average annual return flow of 1,871 acre-feet. Executive vice dean of academics Dr. Susan Cox initiated the live commencement ceremony for the students' graduation, which was streamed on the school's official YouTube channel. "We are celebrating our greatest hope at a time of unprecedented need," University of Austin president Gregory L. Fenves said, congratulating the 49 graduates of Dell medical school. Anticlimactic end to medical school The graduates then recited their Hippocratic oath, as 600 watchers composed of friends and family members sent their regards on the comment section. Leonard Edwards, 34, said that he and the rest of the emergency medicine physicians and forebears merely watched the pandemic unfold before their eyes in the emergency room without the license to help. He added that now, as a graduate from medical school in the middle of a pandemic, it felt a bit "anticlimactic". Nonetheless, in a month's time he would be heading to Detroit to complete his residency at Henry Ford Hospital. Like the rest of the graduates, he will be in the front lines of the pandemic as soon as he stepped out of his school's halls. Edwards cancelled his wedding last month with his significant other. As much as they had to let it go, he said he was more motivated to start working. At this time, he wanted to help purge the world of the coronavirus as much as he could, and he would not appreciate giving the job to someone else. He and his partner, who was also a fellow physician, were already mapping out logistics to prevent that from happening. He said that they wanted to take every precaution because the crisis was "real". In the midst of leaders and locals downplaying the pandemic, he firmly stood for the truth, which he believed was that everything was real. On behalf of the medical field, Edwards continued saying that health workers all over the country were disappointed by the amount of misinformation being spread, and how many people were believing it. He added that it was their duty to regain the trust of the public, who were wary of the medical industry. Check these out: Remote instruction for Texas colleges Graduating medical students in the United States would open their match letters to find out where they would be completing their residencies within the following three to seven years. This year, Match Day was set last March 20. Because of extended measures against the transmission of COVID-19, medical students from Dell, like many other universities, did not receive their match letters. Instead, they opened their emails together over video calls. At the same time, clinical rotations for Dell students were cancelled two months ago in March. The alternative assignments they were made to do were to finish requirements from home. This included compilation and sharing of resources on how to communicate to COVID-19 patients and their loved ones. Texas schools opted for remote instruction while social distancing was being encouraged. Other institutions would be sending off their own graduates virtually, promising a public outdoor ceremony in the future. Retired wing commander GB Athri has donated 1 lakh to adopt a giraffe, named Yadhunandan, in Bengalurus Bengaluru Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBBP). Athri said that he was thinking of adopting an animal for long and zeroed in on the giraffe as the species is vulnerable and needs to be taken care of. Both Athri and his wife are yet to see their baby, at the zoo where authorities encourage people to adopt animals. For the last two years I have been thinking of adopting an animal as I grew up with animals in my native village of Malenadu. There were three choices for me- lion, tiger, and giraffe, so I consulted my family members and while most of them wanted a lion or a tiger, my grandson suggested that I adopt a giraffe, said Athri. Giraffes are one of the most vulnerable species today. Around five-six years ago, there were 1,50,000 giraffes in the world, and today they have reduced to 97,000. They have been declared as vulnerable species and Yadhunandan (giraffe) is hardly 18 months old, he lost his mother and so he was relocated to BBBP, so I thought this is an opportunity to give back to nature, added Athri. Bengaluru: Retd. Wing Commander GB Athri adopts a giraffe,named Yadhunandan,at Bannerghatta Biological Park by donating Rs1 lakh. "Being from Malenadu, I grew up with animals around. The giraffe is now part of my family,"says Athri. His wife says they are yet to visit the animal. pic.twitter.com/1V4JnCDHIQ ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2020 He further said that the giraffe is a part of the family and they would take care of him in the years to come. As a family, we welcomed the idea and its a happy moment for us, there is one more addition in the family. We are yet to meet him, as soon as the zoo authorities give us permission, well go and have a look. People should come forward and adopt animals as its a noble act. Adopting a wild animal is very different and important as well, they are part of this planet and they should be looked after, said Suma Athri, his wife. According to zoo authorities Athri has become the first person to adopt a giraffe in Karnataka. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON What type of vaccine is it? The vaccine is called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) from chimpanzees that has been genetically changed so it is impossible for it to grow in humans. The intellectual rights to its vaccine are owned by the University of Oxford and a spin-out company called Vaccitech. Clinical teams at the Oxford University's Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group began developing the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in January. It's a type of immunisation known as a recombinant viral vector vaccine. Researchers place genetic material from the coronavirus into another virus thats been modified. They will then inject the virus into a human, hoping to produce an immune response against SARS-CoV-2. This virus, weakened by genetic engineering, is a type of virus called an adenovirus, the same as those which cause common colds, that has been taken from chimpanzees. If the vaccines can successfully mimic the spikes inside a person's bloodstream, and stimulate the immune system to create special antibodies to attack it, this could train the body to destroy the real coronavirus if they get infected with it in future. It was developed so rapidly by Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology, and her team because they already had a base vaccine for similar coronaviruses. The team have gone through stages of vaccine development that usually take five years in just four months. However, Professor Gilbert said that none of the normal safety steps had been missed out. What stage of testing is it at? The Oxford vaccine trial started testing its ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine on humans on April 23. The Phase I clinical trial will study safety and efficacy in healthy volunteers aged 18 to 55 years, across five trial centres in Southern England. It has recruited 1,100 people, half of whom will receive the vaccine and the other half (the control group) receiving a widely available meningitis vaccine. This is technically known as phase two of a vaccine trial, where the scientists test the vaccine against a placebo and work out the correct dosage. The first phase, which is a safety run where a small number of people are given the dose to see how the body reacts, is being run at the same time. If this work is successful, it will move forward into studies to see if the vaccine works against the real virus spreading in the community. Normally phase three - the final stage of testing - involves hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people across multiple sites for a long period of time. Who has had it? A family who are taking part in the trial have revealed what it was like to get the vaccine. Mother-of-four Katie, 46, took part in the groundbreaking trial with her husband Tony, 53, and daughter Rhiannon Viney, 19. All three have not reported any reactions since having the jab. None of them know whether they have received the coronavirus vaccine or the placebo meningitis one. But time will tell if it will protect them from catching the virus from someone. A family from Oxford who are taking part in the first coronavirus vaccine trial have said it was their duty to take part Katie told The Express: 'I don't think any of us feels like we have done anything remarkable - we just wanted to do something to help, anything. I just thought of all the children at my school who are missing their friends and are desperate to return to some sort of normality.' She added: 'We didn't hesitate to participate. We have done our bit for Britain and we are proud.' Tony said: 'When you think that at any one time there are four billion people in lockdown around the world it is trials like this that could help.' Katie said she was not worried about any health risks from taking part in the trial because she believes the team have done everything they could to make it safe. She added: 'Lots of people are being very negative about it, but it is going to be safe, they are not going to take the risk with people's lives.' Will it be successful? Professor Gilbert has been vocal about her confidence in the vaccine. She acknowledged nobody can be 'completely certain' that it is possible to find a vaccine for Covid-19, but the prospects are 'very good'. In an interview with The Times before trials began, Professor Gilbert told the paper she is '80 per cent' confident of its success, 'based on other things that we have done with this type of vaccine'. University of Oxford scientists are confident they can get the jab for the incurable virus rolled out for millions to use by autumn. But Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific advisor to the Government, has said expectations for a vaccine need to be tempered. Writing in The Guardian ahead of the Oxford trials, Sir Patrick wrote: 'All new vaccines that come into development are long shots; only some end up being successful, and the whole process requires experimentation. This will take time, and we should be clear it is not a certainty.' What obstacles will the team face? Some obstacles are expected to emerge while searching for a vaccine. For example, if transmission levels of COVID-19 levels drop in the community, it could hamper the Oxford study. Professor Gilbert has said they may have to continue their trials in other countries where more of the virus is circulating in the community. In this case, it could be at least six months before researchers know if the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine works. If transmission remains high in the UK, the team could get data within a couple of months. Andrew Pollard, who is part of the Oxford team, said there may be hurdles when testing the vaccine on older people. 'For most vaccines the immune system in older adults, particularly those over 70, doesn't make such good responses,' he said. 'If we did see weaker responses in older adults we also have in our plan that we would look at giving additional doses in that age group to try and improve the immune response.' Professor Gilbert had previously said her team needed help manufacturing the jabs, warning the UK did not have the facilities to do it alone, before a deal was struck with AstraZeneca. How does it compare to other vaccines? According to the World Health Organisation, 118 COVID-19 vaccines are in development worldwide as of May 15.. But the UK now joins only the United States and China in beginning human trials. Eight vaccine candidates are now in preclinical trials. The other British vaccine contender was designed by Imperial College London. Volunteers for clinical trials will be recruited to start the study in June. Robin Shattock, a professor of mucosal infection, said the early volunteers would be given low doses of the vaccine to test its safety. Imperial's vaccine uses a different approach to that of Oxford. It will try to deliver genetic material (RNA) from the coronavirus which programs cells inside the patient's body to recreate the spike proteins. It will transport the RNA inside liquid droplets injected into the bloodstream. Poverty and lack of work during the lockdown enforced to prevent the spread of Covid-19 drove a migrant couple in Hyderabad to try and sell their two-month old son for Rs 22,000 through a mediator on Sunday. Jeedimetla police arrested the couple, Madan Kumar Singh, 32, and Saritha, 30, of Uttar Pradesh, who came to Hyderabad a few years ago to work as construction labourers.Another woman, identified as Seshu, who was brokering the deal, was also taken into custody. The child was the couples second son; the first is seven years old. We have rescued the child and shifted him to Sishu Vihar being run by the women and child welfare department authorities, P V Padmaja Reddy, deputy commissioner of police of Balanagar, said . She said enquiries revealed that the couple was in acute poverty. We are investigating as to whether there were any other reasons for the sale of the child, the DCP said. Jeedimetla police said the couple had apparently thought they would not be able to raise the second child. The childs mother told the police that her husband was also used to consuming alcohol and was pestering her for money to buy liquor. The couple managed to find a broker Seshu, known to the couple, who reportedly found a childless couple who agreed to buy the child for Rs 22,000. On receiving a tipoff, we caught Seshu, who was taking the child for a medical examination, a police officer said. Andhra Pradesh Balala Hakkula Sangham (child rights association) president P Achyuta Rao said it was the responsibility of the state government to come to the rescue of daily-wage workers who were in extreme poverty because of the lockdown. The department of women and child welfare should launch an awareness campaign about the cradle scheme among the poor people who were resorting to selling of new-born babies, he said. Cradle (Ooyala in Telugu) scheme is meant for taking care of abandoned children or children who were sold by their parents, by Women and Child Welfare Department. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In a litany of charges against Beijing, 'The United States Strategic Approach To The People's Republic of China' report released by the White House, has said that the OBOR projects frequently operate well outside of international standards and "are characterized by poor quality, corruption, environmental degradation, a lack of public oversight or community involvement, opaque loans, and contracts generating or exacerbating governance and fiscal problems in host nations". Incidentally, last week, an inquiry committee constituted by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to examine the losses in the Power sector, discovered corruption worth 100 billion Pakistani rupees by the Chinese private power producers. This has led to the bloating of Pakistan's debt, the inquiry committee report said. The committee attributed the losses incurred by the Pakistani government due to "violation of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that include the cost of the installation of Independent Power Producers (IPPs), government agreements, alleged embezzlement in fuel consumption, power tariff, guaranteed profit in dollars, and certain conditions of power purchase". Though the White House vision document did not mention Pakistan but it said that given China's "increasing use of economic leverage to extract political concessions from or exact retribution against other countries, the United States judges that Beijing will attempt to convert OBOR projects into undue political influence and military access". Many of the OBOR projects, the US outlook paper said, appear designed to reshape international norms, standards, and networks to advance Beijing's global interests and vision, while also serving China's domestic economic requirements. Through OBOR and other initiatives, China is expanding the use of Chinese industrial standards in key technology sectors, part of an effort to strengthen its own companies' position in the global marketplace at the expense of non-Chinese firms, the report said. The OBOR projects which include transportation, information and communications technology and energy infrastructure; industrial parks; media collaboration; science and technology exchanges; programs on culture and religion; and even military and security cooperation, frequently operate well outside international standards, the White House said. President Xi Jinping's ambitious projects, the US government said, "are characterized by poor quality, corruption, environmental degradation, a lack of public oversight or community involvement, opaque loans, and contracts generating or exacerbating governance and fiscal problems in host nations". Beijing, the White House said, uses a combination of threat and inducement to pressure governments, elites, corporations, think tanks, and others - often in an opaque manner - to toe the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) line and censor free expression. Accusing the CCP of repression, the US said, Beijing has restricted trade and tourism with Australia, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Norway, the Philippines, and others, and has detained Canadian citizens, in an effort to interfere in their countries' internal political and judicial processes. After the Dalai Lama visited Mongolia in 2016, the PRC government imposed new tariffs on land-locked Mongolia's mineral exports passing through China, temporarily paralyzing Mongolia's economy, the report pointed out. --IANS aat/in Eid-ul-Fitr will be a low-key affair in Goa in view of the coronavirus pandemic and the national lockdown, which has has restricted public gatherings. Muslim religious leaders have appealed to members of the community to offer namaz at their homes and to mark the festival by helping the people in need. Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramzan, will be celebrated across the country on Monday. The coastal state, which comprises two districts, has so far reported 66 coronavirus positive cases. In an advisory, Shaikh Bashir Ahmad, who heads the Association of the All Goa Muslims Jamats, also asked Muslims to follow social distancing norms and not crowd markets for shopping. "Eid-Ul-Fitr namaz shall not be held at any masjid or Idgah across the state of Goa. We request our brothers to offer 'chasht namaz', 'Nafl' from their respective homes along with their family members," he said. Even offering namaz in an open area in a locality is not allowed, Shaikh said. "Kindly follow the guidelines issued by the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) regarding prohibitions to be followed during the lockdown," Shaikh stated. He pointed out that the government of Goa had already imposed section 144 of the CrPc preventing assembly of more than four persons in public. "Do not crowd markets for Eid-Ul-Fitr shopping, follow social distancing norms and use of face masks at all times," it said. Shaikh also appealed to Muslims to take care of their neighbours and help people in need to mark the festival. "Helping the people in need will be the real celebration of Eid-Ul-Fitr this year. Kindly pray for the safety of our frontline warriors like doctors, para-medical staff, police personnel etc. and also for the eradication of coronavirus in Goa, India and the whole world," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Historian David Olusoga OBE, 50, presents A House Through Time on BBC2. He lives with his partner and their daughter in Bristol. I was brought up on a council estate in Gateshead. Through university, I worked in bars and in a power station. I stopped having a two-day weekend aged 16. I realised becoming an academic felt like never leaving school, and instead I wanted to work for the BBC and make history documentaries. I didnt necessarily think I could do it. But its important to try something before you complain you werent given the chance. When I did work experience in London, I slept on my sister Yinkas sofa. That gave me just four months to get a paid media job. When I was on the brink of having to admit defeat, I got a job as a temporary researcher at BBC Radio 4, then later I became a radio producer. David Olusoga, 50, (pictured) who lives in Bristol, revealed his career has been shaped by insecurity and the feeling that he can't take his foot off the pedal I think its impossible for anyone of my background to not feel they have a lot to prove. I still dont feel I can take my foot off the pedal. In some ways my entire career has been shaped by insecurity, that feeling that Im not part of that inner club with the old school ties. When I write about the Empire or slavery or racism in Britain, I sometimes get criticised for being unpatriotic. I love this country, but a mature nation can be honest about its inglorious chapters. For the new series of A House Through Time, we look at an 18th-century sea captains house in Bristol and uncover stories of piracy, slavery and doomed romance. We also talk about World War II, which makes you think about the demands made on people in wartime. Lockdown has been oppressive, but were not being asked to work in a munitions factory or endure rationing. In the 20th and 21st century, weve been able to imagine our futures with a fair degree of confidence that were going to be able to build the lives we want. Most generations have not had that level of security. They lived with the risk of war, pestilence, harvests failing. Its a huge shift to go from the idea that the future awaits us, to the future isnt certain. But weve been able to keep in touch. My mother loves the IT revolution. If I have a problem with my computer, I phone my mum. The world as it was is not coming back. But as a historian Im struck by how people are able to adapt. A House Through Time starts on BBC2 on Tuesday. No Communion cup. No kids ministry. No social hour. No handshakes, and certainly no hugs. Church looks different in Billings now from how it did before the time of COVID-19. But as congregations begin meeting again in person, members are pleased to be together. We had significantly less people that first weekend, but the ones that were there were so grateful, said the Rev. Steve Zabrocki, parish priest at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Billings. They were happy to be back at Mass and they certainly expressed it. Numbers have continued to grow since St. Thomas reopened April 26. Other parishioners have continued to watch services online. Some stay home because of their concerns and fears, and thats OK too, Zabrocki said. An informal survey by The Gazette of nearly three dozen churches in Billings revealed they are split almost evenly between those that have reopened and those that remain closed. About half the shuttered churches in the telephone survey have set a date to reopen. The rest are in discussions about when to make that happen. Most churches stopped holding services on or around March 26, when Gov. Steve Bullock implemented the stay-at-home directive. Many turned to online services to continue ministering to members, either live-streaming or taping messages for later airing. A month later, on April 26, Bullock, in his Phase One reopening directive, gave churches the green light to reopen. It came with the caveat that places of worship were to operate at a reduced capacity; employ strict physical distancing protocols; and avoid gathering in groups of more than 10 if space limitations hindered social distancing. Challenges for small churches The Rev. Wendy Ochs, pastor of Evangelical United Methodist Church, said her church of about 80 people is still closed. it will be up to the leadership of the church, using UMC protocols and state guidelines, to decide when to reopen. We all recognized even though we had permission to go back to worship, to do it safely we needed time to plan and prepare, Ochs said. Deciding how many people can come inside the sanctuary to allow for social distancing, creating sanitizing stations and recruiting volunteers to help clean between services are all a challenge for a small church. Requiring masks, and especially prohibiting singing, will be tough, she said. Ochs said at the start of the shutdown, the Methodist churches in town began to work together to keep an online presence. Different pastors recorded various parts of the service, which were then edited together and put on the church websites. DVDs and CDs were mailed to members who couldnt watch the service live. And a phone tree allowed staff and volunteers to check in with others. It gave people a chance to develop relationships, Ochs said. A lot of people have consistently tuned in to the services, she said. People shes never met or hasnt seen for a long time have taken advantage of church online. I cant speak for all pastors, but were seeing these new opportunities to reach out to people, Ochs said. Were going to have to continue some of this when we get back together because its working. The last Sunday in May, all of the Methodist congregations plan to gather together at Shiloh United Methodist Church for parking lot worship as a fun way to get back together, she said. After that, pastors at each church will decide when to reopen. The new normal Elevation, a nondenominational church that sits just west of MetraPark, reopened on May 3. Before then, a lot of time went into sanitizing the buildings interior, said the Rev. Roger Dayton. They've also set up sanitizing stations for the returning members. To create the proper social spacing, the staff removed chairs from the auditorium and rearranged the rest into pods six feet apart from the others. But that was only the start of the changes that members saw when they returned. We dont do snacks or coffee, Dayton said. Theres no nursery or childrens church. We took that off the table until Phase Two. Instead of passing the donation plate, theres a collection container in the back of the church. Theres no hanging out in the lobby after services to talk and chat and hug friends. Dayton calls that the hardest aspect of the new normal because we want to foster an environment of relationships. For us to say sorry guys, you cant hang out here,' thats a difficult thing. Injecting some humor into the situation helps, he said. In the past, the service included a meet-and-greet time, where participants turned to each other to say hi and shake hands. Now, they are instructed to meet and wave at each other, usually to an upbeat tune like U Cant Touch This, by MC Hammer, to make it fun, Dayton said. Typically, the church, which counts a lot of young families among its members, sees an average of 520 people on a weekend. When Elevation reopened after the COVID-19 closure, the first week had 120 people in attendance, which increased to 174 the second and 184 the third. One reason for the lower numbers is likely tied to the lack of child care. Its tough to have a kid in a service, so parents have said theyll probably just stay home and watch online until the kids ministry opens up, Dayton said. That will happen in Phase Two, which Bullock just announced will begin June 1. The Catholic response The 100-plus Catholic parishes in the Great Falls-Billings Diocese received a three-page memo from Bishop Michael Warfel outlining safety protocols needed to restart public worship after Bullocks announcement. Darren Eultgen, chancellor for the diocese, said the parishes scrambled in a good way to figure out how to implement social distancing and develop cleaning procedures, while continuing to air Mass online. It was up to individual priests to determine an opening date, Eultgen said. For a number of churches in eastern and central Montana, particularly small parishes, it took time to figure out how they were going to implement the changes, he said. For older, medically vulnerable priests, the thought of going out in public caused some trepidation. The diocese gave them alternatives on how to serve their parishes and stay safe. They want to serve people, but they had their own concerns about how to open up their church, Eultgen said. Now, a few weeks in, I believe all of our places are open for at least some masses on the weekend. In Billings, Zabrocki said St. Thomas worked hard to navigate both the temporary closure and the churchs reopening. To begin with, the parish that had never offered online services had to do just that. We started practicing with daily Mass, so we could tweak it, Zabrocki said. We filmed the Mass Saturday afternoon for the weekend. Then came Holy Week: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, all masses that typically produce a church packed with the faithful. There I was to celebrate those liturgies with no one there except the reader and the person running the video camera, he said. It turned out well. People were so very appreciative. Mulling over how to stay in touch with members, to make sure they were OK and to offer them assistance, Zabrocki sent an email to parishioners. Then he and others made phone calls to elderly members, particularly ones who didnt live with family. To ready the church building for reopening, the staff roped off pews to help maintain social distancing. The interior was sanitized, something that is repeated between the two Sunday morning gatherings. Following diocesan directions, during Mass the parish eliminated the Sign of Peace, when congregants turn and speak to each other. Hand-holding, and the use of the cup during Communion, were omitted, hymnals and holy water removed. People are not required to take Communion, but those who do form a single line and maintain six feet from each other. They receive the bread in their hand, not on their tongue. Hand sanitizer is available when people walk into the church. Participants are encouraged, though not required, to wear masks. And people are asked to leave right after so the building can be cleaned before the next Mass. Zabrocki didnt know how many people hed see for that first Sunday Mass. About 160 came when normally 350 to 400 show up. For the second Mass, one-fourth of the normal 400 turned out. The Mass is still taped and put online, for parishioners who prefer to watch from home. But numbers keep going up. At a recent Mass, for the first time, people were turned away because of the reduced capacity required for social distancing. Were in the process of figuring out whats the best way for us to hopefully livestream the Mass from the church to the church community center for the overflow, Zabrocki said. People are getting more comfortable with getting out. The coronavirus shouldnt make you hold it. Public restrooms, along with 13 other activities and destinations, were evaluated for their likelihood of spreading the coronavirus (COVID-19) in a series of NPR interviews with epidemiologists. There are all sorts of things that you can catch from other peoples poop, and you almost never do, because theyre set up with all hard surfaces that can be cleaned," Landon told NPR. Small restrooms, or those on the outside of highwayside gas stations do pose higher riskers, Landon told NPR. And overall, the use of public restrooms is assessed as low to medium risk" in the article. But other, otherwise common late spring and summer activities carry higher risks. Below, weve pulled out some of the key points on going to a pool or beach, dining our, attending a religious service or getting a haircut, along with some tips about how to make each more manageable. All outings carry risk, and the more people in less space, the more dangerous. Dining out People talk inside restaurants, and linger, and so does any coronavirus they might spread. Its one of the worst activities one could participate in. Its hard to eat with a mask on. Strict BYO backyard gatherings with a single other household, however, are considered low risk." The beach, or a popular pool If the same social distancing rules six feet applied on land are maintained in the water, then its comparatively low risk." A crowded beach or a pool makes that harder, however, and kids shouldnt be playing with other kids, then seeing their grandmother afterward, Landon said. Because grandma could get sick and die from the coronavirus that was otherwise being carried asymptomatically. Getting a haircut Also a bad idea, it requires someone to stand very close to and breathe on you for extended periods of time, noted Dr. Abraar Kanan, a physician and public heath researcher at Harvard Medical School. If customers and workers wear masks and wash their hands constantly, it gets a little better, but just one customer or worker being an asymptomatic carrier can make a salon or barbershop a local epicenter of infection. Attending a religious service One of the worst possible ideas on this list. Singing, talking, breathing and generally being in close proximity to people from other households for an extended period of time are among the basic elements of spreading the coronavirus. University of North Carolina Chapel Hill epidemiologist Kimberly Powers noted a church service in rural Arkansas from which 35 of 92 people in attendance went on to develop COVID-19, the disease people who fall ill from the coronavirus contract. Limiting attendance, wearing masks and spreading out attendees helps somewhat. 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. EDWARDSVILEE State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, has pledged to donate the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) lawmakers will receive for the next fiscal year to the Cougar Cupboard food pantry and I Support the Girls Edwardsville to show support for community organizations that help residents in need. It is unconscionable that politicians could consider accepting a pay raise while so many Illinoisans are struggling to make ends meet due to the COVID-19 crisis, said Stuart. I have continually fought against gold-plated perks for politicians and fought for legislation to block lawmaker pay if a balanced state budget was not passed. During the last General Assembly, with overwhelming bipartisan support, Stuart passed legislation to freeze lawmaker reimbursement rates and block an automatic cost of living adjustment from going into effect in the upcoming fiscal year. In 2017, Stuart passed similar legislation, which was signed into law. While a cost of living adjustment was included in the budget plan recently passed by lawmakers, I am continuing my commitment to promote fiscal responsibility and stand up for our families, Stuart said. So I will be donating these funds to two great organizations here in the Metro East that support residents in need the Cougar Cupboard and I Support the Girls. Stuart recently co-hosted a virtual food drive for the Cougar Cupboard, which is fully supported by donations and has continually prepared emergency boxes for students, staff and faculty facing hardship during the COVID-19 health crisis. Stuart will be donating a portion of her COLA to the Cougar Cupboard to help alleviate the burden theyve felt due to a spike in demand. Many students of SIUe are experiencing food insecurity because of uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to this we have been faced with an increase in need that heavily overloaded our pantry supply, said Carolyn Compton, Assistant Director for Community Engagement, who oversees the Cougar Cupboard, SIUEs on-campus food pantry. The Cougar Cupboard thanks Rep. Stuart for her continued support of our campus and food pantry, and her work for families in the Metro East, many of whom are tied to SIUe. Stuart has also been an outspoken advocate for organizations like I Support the Girls Edwardsville, which works to increase access to period products for women in need. Stuart recently introduced House Bill 3991, which would require public universities and community colleges throughout the state to provide free feminine hygiene products in the bathrooms of their public buildings, and passed bipartisan legislation to require homeless shelters to provide period products free of charge. Our organization would like to thank Rep. Stuart for her continued advocacy and support of I Support the Girls, and her work to pass commonsense legislation to address period poverty in Illinois, said Dr. Alicia Alexander, Affiliate Director of I Support the Girls Edwardsville. Her donation is just one more way that she is showing her dedication to our efforts and support for women and girls in need throughout our region. With the 2018 truce between President Uhuru Kenyatta and rival Mr Raila Odinga providing a strong political foundation, talks to create a broader unity pact with various parties and leaders continue. This comes in the background of a fallout in the ruling Jubilee Party between President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto. And while the Handshake and the consequent Building Bridges Initiative are said to be for national unity and cohesion, at a personal level, Mr Kenyatta and Mr Odinga have obvious political interests to advance and safeguard. The interests mainly revolve around Mr Kenyatta's succession and a more immediate reorganisation of government at various levels -- hence the need to rope in other "like-minded" players. But what do these leaders bring to the table and is joining any "unity" deal good idea for their political careers? Raila Odinga The former prime minister presents the biggest political relief as well as dilemma to President Kenyatta and his henchmen. This is because he has greatly helped the President navigate through a very difficult leg of his administration, and Kenyatta's backers are in a quandary over how best to appreciate Mr Odinga's efforts in the run-up to the 2022 presidential poll. With 77 MPs in the National Assembly and 20 senators, seven of who are nominated, the ODM party leader has played a central role in driving the President's agenda in Parliament, including the ongoing purge in the Senate leadership whose latest casualty is Kindiki Kithure, who was ousted last Friday as the deputy speaker. Lawyer Ahmednassir Abdullahi, in a tweet, said that the eventual break-up of Jubilee implies that "ODM and Baba are now the de-facto rulers of Kenya. H.E Uhuru will be beholden to them and ODM will be calling the shots until the elections in 2022". While these facts are obviously exaggerated, the import of the lawyer's sentiment is that Mr Odinga and ODM have been bequeathed a huge role of protecting and shouldering the burden of the Kenyatta presidency. Ideally, Mr Odinga is the engine behind the execution of the plot to politically neutralise DP Ruto. The former PM is also the face of the BBI, having spearheaded countrywide rallies to popularise the initiative. While Mr Odinga's role in aiding the smooth running of the Kenyatta administration as well as keeping in check the DP, who has fallen out with the President, is clear, the biggest headache to Mr Kenyatta's handlers lies in managing the post 2022 expectations of the 74-year old politician. According to former Cabinet minister, Prof Amukowa Anangwe, this is not the kind of impression a competitive political party would wish to have in the eyes of the electorate. Prof Anangwe, who is a political sociologist, observes that Mr Odinga should tread carefully as the dalliance could negatively affect him ahead of the 2022 elections. Alert to this reality, ODM Chairman John Mbadi says the truce deal was designed to enable the government offer service delivery better "and not thrust ODM or Raila to power". In fact, Mr Mbadi sees an opportunity for ODM to reclaim its position as the "people's watchman". "It has come to the realisation of Kenyans that the so-called Tangatanga group (Jubilee faction allied to Ruto) that has been posturing as Opposition is obsessed more with Ruto's presidential bid than the common man's interest." Musalia Mudavadi The Amani National Congress leader is playing hard to get, giving everyone on the political scene hopes of teaming up with him yet not making concrete commitments with any of the probable suitors. Mudavadi, who became Cabinet minister in 1989 aged 28 and who has similarly served as vice-president and deputy prime minister, has been politically active longer than most of his rivals and understandably enjoys cordial relations across the board. Except for 2013 when he bolted out of ODM to vie for presidency, for instance, Mudavadi has worked closely with Mr Odinga in opposition since 2007. He has been even closer to Mr Kenyatta, whose presidential bid he supported in 2002 alongside Dr Ruto. And last December, Mr Kenyatta gave the ANC leader a ride on the presidential chopper to Garissa County, a day after lengthy discussions between the two on the evening of Jamhuri Day, thereby heightening speculation the two were plotting a political pact. But now the President's handlers are enraged at Mudavadi, who is instead busy pinpointing at the Kenyatta administration's failures in his now frequent press releases. The actions of Mudavadi are indeed addling. Is the former Sabatia MP an unreliable ally or is he disinterested in teaming up with the President? Alternatively, is he just indecisive or convinced that going it alone is the best avenue to clinching the presidency? Prof Anangwe explains Mudavadi's approach of "being friendly and critical to all" is a good and cautious strategy "because the political scene is so fluid and no one knows how things will pan out". Nonetheless, this approach is unpopular with some in the President's corner. "The stars are lined up for him (Mudavadi) this time around and this is a once in lifetime happening. But instead of seizing the opportunity to play ball and eventually succeed the President, he is busy fighting him," says a Jubilee Party insider, who spoke on conditions of anonymity. Lugari MP Ayub Savula concurs by advising his party leader "to take advantage of the rift within Jubilee to push through his succession plans". However, the MP regrets Mr Mudavadi may blow up his chances of becoming President, owing to his refusal to stay close to his friend, the President. "Ruto is the strongest candidate for the top seat, so how can one dream of winning the presidency without teaming up with others to outsmart the frontrunner?" poses the ANC deputy party leader. Reached for comment, Mr Mudavadi declined to respond. However, a top aide at his presidential campaign secretariat separately explained that his boss was unaware of "this kind of union of butcher men" to which he hasn't been invited. "But assuming it exists, after the union has slaughtered Ruto, who would be next? In any case, were he to be invited he would decline purely on principle that the objective is short-sighted - built on erroneous assumption that the solution to Kenya's problems is an individual? That's not defending Ruto but to say the obvious - that vengeance, hatred, deceit and betrayal isn't Mudavadi's style." Noting his party leader and the President "are buddies", Mr Mudavadi's aide claims those who want him to join the "lynch mob" fear the ex-VP will spoil the party from outside, "hence the spirited dirty attempts to soil his relationship with the President". According to the aide, Mr Mudavadi is wanted inside so he can be contained. With 14 MPs in the National Assembly affiliated to his party - 13 elected and one nominated - and three others in Senate, Mr Mudavadi remains a crucial player in the President's succession matrix including pushing through his agenda in Parliament. Kalonzo Musyoka For long, he has been chided as a slow-paced politician, who prefers hiding behind the wait-and-see approach. But this time around, the Wiper party leader is clearly and firmly focused. And he is in a great hurry. Since his declaration in November 2018 during his father's funeral that he was ready to be President Kenyatta's "mtu wa mkono (errand boy)", the former VP has moved with speed to formalise his working relations with the Jubilee Party leader. Mr Kalonzo, who had all along expressed intentions of working with Kenyatta, formalised the ties on Friday a couple of days after Kanu signed a post-poll pact with the Jubilee Party. The former VP went ahead, despite legal challenges that restrict member parties of Nasa from entering into new coalitions, thereby attracting immediate protest from Nasa founder, Mudavadi. While the ANC leader points out that one cannot be in two coalitions at the same time, Kalonzo, a lawyer by profession, appears to have manoeuvred around this legal impediment by instead entering into a "cooperation agreement" with Mr Kenyatta. The ODM leader, for instance, already has a "cooperation" deal with the President, only that it has not been inked the way Kalonzo plans to. Maintaining the cooperation agreement "does not breach our agreements under Nasa", the Wiper leader said, explaining the move is aimed at enhancing national cohesion in the country. But of course, the decision by the Wiper party is strategic, geared at securing the party's and Kalonzo's place in the next government. Elected to Parliament in 1985, Kalonzo, who served as Kenya's 10th vice-president, has the longest experience in elective politics compared to political rivals. He has vied once for presidency and twice as running mate of Mr Odinga, and is this time around determined to form or be a key player in the next government. Recently, he explained that ascending to power requires more than winning an election, "otherwise Raila and I would have been sworn in at some point". Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Kenya Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. According to Kalonzo, one needs to have "the system" on his side, meaning the machinery of the incumbency. "We have a presidential candidate and we must put together a team of like-minded individuals and institutions to back our candidate," says Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua. In the meantime, the President would gladly benefit from the support of Wiper's 23 MPs in the National Assembly and three in the Senate in his ongoing battle for numbers with his deputy. In the last one week, the Wiper party leader has hosted Kanu Chairman Gideon Moi, Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetang'ula and his Chama Cha Mashinani counterpart Isaac Ruto at his Karen home in Nairobi. Although details of the meeting remain scanty, Kalonzo's allies point out to a coalition building effort. However, it remains unclear whether or the Wiper leader is doing the spade work for Kenyatta or for his own presidential bid. Gideon Moi The inclusion of the Kanu national chairman in Kenyatta's emerging coalition is the clearest indication that DP Ruto does not feature in the President's succession matrix. Much as Ruto enjoys a near fanatical support in Rift Valley, Gideon represents the alternative political leadership in the region. By embracing Gideon and Chama Cha Mashinani's Ruto in his new plot, the President seems determined to clip the wings of his deputy. And since being handed the baton of leadership by his elder brother and Rongai MP, Raymond Moi, during the funeral service of their father, Daniel arap Moi, in February, Gideon has greatly improved in his politicking and oratory skills. During his father's funeral, he for cunningly "prescribed" prayers for "troubled Ruto". "Having stayed by Mzee's bedside for long in the hospital, I have over the time grasped the various types of medication. I can even make prescriptions just by looking at one. Like the DP, I would say he needs prayers," he joked, perhaps with a symbolic message, to the amusement of mourners. Gideon relies heavily on the backing of vocal Kanu hawks like Central Organisation of Trade Unions Secretary-General Francis Atwoli and party secretary-general Nick Salat. Vietnamese companies have hit roadblocks in settling disputes with Chinese contractors in five fertilizer, shipbuilding and steel producing projects. The state-owned companies that developed these projects have not been able to come to an agreement with Chinese contractors in determining a new investment value for them after changes in technical design and the number of equipment were made, according to a government report submitted to the National Assembly. As the delays in these projects have lasted years, the two parties have also not agreed on the amount of tax to be paid and fines for late filings, it said. Three of these projects, developed by the Vietnam National Chemical Group (Vinachem), involve the construction and expansion of fertilizer plants in northern provinces. The fourth, developed by energy giant Petrovietnam, involves the expansion of a plant belonging to the Dung Quat Shipbuilding Industry Company Ltd. in the central province of Quang Ngai. The fifth involves the expansion of a plant belonging to the Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel Jsc (TISCO) in the northern province of Thai Nguyen. The government has proposed that the disputes be taken to court or an international arbiter, but consultants have said there is very little chance of winning and legal costs could exceed current disputed values. These five are among 12 loss-making projects of the Ministry of Industry and Trade which have seen their total costs balloon by 46 percent to VND63.6 trillion ($2.7 billion). Most of this investment, 75 percent, comprise loans from domestic banks and from other sources with government guarantees. After three years of the government trying to settle these 12 projects, only two have become profitable. Another two have seen a reduction in losses and one has resumed operation after a hiatus. The remaining seven are still not operational or have not completed construction. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 24, 2020 08:48 606 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd9d593f 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,Jokowi,Iriana-Joko-Widodo,Idul-Fitri,Idul-fitri-holiday,Idul-Fitri-prayer Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo and first lady Iriana wished all Indonesians a happy Idul Fitri in a subdued video greeting as the country celebrates the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan differently amid the COVID-19 outbreak. It is customary for Indonesians to gather with their families in their hometowns for Idul Fitri, in a tradition known as mudik (exodus). This year, however, the government has banned the mudik to curb the spread of COVID-19. We celebrate differently, because [now] we all need to make sacrifices to refrain from the usual mudik and [family] gatherings, Jokowi said in a video message on the State Palace YouTube channel on Saturday. He urged the public to prioritize their health and that of their families. I am sure that, together, as a country, we can make it through this trying time, he said. Happy Idul Fitri, forgive me for my physical and emotional wrongdoings. The President himself would be spending the holiday at Bogor Palace in West Java instead of his hometown Surakarta in Central Java, presidential spokesperson Angkie Yudistia said separately. This is part of the Presidents commitment to physical distancing and reducing the potential for COVID-19 transmission, she said in a statement on Saturday. Gatherings and open house events are also temporarily canceled, as current conditions do not allow for them. Previously, Coordinating Legal, Political and Human Rights Minister Mahfud MD noted that mass Idul Fitri prayers in mosques or public squares had been prohibited through the Health Ministrys regulation on large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) and the 2018 Health Quarantine Law. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), chaired by Vice President Maruf Amin, has also issued a fatwa that allows Idul Fitri prayers to be performed at home. The virus outbreak has also forced Muslims to forgo other religious rituals and traditions during Ramadan as the Religious Affairs Minister called to avoid performing the tarawih (evening Ramadan prayers) in congregation as well as visiting relatives graves. During their ten-day stay, experts will visit the Temporary Care and Isolation Center at the Pan American Village and Villa El Salvador Emergency Hospital, joined by a Chinese diplomat and an interpreter. "() They bring experience and knowledge. Besides, they will work, side by side, with our professionals (infectologists and intensivists) from different health facilities for ten days, as part of a global effort to fight the epidemic," Minister Zamora stated. "In the case of China, there is a comprehensive support including knowledge, teams, and joint efforts," the Cabinet member expressed. El embajador de la Republica Popular China en el Peru, Liang Yu, senalo que esta visita es una muestra de la profunda hermandad y alto nivel de cooperacion entre Peru y China. pic.twitter.com/IfvkMausD0 Mumbai: The political slugfest over Shramik Special trains refuses to die down with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal engaging in a war of words over the issue on Sunday, with the Shiv Sena chief accusing the Railways of not providing enough trains to the state despite demand. In an address to the state on Sunday, Thackeray said that while he had demanded 80 migrant special trains per day for the state to ferry migrants home, it was getting only 40. Goyal took a dig at the Maharashtra CM through a tweet, saying the Railways was ready to send as many trains as required to states, provided they do not "return empty". "I hope that these trains will not have to leave empty after arriving at the station like it has happened earlier. I would like to assure you that the trains you need will be available," tweeted Goyal, referring to earlier occasions when migrants did not board special trains. Thackeray in his address also said that the state had paid Rs 85 crore so far towards these trains. Goyal tweeted, "We are ready to provide 125 Shramik Special trains to Maharashtra. Since you have said that you have a list ready that is why I am requesting you to please provide all information like from where the train will run, the list of passengers according to the trains, their medical certificate and where the train is to go, to the General Manager of Central Railway within the next hour, so that we can plan the time of trains." Where is the list for 125 trains from Maharashtra? As of 2am, received list of only 46 trains of which 5 are to West Bengal and Odisha which cannot operate due to cyclone Amphan. We are notifying only 41 trains for today despite being prepared for 125 !!! Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) May 24, 2020 Earlier, Shramik Special trains became a bone of contention between the Centre and states like West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan with the minister pointing out that these governments were allowing fewer migrant trains to arrive. The state CMs too came out all guns blazing and denied the allegations on Twitter. So far, 513 trains have terminated in Maharashtra, according to data provided by Railways. US-based tech giant Microsoft was forced to host its Build developer conference through a digital-only format, thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, the company claimed that the response for Build 2020 had still been overwhelming. Over the last three days, Microsoft made a ton of announcements to help developers achieve more through AI and other technology advancements. We penned down some of the biggest announcements during Microsoft Build 2020. The Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors Program is a new peer community programme focused on leadership through social responsibility and impact. Microsoft Learn will launch Learn TV, daily live programming and discussions for developers and a hub to learn and grow with live content from Microsoft Cloud Advocates and Product Group leaders. Azure Quantum, the first full-stack, open cloud ecosystem to unite a diverse set of quantum software, solutions, and hardware, is moving to limited preview. Additionally, theres an Azure Quantum Developer Workshop that will be held on July 16. The developer conference focused on ways the company is addressing developers' needs across industries and how it is uniquely positioned to help businesses adapt in a remote world. Microsoft introduced the Azure Synapse Link, bringing real-time operational database services and analytics together. It was initially launched in Azure Cosmos DB but will be coming to all operational systems soon. The Azure Synapse Link also helps customers to reduce time and lower costs to gain useful insight without managing data movement. Project Reunion will support developers across the world for a collaborated approach with special emphasis on unifying universal apps. Microsoft announced updates to Fluid Framework, making it open source to developers and introduce the first way for end-users to experience Fluid with the upcoming availability of Fluid workspaces and Fluid components in Outlook for the Web and Office.com. The software giant will provide new Responsible ML tools in Azure Machine Learning and OSS toolkits to help customers deploy AI models more responsibly by improving model interpretability, minimising unfairness while guaranteeing data privacy and confidentiality. We also saw one of the worlds most powerful AI supercomputers built-in Azure. The supercomputer was purpose-built to train massive distributed AI models, giving it all the benefits of a dedicated appliance paired with Azures robust modern cloud infrastructure. Microsoft also announced new tools and services available in Microsoft 365, Azure and Windows that empower developers to be more collaborative and productive. The company will introduce new innovations in healthcare through cloud solutions and Microsoft Teams to help hospitals better manage the needs of patients. The company plans more investment to bring comprehensive low-code Robotic Process Automation technology into Power Automate. Lastly, Microsoft also briefly teased how the Edge browser would look running on Linux. At the beginning of the pandemic, Canadas once frenetic emergency departments went strangely quiet as patients stayed home and stayed away. Canada-wide data obtained and analyzed by the Star shows a dramatic drop in emergency room volumes during COVID-19, with some provinces seeing roughly 50 per cent fewer patients between March 11 and April 30. The Star spoke to more than a dozen emergency room physicians from coast to coast to coast to find out what they have experienced during the first weeks and months of the pandemic. Here, some tell us in their own words their worries and their successes and share anecdotes of patients who waited too long for care. Dr. Scott Wilson is an emergency room physician based in St. Johns and is the former chief of emergency medicine for Newfoundland and Labradors Eastern Regional Health Authority. According to a Star analysis of most provinces and territories, Newfoundland and Labrador saw a 53 per cent drop in emergency patient volumes during the pandemic the largest decline in the country. A key thing, particularly in St. Johns, was that we had a supercluster (of COVID-19 cases) from a single individual visiting a funeral home over three days. We have a total of 260 cases in the province; 200 came from that one funeral home. Every day, public health was announcing another 10 or 15 cases directly related to the funeral home. I think it spooked a lot of people in the province and people stayed away in droves because they were afraid of emergency rooms. The impact of the supercluster really drove the message home very early in our province. Two of the provinces three COVID-19 deaths came from that funeral home. We know people have passed away at home that probably wouldnt have if they had come to the emergency room. We dont have specific data to prove it. But when you hear what was presenting at homes, we feel anecdotally that patients stayed away too long. But thats what people did. They got the message so hard, so early, that they said: Unless Im dying, Im not going anywhere. Dr. Katharine Smart is a pediatrician who sees patients at Whitehorse General Hospital and is president of the Yukon Medical Association. Yukon has only seen 11 COVID-19 cases and no deaths during the pandemic, yet emergency room volumes dropped by 38 per cent between March 11 and April 30. Our public health people have been very successful at containing COVID here. At this point, things are quiet everywhere, which is of course good news. But naturally, we wonder, where are all the other patients? I think thats the national question: Whats going on with everyone else that doesnt have COVID, that used to come to the hospital? I think its a multifactorial thing. When you start social distancing, naturally, other infectious diseases become less. All those other diseases that spread around by people being around each other that can make people quite ill things like influenza and other viruses naturally decline because people arent around each other anymore. So, were flattening the curve for COVID but also doing that for other infections. Dr. Samuel Vaillancourt is an emergency department physician at St. Michaels Hospital in Toronto, where he has co-led the development of a low-acuity emergency clinic for patients who screen negative for symptoms of COVID-19. The hospital saw a need for such a clinic after noticing a significant drop in emergency patients. Between March 11 and April 30, St. Mikes experienced a 41 per cent drop in patients coming to its ED. Usually, Ill have a case of a patient who gets intubated and resuscitated so our sickest patients a couple of times a month. On my last two shifts, back-to-back, we had two terribly sick patients. One of them was an isolated person who had been getting sicker at home. The other person had the worst kind of heart attack and collapsed on the sidewalk. I had a patient with a hip fracture a couple of weeks ago. She was this very healthy and proud elderly woman and had been kind of hobbling around her apartment for a bit without seeking attention. It can be a pretty anxiety provoking experience to be an emergency department patient right now. You go in, the first thing you see is someone who is in full PPE with a mask on, a face shield. Youre screened at the door. With all the tape around and warning signs it really looks like youre entering a minefield. While it is a different experience for patients, the message is important to get out there: Were ready to provide care in a safe way and were definitely available for patients who need in-person care. Dr. Rob Drummond is an emergency physician at Montreals St. Marys Hospital, which is not among the citys designated COVID-19 centres. Emergency departments in Quebec saw a 42 per cent decline in patient volumes between March 11 and April 30, although some hospitals in Montreal have reported an influx of COVID-19 patients in recent weeks. Ive had two patients who delayed coming to the hospital with their complaints only to be diagnosed with metastatic cancer. One patient had chest pain and on evaluation was found to have lymphoma. I had another patient with abdominal pain who was found to have metastatic ovarian cancer. These are anecdotes of patients who were well-meaning, who normally would have come in because they werent feeling well. They were uncomfortable. But they heard the message loud and clear, If you can avoid coming to the hospital, dont come in, and they heeded that message. Who knows whether their treatment trajectory would have changed at all but Im more concerned that we could have given patients a closure, made a diagnosis much sooner. It may have put their minds at ease. Some are definitely scared, but you get the sweet, little old ladies that say, I didnt bother you dear, I knew you were busy. These are the ones that we want to reach. Its like, if youre concerned, we want you to come in. Theres a fair number of patients who we see in the emergency department who end up having nothing of consequence. But in their minds, they did have something. We treat acute illnesses but were always there to provide comfort. Dr. Michel Shamy is a neurologist and stroke specialist at The Ottawa Hospital, where he has noticed a drop in patients being referred for stroke prevention, as well as a decline in patients coming to the emergency department with acute stroke symptoms. He believes fear of contracting COVID-19 is keeping many patients away. My own father is in Montreal and has lots of medical problems. His local hospital is the Jewish General Hospital, which is their COVID centre. He was saying that under no circumstance would he want to go to the hospital because with his age and with his problems. That became a problem when he started to go into worsened heart failure. All of his doctors and me as his son would have rather that he had gone to the hospital, but he categorically refused, because of COVID. In the end, we came up with an algorithm of what would be the situation under which it would be OK to call the paramedics. For him, it was life-threatening things and then he would grudgingly accept to go. But anything that wasnt immediately threatening his life, then he would try to just soldier on at home. Dr. Kirk Magee is head of emergency medicine at Dalhousie University and Central Zone Chief for Nova Scotia Health. Emergency department visits in Nova Scotia declined by 39 per cent between March 11 and April. Magee said his hospitals ED had a significant drop in patients but the proportion of the sickest patients largely stayed the same through the pandemic. If you look at a health-care system, its very complex: lots of different people, lots of different silos, all competing for a scarce resource. When COVID happened, the whole system focused on one thing how do we respond to COVID. This singularity of purpose broke down all these barriers. Things that literally would have taken six or 10 months to do were getting done in a matter of days or weeks. When a problem came up, no one ever said: No, I cant do this or Yeah, but They said: Gee, thats a challenging problem and if I talk to these people, I think we could solve it. With COVID, the problem in front of us is everybodys problem. If anything, this has taught us that health care works best when we are all playing on the same team. Interviews have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. Graphics by Nathan Pilla and Andres Plana. Nathan Pilla is a digital designer at the Star, based in Toronto. Reach him via email: npilla@thestar.ca . Andres Plana is a digital designer at the Star, based in Toronto. Reach him via email: aplana@torstar.ca press release Separatist leader Blaise Sevidzem Berinyuy, also known as Shufai, was discharged from the hospital and sent back to a high security prison in Yaounde on May 21, despite his critical health condition and apparently following pressure by the head of the detention facility on medical staff. Transferring Shufai, who is immunocompromised, to a crowded prison setting where transmission of Covid-19 is more likely seriously enhances the threats to his health and life. On May 16, Shufai, one of the leaders of the separatist group "Ambazonia Interim Government," was transferred from the prison to the hospital for non-Covid-19-related illness. His family and lawyers said he was unconscious, and his health had deteriorated significantly over the previous 10 days. They reported that on May 19, Shufai was handcuffed to his hospital bed for the night, despite being barely able to move. Shufai's family members and lawyers said that the head of the prison visited Shufai twice at the military hospital and pressed medical staff to discharge him, although his condition continues to be alarming. This is despite concerns over the spread of Covid-19 across Cameroon's overcrowded prisons. Shufai and nine other leaders of the "Ambazonia Interim Government" were arrested in January 2018 in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, and forcibly returned to Cameroon. Their extrajudicial transfer was denounced by the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, as violating the fundamental principle of non-refoulement. The forced return of the 10 leaders was also declared illegal by a Nigerian court in March 2019. The 10 leaders were later held incommunicado at Cameroon's State Defense Secretariat prison for six months before being taken to the Yaounde high security prison. They were charged with terrorism, rebellion, and secession, and sentenced to life before a military court on August 20, 2019, following a deeply flawed trial. Cameroon has a fundamental obligation to treat all prisoners with humanity and respect, and as the authorities grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic, they should ensure that all prisoners can take measures such as regular handwashing and have proper access to medical care. They should also ensure sick prisoners receive the medical treatment they need and that their health or lives are not further jeopardized by increasing their risk of Covid-19 infection. NORRISTOWN Emergency rooms across Montgomery County are filling up as the area continues to deal with another surge in the COVID-19 pandemic. We have encountered a dramatic rise in the number of emergency department visits recently, said Dr. Kisha Martin, chairwoman of emergency medicine for Redeemer Health. Health officials met virtually on Wednesday morning in [] This was supposed to be the week Roman Baca finally brought his life's work back home. Baca, a former Marine Corps reservist, trained as a ballet dancer before he shouldered a machine gun in the Iraqi city of Fallujah in 2005. He then found a way to combine those two disparate worlds. He co-founded a group in New York that depicts the experiences of war and trauma through dance. His company had never performed in his native New Mexico, and a slated visit was going to be the moment his vision reached new heights. "I see the time blocked off on my calendar for it, and I get kind of depressed," Baca said. The coronavirus pandemic has transformed nearly every facet of daily life. Now that includes Memorial Day events and traditions, as social distancing, closures and restrictions have disrupted the rituals of grief for those who have died in uniform. Public events, such as wreath laying ceremonies at national cemeteries, have either been altered or roped off from the public. The virus has also made quieter rituals of grief challenging or impossible. For Richard Allen Smith and two Army veteran friends who served together in Afghanistan, an annual pilgrimage to Arlington National Cemetery is part of a new tradition. At least one of them has made the trip in the past six years or so to visit comrades killed in action. They include Sgt. Charles E. Wyckoff Jr. On June 6, 2007, Smith's task on base was to help coordinate surveillance drones for soldiers in enemy contact. Wyckoff's patrol was attacked in Helmand province, and as he killed two Taliban militants in defense of his soldiers, Wyckoff was shot dead. But such visits are barred this year. The cemetery will be closed to visitors over the weekend; only family members of the interred may enter if they present passes and masks. Baca's now canceled trip was organized through his dance company. The group planned a weeklong trip to New Mexico, including a stop Albuquerque, his hometown, to hold dance workshops with local veterans and teach steps to disadvantaged kids. Instead, Baca will hold a remote workshop for veterans in the United Kingdom. It will enable them to express their experiences through creative arts and learn new skills to help them find jobs in the field, Baca said. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a group that provides resources and care for those who have lost spouses and family members in uniform, has shifted its annual conference in Virginia to Zoom. That has allowed grieving families to find comfort among others even in a time of social isolation, founder Bonnie Carroll said. Carroll recognized similar feelings of grief among survivors of those who died of infections: a sense of isolation and the burden of not saying goodbye, she said, that military families have historically experienced. The group stepped in to offer resources to help COVID-ravaged families navigate their loss. Others have not allowed restrictions to impede their observations. Josh Holubz, an Army veteran wounded in Iraq, lives a couple hours from the White County, Ga., gravesite of Sgt. Jason Harkins, who was killed alongside five other soldiers and a Russian photojournalist in a massive IED blast in 2007. Holubz said he will avoid the holiday crowds but next week will leave some moonshine at his friend's headstone and visit Harkins' family, who live nearby. "You can't live in fear," Holubz said. "I think we learned that better than anybody." - Herman Manyora said claims DP Ruto enjoyed overwhelming support both in Senate and National Assembly were misleading - He noted that if it was true Ruto commanded majority of MPs in Senate, then dethronement of Murkomen, Kindiki and Kihika, who are his allies, could not have succeeded - According to the political analyst, the same trend will repeat itself when President Uhuru's broom heads to National Assembly to sweep out villain Jubilee Party members - He reminded the DP to shelve his bid to succeed Uhuru in 2022 and try out his luck in 2027 or 2032 when he is likely to clinch the presidency with a lot of ease - Manyora has termed axing of Ruto's allies as a trap President Uhuru and Raila Odinga have set to deflate Ruto's State House bid Political analyst Herman Manyora has urged Deputy President William Ruto to be alive to various political developments showing he has little chance to win the 2022 presidential election. Manyora singled out the ouster of Kipchumba Murkomen from position of Senate Majority Leader and that of Senate deputy speaker Kithure Kindiki as early signs the political ground was quickly shifting to his disadvantage. READ ASLO: Uhuru hints at return to work: " We cannot continue with curfew, lockdown Political analyst Herman Manyora. Photo: Herman Manyora. Source: UGC READ ASLO: Mashine ya kupima COVID-19 Tanzania yakutwa na hitilafu According to Manyora, if at all Ruto commanded numbers in the Senate, the motion to kick out Murkomen, Kindiki and Susan Kihika from the Majority Whip seat, would not have seen the light of the day. "Where were the numbers when Murkomen, Kihika and Kindiki needed them most. It is time for him to retreat and rethink his strategy. If he doesn't, he is going to embarrass himself. He should understand things are being run the handshake style by Uhuru and opposition leader Raila Odinga and he is behaving exactly the two want him to behave," the political commentator said in his latest edition on YouTube. READ ASLO: Detectives visit slain Kenei's house in Imara Daima as new team takes over probe Senators Kipchumba Murkomen (r), Kithure Kindiki (l) and Susan Kihika (c). Photo: Susan Kihika. Source: Facebook READ ASLO: Mashine ya kupima COVID-19 Tanzania yakutwa na hitilafu The analyst's remarks came amidst speculation President Uhuru Kenyatta's axe was headed to the National Assembly with the aim of sending away rebellious members who had vested their allegiance elsewhere. A Jubilee Party National Assembly Parliamentary Group meeting is expected to be convened on Tuesday, June 2, and among those who are likely to be shown the door is Majority Leader Aden Duale, Majority Chief Whip Benjamin Washiali and his deputy Cecily Mbarire. Majority Leader Aden Duale (l) is likely to be ousted from his position in President Uhuru's purge that is headed to the National Assembly. Photo: UGC. Source: UGC Jubilee Party deputy secretary-general Caleb Kositany said they (Ruto's allies) will attend the meeting if invited but will not be cowed even if the invites don't come their way. Manyora said there was a high probability of the three leaders (Duale, Washiali and Mbarire) being stripped their positions and compared challenging such eviction from political appointments to fighting a predetermined or lost battle. "Duale is not going to survive. Let Ruto open his eyes and be alive to these facts. Let him open his eyes and see the writings on the walls. He should realise things have changed and are being run the handshake way. He should also not solely depend on the votes of people of Mount Kenya if he wants to contest in 2022. This is because they don't make their decisions such early. But as a friend, I would advise him to shelve his ambition to vie in 2022 and train his eyes on 2027 or 2032," explained Manyora. 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. The Untold story of Senator Isaac Mwaura | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke NY Gov. Cuomo allows drive-in church services, in-person worship of 10 people or less Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this week that churches can begin hosting drive-in worship services as long as they follow strict social distancing guidelines. Additionally, houses of worship can hold in-person services as long as they're limited to 10 people or fewer. Cuomo made the announcement as part of a press briefing in Albany Wednesday, saying that services could resume on Thursday as long as all participants use masks and follow social distancing rules. The governor also noted that he is working with the states Interfaith Advisory Council to consider gradually reopening larger in-person worship. The announcement comes as different regions across the state are hitting the required benchmarks to begin reopening during the coronavirus pandemic. I understand their desire to get back to religious ceremonies as soon as possible, Cuomo, 62, said. As a former altar boy, I get it. I think even at this time of stress when people are so anxious and so confused, I think that religious ceremonies can be very comforting. But we need to find out how to do it, and do it safely, and do it smartly. The last thing we want to do is have a religious ceremony that winds up having more people infected. Cuomo stressed that if people are smart and responsible, that infection rates will slow. It is amazing how effective a mask is, Cuomo added. The Rutherford Institute, a civil rights law group, celebrated Cuomos announcement, calling it a victory for common sense. While federal and state governments have adopted specific restrictive measures in an effort to decelerate the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the current public health situation has not resulted in the suspension of fundamental constitutional rights such as religious freedom, stated Rutherford Institute President John W. Whitehead. While there is a moral responsibility to not endanger other lives with our actions, that does not mean relinquishing all of our freedoms. Be responsible, but dont allow yourselves to be muzzled or your individual freedoms to be undermined. The institute is representing a New York congregation that was forced to halt its drive-in worship services after it was threatened with $1,000 fines for holding services even though congregants adhered to social distancing guidelines. The Central Bible Baptist Church was threatened with fines by the Massena Police Department after Pastor Samson Ryman held drive-in worship on May 3. The service was attended by 23 worshipers in 18 vehicles. In response, the Rutherford Institute sent a letter to Police Chief Adam J. Love on behalf of the church. The letter argued that drive-in services with more than 10 people are legal. You are mistaken in your assertion that church drive-in worship services are prohibited under New Yorks current emergency orders and could result in fines, wrote Whitehead in the letter. [These fines] are grounded in a misunderstanding of the law and a misapplication of the Governors Executive Orders, which severely chills their exercise of the fundamental right to practice their religion. In a Facebook post, Central Bible announced that it will return to holding drive-in services this Sunday. We have no ill will towards our local officials. We believe them to have been outstanding for their work for our community and we are thankful. We honor and love our officials working day in and out to fight for and protect us, stated the church. Central and their Pastor are Not against them. Were not rebels. We stand and live by the truth and principles of the Word of God! We are simply trying to have church services, without conflict, safely, legally and peaceably. While the number of coronavirus-related deaths in New Jersey jumped past 11,000 on Saturday, the number of people hospitalized remained below 3,000 for a second straight day. State health officials said 2,857 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases are being treated in the states 71 hospital as of 10 p.m. Saturday. Thats down 117 patients from a day before and is a nearly 65% drop since the number of hospitalizations peaked at 8,084 on April 14. Officials say 760 patients are receiving critical care with 639 on ventilators. On April 13 slightly less than six weeks ago 2,080 were in intensive care. Thats a nearly 64% decrease. In addition 278 more patients who were treated for the coronavirus have been released from hospitals in most recent 24-hour reporting period. New Jersey has reported 11,081 deaths of the 153,104 who have tested positive for the coronavirus have died. Gov. Phil Murphy announced an additional 96 deaths and 443 new cases Saturday. Murphy cautioned on Twitter that a significant amount" of lab reports had not yet been processed. That means Fridays death and case totals may be incomplete. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage A roundup of coronavirus stories: Can you sue for getting coronavirus at reopened business? This fight may kill new stimulus checks: If you were infected by the coronavirus after returning to work, could you sue your employer? What if you got sick after eating out or going to a store? New Jersey businesses fear lawsuits could force them to close their doors for good. Others say the threat of legal action would ensure businesses take the proper steps to keep their employees and customers safe. And you should care about this raging debate for another reason: Its threatening to derail efforts in Washington to give you another stimulus check. Wildwood tram cars will be running soon with coronavirus upgrades: For the first time that anyone can remember, Wildwoods famous boardwalk tram cars arent running on Memorial Day weekend, though theyll be be in action soon. The trams are being fitted with plexiglass dividers and retractable plastic soon will be installed between the facing benches to help with social distancing measures. To lessen the interaction with the employees, a new Wildwood Tram Cars app is in the works that will allow for cashless payments. With the app the user can purchase single tickets, multiple tickets or day passes right from their phone and track the location of the trams along the boardwalk. Defiant N.J. gym ordered closed by judge after N.J. Attorney General files complaint: Atilis Gym, which opened this week in defiance of Gov. Phil Murphys executive order, will remain closed for now, at least as a state judge forced the doors closed. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal on Friday filed a civil complaint and an order to show cause against the Bellmawr gym after authorities spent the week grappling with the business to abide by restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The gym will file an emergency injunction in federal court on Tuesday against Murphy, because we have been robbed of due process and violated of our constitutional rights, co-owner Ian Smith said. Judge nixes desperate plea to let N.J. small business reopen amid coronavirus shutdown: The federal lawsuit filed by an attorney who is the landlord of a Westfield gym that was told to shut down by cops due to coronavirus restrictions did not get very far after it was rebuked by a judge. The suit claimed Rowdell Petterway, the owner of Rowdells Fitness, was denied due process when Westfield police told him to close his business on May 6. The suit claimed the gym owner does one-to-one personal training, sanitizes equipment after each session, socially distances and everyone inside wears masks. N.J. group grants nearly $4.5M to aid hospitals, food banks during coronavirus: The Russell Berrie Foundation announced it would be issuing $4.48 million in emergency grants to support New Jersey and other organizations on the front lines of combatting the coronavirus pandemic. Local organizations will receive a share of $1.82 million in grants from The Russell Berrie Foundation. Holy Name Medical Center, Englewood Medical Center and New Bridge Medical Center will each received $250,000. U.S. coronavirus cases: More than 97,000 of the approximately 1.62 infected with the coronavirus have died as of 7 a.m. Sunday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide cases: Nearly 342,600 have died among the roughly 5.33 million infected in 188 counties, according to the center. About 2.12 million have recovered. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. NJ Advance Media staff writers Jonathan D. Salant, Rebecca Panico, Tom Hawk, Chris Ryan and Brent Johnson contributed to this report. By PTI NEW DELHI: Any state which wants migrant workers of Uttar Pradesh back, has to seek permission from the state government and need to ensure their socio-legal-monetary rights, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday. Upset that migrant labourers were "not properly taken care of" by various states in wake of the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, Adityanath said, "These workers are our biggest resource and will give them employment in Uttar Pradesh as state government is going to set up a commission for their employment." "They are our people and if some states want them back, they have to seek permission from the state government," Adityanath said in an interaction with the RSS- affiliated publications 'Panchjanya' and 'Organiser'. As per feedback received from migrant workers who reached Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath said safeguarding their rights should get utmost attention and importance. "All migrant workers are being registered and their skills mapped. Any state or entity interested in inviting migrant workers will need to assure and provide for their socio-legal-monetary rights," he said. About the commission, Adityanath said it has been proposed to look into various factors associated with migrant workers' rights and to prevent exploitation while providing an official framework to ensure socio-economic-legal support for them. "Insurance, social security, re-employment assistance, provision for unemployment allowance etc are some of the factors which will be looked into by the commission," he said. So far, over 23 lakh of migrant workers have returned to Uttar Pradesh by the efforts of the state government, Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, adding, "75 per cent of those who came from Mumbai and 50 per cent from Delhi were tested positive for coronavirus. He said that by next week, all migrant labourers who want to come back to Uttar Pradesh, will reach the state and every necessary arrangement for their screening and onward journey to their final destinations have been made. Adityanath praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "effectively handling the coronavirus crisis", and said that India is in secured position due to the timely decisions taken by the government at the Centre. Credit should be given to PM Modi, he kept on guiding the chief ministers, he said. About generating new employment opportunities in Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath said a German company is shifting its production facility from China to India and may start manufacturing more than 30 lakh shoes in Agra. Sir Richard Branson has been forced to sell a stake in Virgin Galactic. Photo: Getty Sir Richard Branson has sold off another chunk of Virgin Galactic in order to raise finance for his other businesses. According to the Financial Times, Virgin Group has sold 366m ($445.3m) shares in the New York listed space travel company and given up majority control. Virgin now has 40% of the business. Billionaire Branson flagged the stake sale two weeks ago. The sale comes as other parts of Bransons business have continued to struggle, in particular Virgin Atlantic which has been grounded due to the pandemic. READ MORE: Devastation for airlines as UK confirms 14-day quarantine post-travel Virgin Group said it would use the stake sale proceeds to support its portfolio of global leisure, holiday and travel businesses that have been affected by the unprecedented impact of COVID-19. Branson had initially asked the government for a loan in order to keep the Virgin Atlantic afloat and even offered to put his luxury Caribbean retreat Necker Island up as security against the loan. But Chancellor Rishi Sunak has held firm ever since he wrote to airlines and airports in March saying the taxpayer would only step in as a last resort. A rescue package for the airline would have been politically toxic given its super-wealthy backer has not paid personal tax in the UK for 14 years after moving to the British Virgin Islands a well-known tax haven. As a result Virgin Atlantic has been left fighting for survival after the coronavirus pandemic caused it to cancel thousands of flights. READ MORE: Virgin Atlantic delays resuming flights over 14-day quarantine plans It has already cut 3,150 jobs and announced it will end its presence at Gatwick Airport, while its sister airline Virgin Australia has gone bust. Bransons Virgin Group empire owns stakes in a slew of companies, from Virgin Wines and Virgin Money to social media giants such as Twitter and Pinterest. Virgin Galactic was founded by Branson in 2004 and had initially hoped to launch tourist flights into space by 2009. But the mission has been beset by a series of delays, not least the death of copilot Michael Alsbury during a disastrous test flight of the VSS Enterprise craft in 2014. Revolution has come to Bucharest, and a society has exploded into shards. A multitude of writhing, flailing, falling bodies fills the screen during the climax of the second act of Ashley Tatas fervently inventive new streaming version of Caryl Churchills Mad Forest, a coproduction of Theater for a New Audience and the Fisher Center at Bard College. This is not, however, your average mob scene. Each of the participants in this upheaval and there are a dozen, to be exact, though they feel like many more is isolated in one of those separate, self-contained frames many of us now identify with Zoom conferences. They all seem to share an astonishment, mixed with elation and terror, at the chaos that has descended upon what had been a rigidly regimented world. One is locked in a self-stranglehold; another appears to be wiping the window of the lens that separates us, trying to get a clear view; others claw the air and scream silently, while yet another would seem to be vogueing. New York: A commemorative Diwali stamp will be issued by the US this year, capping seven years-long efforts by Indian-Americans here and influential American lawmakers to have a stamp marking the Indian festival of lights, a move welcomed by the community. The stamp that shows a photo of a traditional diya lit against a sparkling gold background and the words Forever USA 2016 written below will be formally unveiled on October 5. The postage stamp will be issued by the US Postal Service (USPS) from November honoring Diwali, the festival of lights, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney from New York said. USPS Sally Andersen-Bruce of Connecticut photographed the diya and Greg Breeding of Virginia designed the stamp, with William Gicker of Washington serving as the projects art director.The Diwali stamp is a result of years and years of hard work, Maloney said yesterday. She lamented that despite Diwali being an important spiritual and cultural festival for many Indian-Americans and millions around the world, it had not been given its own commemorative stamp till now. Given that every other major religion has its own commemorative stamp, she said a stamp for Diwali had been long over-due. She was joined by Indias Consul General in the city Riva Ganguly Das, Chair of the Diwali Stamp Project Ranju Batra and eminent Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra as she made the historic announcement from the steps of the City Hall. Maloney underscored that the stamp would also be a very important revenue generator for the US postal department. The efforts in the Indian-American community had been spearheaded by Ranju Batra, who as chair of the Diwali stamp project and with the help of other community leaders, got tens of thousands of signatures for petitions to issue the stamp. Maloney had also informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visits to the US in 2014 and 2015, about efforts to get a Diwali postage stamp issued, Batra said. Ravi Batra called the move as the strongest soft power that combines a billion people of India as he lauded Maloney for her years-long efforts. Among other lawmakers Senators Mark Warner and John Cornyn and House members Joe Crowley, Ed Royce, Ami Bera, and George Holding, all past or present co-chairs of their chambers India Caucuses, also led significant campaigns to assure Congressional support for this measure. An important recognition for the more than 3 million Indian-Americans who celebrate Diwali, tweeted Senator Mark Warner, Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the only Hindu member of Congress, led the most recent write in campaign to the USPS with hundreds of signatories. This has been a long and arduous process but this act by the USPS to recognize this special day and to further increase and enrich our nations tapestry of religious and cultural diversity will be greatly appreciated by many, Gabbard said. This year and for many more, diyas and spirits will shine brighter, as will greetings cards and gift packages sent donning the Diwali stamp, said Suhag Shukla, Hindu American Foundation (HAF) executive director and legal counsel. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Zurich/New Delhi: Banker turned whistle-blower Rudolf Elmer, who is facing jail term in Switzerland, has claimed that bank accounts data leaked by him back in 2008 included Indian names. As an employee of a subsidiary of Swiss entity Julius Baer bank in Cayman Islands, he had accessed certain client data. He is also suspected to have handed over the data to the whistle-blower site Wikileaks in 2011. Elmer has told a television channel that the list included not only Americans but also people from Africa, South America and also from India. When asked whether the list had Indian names, he said, "that is correct". According to media reports, Elmer was given suspended jail term by a Swiss court this week for alleged forgery, among others. As part of efforts to curb the black money menace, Indian government has been taking various measures and has also stepped cooperation with other countries on tax matters. Earlier this month, the government said investigations are going on into the Panama paper leaks and that legal action would be taken depending on the outcome of the probe. The leak of Panama papers in April this year revealed a list of nearly 500 Indians, including celebrities and industrialists, who allegedly stashed money in offshore entities in Panama. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 24, 2020 15:40 606 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd9e1b8f 1 National Papua,shooting,armed-criminal-group,health-worker,COVID-19,coronavirus Free Military and police personnel belonging to the Nemangkawi task force in Intan Jaya regency, Papua, are on a manhunt for an armed group that purportedly shot members of a local COVID-19 response team. As reported by Antara News Agency, the Nemangkawi joint task force released a statement on Saturday saying an armed group had shot two health workers affiliated with the local COVID-19 task force in Wandai district, Intan Jaya regency, on Friday at 4:30 p.m. local time. The two medical workers identified as Amalek Bagau, 30, and Eniko Somou, 39 were shot while delivering medical supplies to a remote area in Intan Jaya regency. The Nemangkawi task force, with the assistance of the Intan Jaya Police, managed to locate and evacuate the victims and transferred them to the Nabire General Hospital on Saturday morning, according to the statement. Read also: OPM says TNI, police shot medical workers in Papua Papua Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. AM Kamal said Amalek had survived the incident, but was in critical condition, while Eniko had died from his wounds. It took us about five hours to arrive at the crime scene, Kamal said, citing difficulties in navigating the steep terrain. The case is the latest in a recent string of violence that has resulted in the deaths of civilians in the region. In April, two young Papuans, Eden Armando Bebari and Ronny Wandik, were allegedly shot to death by security forces in Mimika regency after being mistaken for members of an armed separatist group. A week before that, New Zealander Graeme Thomas Wall, an employee of gold and copper mining company PT Freeport Indonesia, was killed by gunmen in the area. (rfa) Do you hear that? Its the sound of the money printer whirring trillions of dollars getting pumped into a collapsing economy, making the bailouts following the 2008 financial crisis look like small change. The Price of Peace, Zachary D Carters outstanding new intellectual biography of John Maynard Keynes, offers a resonant guide to our current moment, even if he finished writing it in the time before Covid-19. Its rare for a 600-page economic history to move swiftly along currents of lucidity and wit, and this happens to be one of them. (Mr Carter pays tribute ... The GNAs militias and Turkish forces backed by Syrian refugee-mercenaries in Libya are no match for the combined firepower of General Haftars LNA, allied militias, and a host of powerful countries, such as the UAE and Egypt, with Russian mercenaries added in for good measure. Yet, against all odds, with Haftar at the gates of the capital and ready to take control of Libya, the Turks have managed not only to halt his push into Tripoli but to force his retreat from key strategic areas. Nearly everyone was in Haftars corner in a conflict that featured a vast gathering of major external forces, all eyeing a piece of the balance of power in this post-Gaddafi oil-rich setup. Turkey has been successful largely by default, as Haftars allies have pressed the pause button. Erdogan has deployed surface-to-air missile defense systems to Libya, and that has been a bit of a spoiler for the UAEs armed drones for Haftar, making it difficult for the General to win an aerial campaign. The past couple of weeks have seen Haftar lose so much ground that his goal of taking Tripoli now seems rather remote. On Monday, the General lost a key airbase. On Wednesday, the GNA captured a Russian-built, UAE-financed air defense system. On Thursday, the Government of National Accord (GNA) launched airstrikes against Haftars forces as they were withdrawing from the front lines of the capital, Tripoli. A key target was the Generals stronghold of Tarhouna. So what happens next? Where it concerns Haftar, this isnt the end. The General will now specifically target Turkish forces. Saqr Al-Jaroushi, Haftars air force chief, has vowed to unleash the largest aerial campaign in Libyan history with all Turkish positions now legitimate targets for our airforce. Tripoli also says that a Russian base in Syria had recently delivered Soviet-era jets to Haftar. Russia, for one, has been humiliated in Libya--even though it has maintained plausible deniability for those mercenaries on the ground. Putin is now effectively fighting Turkey--its ally--in two venues: Syria and Libya, and while their goals sometimes align over desires to control the natural resources of the Mediterranean, it is difficult to imagine the Russian president allowing a scenario in which it is bested by the Turks. Hence the new shipment of jet fighters that will most definitely target Turkish forces. Related: U.S. Cuts Royalty Rates For Oil Firms So, what about the UAE? It also has a lot of skin in this game and has likewise been humiliated. The UAE is eyeing a number of spoils from Libya, but the problem for Haftar is that it would also be content to see the country partitioned, with Haftar solidly in control of the east if he cant take and keep Tripoli on his own. How Washington responds to Haftars recent losses in Libya will depend on what the UAE wants to a large extent. Thats because Washington is the benefactor of piles of cash from the UAEs immense lobbying power. To put this into perspective, in 2018 alone, there were 20 firms registered as foreign agents for UAE clients in the US, and those firms received over $20 million just for public information campaigns in the United States. What does the UAE want, exactly? In Libya, for starters, its the highly lucrative task of rebuilding the country post-conflict, and building influence in a new government along the way. This would still be lucrative for the UAE (and the Saudis, as well) if Haftar only manages to secure eastern and southern Libya, which would mean he would still control the oil production, if not the oil revenues. The UAE would also like to gain sea access through Libya as its DP World port company is eyeing expansion in the eastern Mediterranean, which means access through Benghazi in eastern Libya. The problem for Haftar is that the UAE--the biggest contributor to his war effort--is not exactly sold on the idea that Haftar can unify the entire country, so right now, it is hedging its bets, and control of eastern Libya is far more important for the UAE. But the Turkish gambit will force the UAE into a more immediate decision on this. And Haftar is now in trouble in the east, his power base, as well as his eastern allies waffle. Related: Oil May Never Fully Recover From This Crisis Earlier this month, armed militants linked to General Haftar stormed the headquarters of the Brega Oil Marketing Company in Benghazi, removing the companys director by force because he was supporting the eastern governments efforts towards a political agreement with the GNA in Tripoli. Such an agreement would go against Haftars recent declaration of a popular mandate to rule all of Libya. If the UAE steps up to the plate to enforce a partition of Libya into east and west, Haftar doesnt need Tripoli because he would control the bulk of the oil production and the ports, and eventually, he would begin exporting without the GNA. UAE lobbying money would likely see to it that he is recognized as the legitimate exporter in the end. Source: EIA What the UAE wont stand for is a Turkish move on spoils in the eastern Mediterranean, where Turkeys state-run oil firm has applied for an exploration permit--a move condemned roundly by Cyprus, Egypt--another power player in the Libyan conflict on Haftars side--and Greece. So, the ball right now is really in the UAEs court, but regardless, Haftar will now be regrouping for a major assault on the Turks. By Editorial Dept. More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Eastern-based military commanders setbacks in Tripoli are causing his domestic support base to fragment, analysts say. Tripoli, Libya For an entire year, it seemed like renegade commander Khalifa Haftar was hell-bent on taking the Libyan capital, Tripoli, by force. His self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) had made considerable strides towards capturing the city of some 2.3 million people. Support from the likes of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia in the form of drone and fighter jet sorties, and an army of mercenaries appeared to make his victory all the more likely. But that never happened. Instead, the United Nations-brokered Government of National Accord (GNA), which Turkey backs, launched a counteroffensive that has, in record time, seen it retake several key towns and a strategic airbase southwest of Tripoli. Suddenly, Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones shifted from a defensive to offensive posture, destroying a handful of Russian Pantsir aerial defence systems and targeting LNA positions as far away as the Jufra military base in central Libya. The defeat, which LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari sought to justify as a tactical withdrawal, has put the eastern-based Haftar in a difficult position, with his ability to keep his support base mobilised increasingly being questioned. Issa Tuwegiar, a former planning minister, told Al Jazeera that it is Haftars fear of seeing his camp fragment that motivated his decision in late April to withdraw from a landmark power-sharing agreement and pledge to create a new government of his own. Haftar has failed in his mission to take over and guarantee the eastern tribes rent and favourable status in his new dictatorial regime, said Tuwegiar. The termination of the deal, announced in a televised address, raised concerns as to the fate of the countrys internationally recognised parliament to which Haftar had putatively pledged allegiance, the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR). Shortly after Haftars speech, footage emerged on social media showing HoR Speaker Aguila Saleh expressing his disdain for the 76-year-olds plan and announcing a political initiative of his own amid the battlefield setbacks. Seizing Tripoli Haftar has long prided himself on commanding a modern standing army, contrasting it with the myriad militias that came into existence during the 2011 NATO-backed uprising against longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi and that nominally fall under the GNAs authority. Images posted on the LNAs official media channels, showing troops in tightly packed formations, added to the sense of professionalism that seemed lacking among GNA-aligned forces. In fact, in launching his assault on Tripoli in April 2019, Haftar said he would restore order and free the country from a government beholden to militias. That pitch earned him the trust of several foreign actors, which in addition to the UAE and Russia, include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and, to a lesser extent, France. In the short term, that meant Haftar could advance with relative ease and capture much of the countrys vast uninhibited terrain, particularly in the south. Haftars narrative of having the will and, indeed, the ability to stabilise Libya became a self-fulfilling prophecy in what Libyan researcher Tarek Megerisi described as a Ponzi scheme. As long as he kept going, expanding his power, he was all right. But now that hes suffered setbacks, all the others are running against him, Megerisi recently said. And, sure enough, it did not take long for territories that previously fell under the LNAs control to issue statements denouncing Haftars coup and pledging their allegiance to the Tripoli-based administration of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. The southern regions were handed over to Haftar by some local tribes, said Tuwegiar, the former planning minister. This was used to demonstrate to his external supporters the ease with which he could sweep through Libya, and Tripoli in particular. Question of survival For Mahmoud al-Futasy, a former minister of industry, Salehs political roadmap is a clear indication of his lack of trust in Haftar. I think it is a matter of survival for Saleh. He realises that if he continues with Haftar, he will be out of the political game as Haftar is losing the battle, al-Futasy said. Plus, he has the support of his tribe, which is very influential in eastern Libya, as well as that of the Russians and Egyptians. In the leaked video of his meeting with tribal elders, Saleh said his plan, which includes the resumption of peace talks and formation of a new unity government, had the backing of Moscow and Cairo, key Haftar supporters. That account seems to be corroborated by recent reports suggesting Haftars backers in the UAE and Egypt were looking for a replacement. Meanwhile, Moscow and Ankara stepped up a gear in their diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the Libyan crisis. Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in a telephone call on Thursday agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire and a resumption of the political process. The move came just hours after Libyan Minister of Interior Fathi Bashagha announced that several Russian fighter jets had arrived in eastern Libya from an undisclosed location in Syria, in what has been interpreted by some observers as a signal that Moscow will not be backing out from Libya any time soon. It remains to be seen whether Russia will continue banking on Haftar and if that is the case the GNAs reaction to a proposal that would include the Ajdabiya native. One thing is certain for Colonel Rida Issa, who heads the GNAs naval operations: Haftar cannot be part of the new process. We will not negotiate with Haftar. The killing of civilians, displacement of hundreds of thousands, and the destruction of homes and infrastructure is his responsibility, Issa told Al Jazeera. After we win this battle, we must sit at the table and come up with a political solution. But eastern Libya must bring forth other individuals that we can negotiate with. Two new coronavirus infections were reported in Tokyo on Saturday, the lowest single-day tally since Japan declared a state of emergency last month, as the government prepares to lift restrictions on the capital and four other prefectures. The number of Tokyo's new cases, which increased rapidly in late March and peaked in mid-April, has recently remained below the threshold set by the central government for imposing emergency measures. The Tokyo government has confirmed 5,138 cases so far. It received reports of eight new deaths of coronavirus patients Saturday, raising the toll to 271. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to lift the state of emergency in Tokyo, three neighboring prefectures and Hokkaido on Monday based on advice from experts. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital's doctors on Saturday organised a candle march to protest against government's decision to stop putting them under 14-day quarantine after finishing their duty in COVID-19 wards. A group of resident doctors at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in the national capital on Saturday organised a candlelight vigil outside their hostel to protest against the governments decision to stop putting them under 14-day quarantine at dedicated facilities after finishing their duty at COVID-19 ward. Doctors deployed for COVID-19 duty have raised objections to the new guidelines issued by the Centre. In the last few days, several hospitals have asked their healthcare workers staying in hotels during the quarantine period to vacate rooms immediately failing which the charges paid for their overstay would be deducted from their salaries. Speaking to ANI, Daljeet Singh, Vice President Resident Doctors, RML Hospital said, We have gathered here today to hold a silent protest in the form of candle march against this unjust order of the government which has suddenly withdrawn our quarantine period of 14-days after COVID duty of 14 days which was previously given. Earlier, doctors who were posted in COVID wards were given a dedicated stay facility at hotels so that they can be away from our families as many may be asymptomatic carriers. Also Read: After Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal says no to Centres plan for resuming flights Also Read: AIIMS Pulmonology department head Dr Jitendra Nath Pande dies of COVID-19 This sudden order from the Health Ministry has completely withdrawn that dedicated facility and quarantine. They are now just providing us with the hotel facility during our duty period and after that they expect us to come back to duty and go back to our families, he added. We are not asking for a dedicated facility just for our own sake but for the sake of our family. Our primary demand is that the 14-day quarantine period should be given to us and it should be given ina dedicates facility so that we stay away from our near and dear ones, said Singh. Also Read: Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy orderds to fill vacant posts in hospitals For all the latest National News, download NewsX App It would already be a huge event if Wednesday's SpaceX launch was just the return to launching astronauts on U.S. rockets for the first time in nearly a decade. But throw in the fact that it will also be the first orbital launch of U.S. astronauts by a private company and the fact that it's happening in the middle of a pandemic and you have a seismic historical event. And it just might give Americans something inspiring to talk about at a time when everyone needs it. That's assuming the launch is successful. If it isn't, it could turn into yet another blow to the nation's morale, rather than a break from all of the bad news that surrounds us. Why it matters: The launch to the International Space Station will mark the first crewed rocket launch from U.S. soil since the end of the space shuttle program in 2011. That nine-year gap marks the longest stretch of time since Alan Shepard's first spaceflight in 1961 that the U.S. hasn't had the ability to launch its own astronauts. And yes, this launch is going ahead even though most of the U.S. is still locked down by the coronavirus. How is that possible? By keeping the crowds away, quarantining the astronauts and testing them regularly so they don't carry the virus to the space station with them. What's happening: Since 2011, NASA has relied on Russia's Soyuz rockets to launch their astronauts to the space station, but this launch is expected to be the beginning of the end of that reliance. NASA chose SpaceX and Boeing to build vehicles to fly NASA astronauts to the station in 2014, kicking off the Commercial Crew program. Now, a Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken is expected to take flight atop a Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday from Florida. "This is a new generation a new era in human spaceflight," NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said during a press conference in early May. The big picture: The space program has provided this kind of hope during dark times for Americans before. As the Apollo 8 capsule orbited the Moon in 1968 on Christmas Eve, the astronauts aboard read from the book of Genesis as millions of people watched back on Earth. aboard read from the book of Genesis as millions of people watched back on Earth. The broadcast provided a welcome respite to a tumultuous year that included the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. "This is still something that we're going to be successful at, and we're going to do it in the face of the pandemic," Behnken told Axios during a press conference on Friday. Yes, but: This won't be the unbridled, patriotic moment that anyone was expecting when SpaceX and Boeing were announced as NASA's crewed launch partners. Usually, crowds of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, flock to Florida's Space Coast to try to get a glimpse of a crewed flight as it takes off. This time, however, NASA is asking that members of the public stay home and join in online instead of traveling to Kennedy Space Center for the launch in order to help protect their staff and others from possible exposure to the virus. Between the lines: This launch will also mark the first time a private company using its own spacecraft and rocket design has lofted people to orbit, heralding in the dawn of a more mature space industry and a new age for spaceflight in the U.S. While NASA's space shuttle was built by private companies under contract with the space agency, that program ended up costing NASA more than $1.5 billion per flight. By contrast, SpaceX's development of the Crew Dragon which is a far less complex vehicle than the shuttle cost the agency about $1.7 billion even with years of delays. The company will also be able to manufacture and use these spacecraft to fly private astronauts and even tourists to the station and eventually beyond. (Tom Cruise reportedly hopes to shoot a movie with SpaceX on the station at some point.) It's all part of NASA's grand plan to become a buyer of services in low-Earth orbit instead of a provider, allowing the agency to focus on other, bigger goals like getting humans to Mars. The bottom line: If SpaceX can pull it off, its first crewed flight next week will mark a beacon of hope in an otherwise dark time for the world. Thiruvananthapuram, May 24 : For Muslims across Kerala, Sunday began with an unusual celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr: unlike in the past, most of them made it a private and a closed-door affair on account of lockdown norms in place to combat Covid-19. Muslim clerics on Friday said the moon had not been sighted. But the 30-day Ramadan was to end on Saturday, so the clerics declared that Eid-ul-Fitr in Kerala would be celebrated on Sunday. In normal circumstances, Eid would have been celebrated with thousands of devout Muslims participating in open prayer sessions at specially erected Eid-Gahs at playgrounds and auditoriums. The community members would also have visited their near and dear ones with rich food being served throughout the day. One of the country's tallest Islamic scholars, Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, who is currently the Grand Mufti of India and also the President of the Islamic Community of India, has wished people well, but had a word of caution for them. "The world is facing one of its worst times as a pandemic has caused untold miseries to all. At this time of crisis, we should spend more time in prayers. This is one day when we should abide by the orders of the authorities to enable us to combat Covid-19. All of us should pray that the world recovers from this crisis," said the Grand Mufti. At Kozhikode, one of the important Muslim centres in the state, it was a closed-door affair at many homes. "We decided to stay indoor. After a prayer session, our family sat down and had a breakfast. As the entire world is suffering due to coronavirus, and many people are finding life very tough, we decided that there would be no celebrations at all. It would be a simple and normal day for us," said a teenage girl in Kozhikode. The supreme leader of the Indian Union Muslim League, Panakkad Hyderali Shihab Thangal, in his message said as the world is going through one of its worst crises, the day should be used for prayers for those who are going through tough times. Even as the lockdown norms continue to be strict, and despite it being a Sunday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan allowed slight relaxations. Shops selling meat and fish were open in the morning for a few hours. Muslims account for 88.73 lakh of the 3.34 crore population in Kerala. Gov. Phil Murphy woke from cancer surgery on the morning of March 4, and a few hours later, New Jersey confirmed its first case of Covid-19. His response was to disobey his doctors orders. He wasnt supposed to work the phones from his hospital bed or return to work so quickly. He ran his first public briefing on March 13, when he was supposed to be resting at home. So, maybe the crisis is making me mushy, but any evaluation of Murphys performance at this stage has to begin with gratitude. Its enough to make you want to bang a pan at 7 p.m. Hes had his stumbles, and some of them have cost lives, especially in our nursing homes. His plan to release vulnerable prisoners has been tragically mismanaged. Hes left federal money on the table by failing to furlough public workers and claim stimulus subsidies to cover their salaries. Hes been defensive about the release of public documents, to the point of neurosis. But New Jersey bent the curve, and thats largely because of Murphys leadership. The great fear in the early days of this pandemic was that New Jersey would look like Italy, where hospitals were overwhelmed and elderly patients died in hallways struggling to breathe without needed ventilators. Lets not forget how terrifying that was. I visited Holy Name Hospital in Bergen Count in mid-March, as work crews scrambled to expand the ICU, doctors swapped gloves and masks with colleagues at other hospitals out of desperation, and ethics advisors discussed who should get the last ventilator, and who should be left to die. We escaped that fate because Murphy, like Gov. Andrew Cuomo, listened to the experts and relentlessly pounded home the need to change our lives, urgently and dramatically, backed up by a robust use of executive orders to shut down the economy. Under the watchful eye of public health experts, they are now gradually reopening, fending off pressure to move too quickly. Hes doing a great job, says Sen. Dick Codey, D-Essex. His messaging shows that hes in charge, and thats the most important thing a leader can do right now. People want (to know) this guy knows what hes doing and has control of the situation. That gives them hope. Murphy shut down the economy about the same time as Cuomo did. They are both taking some flack for not moving sooner, a criticism that gained new weight last week as a report out of Columbia University estimated that acting one week sooner would have saved 36,000 lives by May 3. The question is whether they had enough information to know they should have acted sooner. Murphy, coordinating with tri-state governors, limited public gatherings to 250 on March 12, eight days after the first infection was detected. He tightened restrictions, step by step, until the stay-at-home order came on March 21, a day after New York and Illinois, but ahead of the rest of the country. Well learn more, but Im not ready to throw darts. One more for plus column: Murphy is pretending to be impressed with the performance of President Trump, knowing that our child president must be managed carefully. At an Oval Office meeting three weeks ago, Murphy gushed: I thank you for the enormous help in our darkest hour of need. That has got to hurt. Because the federal government has failed spectacularly, and Murphy knows it. America makes up 5 percent of the worlds population, and 28 percent of deaths. Trump is pressing to open the economy now, and he said Friday that we should not close it again, even if a second wave hits in the fall. On every front, hes doing the opposite of Murphy. But New Jersey needs his help, and Murphy is smart enough to know that flattery will help. It got us ventilators, protecting equipment, and rapid response teams to help with the crisis at the VA nursing homes. And were going to need billions more in aid to get over this, with Trump holding the strings. The governors biggest stumble seems to be over nursing homes, where the virus has killed 1 in 13 residents. The administration put hospitals first, even as the death toll exploded in nursing homes. That state didnt conduct its first nursing home inspection until April 16, well into the crisis, after 17 bodies were found stacked behind a nursing home in Andover. He was late sending the National Guard to provide desperately needed staffing help. And he may have accelerated the crisis by requiring nursing homes to re-admit Covid-19 patients while they were still recovering from hospital stays. New Jerseys prisons are a virus tinderbox as well, and Corrections Commissioner Marcus Hicks has failed to cope. After the state Supreme Court ordered low-risk prisoners in jails to be released to limit the spread, Murphy issued a similar order for state prisons. It took Hicks 17 days to release the first one, and its been painfully slow progress since. The governors failure to act on furloughs is a final black mark. Under the stimulus program, the furloughed workers would get regular unemployment, plus the $600 a week bonus, at least until July 31. Those earning less than about $75,000 would actually earn more. Legislative leaders gave him a draft bill in early April, and got no response. Both houses overwhelming passed the bill to force Murphys hand, and still Murphy hasnt acted. That speaks to his chronic failure to build coalitions. Hes become even more isolated, says Assembly Jon Bramnick, R-Union. The record is mixed, and it will be take months before Murphys performance can be fairly judged. The Senate will open hearings in a few weeks on the debacle at the nursing homes, which seems now like the biggest failure. But on the whole, so far, he has steered the state to safer ground, and deserves the strong public support hes enjoying. More: Tom Moran columns Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. At least three people, including two government officials, were killed in an attack in Pakistan's restive North Waziristan district on May 24, administration and police officials said. An administration official who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to talk to reporters told RFE/RL that gunmen riding two motorcycles opened fire at the men in Hassu Khel village of Mir Ali town. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Attacks on Pakistani security forces in the restive Balochistan Province bordering Afghanistan and Iran and the tribal districts bordering Afghanistan have increased over the past few months. Zubaidullah Dawar, a director at the Pakistan Housing Authority Foundation within the Ministry of Housing and Works, and Malik Nematullah, a local tribal elder and officer at Health Department of Khyber Pakhunkhwa Province, died "on the spot," the administration official said. Farman, the third victim, reportedly died on his way to the hospital in Bannu. Nizam, a police official at Mir Ali police station, told RFE/RL that the attack took place at 11 a.m. local time near Eidgah, a place where Muslims offer Eid al-Fitr prayers. A case was filed and sent to the Counterterrorism Department of the police, he added. Both officials were attending an Eid al-Fitr celebration marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan in their hometown, Nizam said. When contacted, Shafiullah Gandapur, police chief of North Waziristan tribal district, declined to comment. Mohsin Dawar, a lawmaker representing North Waziristan in Pakistan's parliament, "strongly" condemned the attack on Twitter. On May 17, a Pakistani soldier was killed in a roadside bomb attack in Mir Ali in North Waziristan. Cian English, 19, (right) fell from a fourth-floor Surfers Paradise balcony while allegedly trying to escape from a vicious assault at the hands of three men A friend of three men charged over the alleged assault and murder of a teenager who fell to his death from a fourth-floor balcony filmed the incident and posted it on social media. Cian English, 19, fell from the View Pacific resort in Surfers Paradise at about 3am on Saturday while allegedly trying to escape Jason Ryan Knowles, 22, Lachlan Paul Soper-Lagas, 18, and Hayden Paul Kratzman, 20. The group are accused of storming the unit Mr English, who is from Hawthorne in Brisbane's east, was partying in and demanded he and a friend give them their phones and some of their clothes while holding a knife to one of their throats. A 16-year-old girl who tagged along with the three accused is believed to have filmed the alleged violent assault, The Gold Coast Bulletin reported. The video allegedly shows a teenage girl saying that a man has plunged from the balcony. Police believe the three accused were staying inside a nearby unit in the apartment complex and had been communicating with Mr English's party throughout the evening. It will be alleged the two groups had been partying together and taken prescription drugs, but relations soured with things eventually turning violent. Lachlan Paul Soper-Lagas, 18, is one of three young men charged with murder over Mr English's death Hayden Paul Kratzman, 20, is another of the trio charged with murder and armed robbery Jason Ryan Knowles, 22, is the eldest of the three who allegedly beat Mr English while trying to rob him, and is accused of causing his death Four other teenagers aged between 16 and 19 were found in the same apartment in varying states of consciousness and were taken to Robina Hospital for treatment for drug overdoses. 'What we will be alleging is... the three main offenders have robbed the victim and his friend at knifepoint and in the course of this the victim has attempted to escape and gone over the balcony and died,' Detective Superintendent Brendan Smith Smith said. The other alleged victim safely escaped the complex. 'We believe that all persons in the premises were under the influence of drugs at the time,' Detective Smith said. Jason Knowles, Lachlan Soper-Lagas and Hayden Kratzman were on Sunday morning charged with murder and two counts of armed robbery. Police are investigating whether the alleged murder was linked to a series of break and enters at chemists in Logan and the northern Gold Coast where prescription drugs were stolen from the premises. Mr English (right) fell to his death from a Surfers Paradise balcony in the early hours of Saturday morning after allegedly being held at knifepoint A 16-year-old girl who tagged along with the three men, aged 18, 20 and 22, is believed to have filmed the alleged violent assault Detective Superintendent Smith made an emotional plea for calm after charged on Sunday. 'I don't know how you reconcile that as a family or even as a community,' he said. 'Its becoming too common and we need to stop it. Violence doesn't solve anything.' 'Given the circumstances, the consequences of the robbery and the threats made to the victim the three offenders are being charged with murder,' Detective Smith said. Spoer-Lagas is due to appear in Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Monday while Knowles and Kratzmann will appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court. A woman said she had seen the tragic night unfold via video footage on Instagram and Snapchat. 'The videos I have seen, they are sickening and so very sad,' she told the Courier-Mail. 'It's not in the best interest of this poor boy's family to see him like that.' Detectives said Mr English was running from the men who allegedly stormed the unit he was partying in Mr English pictured left. After his body was discovered, four other teenagers in varying states of consciousness were found in the apartment A passer-by discovered Mr English's lifeless body on the pavement before calling emergency services. Paramedics tried to perform CPR on the 19-year-old but were too late. Two other 16-year-old boys, believed to be a part of the group, were arrested at 2.20am between View Avenue and the Esplanade for possessing prescription drugs. They were also treated by paramedics for showing symptoms associated with drug use. Police believe up to 12 people may have attended the party. Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) Senior Operations Supervisor Neil Stead said the teen had 'traumatic injuries'. The drugs involved were reportedly Diazepam or Valium. Investigations into the incident are ongoing. Judicial Watch, the dogged organization that forces the government to produce documents it would rather hide, believes that it may finally have gotten hold of the FBI memo that started the Obama administrations spying, first on the Trump campaign and then, when Trump won, on the Trump presidency. If the email Judicial Watch received is indeed the charging memo, it is a document so careless and ephemeral that it shouldnt have been used to investigate a ham sandwich, let alone a presidential candidate and incoming president. The electronic communication the government produced is heavily redacted. Nevertheless, theres enough information in it, especially when combined with what weve already learned about Crossfire Hurricane, to show that there was no legal or practical justification for the investigation. (You can see the document here, and the full text is at the bottom of this post.) The first thing one notices is that Peter Strzoks name is all over it. Hes a one-man FBI. The document is ccd to Strzok, hes listed as a Counterintelligence contact, he approved the document, and he drafted the document. To refresh your recollection about the smirking Strzok, in his emails to his paramour, Lisa Page, he referred to Trump as a loathsome human being, an idiot, a f**king idiot, and awful. Strzok devoutly wished for a Hillary victory. Disturbingly, he believed that it was up to him to protect our country from Trump. The Crossfire Hurrican opening document may reflect that delusional sense of self-importance. The email announces that [a]n investigation is being opened based on information received by Legat [Legal Attache] on 07/29/2016. So what is that information? Almost nothing. An unnamed government (we know it was Russia) was allegedly seeking prominent people in Trumps campaign to prepare for potential post-election relations should Trump be elected U.S. President. George Papadopoulos is named as one of those prominent people. Thats a stretch, to say the least. Papadopoulos was an unpaid foreign policy adviser. Further, its neither unusual nor illegal for countries to try to line up contacts with a potential president. The next paragraph alleges that Papadopoulos said that the Russians had suggested that they (the Russians) could assist the Trump campaign with the anonymous release of information during the campaign that would be damaging to Hillary Clinton. That Russia allegedly made this offer does not mean that the Trump team engaged in any wrongdoing that would justify an investigation. Having written the above, Strzok then reframes the same alleged Russian offer to Papadopoulos with a significant addition (emphasis mine): Mr. Papadopolous [Redacted] also suggested the Trump team had received some kind of suggestion from Russia that it could assist this process with the anonymous release of information during the campaign that would be damaging to Mrs. Clinton (and President Obama). It was unclear whether he or the Russians were referring to material acquired publicly of through other means. It was also unclear how Mr. Trumps team reacted to the offer. We note the Trump teams reaction could, in the end, have little bearing of what Russia decides to do, with or without Mr. Trumps cooperation. The emphasized language is fascinating, for it simultaneously seems to explain why the FBI started spying on Trump, while also making clear that the FBI had no justification for spying on Trump. The lack of justification appears in this language: It was also unclear how Mr. Trumps team reacted to the offer. We note the Trump teams reaction could, in the end, have little bearing on what Russia decides to do, with or without Mr. Trumps cooperation. Put another way, the FBI was saying that it had no idea what Trumps team did or would do, but that the choice the Trump team made would not, in any event, affect what Russian ultimately chose to do. Again, this cannot justify spying on an opposition presidential candidate. And indeed, when similar information appeared during John McCains presidential campaign, the FBI notified McCain that Russia might be a problem, ending the matter immediately. Notifying Trump, of course, is exactly what the FBI did not do. Instead, the FBI, acting through the ubiquitous Strzok, started spying on Trump. This drastic and unprecedented decision may have been because of that little parenthetical -- and President Obama. Does that parenthetical mean that Obama was worried that the Russians had dirt on him, whether from stealing Hillarys unsecured emails or from another source? If that was the case, Obama and those who dreaded the thought of a Trump presidency would have had a motive to begin the spying operation to shut down the Trump candidacy and to silence anyone who knew something bad about Obama. Strzok, who seems to have been the FBIs fixer on this matter, famously hated Trumps supporters as much as he hated Trump. After Crossfire Hurricane began, he texted Page, Just went to a southern Virginia Walmart. I could SMELL the Trump support. Its ironic, therefore, that when it came to Obamas dirty little secrets (assuming the Russians had any), it was Strzok who stepped up to answer a call that was the equivalent of a voice over the Walmart speaker saying Cleanup on aisle 3. ***** Full text of the July 31, 2016, electronic communication that open Crossfire Hurricane: FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION Electronic Communication Title: Crossfire Hurricane Date: 07/31/2016 Cc: [Redacted] Strzok Peter P II From: COUNTERINTELLIGENCE [Redacted] Contact: Strzok Peter P II, [Redacted] Approved by: Strzok Peter P II Drafed by: Strzok Peter P II Case ID #: [Redacted] CROSSFIRE HURRICANE; FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRATION ACT RUSSIA; SENSITIVE INVESTIGATIVE MATTER This document contains information that is restricted to case participants Synopsis: (S/ / ) Opens and assigns investigation Reason 1.4 (b) Derived from: FBI NSISC-20090615 Declassify On: 20411231 [Redacted] (S/) An investigation is being opened based on information received by Legat [Redacted] on 07/29/2016. The text of that email follows: SECRET/ [Redacted] Title: (S/ / CC/NF) CROSSFIRE HURRICANE Re: [Redacted] 07/31/2016 BEGIN EMAIL (U/ /) Legat [Redacted] information from [Redacted] Deputy Chief of Mission Synopsis: (U/ /) Legat [Redacted] received information from the [Redacted] Deputy Chief of Mission related to the hacking of the Democratic National Committees website/server. Details: (S/ /[Redacted] On Wednesday, July 27, 2016, Legal Attache (Legat) [Redacted] was summoned to the Office of the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) for the [Redacted] who will be leaving [Redacted] post Saturday July 30, 2016 and set to soon thereafter retire from government service, advised [Redacted] was called by [Redacted] about an urgent matter requiring an in person meeting with the U.S. Ambassador. [Note: [Redacted]. The [Redacted] was scheduled to be away from post until mid-August, therefore [Redacted] attended the meeting. (S/ [Redacted]) [Redacted] advised that [Redacted] government had been seeking prominent members of the Donald Trump campaign in which to engage to prepare for potential post-election relations should Trump be elected U.S. President. One of the people identified was George Papadopolous (although public media sources provide a spelling of Papadopoulos), who was believed to be one of Donald Trumps foreign policy advisers. Mr. Papdopoulos was located in [Redacted] so the [Redacted] met with him on several occasions, with [Redacted] attending at least one of the meetings. (S/ [Redacted]) [Redacted] recalled [Redacted] of the meetings between Mr. Papdopolous and [Redacted] concerning statements Mr. Papadopolous made about suggestions from the Russians that they (the Russians) could assist the Trump campaign with the anonymous release of information during the campaign that would be damaging to Hillary Clinton. [Redacted] provided a copy of the reporting that was provided to [Redacted] from [Redacted] to Legal [Redacted]. The text is exactly as follows: (Begin Text) (S/ [Redacted]) 5. Mr. Papadopolous [Redacted] also suggested the Trump team had received some kind of suggestion from Russia that it could assist this process with the anonymous release of information during the campaign that would be damaging to Mrs. Clinton (and President Obama). It was unclear whether he or the Russians were referring to material acquired publicly of through other means. It was also unclear how Mr. Trumps team reacted to the offer. We note the Trump teams reaction could, in the end, have little bearing of what Russia decides to do, with or without Mr. Trumps cooperation. (End Text) (s/ [Redacted] [Redacted] (s/ [Redacted] Legat requests that further action on this information should consider the sensitivity that this information was provided through informal diplomatic channels from [Redacted] to the U.S. Embassys DCM. It was clear from the conversation Legal [Redacted] had with DCM that [Redacted] knew follow-up by the U.S. government would be necessary, but extraordinary efforts should be made to protect the source of this information until such a time that a request from our organization can be made to [Redacted] to obtain this information through formal channels. END EMAIL (S/ / ) Based on the information provided by Legat [Redacted] this investigation is being opened to determine whether individual(s) associated with the Trump campaign are witting of and/or coordinating activities with the Government of Russia. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, 91 members of Ukraine's Armed Forces have recovered. The number of COVID-19 coronavirus cases registered in the Armed Forces of Ukraine rose by 14 as of the morning of May 24. "As of 07:00 Kyiv time on May 24, some 62 members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had acute respiratory illness COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. In total, 91 people recovered and two died during the pandemic. Fourteen new cases of acute respiratory illness COVID-19 were recorded in the past day," the press service of the Medical Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine wrote on Facebook on May 24. Read alsoTwelve coronavirus patients die in Ukraine in past day "Four servicemen of the Kharkiv garrison are in the isolation cell of the military unit. Eight more servicemen of the Ternopil garrison are also currently in the isolation ward of the military unit and will soon be evacuated to the military hospital in Rivne. The health status of the patients is satisfactory. They have the necessary treatment," it said. In addition, one member of the Zhytomyr garrison's military unit was sent to the National Military Medical Clinical Center "GVKG." The patient's condition is moderate, he receives the necessary treatment. Another serviceman of the Kyiv garrison, who has no symptoms of the disease, is self-isolating at home under the supervision of the medical service. The patient's health condition is satisfactory. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, 91 members of Ukraine's Armed Forces have recovered, two cases were fatal. Some 259 servicemen are now isolated (including self-isolation). The number of those whose isolation term is expiring in the next three days is 40 people. As UNIAN reported earlier, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Ukraine as of Sunday morning was 20,986, including 406 in the past 24 hours. Neglect of diseases like TB and cholera during the lockdown may cancel out lives potentially saved by the COVID-19-induced enforcement measure, says a public health expert. Professor, Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad, Public Health Foundation of India, V Ramana Dhara said one has to consider the invisible loss of life from the increase in poverty-related diseases like TB, malnutrition and cholera, which can be neglected while the "lockdowns are ongoing". The deaths resulting from these diseases may well cancel out the lives potentially saved by the lockdowns. One should view this epidemic as Mother Nature's reaction to the rampant ecological damage caused by humans resulting in animal habitat loss and resultant contact between humans and animals , he told PTI in an interview on Sunday. On his assessment of the COVID-19 situation in India, he noted that clearly the number of cases as on Saturday of 125,000 has exceeded the predicted 100,000 by May-end and is continuing to rapidly rise . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two restaurant managers and their relative allegedly robbed a food delivery executive while he was alone in southeast Delhi's Aashtha Kunj park, police said on Sunday. Police identified the three accused with the help of CCTV footage and arrested them on Saturday from Mamraj mohalla, Garhi in Delhi, they said. The robbed mobile phone and a knife the accused used in the robbery were also recovered from them, a police official said. The accused were identified as Nishant Kumar (21) and his brother Sushant Kumar (24) and their relative Sumit Kumar (25). The brothers are managers at separate restaurants while the other relative, Sumit, works as salesman at a hardware shop in Connaught Place. They all are residents of Garhi in East of Kailash, police said. None of the three accused has any previous involvements in any crime. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) RP Meena said Nishant and Sumit are alcoholic and due to the lockdown, they were facing shortage of money to fund their addiction. According to police, the incident took place on Thursday night when Vishnu Kumar, the food delivery executive, was going to Sant Nagar in East of Kaliash from Rain Basera, Nehru Place. In his complaint, Vishnu said when he reached near Aashtha Kunj park around 7.30 pm, three people accosted him and tried to snatch his mobile phone. When he resisted, Sumit attacked him with a knife and the other accused robbed his mobile phone. The injured delivery person was taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre by PCR staff and his statement was recorded, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The new missile-capable frigate BRP Jose Rizal FF150 of the Philippines navy arrived in Subic Bay on Saturday May 23, 2020, after a five-day trip from Ulsan, South Korea. The new frigate left South Korea for its delivery to the Philippines on 18 May 2020. The new missile-capable frigate BRP Jose Rizal FF150 of the Philippines navy arrived in Subic Bay on Saturday May 23, 2020, after a five-day trip from Ulsan, South Korea. The new frigate left South Korea for its delivery to the Philippines on 18 May 2020. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link New guide missile frigate BRP Jose Rizal FF150 of the Philippines navy arrived in Subic Bay on Saturday May 23, 2020 (Picture source facebook Philippines Navy) In 2016, the Philippines has signed a contract with the South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries for the purchase of two missile frigates. The two ships of the Jose Rizal-class frigate will become the most modern surface combatants of the Philippine Navy The first frigate, temporarily identified as Hull P159, had its First Steel Cutting Ceremony on 1 May 2018, marking the start of construction work. The keel was laid down on 16 October 2018 at HHI's Ulsan shipyard. The new frigate, named after national hero Jose Rizal, was commissioned into service on June 19, 2019, the heros birthday. The lead ship, temporarily identified as Hull P159, had its First Steel Cutting Ceremony on 1 May 2018, marking the start of construction work. The keel was laid down on 16 October 2018 at HHI's Ulsan shipyard. The Jose Rizal-class frigate is a class of two guided missile frigates, designed as multi-role semi-stealth ships for the Philippine Navy. The ships are heavily modified derivative of HDF-3000 frigate design (officially known as HDF-2600 Frigate Design) from Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) with design specifically accommodated to fit the requirements of the Philippine Navy. The armament of the BRP Jose Rizal includes one Oto Melara 76 mm Super Rapid Gun, one ASELSAN SMASH 30mm Secondary Gun, 4 S&T Motiv 12.7mm K6 Heavy Machine Guns and 1 Close-in weapon system (FFBNW). The frigate is also armed with two Twin MBDA Simbad RC with Mistral missiles, one single 8-cell Vertical Launching System (FFBNW) and two Twin LIGNex1 SSM-700K C-Star Anti Ship Missile. It also has two SEA Triple Trainable Torpedo Launchers. The Philippine frigates have a standard displacement of about 2,600 tons and a length of 107 meters. The diesel main power plant under the CODAD scheme should provide full speed of 25 knots, a cruising range of 4500 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots. I knew him very well. In the party, he was invariably non-controversial, low-profile, well-mannered and always very guarded and measured in his utterances. A perfect description of the late George Michael Chambers, the countrys second prime minister and political leader of the Peoples National Movement (PNM), from Ferdie Ferreira, a foundation member, in his book Political Encounters 1946 -2016. For so many people, Home isnt a safe place to be. Lockdown has opened everyones eyes Right now, there are hundreds of women who are more afraid of their own partner than any virus. As calls to domestic abuse helplines have soared and the number of women murdered is now twice the national average, Anna Moore asks how can we stop the pandemics other killer? For most of Rachel Williamss 18-year marriage she was locked into survival mode, living day to day, always focused on extending her husbands good moods and getting through his bad ones. This meant obeying a barrage of rules that governed every inch of her life, from the length of her hair (it had to be short) to the length of her skirts (they had to be long). It included how she could work (as a hairdresser, but she wasnt allowed to have male clients), while at home it meant keeping the house to impossible standards (her husband once hid crumbs of Weetabix under the kitchen bin, then punished her for failing to clean them away). Every day meant walking on eggshells, says Rachel, but if I was living with him now in this lockdown, it would mean walking on broken glass. I just cant think of anything worse. At least I had my work time and space away from him and in the evenings he used to go to the gym for training sessions. Lockdown would mean living 24/7 with a domestic terrorist. Rachel Williams with HRH The Duchess of Cornwall at a Safelives reception at Clarence House this February Yet this is the reality for a frightening number of UK women. Since lockdown, calls to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline have risen by 49 per cent. Refuges are running out of space. The Met Police are making 100 domestic violence arrests a day. Chillingly, the number of women killed has jumped to more than double the national average. In the first month of lockdown, 14 women were shot, stabbed, beaten or burned to death in the UK. This included Kelly Fitzgibbons from West Sussex, who, along with her two young daughters, was shot by her partner Robert Needham. He then turned the gun on himself. Domestic abuse has always been with us but for the first time its making daily headlines. The Government has launched an awareness campaign (#YouAreNotAlone), MPs are calling for an urgent cross-party action plan and the Home Secretary has pledged emergency funds for frontline services. Before COVID-19, lots of people didnt understand that for so many women, home is not a safe place to be, says Rachel. Lockdown has opened everybodys eyes. Now happily remarried, Rachel, 49, is a vocal campaigner on domestic abuse she is currently chairing her own weekly Cobra meetings where MPs, survivors, police and frontline services come together on Zoom to exchange information in lockdown. She has supporters in high places HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and actor Michael Sheen among them but when she first met Darren Williams, she was just 21, a single mum to two-year-old Josh, living in Newport. Williams was 27, a 6ft 7in, 18-stone bouncer who seemed open and vulnerable a gentle giant. Hed had it rough, says Rachel. Hed been brought up in a violent household and his brother had committed suicide. I thought, Im going to fix him. The first red flag came months later, after a party when someone mentioned Rachels ex-boyfriend. Walking home, Darren began asking who this boyfriend was, then shoved her into some nettles. The next day he apologised, saying hed been jealous because he loved her so much. Rachel let it go, Darren moved in and soon she was pregnant with their son Jack. Her second memory of violence was seven months into the pregnancy. He lifted me off the floor by my throat and only let me go when my lips turned blue. Again, Darren begged for forgiveness. He fell on his knees and cried like a baby. He went to anger management classes. I thought, Well be all right Ill make it better. But it wasnt to be. This pattern of violence and terror followed by tears and remorse continued, and the rules to live by piled up. Its a slow drip, drip, says Rachel. Gradually, you lose your freedom but you dont realise it because for every rule he gives a reason, and before you know it, that has become your normal relationship. Your body and mind are just trying to shield the children and get through the day. As time went on, Darren told me the only way I was getting out of the relationship was in a wooden box and I truly believed him. What was the point in burdening other people when there was nothing they could do? It was only after a particularly horrifying attack, where Darren strangled Rachel then slit his own wrists, that the fear of staying became greater than the fear of leaving. Rachel made a police statement, Darren was arrested and charged with common assault. On 19 August 2011, he was out on bail with no restrictions when he walked into Rachels workplace the hair salon and blasted her with a shotgun, while also telling her he loved her. She was shot in the legs after curling up to protect her chest, and had black eyes and boot marks embedded in her arms. Darren fled to local woods and took his own life. I remember being told he was dead, says Rachel. I was in hospital, off my trolley on morphine but it felt like this massive boulder had been lifted off my shoulders. If he was still alive, thered have been no escape. Id have been running for ever. Tragically, Rachels son Jack killed himself only a few weeks later. He was 16, struggling to make sense of it and relations with his mum had broken down while she was in hospital. His text messages changed from, Im praying for your legs to, Its all your fault, says Rachel. Jack was the tragedy and thats why Im so passionate about campaigning. If I had understood domestic abuse when Id first met Darren, Id have left before he got his clutches into me, before I became his possession. Michelle, 51, feels exactly the same. Like Rachel, she was 21 when she met her husband while travelling in India. Michelle was a free spirit, having quit her job to travel alone. He was a German police officer on holiday, nine years older, handsome and charming. You think youve met the person of your dreams, she says. I cut my travel short and moved to Germany, then became pregnant very quickly. Although, within two years, he was disconnecting the house phone whenever he left for work, she had no idea that this constituted abuse. Domestic abuse thrives on isolation so Michelle in a German village with minimal language and no friends or family around her was vulnerable from the start. Her partner changed almost immediately. Hed told me he loved my sparkiness and spontaneity but that wasnt true he wanted the opposite, she says. He was so organised and particular. He told me how useless I was at the most basic things, that I was stupid, repulsive. There were a million rules for me and none for him. When their son was born, this escalated. Michelles husband grew more abusive after the birth of their son Its a bit like workplace bullying each incident alone sounds pathetic but cumulatively its devastating. When wed first met, Id been brave, mouthy, confident now I felt confused. Instead of fighting back, I tried to make things better and smooth everything out. Their first family Christmas is a typical example. He was very controlling around finances and gave me a Christmas allowance, which Id spent on food and presents, says Michelle. On Christmas Eve we went to buy a tree he expected it to come from my allowance, which was all gone. He was so angry that he didnt speak to me again for three days. On 27 December, our sons first birthday, we had visitors and they noticed all the presents under the tree still unopened. Month by month, his control tightened. When he left for work, after disconnecting the phone (this was before mobiles) hed take the car keys, leaving Michelle isolated in the snowy German winter. He did not attack his wife, though an underlying threat was always lurking. Hed get hold of my arm and throw me out of the kitchen if Id stacked the dishwasher the wrong way, or hed pick our 14-month-old son out of the high chair and throw him on to the bed for eating like a pig, she says. Sometimes, hed bring a gun home from work and sleep with it on the bedside table. I can remember at one point wanting him to hit me so that I would know for sure that what he was doing was wrong. If he was violent, Id have something to tell people, instead of he ignored me because I folded his clothes badly. It was only when Michelle did mention some of her husbands behaviour to a local couple that she knew for sure it was unacceptable. They told me that this wasnt right; it was very wrong, she says. Eventually, Michelle moved into this couples home before returning to the UK and raising her son alone. Ten years later, while applying for a job in the domestic abuse sector and reading up on the definition, Michelle realised that shed been a victim herself. It had left a deep wound but, back then, there was much less awareness. No one spoke about controlling partners or coercive control. I hope thats changing. Michelle now works for SafeLives, a UK domestic abuse charity that puts the voices of survivors at the heart of what it does. Rachel Williams is one the SafeLives survivors involved in campaigning and helping to shape policy. Sarah*, 35, is another. Sarahs relationship followed a familiar pattern. At first her partner someone shed met through work was charming and attentive. After two dates, he declared his love; within four months they were living together and in six months Sarah was pregnant. It felt like it was meant to be, she says. But before our daughter had been born, he started to plant little seeds, criticising my friends and family, telling me I shouldnt be going to certain places. I wanted it to work so much; I was terrified of being a single parent. After the birth, life became much harder. Hed tell me that I was useless, that I wasnt coping, says Sarah. There were rules she had to follow from her socialising to her appearance. I had to dress very conservatively and my hair changed from blonde to brunette. Sarah left the relationship when she saw her partner treating their 18-month-old daughter the way he treated her shouting in her face to shut the f*** up. He soon began to stalk Sarah, parking outside her new flat, appearing anywhere she happened to be (she later discovered hed put a tracker on her car). He also began to threaten her with 13 hours of intimate footage hed recorded when they were still together without her knowledge. He sent some of this footage to her father. When she approached her exs former partner the woman hed been with before Sarah she discovered he had abused her too, and even strangled her. Sarah went to the police, her partner was charged and convicted of stalking and served 26 weeks in prison. It led Sarah to join the police herself. People think that domestic abuse is new, she says, but abusers were here before lockdown and theyll be here after. It has increased the risk by stripping back the safe places like work or the GPs surgery. How can you phone a helpline when your partner is in the room? How can you ask for help when you need to stay two metres away from everyone else? SafeLives has published specific guidance for women in fear during lockdown. Womens Aid has an online chat and Refuge has a webform with a quick exit button that takes you back to Google. Theres also the 999 silent call service if you cant speak: dial 999, hit the number five twice and the police will act on it. Domestic abuse charity Hestia recently teamed up with Boots pharmacies nationwide to offer safe spaces in its consultation rooms, with access to contacts for help and advice. For the rest of us, for friends and neighbours, SafeLives has launched a Reach In campaign (see below) with advice on how to help. Communities delivering food and supplies in the pandemic should also be alert to signs of domestic abuse and reach out with a simple, Are you OK? If we dont all look, we wont see. A message from HRH the Duchess of Cornwall Camilla has been a supporter of the domestic abuse charity SafeLives for several years. It provides a lifeline to women, men and children who are suffering, or who have suffered, from domestic abuse, she says. When I first visited them, I listened to the harrowing stories from these remarkably brave women and I knew that I wanted to do something to help. I very much hope that, after reading their stories, you will want to help too. During these exceptional times, it is even more important that we all look out for each other. If you think someone you know might be at risk, then please follow the advice from SafeLives and reach in. It really could make all the difference. Worried about someone you know? SafeLives advice on how to reach in While theres a huge community effort to make sure everyone has food and other essentials, we also need to be vigilant for signs of fear, injuries,shouting and distress. Not everyone identifies with the label domestic abuse. Instead, you could try saying, You seem a bit down. Has someone upset you? or Im worried about you and want to help. Keep in touch but remember a victims calls and texts may be monitored. Offer to shop for them and try to find out if theres a time their partner is out of the house. Agree on a secret code a victim can use if shes frightened, eg, I need a pint of milk. If someone is in immediate danger, dial 999. Call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 if youre concerned for yourself or someone else. Find more information at safelives.org.uk *name has been changed. The portraits did just that and the high school students had a chance to see their subjects reaction in a video sent by The Memory Project. In the video, the children danced around and smiled, thanking the artists for their pictures, blurting out, We love you, Thank you for the drawing, its really nice, and Its really beautiful. The Starbucks drive-thru off 75th Street Southeast in Everett is sometimes so backed up that the line of cars stretches out onto the nearby arterial of Evergreen Way, neighbors say. I got my letter and about fell off the chair, said landlord Jerry Goodman. The space seemed to be performing well, and he wasnt sure why it needed rent relief. But just a few miles south of the bustling drive-thru in Goodmans building, the picture is much different at the two Starbucks locations in Lynnwoods Alderwood Mall. Those stores have been closed on and off since late March, due first to the statewide stay-at-home order and later because of slow foot traffic, employees said. Starbucks letter to landlords suggests the company is anticipating a longer recovery than some economists initially predicted. The chains 12-month ask took some by surprise other companies have asked for shorter periods of rent deferral. Starbucks quarterly earnings fell by half from 2019, to $328.4 million, it reported on April 28. On an earnings call with analysts, executives said the company anticipates even greater financial hits as the year progresses. The mothers of both women at the head of the Stormont Executive have been in hospital during the pandemic, the Deputy First Minister has revealed. Michelle ONeill also said the Covid-19 outbreak had brought the DUP and Sinn Fein closer together. Asked what they have personally found most challenging throughout the crisis, Mrs ONeill said that both her own and Arlene Fosters mums had been ill. I think sometimes people think politicians are a people apart, that somehow we live a different reality, but our reality is the same as everybody elses, Mrs ONeill told Sky News Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme. In March both lamented the fact there would be no hugs with their mums on Mothers Day. Mrs ONeill had said the occasion would be hard for her. She said that instead of a family meal, she would be talking to her mum using FaceTime. When I think of my own mother Kathleen, it is with nothing but pride. She taught me many things that I use every day of my life, she said. And Mrs Foster said that in the midst of all the crisis her 86-year-old mum Georgina Kelly has one overriding concern will the hairdresser still do my hair?. Shes always a great leveller, she said ahead of Mothers Day. No matter what in the world may be going on, mum will still expect her calls to be answered after two rings and will want to tell you in detail the latest news from Lisnaskea. Expand Close DUP leader Arlene Foster is hugged by her mother Georgina Kelly after becoming First Minister at Parliament Buildings, Stormont / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp DUP leader Arlene Foster is hugged by her mother Georgina Kelly after becoming First Minister at Parliament Buildings, Stormont On Sunday she joked that she missed her own hairdresser and singing in church. She said: On a personal level there are two things, one is my hairdresser. When people say to us: When are we going to have the hairdresser? You realise we need our hairdressers. I need my hairdresser as much as anybody, its certainly in need of attention. I miss the ordinary things that you take for granted and I think after this is over, I hope people dont take those sorts of things for granted, that they actually do value their freedom and all the things we havent been able to do. She also said the parties had come together to deal with the health crisis and the fallout. It comes after the parties were criticised for being at loggerheads over some aspects of the response to the pandemic. Sinn Fein criticised Health Minister Robin Swann for his response to coronavirus, saying he had too closely followed the UK Governments plan. There was also public disagreement between the parties around the closure of schools, and how Sinn Fein had mishandled an order for a shipment of personal protective equipment. Mrs Foster admitted it was a challenge to deal with a global pandemic just weeks after Stormont returned from a three-year absence. The DUP leader said that the Executive had shown they could work together in difficult times. I think it shows that we can come together and we have worked together, she said. Expand Close Michelle ONeill with her mum Kathleen / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michelle ONeill with her mum Kathleen The number of people who have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Northern Ireland rose on Sunday to 506 after one more death was reported by the Department of Health. It also reported a further 25 cases of confirmed Covid-19, bringing the total number of positive cases to 4,570. The number of people tested for the virus over the last 24 hours was 1,370. Mrs ONeill said at times there was different emphasis between the parties, but rejected the idea there was a difference of approach. We all shared the same objective of trying to save lives, the Sinn Fein vice-president said. Mrs Foster said the Executive was aware of the risk the virus posed to care homes from other countries experiences. She said ministers had made many interventions to help care homes during the pandemic. There will be plenty of time to look back to see what else could have been done, or what could have been done differently, the First Minister said. The whole Executive acknowledges that care homes are a critical battlefield for us now and we still very much want to deal with those issues. Talking about the Executives five-stage recovery plan, Mrs ONeill said that the Executive could have looked to Dublin or London, but it was about our own response to Covid-19. We do live on an island, we have a geographical advantage, its important that we use that to our peoples best advantage, she said. It also makes good sense that we work with colleagues in Dublin to make sure that we have that north-south approach, because the disease spread is moving in the exact same trajectory right across this island. Mrs Foster said that Northern Ireland benefited from being part of the UK. In terms of economic interventions, our own NHS, plus the fact our Health Minister has a very close relationship with the other Health Ministers across the UK, she said. Devolution is about doing whats right locally for your own people and what we have to do is to listen to the medical and scientific evidence and then make our decisions based on that. Mrs Foster said that while she and Mrs ONeill came from completely different political backgrounds, there were things they shared in common. Its the common ground that weve been trying to concentrate on during this crisis and I think throughout the devolved experience thats whats driving us, the First Minister said. Mrs ONeill said that while she would never cease to be a republican, she was part of a power-sharing Executive and wanted to make that work. I think the last couple of months has brought us all closer together, she said. On Brexit, Mrs Foster said that her party knew that the nature of the protocol between the European Union and UK Government meant there would always be checks between Northern Ireland and Britain. Thats why we voted against it, she said. Mrs ONeill said that Brexit was only going to further the pain for the economy caused by Covid-19. Diversified conglomerate is set to make its biggest acquisition on Sunday said it had entered into an agreement with the spices major to acquire a 100 per cent stake in the company. The share-purchase agreement was completed after was enforced and the final deal is likely to be signed soon. didnt comment on the deal size, but sources estimated it at close to Rs 2,000 crore. clocked a turnover of around Rs 600 crore last year. However, there would be a premium on the 70-year Sunrise brand. ALSO READ: $717-mn loan case: China banks will have to move Indian courts against ADAG While ITC, via its Aashirvaad brand, operates in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Sunrise Foods, which sells its products under the Sunrise brand, has an extensive presence across east India, where it is the market leader, and also operates in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi National Capital Region, Rajasthan, and Bengaluru. It also sells its products in Bangladesh and Nepal. Sunrises plants are located in Kolkata, Agra, Bikaner, and Jaipur. Over the years, the brand (Sunrise) has built a loyal consumer franchise, anchored on a differentiated product portfolio tailored to regional tastes and preferences, both in the basic and blended spice segments, ITC said. ALSO READ: Slowdown blues: RBI rate cuts not effective anymore, say analysts According to ITC, the proposed acquisition is aligned with its strategy to rapidly scale up its businesses in a profitable manner, leveraging consumer insights, the distribution network, agri-commodity sourcing, cuisine knowledge, rural linkages, and packaging know-how. The major acquisition move comes a year after Sanjiv Puri became chairman of the company. Mayank Bhardwaj, CEO & MD of Sunrise, said: We are confident that in passing our legacy to ITC, Sunrise will achieve even greater heights of success. Expletive-filled footage of Brazils far-right president complaining about not being able to get intelligence from the police has been released by the countrys Supreme Court. Jair Bolsonaro vows, in the clip, that he will not let his friends and family get screwed because he is unable to overhaul law enforcement officials. The populist president, who has faced sustained criticism over his approach to the coronavirus emergency as Brazils death toll surges to over 20,000, is at the centre of a criminal investigation into claims he sought to replace top federal police officials. Sergio Moro, the ex Justice Minister, alleges Mr Bolsonaro sacked the federal police chief as he wanted someone in the position who would feed him police intelligence. Mr Moro, who headed up a major corruption clampdown, handed in his notice last month after Mr Bolsonaro sacked the federal police director-general without conferring with him. Pandemic portraits in Brazil Show all 12 1 /12 Pandemic portraits in Brazil Pandemic portraits in Brazil Obscura-Portraits-12.jpg EPA/Pedro Rocha Pandemic portraits in Brazil Obscura-Portraits-14.jpg EPA/Bruno Alencastro Pandemic portraits in Brazil Obscura-Portraits-13.jpg EPA/Caroline Muller Pandemic portraits in Brazil Obscura-Portraits-11.jpg EPA/Rodrigo Blum Pandemic portraits in Brazil Obscura-Portraits-10.jpg EPA/Eduardo Seidl Pandemic portraits in Brazil Obscura-Portraits-9.jpg EPA/Felipe Martini Pandemic portraits in Brazil Obscura-Portraits-8.jpg EPA/Beatriz Grieco Pandemic portraits in Brazil Obscura-Portraits-7.jpg EPA/Guilherme Santos Pandemic portraits in Brazil Obscura-Portraits-6.jpg EPA/Leonardo Savaris Pandemic portraits in Brazil Obscura-Portraits-5.jpg EPA/Josue Braun Pandemic portraits in Brazil Obscura-Portraits-4.jpg EPA/Ursula Jahn Pandemic portraits in Brazil Obscura-Portraits-3.jpg EPA/Eveline Medeiros Ive tried to change our security people in Rio de Janeiro officially, and I wasnt able to. Thats over. I wont wait for my family or my friends to get screwed, Mr Bolsonaro says in the video of a cabinet meeting from last month which surfaced on Friday. In the video which made the Supreme Court website crash due to peoples demand to watch it, he adds: If you cant change (the official), change his boss. You cant change the boss? Change the minister. End of story. Were not kidding around. Mr Bolsonaros sons, Flavio Bolsonaro and Carlos Bolsonaro, are currently being investigated over allegations of misconduct. They both deny the claims. The president, who is famed for making offensive, incendiary, off-the-cuff comments about women, black people and sexual minorities, has insisted he was discussing his own security personnel rather than the police in the video clip. He claimed there was no indication of interference in the federal police in a Facebook post. Iran ignored warnings of retaliation from the US as the first of five Iranian tankers entered Venezuelas exclusive economic zone on Saturday. The tanker, named Fortune, reached the Venezuelas territorial waters at around 7:40 pm after passing north of Trinidad and Tobago in the Carribean, according to vessel-tracking data. Tareck El Aissami, Venezuelas economy vice president said: The ships from the fraternal Islamic Republic of Iran are now in our exclusive economic zone. Venezuelan state television showed images of a navy ship and aircraft preparing to meet it. The defense minister had pledged that the military would escort the tankers once they reached Venezuelas Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) due to what authorities described as threats from the United States. The five tankers are carrying a staggering 1.53 million barrels of gasoline and alkylate to Venezuela, according to both governments, and sources. The desperately needed shipments have caused a diplomatic standoff between the United States and Iran and Venezuela, which are under US sanctions. Iran has warned of repercussions from the potential interception of Iranian tankers by the US In a phone conversation with Emir of Qatar on Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that the Islamic Republic will respond to any possible US aggression against Iranian oil tankers in the Caribean Sea or any other point in the world. On May 20, Irans Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said that any US harassment of Iranian tankers will be met with a decisive response. He said on Wednesday: Any disruption for tankers is against international regulations and security, referring to the release of some reports on the threat of US officials to harass tankers carrying Irans fuel to Venezuela. Both international organisations and countries that are sensitive to water regulations and security must react to this issue, he added. Vietnams first information technology museum was established by Doctor Nguyen Chi Cong, former Head of the Department of Science and Technology under the Vietnam Information Technology Association. Vietnams first private IT museum was set up by Doctor Nguyen Chi Cong (Photo: VOV) The museum is not just an exhibition of objects but also a venue for those who are interested in the IT sector. The museum was inaugurated in January in Hanoi. Mr. Nguyen Chi Cong built the museum in his 25 meter-square garage, displaying photos and objects featuring the IT development in Vietnam and the world. It took Cong more than 40 years to design and collect documents and objects for display. Cong said, The museum was built in the garage to recall people of the American IT legendary figure Bill Gates who started his business in a garage. On the left side of the museum is a wallboard summarizing the history of the IT development. Below the board are printers, scanners, keyboards, fax machines, memory storage, and tapes which had been used in Vietnams national defense industry. More than 300 items are now on display at this small museum. The museum has attracted lots of young people who are passionate about IT. It is also a venue for extra-curricular activities. A teacher from FPT university said, At the museum, I learn a lot about Vietnams IT development, especially in the context of 4.0 industrial revolution. It also gives us a view of the future of the IT development. The IT museum will apply 3D technology, so people can see it online (Photo: house3D) Doctor Nguyen Chi Cong worked in the IT field for more than 40 years. He did research and helped produce the first computers in Vietnam and in Asia back in 1977. After his retirement, Cong opened the IT museum where he is also a guide. Cong noted, I want to call on the young people to live like our generation did. They should be creative and find their own way. They shouldnt stop learning as IT develops quickly.VOV5 Good morning, Nigeria, welcome to Naija News roundup of top Newspaper Headlines in Nigeria for today Sunday,24th May 2020. Here Are The Major Nigerian Newspaper Headlines. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC on Saturday, May 23, 2020, confirmed two hundred and sixty-five new cases of Coronavirus in Nigeria. This new update brings the overall confirmed cases of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria to 7526, Naija News affirms. Former President Goodluck Jonathan says the handling of Coronavirus in Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buharis government is positive. Naija News reports that the former Nigerian President shared his position on the handling of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by Nigeria and Africa at large when he featured in Webinar organised by the Kofi Annan Foundation on Friday, May 22. The Kogi state governorship election petition tribunal has affirmed the election of Yahaya Bello as governor of Kogi State, north-central Nigeria. Naija News reports that the election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja, Nigerias capital, dismissed the case filed against Governor Bello by Musa Wada, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigerias main opposition party on Saturday. Beneficiaries of the social intervention scheme of the federal government, N-Power have reasons to be happy as the payment of their outstanding stipend has commenced. It will be recalled the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Farouq, under whose ministry the scheme is domiciled announced last week that the processing of their payment was already at the final stage and beneficiaries will get their money this week. The General Overseer of Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, has reacted to the reopening of churches across the country amid Coronavirus in Nigeria, saying we serve a prayer-answering God. Naija News reports that the Bishop who spoke at the Churchs Covenant Hour of Prayer on Saturday, convened virtually, maintained that churches remained a solution centre to all crises humans face. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged government at various levels to prioritise the welfare of the people when planning for the post-COVID-19 era. He gave the advice in a Sallah message on Saturday to Nigerians. The Kogi State governorship election petition tribunal on Saturday affirmed the election victory of Yahaya Bello at the November 16, 2019, gubernatorial polls. As earlier reported by Naija News, the election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja, Nigerias capital, dismissed the case filed against Governor Bello by Musa Wada, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigerias main opposition party. President Muhammadu Buhari has asked for Nigerians understanding as the country experience an extended lockdown due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In a statement by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, President Buhari stated that not government intentionally imposes tough measures on its citizens. For more than two months now, the Premier League has been shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. A pandemic which has large clubs in economic turbulence. Indeed, Manchester United has seen its debt increase. According to information obtained by the Guardian, the Reds Devils have seen their net debt increase by 142 million euros in recent weeks. It would now reach 479 million, over the period of the last twelve months ended March 31. The Mancunian club, therefore, pays dearly for the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic. Popular Kannywood actor, Ali Nuhu had revealed why he stopped kissing and hugging in Nigeria movies. According to the actor, he stopped the acts of kissing and hugging in movies due to his religion. Thats the Nigerian Newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow. Share this post with your Friends on As we live through these life-changing times, cruise expert Fran Golden is brought back to memories of a life-changing trip she took to the Galapagos Islands. When its safe to sail again, she dreams of doing it all over, again basking in unspoiled naturealthough this time with a whole lot of luxury. When I think of the Galapagos, I have a vision of a sea lion wearing a diamond stud earring. When I met the sea lion in question, he came so close, I could feel his body heat. He wasnt wearing jewelry at the time, of course. Through my snorkel mask, his big brown eyes met mine. We both waved, me a hand, he a flipper, and then he was gone. Its a happy memory, but my vision is also tinged with guilt. When I surfaced and flipped off my mask, I dropped an earring into the pristine, protected waters. In my imagination, it now adorns my new marine mammal friend. I hope it did no harm. Eight years ago, on my first cruise in Ecuadors Galapagos National Park, I was living in Boston, stressed-out managing a news operation remotely while seriously dating a man from Ohio. Already qualified for AARP membership, I needed to start thinking about next steps, such as whether I should persuade myself to move to a red-ish state. I had brought a girlfriend along on the venture, and over Ecuadorian pilsner and rum drinks, we plotted out my life. (Eventually, I moved to Cleveland and married the guy.) Decisions come easy in a place where you can ignore human civilization for a while. Between naturalist-led excursions that explored uninhabited islands of various volcanic hues, through scrubland, in the water, and across sandy beaches, there is a lot of downtime. What will draw me back, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, is that wandering among animals in this raw and wild place, 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, I had never felt so in tune with natureand alive. Imagine youre walking in the middle of nowhere and hear a rustling. Suddenly a huge black and red iguana runs through your legs. Maybe a tortoise cocks its head at you, or a blue-footed booby waddles over to check you out. The animals of the Galapagos are fearless, viewing you as a curiosity, much as you view them. Its both scary and exhilarating on this land-based Noahs Ark, where you are just one of the critters. An adrenaline rush comes from realizing you are part of something thats bigger than yourself, bigger than humankind. And there are lessons to be learned. In his darkly satirical book, Galapagos, writer Kurt Vonnegut imagines a world in the midst of both a global economic crisis and a virus that is making humans sterile. A few travelers head off on a nature cruise, shipwreck on the islands and up being the only propagating humans on earth. Over a million years, their species evolves to resemble sea lionscomplete with fur and flippers for hands. I was hoping to return to the Galapagos in fall 2020 during the dry season, when temperatures are in the 70sF. Thats when the waved albatross, with eight-foot wingspans, and whale sharks hang around. I dont see that happening this year, as much as I want to support the local economy. Ecuador, a country of more than 17 million, is among the worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic in Latin America. While Galapagos is far from the mainland and has been closed to visitors since March 16, a few dozen residents on the four populated islands are among those who have tested positive, as have 50 crew members of Royal Caribbean Internationals Galapagos-based, 100-passenger Celebrity Flora. Glamping at sea When I do make it back, it will be on a floating boutique hotel with a French-trained chef. Weighty topics such as Charles Darwins theories on natural selection may be approached while sitting in a hot tub sipping Champagne. Ecoventura offers the experience on new, fuel efficient, Ecuadorian-flagged yachts that carry up to 20 passengers and 13 crew membersin addition to the chef, a maitre de maison. This is a luxury experience, but its totally casual, the floating equivalent to glamping: Leave the heels (and jewelry) at home, pack an extra sunhat. The nearly identical M/V Origin and M/V Theory are members of the prestigious, culinary-focused Relais & Chateaux collection. The arrival of a sister ship, Evolve, has been delayed from March to June 2021, due to work stoppages at its Ecuadorian shipyard. If that schedule holds (a big if), perhaps I can be on its maiden voyage. Ill sleep in a suite and dine on dishes created with a focus on sustainable local ingredientsperhaps fresh-mushroom risotto with goat cheese and truffle oil, grilled grouper fish with citrus sauce and ripe plantains puree, and mille-feuille with diplomat cream and berries. Onboard the intimate ship, I anticipate the kind of camaraderie that comes naturally when small groups of world travelers gather. Its amazing what people will reveal to strangers. Fares run from $8,050 per person, double-occupancy for one week. Although I dont plan to travel with grandkids, children age 5 and up are welcomethe line even offers special sailings for families with children and those with teens. My ultimate dream, though, would be to get a bunch of quarantining friends together: a full-ship charter is $161,000, and I can think of no better way to travel in socially distant fashion than with a group of loved ones. (Hey, its a dream. I can think big!) A stopover first, on the mainland Included in the fare are Avianca Airlines flights to Baltra Island. Since they dont quite match up with international flights, Ill probably need to spend some pre-cruise time on the mainland. Guayaquil is on the coast, with its modern seaside walk, the Malecon, and seafood restaurants with harbor views. But when I return, it will feature a stop in Quito, high in the Andes. The catch with Quito is it lies at 9,350 feet, the second-highest capital city in the world, after La Paz, Bolivia. Acclimating to the thin air will take some time. In the historic Old Town, Casa Gangotena is an art nouveau mansion converted into a boutique hotel, a member of Relais & Chateaux, and it seems like a fine place to lay your head. Plus, its afternoon tea gets raves. The city of 1.8 million residents is built on the ruins of an Inca city on the slopes of the Pichincha Volcano, a dramatically beautiful location accessible via a modern cable car. The big draw for me is the 17th century Spanish colonial architecture in the city center, so impressive that Quito was the first city in the world to receive Unesco World Heritage Site status in 1978. (Krakow, Poland, was also protected that year.) But I also want to check out the contemporary art scene, including a visit to a former military hospital that now houses the galleries of the Centro de Arte Contemporaneo. Where we will sail Ecuadors national park authorities regulate ships so as not to overwhelm the uninhabited islands. One-week itineraries offer comparable experiences. As if to make the point, Econventura labels its itinerary options simply as A and B. The A itinerary explores the south and central islands. B heads north and west, which means an increased chance of seeing Charles Darwins finches. Itd be possible to combine the itinerary for a two-week trip. To me, thats overkill; after a week, I was ready to get back to civilization. Each day is like being on safari: Ill do two or three naturalist-led activitiesmaybe a beach walk past sunbathing sea lions, followed by a boulder hikethen allow myself free time for snorkeling, paddleboarding, or kayaking. A cool thing about the Galapagos is that you rarely see other ships pass, let alone tourists, on the remote islands. (You see them in the populated areas.) Two guides on each yacht means Id never be with more than 10 of my fellow passengers. Im fine with those numbers. I enjoy companionship. I see no reason to splurge an additional $2,000 on Econventuras upgraded package, which includes a private guide. Learning from the animals Humans were first recorded arriving in the Galapagos in 1535, when a Spanish ship was blown off course. Onboard was the Bishop of Panama, who reported a place with weird, unafraid creatures. The animals are still that way. Sea lions, including mothers with their pups, lounge by the dozens on beaches, unbothered when you walk by. (I want to learn to lounge as peacefully as a sea lion.) A frigate bird ignores your presence and puffs out his red chest to show hes a catch for any nearby female. Five penguins paddle past, oblivious to your snorkeling. Some creatures will approach to check you out, as my sea lion friend did on my previous trip. You may find yourself in view of a dozen species at any given time, with an eerie feeling that they all have their eyes on you. If Im to be truthful, it does get a bit boring after a whiletoo much of a good thingbut I look at going back as if visiting an old friend. And as tempting as it is to bring a girlfriend again, perhaps Ill introduce my husband to the magic this time. (He might learn a thing or two from the horny frigates!) When they can get back into the field, scientists will look into whether the animals were affected by the absence of humans during the Covid-19 pandemic. Theres no question the critters will have survivedbut did they miss us? Focused on preserving the islands biodiversity and best known for its giant tortoise conservation program, the Charles Darwin Foundation manages more than 20 scientific research projects, including monitoring ecological changes. It feels good to support those dedicated to protecting the beasts. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Obinwanne Okeke, the Nigerian businessman arrested in the United States last August, has capitulated after months of putting up spirited fights against the two-count charge of wire and computer fraud slammed on him by American authorities. Mr Okeke, also known as Invictus Obi in Nigeria, has now told American authorities he is ready to enter a guilty plea, possibly in exchange for a lesser sentence. Already, a Senior United State District Judge, Rebecca Smith, has given an order approving the plea bargain arrangement. The Court has been advised that the defendant wishes to enter a plea of guilty, Judge Smith said in her Order of April 24. A United States Magistrate Judge is hereby authorised, with the consent of the defendant, to conduct the proceedings required by the Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11 incident to the making of the plea. See 28 U.S.C. Section (b) (1); United States v. Dees, 125 F.3d 261 (5th Cir.1997). The defendant may consent to the United States Magistrate Judge conducting the proceedings on a form provided by the clerk. If, after conducting such proceedings, the Magistrate Judge accepts the plea of guilty and the associated plea agreement, a presentence investigation shall be conducted and a report shall be prepared pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32, and a sentencing data shall be scheduled. If the plea of guilty is accepted, the District Judge will adjudicate guilt and will determine and impose a sentence. Magistrate Judge Robert Krask has been appointed to conduct the plea agreement hearing set for June 18 at the Norfolk Magistrate Courtroom 1. Mr Okekes capitulation is a surprising turn in the case as he has since his arrest strongly denied wrongdoing. On December 15, 2019, he filed two preliminary objections. One saying American authorities lacked jurisdiction to charge him for fraud since he did not commit the alleged offence on American soil, and that no American companies or individuals were swindled at the time of his indictment. In the other objection, Mr Okeke accused the Federal Bureau of Investigation of obtaining evidence from him and his iPhone under duress and that the information so extracted should be discountenanced by the court. Responding to the objection, the prosecutors said Mr Okeke travelled to the U.S. in the course of the crime and that his lawyers were wrong to argue that no American companies or individuals were defrauded by the suspect. The FBI also insisted it obtained evidence from Mr Okeke following due process. But just as the parties agreed to continue the trial, Mr Okeke began to signal to the prosecution that he was ready for a guilty plea agreement. The court was so informed of the development. Mr Okeke was arrested by the FBI on August 6 in Alexandria, Virginia, as he was about to return to Nigeria. He was later charged with two counts of computer fraud and wire fraud, which carry a maximum penalty of 10 and 20 years jail, respectively. U.S. authorities allege Mr Okeke defrauded the United Kingdom office of Unatrac of up to $11 million in business email fraud. Unatracs headquarters is in the United Arab Emirates, but the company filed complaints with the FBI through Caterpillar. A major warehouse fire broke out on Fishermans Wharf Pier 45 in San Francisco early Saturday morning. So far, officials say no injuries have been reported and all of Pier 45 has been evacuated. Officials said that as of 6:36 a.m. PT, the fire is no longer at risk of spreading. Firefighters began to responding to the warehouse fire on Fishermans Wharfs one of San Franciscos main tourist attractions at 4:17 a.m. PDT, according to updates from the San Francisco Fire Department.The fire was reported on the Wharfs Pier 45, which includes national historic landmarks the U.S.S. Pampanito and S.S. Jeremiah OBrien, two military ships from World War II. undefined By 4:28 a.m. PDT the warehouse fire was classified a two-alarm fire, and by 4:54 a.m. PDT it was classified four-alarm. (Alarm classifications indicate the seriousness of a fire and are generally determined by the amount of resources dispatched to the scene.) While the fire spread from the original warehouse to two other buildings, firefighters were able to prevent the fire from reaching the S.S. Jeremiah OBrien, according to tweets from from the San Francisco Fire Department. Officials also reported that multiple walls of the original building have collapsed. At least 130 firefighters have been dispatched to the scene, as well as fireboats and Coast Guard and Police Marine units to help monitor the water around the Pier, according to officials. San Francisco Fire Department PIO Lt. Jonathan Baxter said that the fire began at the piers Building C, and all four corners of the building have collapsed inward. The San Francisco Chronicle reports the warehouse holds equipment for processing fish. The Associated Press also reports that the warehouse is usually unoccupied at night but homeless people have been seen in the area in the past. No injuries have been located so far. The cause of the fire has not yet been announced. Story continues Photos that appear to be of the fire have also begun to circulate on social media. Fire is raging on SF Pier pic.twitter.com/UEpQIDxJsn Dan Whaley (@dwhly) May 23, 2020 Officials also posted videos of the fire online. undefined Christy Neihoff, of Lexington, shops at Banks Market on Saturday morning on Lone Oak Road in Paducah. Masks are part of societys new normal in the era of COVID-19, a common sight among many in public in an attempt to limit the virus spread. By Van An May 24, 2020 | 12:20 am PT Fashion designers in Vietnam have turned to the coronavirus crisis for inspiration as they adopt new business modes. Covid-19 has negatively affected many aspects of life, the Vietnamese fashion industry being no exception. With many Spring-Summer shows cancelled, fashion designers have done their best to adapt. Chung Thanh Phongs latest "Save Yourself" collection features masks and hand sanitizer, inspired by common protective gear. Prices range from VND780,000 ($34) for a shirt, VND1.8 million ($77) for a jumpsuit, and VND55,000-150,000 ($2.4-6.5) for a mask or bottle of sanitizer. Color is central to the new collection of leading designer Cong Tri. Photo by Vinh Luu. Lien Huong, in turn, has combined bespoke masks with traditional ao dai, spreading a positive message amid the Covid-19 crisis. Delaying his Spring-Summer collection, designer Do Long decided to produce hand sanitizer for adults and children. "This product does not bring a lot of profit; the more important thing is that I create jobs for my employees," Long said, adding he was surprised after selling 10,000 bottles in two months. Instead of prom dresses, ready to wear outfits have become Le Thanh Hoas new focus. Chung Thanh Phong is the first Vietnamese designer to live-stream-release his new collection. Online platforms are also the mainstay of designer Do Long. "While selling hand sanitizer, I interacted with many fans online, attracting new customers in the process," Long commented. Actress Diem My wears a new dress designed by Do Manh Cuong. Photo by Huy Nguyen. Designer Le Thanh Hoa consulted patrons via phone to nurture inspiration, while Lam Gia Khang sent out gift boxes, including his new collection look book. Right after the social distancing campaign ease, Do Long invited actress Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc to model his new designs. Leading designer Do Manh Cuong opted to introduce new creations at more affordable prices (around $172- 215) amid the economic downturn, aiming to open more stores nationwide to serve the middle class. Designer Adrian Anh Tuan will introduce his summer collection in June, though it is unclear whether the event will involve a small in-store party or outdoor show. "My Resort 2020 collection is popular because the designs are summery. In this difficult period, I will renovate my store and recruit more employees," Tuan stated. Lam Gia Khang, who focuses on international buyers, has sold many designs from his new collection since March. According to designer Le Thanh Hoa, after the pandemic, buyers will focus more on quality and value instead of quantity. "They will be more considerate. Maybe demand will increase too as more events and parties are held," Hoa maintained Internationally, fashion houses like Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Chanel have had to adapt their campaigns due to the raging pandemic. At Milan Fashion Week, for instance, Giorgio Armani organized a show with no audience. In China, Shanghai Fashion Week cooperated with e-commerce platform Alibaba to help fashion designers introduce their autumn collection online. LVMH Group, owner of Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton, used their perfume factories to produce hand sanitizer, while Gucci, Prada, Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent have produced thousands of masks and protective clothing. Kabul, May 23 (IANS) Talks between border commissioners of Afghanistan and Iran concerning last month's alleged drowning of Afghan migrants by the Iranian border police ended without results, Kabul's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Moving forward, the two countries will pursue the issue through diplomatic channels, TOLO News quoted the Ministry as saying on Friday. "The case will be referred to diplomatic channels. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister will visit Afghanistan and will participate in the joint investigation with the Afghan side," said Geran Hewad, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has also called for a swift investigation of the case. It has termed the incident a major human rights violation. "We should get to the bottom of this human rights violation and its hidden and unhidden aspects," said Zabihullah Farhang, the head of the media department of the human rights commission. At the end of April, over 50 Afghan migrants were trying to cross the border when they were "tortured and drowned" by Iranian guards, according to witnesses. On May 8, President Ashraf Ghani tasked a 10-member team to probe the alleged incident. --IANS ksk/ Prince William opened up about his concern over the longterm effects the lockdown may have on children in a recent video call to caregivers in Northern Ireland. During his discussion with a group of professionals from the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, which delivers care to around 340,000 people, the royal dad of three, 37, said, Im particularly worried as to how the young people are going to cope longterm because were all muddling through this period at the moment and helping each other. But the longterm implications of school being missed, anxiety levels, family members sadly dying and the sort of general economic outlook." Consultant psychiatrist Frances Doherty, who runs an inpatient mental health unit for teenagers, replied: Interestingly in our service in the short-term, some of our referral rates have gone down, but I would imagine that as were starting to come out of lockdown and people are starting to get back into the world again, [were] starting to realize just what weve been through and well start to see our referral rate increase and the impact on our services. Related: Kate Middleton and Prince William Call Bingo in Unexpected Zoom Game with Nursing Home Residents! Kensington Palace Prince William Social worker Eimear Hanna, who supervises nine out of 10 childrens homes in Belfast, told the prince that her staff bought big teddy bears for the children to hug since they can't hug those caring for them. The staff members stand beside the bears so the children can hug a bear by proxy. William, who is isolating in his country home in Norfolk alongside wife Kate Middleton and children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, laughed, saying, Everyone needs a hug, its very important, Eimear. Related: Prince William Just Admitted to This Common Parent Struggle When It Comes to Mealtime BBC Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte When child psychiatrist Dr. Clare McKenna said, The children I work with dont understand social distancing, William gave a knowing smile and replied, Thats all children, isnt it? I dont think any children understand social distancing! Story continues McKenna said some of her staff had come up with innovative ways to put the vulnerable children in their care at ease while they were all wearing masks, gowns and PPE visors. The staff took pictures of themselves giving big smiles and printed out the photos and stuck them onto their masks. William praised the caregivers for what they were doing during the coronavirus pandemic. I know its unprecedented and its scary and its daunting, but youre all making a huge difference, so please pass on to all your team how grateful everyone is and how appreciative everyone is at what theyre doing at the moment, he said. Kensington Palace Prince William Cant get enough of PEOPLEs Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! On a separate video call, William also spoke to six social care workers from across the U.K. to hear how they were managing. New Hampshire nurses comforted the family of a dying COVID-19 patient by posting sympathetic signs in the hospital window. (Photo: Getty Images) Nurses caring for a dying COVID-19 patient comforted his family outside the hospital by posting sympathetic signs in the window. On Sunday, 65-year-old Rene Johnson Sr., a COVID-19 patient at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire passed away, unfortunately without family by his side, due to visitor restrictions. Still, his loyal family camped outside for hours each day, their presence known to the nurses, who waved through Johnsons room window. They were there, rain or shine, and famous to the staff, nurse Kaitlin Kerrigan, 26, tells Yahoo Life. The family held up posters like I love you dad and We miss you and to show appreciation for his caretakers, made Thank you nurses signage. Nurses at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire posted beautiful signs to family members of a dying COVID-19 patient. (Photo: Courtesy of Angela Daneault) Rene Johnson, Sr. passed away from COVID-19 on May 17, 2020. His family camped outside his New Hampshire hospital during his hospital stay. (Photo: Courtesy of Angela Daneault) Angela Daneault tells Yahoo Life that while her dad was hospitalized, the family wore Johnson Strong T-shirts and had a park picnic to enjoy Johnsons favorite breakfast: a Western omelet, beans and an English muffin. We found different ways to be close to my dad, she says. Soon, the staff started reciprocating with their own window notes: "He's doing OK and Hes comfortable. According to Kerrigan, the notes were a fun way to bring the family inside with us. After two weeks in the hospital, Johnson passed away with Kerrigan and resource nurse Lynn Harkins holding his hands. We told him that that he did a great job with his family and that he fought hard, Harkins, 52, tells Yahoo Life. The nurses, who had updated the family prior, then wrote down He is at peace and We are so sorry on paper which they held up to the window. A New Hampshire family posted loving signs outside a hospital before their loved one passed away from COVID-19. (Photo: Courtesy of Catholic Medical Center) Writing the signs was difficult, says Kerrigan. You dont know what to say to a family when they cant be with their loved one it was absolutely heartbreaking and something I will never forget. Daneault tells Yahoo Life that both nurses are part of her fathers story. If we couldnt be there, they were the next best thing. They touched us in ways we cant explain. She wrote a GoFundMe account to raise money for Catholic Medical Center staff who were by his side and helped us cope during this difficult time. Daneault wrote, They truly are the HEROES and risk their lives for other families loved ones on a daily basis during this crazy time. We would like to give back and recognize them for all their hard work and dedication. The proceeds will go toward the ICU staff. Story continues Since Johnsons death, his family has continued standing outside the hospital to support patients and staff. Last night, a nurse put a sign in the window that said, Thank you so much for the love and support, Daneault tells Yahoo Life. Her patient waved to us. Daneault says of the nurses, I want frontline workers to get recognition and praise they risk their lives for our loved ones....we cant show them enough gratitude. For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDCs and WHOs resource guides. Read more from Yahoo Life: Want daily wellness, lifestyle and parenting news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Lifes newsletter. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Scott reported here on the resistance from Minnesotas Catholic bishops and Lutheran leaders to continuing restrictions placed on religious worship by Gov. Walz. That resistance has paid off. Walz has agreed to lift his restriction on church services of more than ten people. The way is now clear for houses of worship of all faith traditions to open to larger groups starting Wednesday, May 27, 2020. The Becket Fund, which defends religious liberty throughout the country, took a lead role in negotiating the reopening of Minnesotas houses of worship. As it explains: The Minnesota Catholic Conference and The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod worked cooperatively with Governor Tim Walz to develop a plan for reopening churches by Pentecost Sunday. Governor Walz returned to the negotiating table after the Churches acted in defense of their free exercise, announcing on Wednesday that they would resume in-person worship services despite the Governors COVID-19 executive order, which wrongly subordinated Minnesotans spiritual well-being to economic interests. Minnesotas reopening plan is a model for other states, as it shows that it is possible for in-person religious worship to resume in a safe, cooperative, and responsible manner. Under the reopening plan, churches are permitted to hold indoor services at 25 percent capacity with up to 250 people. The churches have published extensive safety and hygiene protocols to ensure a safe return to worship. Archbishop Bernard Hebda, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, said: We are grateful that Governor Walz entered into respectful dialogue with us, recognized the spiritual needs of our faithful, and agreed that it is possible to resume worship services safely and responsibly. Hopefully, our experience of constructive dialogue can serve as a roadmap for churches across the country suffering from similar inequities, whether intended or unintended, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are grateful that Becket and Sidley Austin LLP [a major national law firm] helped us to guard our first freedomreligious freedomso that Catholics can receive the Eucharist and be strengthened in their response to the challenges of this trying time. Rev. Dr. Lucas Woodford, President of the Minnesota South District of The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, said: The ability to meet in person to worship God and support one another is invaluable to our community of faith. We are so pleased that Minnesota decided to reopen churches, without needing to resort to legal action. We will remain prayerful and watchful, so that this agreement is just the beginning of a return to full, in-person worship. Its understandable that these religious leaders are putting a happy face on their dispute with Gov. Walz, and its true that alls well that ends well. Still, its unfortunate that these leaders and their outside advocates had to work so hard to uphold religious rights in Minnesota. Representative image Serum Institute, the worlds largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume, is working on several candidates for the novel coronavirus - including potentially mass-producing the AstraZeneca/Oxford university one that has garnered global headlines - as well as developing its own. The efforts are partly being shepherded by Umesh Shaligram, the head of research and development. His employer is a private company but every day, shortly before midnight, he receives a WhatsApp message from the government asking for updates, and about any new hurdles he faces. The message is usually from K. VijayRaghavan, Prime Minister Narendra Modis top scientific adviser - an indication of the critical, and even strategically important, nature of the race to develop the vaccines the whole world is waiting for. Shaligram promptly responds with a progress report and details any bottlenecks. Any delays, you just tell them, said Shaligram, adding the government has been doing everything it can to fast-track clearances, and resolve import delays and other issues. 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 begun to see approvals come through in days, even on a Sunday night, for trials and things like that, he said, noting some of these processes typically took 4 to 6 months. While most of the attention regarding vaccines typically goes to the pharmaceutical developer, India quietly plays a key role in manufacturing 60%-70% of all vaccines sold globally with the Serum Institute playing a lead role, said the companys Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla. At the companys sprawling, 150-acre campus in the western Indian city of Pune, Shaligram and his team are working flat-out. Dozens of buses ferry in hundreds of workers each day to the grounds, which are buzzing with activity even as the city around it remains largely under lockdown. The push comes as the number of cases of COVID-19, both globally and domestically, continue to surge and world leaders look to vaccines as the only real way to restart their stalled economies, even though none have yet been proven to be effective against the coronavirus. Poonawalla, whose family owns the vaccine maker, said scientists, drugmakers and manufacturers were collaborating at an unparalleled scale to spur development and availability. We are all in a race to battle the disease, there is no one-upmanship here, he told Reuters, sitting in his office beside his familys 74-year-old stud farm. VACCINE CANDIDATES Serum, founded in 1966 by Adars father Cyrus Poonawalla, has partnered with U.S. biotech firm Codagenix, its U.S. rival Novavax (NVAX.O) and Austrias Themis to potentially manufacture three COVID-19 vaccine candidates that are still in development. Another candidate in the works is the experimental vaccine developed by a team at the University of Oxford and now licensed to drugmaker AstraZeneca (AZN.L), with whom Serum is in talks to mass-produce the vaccine, which is now in the clinical trial stage. The United States has secured almost a third of the first 1 billion doses planned for the potential vaccine, initially known as ChAdOx1 and now as AZD1222, by pledging up to $1.2 billion. Poonawalla aims to initially produce 4-5 million doses a month, beginning from June, and then gradually ramp up to 350-400 million doses a year. Hopefully we will build a stock of a few million doses to give to our country and other high-risk areas across the globe come to October-November when the trials ought to be concluded, the 39-year-old said while giving Reuters rare access to tour his facilities. He added he had been given to understand by the development team that the trials had an 80% chance of success, given that the vaccine is based on a tried-and-tested platform. Based on the information currently available, Poonawalla also said he anticipated AZD1222 would be a single-dose vaccine and not require a booster dose. He sees AZD1222 potentially priced at about 1,000 rupees ($13) per dose in India but expects it will be procured and distributed by governments without charge. The serum is also working on developing its own in-house vaccine options to tackle the disease, Poonawalla said. VIALS, TUBES, CHEMICALS Even if a vaccine does succeed, a treatment to fight COVID-19 would still be required, said Poonawalla, noting some people do not get the desired immune response, even if vaccinated. You may get mild symptoms, you may get severe symptoms. It depends on your system, but there is a chance, he added. Not all vaccines are fully effective. The Serum Institute produces more than 1.5 billion doses of vaccines every year, for everything from polio to measles. Poonawalla says that gave the company an edge in securing supplies of vials and high-quality chemicals required to make a vaccine in bulk once all approvals are in place. We have partnered with many of our suppliers to have one to two-year inventories of glass vials and tubing glass stocked in advance, so luckily for us that wont be an issue. Slideshow (4 Images) Any successful vaccine is however bound to be in short supply at first, he stressed. India recorded more than 6,000 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday, bringing its total to over 118,000 cases with more than 3,500 deaths, even as it gradually begins to ease its nearly two-month-long nationwide lockdown. There have been more than 5 million infections and over 330,000 deaths reported worldwide. The Indian government stands ready to cover the costs of trials of any vaccine in the country, said Poonawalla, adding that the government had also expressed interest in placing advance orders for a potential vaccine. Weve reached out and they have been very positive, he added. But weve said hold on ... as we dont want to take government money until we are very confident we can deliver. UNLOCKING VALUE IN THE HYPE Serum, one of the few companies ramping up hiring during the health crisis, is also designing a separate facility to make vaccines for pandemic-level diseases that could handle 90% of the current vaccine candidates being developed, beyond just the COVID-19 ones. That facility, which will be ready in the next two to three years, would be able to potentially churn out 700-800 million doses a year, according to Poonawalla. The CEO said he considered taking the company public some years ago to fund some large acquisitions, but changed course when the deals fell through. Now hes considering a different approach. He is exploring creating a holding entity that will host the companys pandemic-level technologies, including manufacturing rights, intellectual property and the sale of all of Serums COVID-19-related candidates, and selling a minority stake in the venture. That will unlock value in the main hype, he said. Poonawalla said he had engaged bankers to test the waters on this, but stressed he would only consider selling a stake to ethical, long-term funds or sovereign funds that do not expect huge returns and want to make a difference to the world. After getting them onboard, I dont want to be in a situation where I have to charge high prices to give them returns. (With Inputs from Reuters) Chennai, May 24 : Passenger car maker Hyundai Motor India Ltd on Sunday said three of its workers had tested positive for coronavirus but are recovering well. The company also said the car plant, at Irrungattukottai near here, which restarted operations on May 8, will continue without a break. According to the company, during the first week of the plant operations, three of its employees had shown mild symptoms of cough and cold and were immediately asked to meet medical experts for further evaluation. Subsequently the three tested positive for coronavirus and they were given immediate medical attention. "All three employees are recovering fast towards normalcy and as per the safety protocol, essential information was shared with district health authorities. In addition to that all the necessary measures are being taken for contact tracing, self-isolation and complete sanitation," the company said. RCS is supposed to be the spiritual successor to classic SMS and MMS texting, but the lack of built-in encryption puts a damper on that someone could theoretically snoop on your messages where they cant with services like iMessage. You might get your privacy after all, though. The 9to5Google crew has found evidence of plans to add end-to-end encryption to RCS conversations in Google Messages. While full details of how this would work arent clear, you could decide whether not third-party apps see encrypted messages. Its also safe to assume that both participants would need a compatible app with reliable data connections. The code is only just showing up in a dogfood test version of Messages meant for Google employees. It could be a while before this shows up in a release you can use yourself. Still, its good news. So long as you arent picky about your choice of messaging app, you could use all the rich media features of RCS without worrying that youre compromising your privacy in the process. A 30-year-old Himachal Pradesh doctor has recovered from coronavirus, a senior health official said on Sunday. The junior resident doctor in medicine department at Tanda's Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC) in Kangra district has made a full recovery from COVID-19, he said. He was discharged from RPGMC on Saturday, the official added. The doctor and a head constable had tested positive for COVID-19 on May 12. Posted at Panchrukhi Police Station in Kangra's Palampur subdivision, the policeman named Raja Ram too had recovered from the disease and was discharged from the COVID-19 care centre in Panchayati Raj Training Institute, Baijnath on May 22. (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 Made Anthony Iswara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 24, 2020 15:04 606 fc6853813033f564188675f8bd9e12c7 1 World #diaspora,diaspora,COVID-19,#COVID19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia Free Members of the Indonesian diaspora are lending a hand in the domestic struggle against COVID-19, although they have said that the government could do more to allow them to help address national crises. On May 18, the Manpower Ministry and the Indonesian Diaspora Network Global (IDN Global) kicked off the Diaspora Peduli (Diaspora Care) fundraising program, which is seeking donations from Indonesians abroad to help 5,000 workers who have been furloughed or laid off. Each recipient family in the program is expected to get US$50 (Rp 735,025) per month, and donors can choose or communicate first with the beneficiaries by looking at their profiles on www.diasporapeduli.id. The ministry expects at least six million members of the Indonesian diaspora to participate in the campaign. I am proud and touched because even though [members of] the diaspora themselves are facing this COVID-19 pandemic, they are still showing their care and love for our country, Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah said in a statement. As of May 18, more than 3 million workers have either been told to stay home or have been laid off as a result of the pandemic, Manpower Ministry data showed, although the ministry could only verify about 1.7 million people as the remaining workers had invalid names or addresses. IDN Global founder Dino Patti Djalal said the donations would go directly to the recipients' bank accounts and not a single cent of the donation would go to the ministry or IDN Global. He said he hoped the partnership would inspire a similar movement at a larger scale. Read also: Indonesian diaspora in US holds virtual 'kebaya' competition in COVID-19 quarantine But Dino said that in the long run, the government needed to form a national body for the diaspora that could better connect the two sides for joint efforts. Before the pandemic hit Indonesia, citizens living abroad had been asked to return home to contribute and reverse the brain drain, but many of them did not know who to reach out to or what office would help them in the placement process, Dino said. The Indonesia Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI) covers only migrant workers who perform manual labor. That accounts for about one third of Indonesians abroad. The ministry has a limited budget and thin human resources for dealing with the estimated 5 to 8 million Indonesians abroad, Dino said. So unless there is a systematic presence of an institution that deals with the [whole] Indonesian diaspora, Im afraid that we will have unfulfilled promises or policy shortcomings in engaging with the Indonesian diaspora, Dino told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. Read also: Govt encourages diaspora scientists to return home Nikko Akbar from the Overseas Indonesian Students Association Alliance (PPI-Dunia) said his organization wanted more involvement in the government's COVID-19 efforts. PPI-Dunia has so far raised about Rp 200 million (US$13,585) through events including e-sports competitions and an online pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) session, and the organization is actively promoting physical distancing on social media. PPI-Dunia has been using the funds it has raised to buy hand sanitizer, masks and protective gear for Indonesian medical workers and people affected by the virus. It has also sent an open letter to the government recommending ways to deal with COVID-19 based on a comprehensive review of other countries that had been relatively more successful in doing so. We hope we can be directly involved in government campaigns and its COVID-19 task force, said Nikko who is leading a PPI-Dunia team to respond to the pandemic in the Asia-Oceania region, because I believe that many PPI members who are experts in their own fields are very open to not only join discussions but also to directly go in the field to handle COVID-19. The Research and Technology Ministry and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) launched a scheme on April 9 that allows local research groups from universities, NGOs and state institutions to partner with Indonesian scholars living abroad to propose research ideas on COVID-19. The proposals are due on May 30. Read also: Researchers face uphill battle to help with COVID-19 fight International Indonesian Scholars Association (I-4) secretary-general Sastia Prama Putri expressed her support for the initiative and other partnerships that had recently been developed with the government. However, like other diaspora communities, she said, diaspora researchers should be given a larger role in solving national problems in the future. She recommended the government facilitate cross-appointments between universities as one way to increase cooperation. If the country opens up and encourages the involvement of the diaspora, we will certainly be very happy and want to contribute to solving various national problems, including COVID-19, Sastia said. South Tangerang resident Dewi Komalasari, 40, said she was happy to receive help from the Diaspora Care program after she was laid off as a restaurant worker in late March. She is raising two children alone. Even if it is small [in value], the aid is very meaningful for me because I can use it to buy staple foods. I will use it as wisely and as economically as possible, Dewi said, as quoted in the Manpower Ministrys press release. Berlin, May 24 : A COVID-19 outbreak in a restaurant in the German town of Leer has cast doubt on the effectiveness of the strategy to reopen gastronomy venues in the country. The federal state of Lower Saxony, where Leer is located, was the first to allow the reopening of restaurants with restrictions on the number of customers per table and with distancing rules between customers in the premises, Efe news reported. There had been no new cases in the town for a week. Seven new infections were detected this week, all of them believed to be linked to the same restaurant and another 50 people have gone into preventive quarantine. A spokeswoman for the Federation of German Hotels and Restaurants (Dehoga) said in statements on Saturday to public radio station NDR1 that infection should not be possible with the hygiene plan in place. Restaurants and bars were closed in Germany in mid-March and Lower Saxony was one of the first federal states to allow these premises to reopen on May 11. There have been more than 179,700 confirmed cases and 8,200 deaths in Germany. opinion The war of words against African holders of land continues un-abated as government finds itself in an embarrassing situation after the land reform programme of the year 2000. In an extremely disquieting turn of affairs, government is not only willing to compensate the departed white farmers, but is also seeking to quietly invite so-called white former farmers back to take land from Africans. Government's new policy is in line (apparently) with the new dispensation's stance that "there are no white farmers or black farmers -- there are just farmers" despite the fact that government is taxing blacks to "compensate white former farmers". The subject of white farmers who are returning to be given land taken from black farmers has not been justified and cannot be justified. Why is government taxing the people to compensate former farmers who are returning to take land from the African? Compensation has not been justified by either government or those who are demanding it. Government is using semantics to confuse observers and muzzle its critics in this regard. Government is a formidable power base which is used, more often than not, in the interest of government and not the people. Government enjoys an unassailable base of wisdom in public affairs and when such wisdom is challenged by hard facts, it will either seek to muzzle the critics or simply withdraw to its shell of silence because of fear it will be shown to have miscalculated. In other words, government does not like to be reminded to be accountable. On the issue of compensation of white former farmers, government, however, sleeps with the opposition because both believe compensation will send economic sanctions away. This strange bedfellows disposition is justified and protected by government's silence regarding charges that it has betrayed the people whose land was stolen by the beneficiaries in the compensation issue. In the current move to take land from Africans to benefit returning white farmers, government has not explained why large tracts of land held by white farmers in conservancies and game farms remain a preserve of non-Africans whose "productivity" is unchallenged when such land does not produce food for the country. The increasing call for productivity 20 years after the launch of the land reform is designed to justify government's failure to empower all classes of African farmers to become productive. Moreover, government will not admit its failure to realise that climate change has had a devastating effect on land productivity in many regions of the country. This is evidenced by the ever-increasing calls for food relief to avert starvation. Far from discrediting the land reform programme, this points an accusing finger at government for waiting for 20 years before taking corrective measures to ensure that land was productively utilised. The measures cannot include calling back those from whom the land was taken in the first place because that becomes an open and embarrassing admission by government for failing to plan for productivity. Government, however, chooses to find scapegoats among African farmers for its own failure. Historically, regions one and two were the high rainfall areas, which enabled farmers to produce grains by both rain-fed agriculture and irrigation. However, the high rainfall and irrigation are not used solely for food production because these areas are also ideal for commercial tobacco production. The remaining regions are livestock production ground and can supplement by producing grains under irrigation and provided the country with livestock commodities. This mix ensured that there was no shortage of food for the country. Once the land was in the hands of the African majority, government needed to use every means to empower the African farmer to meet the needs of the new dispensation to continue producing enough food. Moreover, successive white governments in this country provided bank loans to the farming community to enhance productivity and there was also the Cold Storage Company (CSC) cattle finance scheme, which ensured that farmers had access to the facility to produce commercial stock. The effect of climate change in the southern regions has been exacerbated by the human-livestock conflict, which has taken more grazing land to be used for human settlement without endangering the environment. The resulting shrinking of grazing land, made worse by the upsurge and uncontrolled mining activities, has resulted in a shocking inability of the low rainfall regions to sustain both humans and livestock. Instead of investigating the fundamental reasons for the decline in land productivity, government has chosen to find an easy way out by blaming African land holders' inability to measure up to government expectations. In the high rainfall regions of the country, the people relied on rain-fed agriculture using animal-drawn implements for tillage. But because the government must find a reason why (with an abundance of land) the people are failing to produce enough food for the nation, government policy has become a witch hunt to blame the African farmer. The African farmer has become (if you like) the fall guy to whitewash wrongdoing within the ranks of government and its political branches. But government has money enough to compensate white farmers and facilitating the return of those who have been promised to take land back from the African people. It is not willing to use the money to empower the African farmer. Why is government preoccupied with compensating white farmers instead of spending that money to empower the African farmer who cannot afford to buy farming implements, which can help them to become creditworthy? In a country where public opinion is anathema to the government's wisdom in all things public, with its powerful public media, which is more often used to justify wrongdoing, government often uses its propaganda machinery to black-out embarrassing information in the realm of public interest. A good example in this regard is the blacking-out of government's position regarding its decision to compensate white former farmers in the face of overwhelming evidence that the farmers cannot justify their case for compensation. The first time the public heard about government's position on compensation was an announcement in the budget statement. The decision to compensate without submitting the subject of compensation to scrutiny in parliament had been hushed up to ensure that the move was not questioned before government announced its decision. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Zimbabwe Governance Agribusiness By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Allied to this thorny issue is government's quiet encouragement of returning farmers and its apparent promise that land was available from African farmers who are perceived failures to utilise land allocated to them. This is an embarrassing admission by the people's government, which justified the land reform programme because the usurped land belonged to the people. How can it justify taking the land from the people to benefit those who usurped it from the people? If there is any reason why government has caved in to the demand for compensation, the government is obligated to tell the people instead of looking for scapegoats. Another thorny issue pertains to the CSC, which has failed to publish its shareholding when the undertaking is required by law to do so. What is the government concealing from the public, if indeed there is nothing to hide? It is believed that the so-called "British investors" in the CSC are in fact local farmers (including those who are being compensated) who are working to have this public company privatised. A decision by government to privatise the CSC is a matter of public interest and government can proceed if it is the public interest. Government, however, is accountable to those who elected it into power. Government is ignoring the rules of accountability. A couple from Oregon never imagined the surprise waiting for them when they went to take a look at the newborn litters of one of their cats. Along with the five normal kittens, they also found a tiny feline with two little noses, four eyes, and two mewling mouths. The couple decided to call this rare adorable kitty Biscuits and Gravy and now the images and videos of the tiny tot have tugged at the heartstrings of many. Shared on the cats personal Instagram page, the videos and images show the daily life of the feline. Heres a video where its human is trying to feed it: Though rare, this condition among cats is not entirely unheard of, reports CNN. In fact, the two-faced cats are known as Janus. They are named after the Roman God by the same name who was said to have the ability to look to the past with one head and into the future with the other. The image shows Biscuits and Gravy with one of its siblings. (Instagram/Biscuitsandgravy ) Despite the cat parents taking good care of this feline, theres a risk of survival looming over this kitten as they have a really short life span. However, beating all the odds a two-faced cat named Frank and Louie survived for over 15 years and that certainly brings some hope for Biscuits and Gravy. The image shows the Janus cat named Biscuits and Gravy sleeping. (Instagram/Biscuitsandgravy) Not just the tiny tots parents but several people commented on the Instagram posts and wrote that they hope the kitten pulls through and lives a healthy life. Heres a latest post where people expressed the same notion. The post is an image of the cat sleeping on its dog sibling. Biscuits and Ollie B&G went through a bit of a rough patch this afternoon and seemed very lethargic. Hes since perked up quite a bit and seems a little like his normal self. Keep the little dude in your prayers! Were really hoping he pulls through! reads the posts caption. Biscuits and Gravy sleeping on one of its dog siblings. (Instagram/Biscuitsandgravy) From asking Biscuits and Gravy to hang on to wishing them a speedy recovery, people dropped all sorts of comments on the post. Sending soooooo many good thoughts and prayers!!! He is a fighter and I hope it all works out!!! wrote an Instagram user. Hang in there little tough guy! commented another. What do you think of this tiny kitten? SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Upgrading the rail line from Sydney to Wollongong to boost train speeds to 200km/h is unlikely to result in a major increase in commuters or ease growing pains in the harbour city. A Grattan Institute analysis also debunks proposals for bullet trains on the east coast, such as those touted by federal Labor, urging politicians to desist from pouring millions into studies of high-speed rail. The debate about high-speed rail often rises during election campaigns. Credit:Bloomberg While upgrades to rail lines to regional centres such as Wollongong might make sense, the think-tank warns regional cities and towns may lose more than they gain from faster services. The institute's Fast Train Fever report says: "Trains go both ways, and it's much more likely that benefits will flow towards big cities, because people and businesses tend to prefer cities." A bride-to-be and her best friend have been kidnapped 48 hours to her wedding Fatiha in Yankara village in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State when hundreds of armed bandits stormed. According to Daily Trust, the heavily armed bandits attacked the village on motorbikes at night when most villagers were asleep. The bandits were said to have gone to the family house of the bride-to-be and demanded for her and her best friend. The bandits reportedly carried away large quantities of food items and other valuables during the operation. Advertisement Read Also: Bandits Defile Lockdown; Attack Villages In Katsina We were terrified by excessive gunshots. They woke up every single living thing in this village. Some people who were able to escape, slept in the bush, while those who remained behind had to meet the demands of the bandits, who chose the sort of foodstuff they wanted and asked the villagers to put them in sacks, Daily Trust quoted a source as saying. Anybody caught by the bandits had no option than to comply with their directives or risk being killed. However, as I am speaking with you, we do not know the whereabouts of the kidnapped bride-to-be and her friend. Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Government of Katsina State, Alhaji Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa, while reacting to the state of insecurity in the state, said relief will come soon. People should exercise patience because the soldiers have concluded their plans to engage the bandits decisively. We should wait and see and I am sure in the next few days, the soldiers will commence operations, he was quoted by the newspaper as saying. If we dont come out today to fight back, this may be the last time, said Chris, a 19-year-old protester who spoke on the condition that only his first name be used because he had been arrested once before for participating in an illegal protest. Maybe tomorrow, Hong Kong will be China, and we cant even say a single word of criticism on the Internet without being arrested. Uttar Pradesh government has banned patients admitted in dedicated L-2 and L-3 Covid hospitals to take mobile phones along with them in the isolation wards so as to check the spread of coronavirus infection. As per the orders, two mobile phones are required to made available with the ward in-charge of the Covid care centres so that patients and talk to their family members and administration if required. Further, the orders specify that the mobile numbers should be communicated to the family members of the patients. "This is to inform that patients admitted in dedicated L-2 ... First, the requirement that passengers wear masks is a policy adopted by each airline and is not a federal regulation, like the rule against disabling an airplane lavatorys smoke detector, which can be enforced under the threat of fines or prison time. Absent a federal requirement that passengers wear face coverings, airlines can do only so much, said Henry Harteveldt, an aviation analyst with Atmosphere Research Group. Another reason for the tolerant attitude is that demand for air travel is in a nosedive. About 500 flight attendants have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and there is little appetite among flight attendants or airline executives for a face-to-face confrontation with a passenger who refuses to wear a mask, nor is there a desire to divert a mostly empty plane that is already losing the airline money, industry experts said. Practically speaking, these flight attendants have enough on their hands, said Mark Gerchick, former chief counsel of the Federal Aviation Administration. In late April, New Yorks JetBlue Airways was the first major U.S. carrier to require that all passengers wear masks during flights, with American, United, Delta, Southwest and Alaska adopting the same requirement in early May. Connecticut Trooper Christine Jeltema said police were called to a home in Willington early Sunday morning. A man reported that he had been held against his will by Manfredonia, who then left with food, several guns and the mans truck, which was found abandoned at 6:45 a.m. near Osbornedale State Park. Police investigators then went to the Derby home of an acquaintance of Manfredonia and found him dead. He was identified Sunday afternoon as Nicholas Eisele, 23. EU member states Austria, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands have stated their opposition to the French-German plan for a 500bn coronavirus recovery fund that would issue grants, calling for a loans-based approach instead. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel made the surprise proposal last Monday to set up a fund that would offer grants to EU regions and sectors hit hardest by the pandemic. Open source Kyiv checkpoint border guards registered 1290 Ukrainian citizens who returned from seven countries of the world over the past day. This was reported by the State Border Service. In particular, Ukrainians arrived from: Tallinn (Estonia); Frankfurt (Germany); Dubrovnik (Croatia); Belgrade (Serbia); Bridgetown (Barbados); Amsterdam (Netherlands); Rijeka (Croatia). "Border guards obligatory carried out temperature screening of all passengers without exception. They did not find anyone with a fever. None of the passengers complained about the deterioration of their health," the State Border Service said. Related: Ukrainians evacuated from Azerbaijan, Israel arrive in Boryspil All citizens who arrived on special flights installed the Diy Vdoma mobile application and pledged to be self-isolated at the addresses indicated in it. One citizen of Ukraine expressed a desire to undergo observation, the State Customs Service said. In total, over the past day, border guards registered more than 22,300 people for crossing the Ukrainian border. NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Sunday said that reforms don't mean complete abolition of labour laws. The government is committed towards safeguarding the interests of the workers in the country, news agency PTI reported citing Kumar as saying. The comment comes in wake of rising concerns after several state governments such as Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh brought about amendments to labour laws so as to help businesses negatively impacted due to the coronavirus crisis. "I have just noticed that the Union Ministry of Labour is firming up its stance to tell the states that they cannot abolish labour laws because India is a signatory to the International Labour Organization (ILO)," Kumar told PTI in an interview. "Therefore, it is clear that the Union government does not believe that the reform of labour laws implies complete lack of labour laws... The government is committed to protecting the interest of workers," he added. Kumar also said that the coronavirus induced-lockdowns have impacted different sectors of the economy as well as the entire global economic and trade situation. The lockdown in India was imposed on March 25 and it has been extended thrice. The lockdown is to end on May 31. Meanwhile, on May 20, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) affiliated to the RSS launched a nationwide agitation against the ordinances of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Madhya Pradesh (MP), Gujarat and also on other labour issues". On May 22, ten Central trade unions (CTUs) and federations and associations in various sectors conducted nationwide protests against the changes to the labour laws. Also read: Coronavirus India Live Tracker: Delhi registers 508 new cases in 24 hours; tally over 13,400 Also read: Eid-ul-Fitr: Is the Indian stock market open or closed for trading tomorrow? Nouakchott, 24 May 2020 (SPS) - President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Brahim Ghali, received a congratulatory message from President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, H. E. Mohamed Ould Sheikh El-Ghazouani, on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr. As the Islamic nation celebrates Eid al-Fitr, I would like to convey to Your Excellency my warmest congratulations and best wishes of well-being and happiness for you personally and progress and prosperity for your brotherly country, said President Ould El-Ghazouani. President Ould El-Ghazouani wished progress and prosperity for the two brotherly Mauritanian and Sahrawi peoples and all Arab and Islamic peoples. (SPS) 062/SPS US officials have pushed the theory that the virus, which first appeared in Wuhan, emerged from the virology lab there. Claims promoted by the Trump administration that the global coronavirus pandemic originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in the central Chinese city are a pure fabrication, the institutes director has said. US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have repeatedly said they suspect the virus that was first detected in Wuhan was somehow released from the laboratory. Scientists think the new coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan and has killed more than 340,000 people worldwide, originated in bats and could have been transmitted to people via another mammal. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the US intelligence community have said the virus appears to be natural in origin. The labs director told state broadcaster CGTN that the US claims that the coronavirus may have leaked from the institute were pure fabrication. In the interview filmed on May 13 but broadcast on Saturday night, Wang Yanyi said the centre has isolated and obtained some coronaviruses from bats while conducting source tracing of SARS, the strain behind another virus outbreak nearly 20 years ago, preceding the pandemic. Wang said the lab has three strains of live viruses, but said none is genetically very close to SARS-CoV-2, with the closest reaching only 79.8 percent similarity. Furthermore, Wang said the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is too different from the virus that causes SARS to be studied as part of the previous research into that virus. We know that the whole genome of SARS-CoV-2 is only 80 percent similar to that of SARS. Its an obvious difference, said Wang. So, [in the research on SARS] they didnt pay attention to such viruses which are less similar to the SARS virus. We didnt even know the virus existed The Wuhan lab has said it first received samples of the then-unknown coronavirus that causes COVID-19 on December 30, with scientists at the lab determining the viral genome sequence on January 2 and submitting information on the pathogen to the World Health Organization on January 11. Wang said in the interview that before it received samples in December, their team had never encountered, researched or kept the virus. In fact, like everyone else, we didnt even know the virus existed, she said. How could it have leaked from our lab when we never had it? Conspiracy rumours that the biosafety lab was involved in the outbreak had swirled online for months before Trump and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brought the theory into the mainstream in April by claiming that there is evidence the pathogen came from the institute. The US and Australia have called in recent weeks for an investigation into the origins of the pandemic. Chinese scientists have said the virus first emerged at a market selling live animals in Wuhan, though officials in Beijing more recently cast doubt about its origins. Chinese Foreign minister Wang Yi on Sunday blasted what he called efforts by US politicians to fabricate rumours about the pathogens origins and stigmatise China. He said China would be open to international cooperation to identify the source of the novel coronavirus, as long as any investigation is free of political interference. The WHO has said Washington offered no evidence to support the speculative claims about the Wuhan lab. Bhopal, May 24 : The recovery rate of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients in Madhya Pradesh, which has more than 6,000 infected people so far, increased to 51 per cent. Till Saturday, the state has reported a total of 6,371 coronavirus cases and Indore has registered the maximum number of infection at around 3,000. However, of the total patients, 3,267 people have recovered till date. At present, the number of active patients in the state stands at 2,823. So far 281 people have died due to the virus. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that better arrangements are being made for the treatment of corona patients in the state. "The recovery rate from coronavirus has increased to 51 per cent. Currently the lockdown imposed in the districts will have to be strictly followed and it has been ensured that it should be relaxed as per the guidelines", he added. The state government has started fever clinics to make the screening facilities related to corona virus more easily available to the people. Additional Chief Secretary Health Mohammad Suleman has said that 27,484 persons have been tested in 1,496 fever clinics in the state. Out of these 24,505 were advised home isolation, samples of 6,415 persons were collected, and 2,824 persons were sent to Covid care centres and hospitals. The districts are divided into two zones -- red and green. Principal Secretary Sanjay Dubey said that e-pass has been abolished from green zone to green zone in the state, but e-pass will be needed to exit Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain coming in the red zone. Similarly, e-pass will also be required to travel to other states. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) May 24 (Reuters) - The United Kingdom should ensure that China's efforts to impose a new national security law on Hong Kong are on the agenda for the G7 meeting in June, Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong wrote in the Financial Times newspaper on Sunday. The last governor of the former British colony said that Britain and its G7 allies should take a stance against Chinese President Xi Jinping's 'regime', which he labeled as "an enemy of open societies". "While the rest of the world is preoccupied with fighting COVID-19, he (Xi) has in effect ripped up the Joint Declaration, a treaty lodged at the UN to guarantee Hong Kong's way of life till 2047", Patten wrote in the newspaper. China has proposed imposing national security laws on Hong Kong as Communist Party rulers in Beijing on Friday unveiled details of the legislation that critics see as a turning point for the former British colony, which enjoys many freedoms, including an independent legal system and right to protest, not allowed on the mainland. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; editing by Diane Craft) Sales outside China used to make up nearly half of toymaker Shantou Beilisi's turnover, but plummeted to just five percent after the virus struck Sales outside China used to make up nearly half of toymaker Shantou Beilisi's turnover, but plummeted to just five percent after the virus struck (AFP Photo/NOEL CELIS) Cancelled shipments, returned goods and a dearth of new orders have left China exporters in crisis as the coronavirus hits its trading partners worldwide -- accelerating a long-standing push towards domestic consumption. The world's second-largest economy is stirring back to life after virus cases dwindled from a peak in February, when activity came to a near-halt. But recovery is now hampered by lockdowns and restrictions overseas as the coronavirus continues its deadly march across the planet, with exporters forced to look to domestic markets after years of selling overseas. Chinese online marketplace Taobao said the number of foreign trading companies opening stores on its domestic-focused platform spiked 160 percent from February to May. And policymakers -- who have sought for years to wean the country off cheap exports and government spending in favour of domestic consumption -- are welcoming the change. "When there is no light in the west, there is light in the east," the commerce minister, Zhong Shan, told reporters at a briefing this week. He said domestic sales from export businesses rose 17 percent in April, and the government was supporting trading enterprises that specialised in foreign sales to tap the home market instead. Foreign sales used to make up nearly half of toymaker Shantou Beilisi's turnover, but this plummeted to just five percent after the virus struck. General manager Chen Zhuoyue told AFP that orders from his largest export markets, the United States and Europe, are now "basically negligible". "Many countries there imposed lockdowns and the global flow of logistics is another issue... these have affected our order volume," he said. "There is also a rising number of unemployed overseas, and their purchasing power has fallen." Faced with few new orders and cancellations of existing ones, Chen said the company is attempting more domestic sales by changing the packaging of products and working with platforms such as JD.com to sell online. Story continues Still, gearing towards the China market may not yield immediate results as weak domestic demand was a key factor behind the country's poorest economic growth in around 30 years in 2019. - 'Protect themselves' - The push inwards comes from China's top echelons, with Industry and Information Technology Minister Miao Wei saying Wednesday that China aims to "rapidly activate domestic demand" to make up for the external shortfall. Yang Shaohui of JD.com told AFP: "Before the epidemic, some exporters were already trying to expand their domestic market share as part of their business strategy to diversify, in order to protect themselves better against risks." Kim Ng, managing director of kitchen gadgets producer Ko Fung whose factories are in China, said he is producing 30 percent to 50 percent less than pre-virus levels, with almost no new orders between mid-March and April. He expects orders from the US -- a major export market -- to fall further, and is preparing to take part in a trade fair in China to boost sales within the country. What previously was just five percent of his sales could increase to half the business, he hopes. Ng said he had already considered expanding domestic sales in China when the US imposed tariffs on Chinese goods at the start of their still-simmering trade war which began two years ago. "The pandemic has accelerated our plans," he said. "It is a problem we have to solve eventually... the US is now saying it might introduce more tariffs." - Full warehouses - Not all exporters in China can readily tap the domestic market, however. Jason Lee, CEO of metal parts manufacturer Shanghai EverSkill M&E, is at a loss as he simply doesn't see equivalent demand for his products at home. "Europe has started lifting (lockdown) restrictions recently, and we'll only know if this is a good or bad thing in a few weeks," he said. For now, Lam Cheong Leung, creative director of household products manufacturer Green & Associates, has full warehouse space to contend with. Shipments to the US -- which account for nearly half his production -- have slowed, he said. As a result he has cut production, cancelled overtime, and has just two-thirds of his 300 or so staff at work. "If shipment delays last a year, how will our factory continue operations?" he asked. "Mission: Impossible" star Simon Pegg says his character, Benji, has "evolved" with every film in the spy-action franchise, something he believes will follow in the upcoming seventh film. The British actor has featured in the "MI" films alongside series lead Tom Cruise since the first film in 1996. "(Benji) has evolved from being a lab technician who reluctantly gets involved in the action to being a fresh-faced field agent who thinks, 'Oh, this is great and fun, and I'm gonna wear a mask,' to actually experiencing what it's really about, which is not so pleasant," Pegg told The Hollywood Reporter. The actor said he is looking forward to playing the role again "having been through what he went through on 'Fallout', which was unpleasant". "I can see him not being quite as thrilled with the job," he added. Cruise is reprising his role of Impossible Mission Forces (IMF) agent Ethan Hunt in the two back-to-back "MI" films, being helmed by director Christopher McQuarrie. Pegg, 50, said it is going to be fun to play out the narratives set up by McQuarrie, who also directed the fifth ("Rogue Nation") and sixth ("Fallout"). "It's been a really long journey for him (McQuarrie); it's not about each individual film. He's tracking a journey for each of those characters, not just Ethan, but all of us," the actor added. Recently, British actor Nicholas Hoult, who was set to play the villain in "Mission: Impossible 7", exited the project. Esai Morales, best known for "How to Get Away With Murder" and "Ozark", will step in for "The Favourite" star. The upcoming "MI" was among the major Hollywood projects that were impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Its shooting in Italy was halted due to the disease outbreak in the country in February. The films will also see Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson and Vanessa Kirby reprising their characters from the previous installments. Newcomers include Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff and Shea Whigham. The seventh and eighth chapters were scheduled to be released on July 23, 2021, and August 5, 2022, respectively. The two sequels will now hit the theatres on November 19, 2021 and November 4, 2022. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Around 50% of Facebook workforce could work from home in the future. Photo: Getty Facebook (FB) could have half its workforce permanently working from home in the next decade, Mark Zuckerberg announced this week. The tech giants boss released a public video on Thursday outlining the company's remote working policy for its 45,000 staff. Zuckerberg said about 50% of employees could be working remotely for good in the next five to 10 years. But he warned this could mean some workers receive lower salaries related to their cost of living. Facebook will start aggressively opening up hiring for remote workers, Zuckerberg said and establishing new hubs away from Silicon Valley. Certainly being able to recruit more broadly, especially across the US and Canada to start, is going to open up a lot of new talent that previously wouldn't have considered moving to a big city, he said. The industry, which relies on work completed on computers is in a strong position for remote or home working. But tech companies also have a culture of large work campuses with collaborative spaces and leisure activities. READ MORE: UK plans cut in Huawei's 5G network involvement to zero by 2023 But now the Facebook chief executive has said some existing employees can apply to work remotely enabling them to live in cheaper cities. They have until 1 January to tell the company where they are living which may result in a pay cut. Facebook already pays different salaries based on locations. Engineers with strong performance reviews will be the first group allowed to apply for remote work. The company will adjust salaries depending on where employees live, meaning those working remotely in places where the cost of living is cheaper will be paid less. But executive pay is likely to stay high, even for remote positions, to enable Facebook to compete with rivals. Most employees have already been told to work remotely until the end of the year although a small number of offices may open from the beginning of July with social distancing restrictions in force. The army of 15,000 content moderators are likely to continue operating from the office due to the sensitive nature of their work. Meanwhile Twitter (TWTR) said last week that employees who were able to, could continue working from anywhere, forever. Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations on Monday are likely to be a family affair, and virtual also to an extent, in Gujarat in view of the coronavirus-induced lockdown, with Muslim leaders appealing to the community members against visiting mosques to offer prayers. Gujarat is one of the worst-affected states which has reported 13,669 COVID-19 cases and 829 deaths so far. Many Muslims are planning to offer prayers and cook 'sewaiyan' (dessert) at their homes and to exchange greetings with friends and relatives via video chatting. "We will offer prayers at our homes. There will be no 'daawat' (banquet). We will cook sewaiyanat homes as part of the celebrations. Neither will we go out nor do we expect visit by guests on Eid," says social worker Mujahid Nafees. Majority of Muslims in Ahmedabad live in the areas in eastern Ahmedabad, where several major idgahs and mosques are concentrated. This part of the city is under stricter restrictions in the fourth phase of the lockdown while restrictions hve been eased in western Ahmedabad. Muslim religious leaders have appealed to members of the community to not step out of their homes on Monday to offer namaz at mosques or idgahs as has been the practice every year. Nafees also said Eid shopping will be done once normalcy is restored. "The fact is that people don't have much money due to the loss of livelihood (amidst the lockdown). A large number of Muslims is daily-earners who are hit hard by the lockdown," he said, adding that well-off Muslims have decided to set aside 'Zakat' (2.5 per cent of earnings) for the needy. Vadodara-based Intekhab Sheikh says he will offer the Eid prayers at his home and exchange greetings via video chatting. "Visiting a mosque is out of question. We will cook sewaiyanat home. At the most will offer it to our neighbours. Offering prayers and consuming sewaiyan with family members will be our mode of celebration tomorrow. And as far as greeting friends and relatives are concerned, we will do it through video calling," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Bode Prasad on Saturday held a protest in front of Vuyyuru police station alleging the filing of fake cases against party activists. The protest came after police seized 105 liquor bottles from the house of a ration shop dealer and TDP worker Rambabu. Speaking about the liquor bottles at the party worker's house, Bode Prasad accused the YSRCP of placing the liquor bottles in Rambabu's house. He staged a protest demanding justice. Read: Andhra Pradesh: TDP Chief accuses YSRCP of betraying farmers, migrant workers in state TDP protests against new power tariff system Meanwhile, on Thursday, May 21, Telegu Desam Party leader and former MLA Tangirala Sowmya held a protest against the new power tariff system in Andhra Pradesh. Following her party's call, Sowmya held the protest at her house in Nandigama town. She demanded that the old slab system be followed and asked for power bills to be waived off during the lowdown. Read: Andhra Pradesh Minister lambastes TDP supremo for criticism over land acquisition decision Speaking to ANI, Sowmya said, "The power sector has been spoiled during one year of Jagan Reddy's rule. He has cornered the state into the darkness with his adamant attitude." She said that the Jagan government's decisions in the power sector have drawn flack from both the courts as well as the central government. According to her, while power tariffs were not increased during the five-year tenure of Chandrababu Naidu; Jagan Reddy's government have raised the tariffs two times in merely one year. Read: Karnataka CM has assured to help stranded Andhra fishermen, says TDP's Chandrababu Naidu Andhra Pradesh has thus far recorded 2709 Covid cases in all, with 55 deaths and 1763 recoveries. Read: Andhra Pradesh: TDP leader Tangirala Sowmya protests against increase of power tariffs (With ANI Inputs) A Gorkha association in Arunachal Pradesh has filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) against actor Anuskha Sharma for an alleged "sexist slur" on the Gorkha community in one of the scenes of the web series 'Paatal Lok' produced by her. The complaint was filed recently by Bikash Bhattarai, the Namsai unit president of the All Arunachal Pradesh Gorkha Youth Association (AAPGYA). A "sexist slur" used against a woman character in the second episode of the web series is a "direct insult to the Nepali-speaking people", the association stated in the complaint. "The sexist slur has hurt the sentiments of the Gorkha community and the Nepali-speaking people across the country," the AAPGYA said. It demanded that either the web series be stopped from being aired or the team of 'Paatal Lok' apologise to the Gorkhali people. "The series has hurt the Nepali community and there is already a strong protest against it on social media for presenting an insulting, demeaning and derogatory dialogue," the group stated in its complaint. AAPGYA state unit president Shyam Ghatani said, "Not only should the Nepali community, but those in the film industry also condemn such direct insult made to millions of people who speak Nepali as their common language". The association has urged the NHRC and the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs to come up with a "strong and concrete" decision on the matter. The Bharatiya Gorkha Yuva Parisangh has also started an online petition demanding that Amazon should mute the slur, blur the subtitles and upload an edited video with an apology and a disclaimer. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Akbar Mammadov Today, Azerbaijani and world Muslims celebrate Ramadan Holiday, also known as Eid Al-Fitr. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the most sacred and anticipated month in Muslim calendar. Throughout Ramadan, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset. While fasting, believers should also avoid all forms of sinful behavior during the holy month. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. The Night of Power, when the Quran, the holy book of the Islamic world, was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, falls in the final 10 days of Ramadan. Celebrations start with the sighting of the new moon, which means the end of the holy month of fasting. The dates change annually as theyre determined by the sighting of a new moon. During Eid Al-Fitr, Muslims usually visit a mosque and participate in mass prayer, give charity, abstain from committing sins. The Eid prayer is performed in congregation in open areas or mosques. After the prayers, Muslims visit their relatives, friends, and acquaintances and exchange gifts or hold large communal celebrations in homes, community centres, or rented halls. Delicious pastries are baked for the occasion of the great holiday, the graves of relatives are visited, and people pray in mosques. This year's Eid Al-Fitr is rather quiet as most countries are in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic across the world. The social distancing rules make it impossible for Muslims to perform mass prayer on the last day of Ramadan. Earlier, on 24 March, Azerbaijan banned religious gathering as part of the special quarantine regime. The country also banned the gathering of more than ten people as part of the lockdown. The Caucasus Board of Muslims said it is impossible to resume mass prayers in Azerbaijan, including the Ramadan prayer, due to the ban on gatherings of more than 10 people amid COVID-19. The Caucasus Board of Muslims also said that on the Ramadan holiday, people can congratulate each other, but collective prayers are not necessary. There is no need to pray in a group of 3-5 people at home. Azerbaijan, a predominantly Muslim country, has been celebrating the Ramadan officially since 1993, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The country has always been one of the historical and cultural centres of the Islamic world. For many centuries, people in Azerbaijan have preserved their religious and national values. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz I sraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a tirade against the nations justice system as he arrived at court for the start of his corruption trial. Netanyahu accused police and prosecutors of conspiring to depose him as he became the country's first sitting prime minister ever to go on trial. He faces charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes in a series of corruption cases stemming from ties to wealthy friends. He is accused of accepting lavish gifts and offering to grant favours to powerful media moguls in exchange for favourable coverage of him and his family. He denies the charges. As he arrived at the courthouse, Netanyahu revived his claims that he is the victim of a deep state-type conspiracy by media, police, prosecutors and judges out to oust him. Supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu / REUTERS He called the case an attempt to eliminate the will of the people and an attempt to depose a strong right-wing leader. He said police and prosecutors had conspired to tailor a case against him, and said the evidence was contaminated and exaggerated. He called for the court proceedings to be broadcast live on TV to ensure full transparency. I stand before you with a straight back and head raised high, he said. Critics have said that Netanyahus deep state arguments have undermined Israels court system and risk deeper damage to the countrys democratic institutions. Netanyahu spoke shortly before he was to attend the opening hearing in the case at the Jerusalem district court, after his request to have his lawyers represent him instead was rejected. The dramatic scene came just days after the long-serving leader swore in his new government, breaking more than a year of political stalemate following three inconclusive elections. Netanyahu held his first Cabinet meeting with the new government just hours before heading to court. Neither he nor any of his ministers addressed the looming trial but the countrys outgoing religious affairs minister wished Netanyahu that God will bring the truth out at his trial. Netanyahu and his allies have spent months lashing out the countrys law enforcement system, and the charges against him have deeply divided the nation. Ahead of the trial, two sets of protests and counter-protests gathered outside the courthouse and the prime ministers official residence in Jerusalem. Several of Netanyahus Likud Cabinet ministers, including the newly appointed internal security minister who oversees the police, came to the court to back him. Netanyahus court appearance on Sunday caps a three-year investigation. It also comes after more than a year of political turmoil, with three inconclusive elections finally ending last month when the Israeli leader and his main rival, former army chief Benny Gantz, came to a power-sharing deal. As part of their power-sharing deal, Netanyahu will remain prime minister for the next 18 months, and alternative prime minister for the 18 months after, and will not be legally required to step down during what is expected to be a lengthy trial. Additional reporting by Press Association. The district health department has requested the administration to shift the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients, brought to Ghaziabad under the Vande Bharat Mission, to their respective hometowns. The officials said that two travellers lodged in paid quarantine have tested positive and should be sent to their respective districts for further treatment. The two travellers have tested positive and are lodged at ESI Hospital in Sahibabad. These cases have been added to the tally of Ghaziabad district by the state surveillance control room and are inflating our figures. Apart from them, there are seven more cases from other districts that have been added to the tally of Ghaziabad district, the districts chief medical officer (CMO) Dr NK Gupta, said. The different parameters (like the number, sampling rate, doubling rate, fatality rate and testing ratio) of active cases will be affected if we do not rectify the figures. So, we have asked the administration to send the travellers back to their home districts and also written to the state surveillance officials to rectify the tally of Ghaziabad district, the CMO added. He said that the total number of Covid-19 cases in the district stood at 227 with the addition of 10 new cases on Sunday. He added that 193 persons were discharged so far and the number of active cases stood at 33. Four of the 10 cases reported on Sunday are contacts of two employees of Zee media. Two other women reported positive had given birth at a womens hospital, where they were tested. Apart from the, there are two cases from Vasundhara and one each from Nehru Nagar and Patel Nagar, the CMO added. We have received the rectification request from the Ghaziabad officials and the cases will soon be transferred to other districts, Dr Vikasendu Agrawal, the state surveillance officer, said. Under the Vande Bharat Mission, 502 travellers, all from Uttar Pradesh districts, are currently in paid quarantine at hotels in Ghaziabad. These people have travelled from different cities and countries like the US, Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Sharjah, Nepal and Dubai, among others. We are making arrangements for their transfer to their hometowns; so far, 32 of them have already been sent home after completed the requisite 14-day quarantine. The process will also be taken up for positive patients, said PN Dixit, the project director of the district rural development authority who is coordinating with the travellers. App-based e-rickshaws soon Officials of the district administration also added that since offices are reopening under the norms of Lockdown 4.0, there is a need to cater to passengers who use public transport. As part of one of the measures, they are in talks with e-rickshaw manufactures and have asked them to initiate an app-based e-rickshaw service in Ghaziabad. We are also trying to operate 20 app-based e-rickshaws on two routesMohan Nagar to Hapur Chungi and Kaushambi to Sahibabad. We have asked the regional transport officer to give a plan for the proposed operations. Such e-rickshaws will cater to a maximum of two passengers besides the driver under the norms of Lockdown 4.0, the district magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey said in a statement on Sunday. In recent directions under the Lockdown 4.0, the district magistrate had allowed three-wheelers to ply with a maximum of two passengers and a driver. Civil flights from Hindon Meanwhile, officials of the district administration said that flights would start operating from the civil terminal at Hindon airbase likely from May 25 and all standard operating procedures (SOPs) were in place before the flights start at 4.45pm on Monday. In this context, officials of the UP government said that they have issued a government order detailing the SOPs as the flights will be made operational from May 25. The government has issued the order. The passengers coming to UP will have to register themselves through a web link. People who belong to UP will have to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days and get themselves tested after six days. If their test is negative, they can leave quarantine. There will be no quarantine for persons from UP who travel to and from another state for work. However, their travel to UP has to be short and last less than a week. They have to disclose all their details, place of stay and work, etc. to authorities, Amit Mohan Prasad, UPs principal secretary (health), said. The officials said that there are 2,686 people in isolation wards in the state and 10,540 in quarantine facilities at present. We are especially focussed on contacting migrant workers; so far we have contacted 807,147 of them. Of them, 873 are symptomatic and their testing is underway. We are also laying special emphasis on the containment exercise and 90,408 of our teams have so far surveyed 7,157,288 houses with a population of 3.58 crore living in them, Prasad added. According to officials, an area with a 250-metre radius around where a single case is found is now under surveillance, while an area with 500-metre radius from a cluster of cases is defined as a containment zone. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Hong Kong police fired tear gas and a water cannon at protesters in a popular shopping district on Sunday, as thousands took to the streets to march against Chinas proposed tough national security legislation for the city. Pro-democracy supporters in Hong Kong have sharply criticised the proposal last week to enact a national security law that would ban secessionist and subversive activity, as well as foreign interference, in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. Critics say it goes against the one country, two systems framework that promises the city freedoms not found in mainland China. Crowds of demonstrators dressed in black gathered Sunday afternoon in Hong Kongs Causeway Bay district to protest the proposed legislation. Protesters chanted slogans including Stand with Hong Kong, Liberate Hong Kong and Revolution of our times. The protest was a continuation of a monthslong pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong that began last year and has at times descended into violence between police and protesters. Police raised blue flags, warning protesters to disperse, before firing multiple rounds of tear gas. They later fired a water cannon at the protesters. At least 120 people were arrested, mostly on charges of unlawful assembly, police said in a Facebook post. They also said in a separate post that protesters threw bricks and splashed unidentified liquid at officers, injuring at least four members of the polices media liaison team. They warned that such behavior is against the law and that police would pursue the matter. Earlier in the afternoon, prominent activist Tam Tak-chi was arrested during the protest for what police said was unauthorized assembly. Tam said he was giving a health talk and was exempt from social-distancing measures that prohibit gatherings of more than eight people. The bill that triggered Sundays rally was submitted at Chinas national legislative session on Friday and is expected to be passed on May 28. It would bypass Hong Kongs legislature and allow the citys government to set up mainland agencies in the city that would make it possible for Chinese agents to arbitrarily arrest people for activities deemed to be pro-democracy. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called the move a death knell for the high degree of autonomy that Beijing promised the former British colony when it was returned to China in 1997. The erosion of Hong Kongs freedoms prompted Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong prior to its handover to China, to condemn what he called a new Chinese dictatorship. I think the Hong Kong people have been betrayed by China, which has proved once again that you cant trust it further than you can throw it, Patten said in an interview with The Times of London. Bernard Chan, a top-level Hong Kong politician and delegate to the National Peoples Congress in Beijing, defended the national security legislation pushed by China, saying it was written into Hong Kongs Basic Law the citys mini-constitution but never enacted. Chan expressed concern that Hong Kong would inevitably face economic hardship given trade frictions between the US and China. I think we are definitely the collateral damage being dragged into this thing. But then, I dont think theres any alternatives, Chan said. But with or without this law, honestly, the US and China are always going to be continuing this loggerhead for quite some time to come, he said. China will remain as a threat to the US in terms of the...world economic dominance. Married At First Sight bride Stacey Hampton has set the record straight about her feelings toward rival bride KC Osborne. Speaking to her Instagram fans on Sunday, the single mother, 26, insisted that she has no ill feelings towards the new partner of her ex-husband Michael Goonan. 'I'm not jealous of KC, I think she's beautiful. I think everyone's beautiful. I think Michael's [Goonan] lucky to have her,' Stacey said while sitting on the bed with her energetic sons Kruz, 2, and Kosta, 4. Stacey went on to encourage her fans to purchase 32-year-old KC's new range of branded hoodies. 'Go and buy her hoodies, I don't hate her. Buy her hoodies, do it! Awesome!' the mother-of-two enthused. 'She teaches children's classes about self love which is really great. And you know what? I support that, I have kids myself. She's going to have kids one day and she's going to understand what it's like,' she beamed. 'Michael's lucky to have her!' Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton, 26, (left) insisted she's NOT jealous of KC Osborne, 32, (right) during an impassioned Instagram video on Sunday Earlier in the video, the law graduate warned online trolls to stop posting nasty comments online about her capabilities as a mother. 'I don't know what I've personally done to you guys. But I have a zero tolerance policy with trolls. I literally block straight away,' she warned. Stacey reiterated that none of her online critics have actually 'seen her as a mother in full form', and therefore have no right to comment on such matters. 'Go and buy her hoodies, I don't hate her!' Stacey went on to encourage her fans to purchase KC's new range of branded hoodies (pictured) 'I have a zero tolerance policy with trolls': Earlier in the video, the law graduate warned online trolls to stop posting nasty comments online about her capabilities as a mother 'If you ask my ex, "the bikie" that everyone likes to bring up, he says I'm a great mother,' she declared. 'And he says it's probably one of my only qualities. Because I can be a difficult partner,' she added. It comes after KC's restraining order against her Married At First Sight co-star Stacey was formally withdrawn on Tuesday. Troubles: It comes afte KC took out an IVO out against her boyfriend Michael Goonan's (pictured) former 'wife' Stacey on May 7, accusing the single mother and her friend Anthony Hess of 'harassing her' before withdrawing it last Tuesday KC had taken an IVO out against Stacey on May 7, accusing the single mother and her friend Anthony Hess of 'harassing her'. A source close to Stacey told Daily Mail Australia it had been withdrawn due to 'lack of evidence'. The blonde law graduate is now said to be considering legal action against KC for 'slandering her'. To be continued? A friend of Stacey's (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia the restraining order had been withdrawn due to 'lack of evidence' and that she was considering legal action against KC for 'slandering her' KC and Michael said in a joint statement: 'This situation is beyond ridiculous and we want nothing to do with it. We both want to be left in peace. Everyone needs to move on with their lives.' Michael, 29, claimed earlier this month that KC had been the victim of targeted harassment and threats from Anthony and Stacey. They both deny this. After KC took out an IVO against Stacey on May 7, Anthony, 39, filed a similar restraining order against Michael on May 14. Putting it behind them: In a joint statement to Daily Mail Australia, KC and Michael said, 'This situation is beyond ridiculous and we want nothing to do with it. We both want to be left in peace' In the complaint, the eccentric Bitcoin investor claimed that Michael had sent him a 'threatening text message' and made 'two threatening phone calls'. An interim order made by the Melbourne Magistrates' Court prevents Michael from going within five metres of Anthony, or within 200 metres of his home. When asked if he had filed an IVO against Michael to get back at KC for filing one against Stacey, Anthony said: 'Not at all. I had already planned to. This isn't a war.' The Interim Intervention Order lasts until June 10, when Anthony will have to argue his case again to have it extended and Michael will have the opportunity to put his version of events before the court. Aside from the coronavirus pandemic, chief of the disarmament department of the United Nations cautioned the public as malicious emails during the outbreak skyrocketed accelerating to an estimated 600%. As the global health crisis continues to move the world towards online collaboration and technological innovation, Izumi Nakamitsu emphasized during the informal conference of the United Nations Security Council that alarming reports of cyber attacks against major health care organizations and facilities of medical research globally. The disarmament affairs high ranking official shared that the growing digital dependency propelled the vulnerability to cyberattacks, as an estimated such attack takes place every 39 seconds in every part of the world. Based on the report of the International Telecommunication Union, she stated that close to 90 nations are still in the early stages of making their cybersecurity commitments. Nakamitsu emphasized that seeing the threat of misused data and communications technology is very critical. On the other hand, Nakamitsu shared that there is also a good effect as a group of government experts developed 11 voluntary non-binding norms of responsible state behavior while using the said technology making it global progress for the United Nations. Juri Ratas, Prime Minister of Estonia established the meeting on Friday as their country holds the Security Council presidency, Ratas pointed out the need for a secure and functioning cyberspace more than ever as he condemns cyberattacks that target medical research facilities, hospital, and medical affiliated infrastructures, specifically during the pandemic. He also added that the strike is unacceptable as pushes that offenders will hold responsible for their acts. Read also: Extended Use of Face Mask Dangerous? May Cause Hypercapnia and Hypoxia Centerpiece of the council presidency of Estonia, the informal council meeting which was broadcasted online did not attend by Russia, however, 14 council nations were present and an estimated 50 other nations participated. United Nations mission of Russia released a statement on its website sharing that they did not attend the meeting as the United States, United Kingdom, and Estonia violated the established practice that all council members should attend informal meetings regardless of their stand in a certain topic. The mentioned countries did not attend a sponsored informal meeting ob Crimea by Russia on Thursday as they all oppose the Seizure and annexation of Crimea from Ukraine by Russia. United States, United Kingdom and Estonia in March accused the military intelligence of Russia by conducting cyberattacks targeting the media and government websites in Georgia, as they call the strike a part of a constant reckless cyberoperations against numerous countries that undeniably contradicts Russia's attempts showing that they are responsible actors in cyberspace. United States' Deputy Ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet shared on the Friday meeting that they have witnessed malicious cyber activity forming into a designed pattern undermining the United States and its international partners' efforts to guard, assist, and advise the public during this global health crisis. She also pointed out that that said cyberattacks hampering health care systems specifically hospitals that are currently performing critical services amid the worldwide crisis could be lethal as it can deliver deadly results. Related article: Apple, Google Builds App to Detect When Someone With Coronavirus is Near @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Andhra Pradesh high court has ordered the immediate seizure of the Visakhapatnam premises of LG Polymers India Ltd, from whose plant poisonous Styrene gas vapours leaked on May 7, leading to the deaths of 12 people and hospitalisation of about 500 others. The high court delivered the interim directions to this effect on Friday, but the judgment copy reached the state government on Sunday. The premises of the company LG Polymers at RR Venkatapuram in Visakhapatnam shall be completely seized and no one be allowed to enter the premises including the directors of the company, a division bench comprising chief justice JK Maheshwari and judge K Lalitha Kumari ordered. The bench, however, said a high-powered committee appointed by the state government and other expert committees could inspect the premises, but they should mention remarks about the inspections in a register maintained at the gate of the premises. After completion of the inspection, they should mention a note in the same register regarding their inspection on the premises, the court said. The court also ruled that all directors of the company should surrender their passports to the government and shall not be allowed to go outside India without permission of the court. The high court bench directed that none of the assets, movable or immovable, fixtures, machinery and contents be allowed to be shifted without the approval of the court. The court sought to know whether, during the lockdown period, the company was given any permission to restart its operations. If not, the government shall file an action-taken report in this regard, it said. The high court asked the state and central governments and the company authorities to file a compliance report by May 26 and posted the case to May 28 for further hearing. Toxic styrene gas spewed out of the plant near Visakhapatnam on May 7, killing at least 12 people and forcing hundreds to be hospitalised for treatment. Villagers later staged protests near the plant with bodies of victims as the police visited the area. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Srinivasa Rao Apparasu Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience. ...view detail Jhansi : , May 24 (IANS) A sudden movement of a swarm of locusts spotted on the outskirts of Jhansi district on Saturday evening, has put the district administration on alert. The Jhansi district administration has directed the fire brigades to remain on standby with chemicals following a sudden movement by a swarm of locusts. District Magistrate Andra Vamsi, who chaired an emergency meeting in this regard said, "The villagers along with the common public has been told to inform control room about the movement. The locusts will go to the places where there is green grass or greenery. Hence, details about the movement at such places must be shared." Deputy Director Agriculture Kamal Katiyar said, "The swarm of locusts, which is moving is small in size. We have got news that nearly 2.5 to 3-kilometre long swarm of locusts has entered the country. A team has come from Kota (Rajasthan) to tackle the locusts." At present, the locust swarm is at Bangra Magarpur. Katiyar said that farmers had been made aware of the problem and spraying of insecticides will be done in the night. WASHINGTON - In the final days before the United States faced a full-blown epidemic, President Donald Trump made a last-ditch attempt to prevent people infected with the coronavirus from reaching the country. "To keep new cases from entering our shores," Trump said in an Oval Office address on March 11, "we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days." Across the Atlantic, Jack Siebert, an American college student spending a semester in Spain, was battling raging headaches, shortness of breath and fevers that touched 104 degrees. Concerned about his condition for travel but alarmed by the president's announcement, his parents scrambled to book a flight home for their son - an impulse shared by thousands of Americans who rushed to get flights out of Europe. Siebert arrived at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago three days later as the new U.S. restrictions - including mandatory medical screenings - went into effect. He encountered crowds of people packed in tight corridors, stood in lines in which he snaked past other travelers for nearly five hours and tried to direct any cough or sneeze into his sleeve. When he finally reached the coronavirus checkpoint near baggage pickup, Siebert reported his prior symptoms and described his exposure in Spain. But the screeners waved him through with a cursory temperature check. He was given instructions to self-isolate that struck him as absurd given the conditions he had just encountered at the airport. "I can guarantee you that people were infected" in that trans-Atlantic gantlet, said Siebert, who tested positive for the virus two days later in Chicago. "It was people passing through a pinhole." The sequence was repeated at airports across the country that weekend. Harrowing scenes of interminable lines and unmasked faces crammed in confined spaces spread across social media. The images showed how a policy intended to block the pathogen's entry into the United States instead delivered one final viral infusion. As those exposed travelers fanned out into U.S. cities and suburbs, they became part of an influx from Europe that went unchecked for weeks and helped to seal the country's coronavirus fate. Epidemiologists contend the U.S. outbreak was driven overwhelmingly by viral strains from Europe rather than China. More than 1.8 million travelers entered the United States from Europe in February alone as that continent became the center of the pandemic. Infections reached critical mass in New York and other cities well before the White House took action, according to studies mapping the virus's spread. The crush of travelers triggered by Trump's announcement only added to that viral load. "We closed the front door with the China travel ban," New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last month as officials began to grasp the magnitude of the failure. In waiting to cut off travel from Europe, he said, "we left the backdoor wide open." Trump has repeatedly touted his decision in January to restrict travel from China as evidence that he acted decisively to contain the coronavirus, often claiming that doing so saved more than a million lives. But it was his administration's response to the threat from Europe that proved more consequential to the majority of the more than 94,000 people who have died and the 1.6 million now infected in the United States. White House officials noted the president was widely criticized for the move to limit travel from Europe, with many saying it was too draconian at the time. "The president took bold, early action that I think few leaders would be willing to take - and because of that he saved countless lives," spokeswoman Alyssa Farah said. The lapses surrounding the spread from Europe stand alongside other breakdowns - in developing diagnostic tests, securing protective gear and imposing social distancing guidelines - as reasons the United States became so overwhelmed. The travel mayhem was triggered by many of the same problems that plagued the U.S. response to the pandemic from the outset: Early warnings were missed or ignored. Coordination was chaotic or nonexistent. Key agencies fumbled their assignments. Trump's errant statements undermined his administration's plans and endangered the public. "We kept foreign nationals out of the country but not the virus," said Tom Bossert, who served as adviser of homeland security at the White House until last year. The move to restrict travel came when it was more urgent to arrest the spread of infections already in the United States, Bossert said. "That was a strategic miscalculation." This article tracing the administration's response to the Europe threat is based on interviews with dozens of current and former U.S. officials, as well as public health experts, airline executives and passengers. Some spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer candid assessments of events, decisions and internal administration debates. - - - The Europe restrictions, which remain in effect, bar entry to non-U.S. citizens or permanent residents from 26 countries. Britain and Ireland were at first excluded from the list before being added on March 17. The decision came at a time when the country was still resisting other measures critical to containing the outbreak. Schools remained open, states were not yet issuing stay-at-home orders, and many officials were still emphasizing hand-washing as an adequate means of preventing infection. The lack of urgency was driven by a failure to understand the threat's true dimensions. There were only 3,714 confirmed cases in the United States on March 13, the day the travel restrictions were implemented, and just 176 deaths had been recorded. Those numbers are considered woefully inaccurate, artificially suppressed by the scarcity of tests. Within days, Trump would assert that he grasped the full magnitude of the danger soon after the virus escaped Wuhan, China. "I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic," he said on March 17. Yet Trump spent much of the preceding month predicting the virus would quickly recede and downplaying its severity. "It will go away," he declared on March 10, one day before his address from the Oval Office. "Just stay calm. It will go away." Behind the scenes, senior officials had been agitating for weeks to consider expanding travel restrictions beyond China. Deputy national security adviser Matthew Pottinger, who had been based in Beijing as a journalist, argued during meetings in February that transmission was higher than being reported in China and that if community spread began in Europe there was little prospect of containing it. Pottinger made the case that "once it was in Europe, it was going to go 'whoosh,' " a senior official said. Members of the administration's coronavirus task force were even presented with charts showing that the number of flights arriving from Europe dwarfed the influx from China. By the third week in February, the fears about Europe were becoming reality. On Feb. 22, Italy issued quarantine orders on 11 municipalities in the northern part of the country. It closed schools, canceled public events and halted train travel in the same region. Because there are no constraints on crossing borders within continental Europe, the developments in Italy meant that spread into other countries was inevitable. But Pottinger and a handful of other officials who shared his concerns faced opposition from powerful administration figures fearing enormous economic fallout. Among those arguing most vehemently against curbing travel from Europe, officials said, were Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Larry Kudlow, the president's chief economic adviser. Even health experts at times seemed skeptical. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, at first reacted skeptically to limiting travel from Europe, saying in a February meeting in the Situation Room that the available data did not support such a move , the senior official said. A spokesperson for Fauci declined to comment, referring questions to the White House. Few countries were then imposing travel restrictions on nations other than China and its neighbors in Asia. Europe did not issue comprehensive travel restrictions until after the United States had done so. Debate on the issue was also derailed by turmoil on the coronavirus task force. Trump put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the panel on Feb. 26 as Italy confronted a surging outbreak. Officials said it took a week or more for Pence to get up to speed on the threat and array of possible responses. Serious deliberations about Europe didn't resume until mid-March. By then, Pottinger had gained a new ally. Deborah Birx, who had joined the task force earlier that month, entered a White House meeting armed with worrisome data on a surge in cases in northern Italy, as well as numbers that showed accelerating spread across Europe. Then, on March 11, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic. A tense meeting of task force members and other White House officials followed that afternoon in the Cabinet Room. A small contingent then gathered around Trump in the Oval Office. Mnuchin remained against the move, officials said, vociferously arguing about its potentially damaging effects on the economy. But others present, including Robert O'Brien, the national security adviser, and Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services, argued the United States could no longer justify the risk of allowing travel from Europe to continue unimpeded. Trump sided with the majority. But the magnitude of the undertaking - constricting one of the busiest air travel corridors on the planet - seemed to escape him. And the logistical requirements of implementing this plan on a 48-hour timetable were not even meaningfully discussed, officials said. Instead, Trump and his inner circle seemed focused on staging the announcement for maximum political impact, officials said. Jared Kushner, the president's adviser and son-in-law, urged Trump to deliver a formal speech that evening and argued that the details should be kept close-hold to prevent them from leaking. Kushner then gathered with senior policy adviser Stephen Miller in the latter's office to work on a draft. The duo were joined at times by Pence and were still making edits until shortly before Trump was scheduled to go live on television at 9 p.m. No drafts were shared in advance with members of the task force or any of the agencies that would have to carry out Trump's decision, officials said. "The president was in a bad mood," one official said. As he settled into his chair, Trump cursed about a stain on his shirt. "He wasn't convinced the speech was a good idea." It was only the second Oval Office address of his presidency, reflecting the gravity of the moment. But the result was a stumbling performance in which Trump struggled to follow the text on the teleprompter and committed a series of gaffes. "Never has a less prepared set of remarks been delivered from that room," said a former administration official. The actual policy included no plan to cut off cargo shipments between the continents, for example, but Trump indicated otherwise. The restrictions "will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo," he said, "but various other things." The new restrictions included "exemptions for Americans who have undergone appropriate screenings," he said. But few caught that important caveat after his opening declaration that the United States was "suspending all travel from Europe." As networks cut away, Trump was caught muttering a drawn out "okayyyyy" as he slumped in his seat. Afterward, he groused about his performance, officials said, while subordinates issued statements and tweets to clarify or correct his misstatements. Within days, he was blaming Kushner, telling aides that he shouldn't have listened to his son-in-law. - - - Even the timing of the speech turned out to be ill-considered. It came at the tail end of a three-hour window during which dozens of red-eye flights depart the United States each night for cities across Europe. As a result, thousands of passengers learned about the new policy while over the Atlantic and scrambled upon arrival to alter their plans. At Dulles International Airport outside Washington, the cabin door on United Flight 989, headed for Frankfurt, Germany, had just been secured when Trump's speech began airing on television networks. As he spoke, passengers began rising from their seats in panic. Brandishing bulletins about the speech on their cellphones, some pushed for the exits. "He said they're closing the borders," one passenger said. "I want off this plane." The pilot and cabin crew began making frantic calls to supervisors for guidance. Bobbie Mas, a veteran flight attendant, dialed a hotline for United employees, then the company's staffing office at Dulles, but no one had answers. She then entered the cockpit to speak to the captain, who would be first in line for any major air travel advisories. The captain contacted United's operations desk - the nerve center of the airline - but officials there were similarly scrambling for details. The only warning conveyed to the airline was a call that United's then-chief executive, Oscar Munoz, got from an administration official "literally minutes" before Trump began speaking, a company spokesman said. The official provided no details about what Trump would be saying except that it pertained to air travel. By the time the Boeing 777 departed for Frankfurt two hours later, nearly every U.S. citizen had gotten off the plane. For many, the decision was driven by the erroneous impression created by the president that they risked being stranded in Europe for a month or more. Among those who deplaned was Mas, who is also a union representative with the Association of Flight Attendants. Worried that she had not packed enough prescription medicine to last a month trapped in Europe, she said she asked to get off an aircraft for the first time in her 21-year career. "There was fear and chaos," she said. Save for the tense days that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, she said, "I have never seen anything like it." Even more chaos was in store. Airlines' websites and phone lines were inundated in the hours after Trump's Oval address. American Airlines fielded about 700,000 calls on March 12, a spokesman said, more than five times the number on a typical day. Travel across the Atlantic surged. The number of passengers arriving from countries targeted by the restrictions soared 46% in a single day, up from about 31,000 on the day Trump delivered his address to 45,399 the next, according to data from Customs and Border Protection. Friday's traffic was even higher, topping 46,000. Many were U.S. citizens racing to get home before midnight March 13, when the restrictions were scheduled to take effect - unaware that they were exempt from the policy and faced no deadline. Even when given accurate details on the policy, many refused to put off their travel fearing the administration might abruptly switch course and end the exemption. One airline industry official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that gate attendants at multiple airports began making panicked calls after encountering symptomatic passengers. "We had customer agents calling the security desk by the hundreds, telling us about individuals that have the symptoms," the official said. "Our answer was to follow policy," the official said, which meant they were not to be kept off aircraft unless they were demonstrably unfit to fly or had recently traveled to China. Those who arrived before the restrictions kicked in faced crowded planes and extended waits even without the additional layer of medical screenings. But the next wave of travelers, which began arriving March 14, confronted scenes out of a public health nightmare. - - - Trump has spent much of his presidency fixated on U.S. borders and denying entry to foreigners. Of the possible responses to a pandemic, imposing travel restrictions is the one move Trump should have mastered. The travel ban on majority-Muslim countries that Trump declared during the first days of his presidency triggered chaos at airports and border entry points. The fallout delivered an early lesson on the consequences of wielding power without adequate planning. When Trump moved to block travel from China in January, there were few indications of disruption at affected airports. But while the president has depicted that decision as one he made before anyone else recognized it was necessary, in reality major airlines were forcing his hand. Delta and American had announced on Jan. 31 they were suspending routes to China before Trump announced the restrictions. United informed the White House it had already decided to do the same but was willing to hold off on announcing it publicly if Trump was prepared to act swiftly in issuing an order, officials said. Eager to claim credit for acting to contain the virus, Trump's announcement came within hours. The Europe restrictions followed six weeks later but unleashed chaos in ways that surpassed even that of the Muslim ban. Current and former officials said key agencies, including the Departments of Homeland Security and Transportation, had no meaningful input in the nature of the Europe restrictions or how and when they would be executed. An administration official said officials from both agencies were present at meetings where the ban was discussed. The administration scrambled to round up contractors to conduct temperature checks on tens of thousands of passengers. Officials said the magnitude of the mobilization was unprecedented. Even so, the contractors were overrun by the rush of travelers that Trump had helped unleash. Even the most basic screening steps seemed to backfire. The CDC failed to distribute a new paper questionnaire in time for it to be shared with airlines in advance, meaning passengers had to fill it out upon arrival. As a result, travelers found themselves reaching around one another for slips of paper and pencils, risking transmission as the bottlenecks got worse. The number of arriving passengers had in fact plummeted by the first day under the new restrictions. Just 19,418 passengers arrived from designated countries in Europe, according to CBP, less than half the number from the previous day. But even the dramatically reduced passenger volume seemed to overwhelm airport screeners. Alarming photos and expressions of outrage lit up social media throughout March 14. "To find yourself waiting four hours in a crowded customs hall is not social distancing," a passenger arriving in San Francisco posted. "Fix that or fail." A photo showed thousands of travelers in line at Dallas-Fort Worth without masks or other protection. "This will not flatten the curve," the caption accompanying the tweet said. Even JFK Airport in New York had "turned into a #CoronaVirus breeding ground," one traveler tweeted, where teeming crowds were being subjected to "useless enhanced #COVID19 screening measures." But the most disturbing scenes emerged from Chicago's O'Hare. By late evening, the conditions had become so unsafe that Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker began delivering broadsides on Twitter. "The crowds & lines at O'Hare are unacceptable and need to be addressed immediately," he tweeted at 10:50 p.m. "Since this is the only communication medium you pay attention to," he said, taking explicit aim at the president, "you need to do something NOW." He ended with one final blast: "The federal government needs to get its s@#t together." Pritzker's aides had struggled to get answers from the administration earlier in the day, but the Twitter outburst got the White House's attention. Within minutes, Douglas Hoelscher, director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, phoned Pritzker. But instead of vowing to fix the problems at O'Hare, Hoelscher began criticizing the governor for insulting the president and said Pritzker should have just contacted the White House. The conversation grew heated, with the governor saying the White House had failed to communicate or properly implement its plans, according to two people familiar with the exchange. "There was a lot of yelling," one of them said. Others responded in more productive fashion. At 12:30 a.m. on March 15, Chad Wolf, the acting DHS secretary, tweeted that his department was "aware of the long lines for passengers who are undergoing increased medical screening requirements." He said the department was "working to add additional screening capacity" and pleaded with the public for patience. The next day, DHS officials identified procedural problems at O'Hare that helped explain why waits and lines there were worse than at other airports. Acting on instructions of supervisors, CBP agents were holding up passengers until all the screening data collected from them had been entered into department computers. Other airports had scrapped the paperwork, putting it off until later, soon after lines began to bulge. Once O'Hare did so, officials said, the crowds and lines began to dissipate. The critical problems had largely subsided by late Sunday. The lines continued to shrink in the ensuing weeks as Europe travel plunged. - - - Within hours of Trump delivering the Oval address, experts were warning that it was already too late. Bossert, the former homeland security adviser at the National Security Council, raised fundamental questions about the travel ban in an email he sent public health experts and others late in the evening on March 11. "Can anyone justify the European travel restriction, scientifically?" Bossert asked the group, which had given itself the moniker Red Dawn in reference to the 1980s movie. "Seriously, is there any benefit?" The resounding answer he got from others was, "No." The virus was already too widespread in the United States for travel curbs alone to make any difference. The only chance to contain the outbreak and save lives, some argued, was to impose drastic mitigation measures that would bring social interactions, as well as the economy, to a standstill. Much of the data that has emerged about the pandemic in the ensuing months appears to validate that view. Comparing genetic signatures of different strains of the virus has enabled researches to map its global detonation with growing precision. After surfacing in China in late December, the contagion had migrated to Europe by early February. There was a fleeting window of perhaps weeks when blocking travel from Europe might have shielded the Eastern Seaboard. But by mid-February, European strains were established in New York, where they multiplied in the city's crowded streets and subways before fanning out to the rest of the country, according to findings released by Trevor Bedford, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington. The virus then continued crossing the Atlantic - probably in both directions - for weeks before the Trump administration acted. In February alone, more than 1.8 million air travelers from Europe entered the United States, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Those travelers wouldn't have faced even a temperature check. An April study led by researchers at Northeastern University in Boston concluded that New York probably had more than 10,000 undetected cases by March 1 - two weeks before the Europe restrictions were imposed - with thousands more cases in San Francisco, Chicago and other cities. "Horse out of the barn," said Stuart Ray, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University and expert on infectious diseases. The travel restrictions "could have bent the curve downward" only if deployed alongside massive testing, distribution of protective gear on an enormous scale and clear public messaging about social distancing. "Without those," he said, "transmission would have overtaken any benefit of travel ban." Some in the Trump administration argue that such assessments are too pessimistic. Without the Europe restrictions, "you would have probably seen a higher seeding in the United States," and infections would still be rising, one official said. "This is the advice we were getting from Birx, Fauci and others." But setting aside the issue of timing, key components of the screening measures appear to have failed. Temperature checks, for example, have proved to be an unreliable way to identify carriers of the coronavirus because many of the most infectious individuals are, at least for the moment they face a thermometer, asymptomatic. The plan also depended on authorities' ability to trace individuals exposed by incoming travelers. This typically entails obtaining passenger manifests from airlines and contacting anyone who sat within several rows of someone who tests positive. Officials said the CDC has struggled to get information needed for "contact tracing" in a timely manner from airlines. But that protocol was rendered pointless by the chaotic scenes in airports, and the resulting contacts that would be impossible to trace. Siebert, the student who studied abroad, appears to have encountered all of these issues upon his return from Madrid. After filling out the CDC questionnaire and reporting his previous symptoms, the screener took his temperature and stepped away briefly. "You're good, just go self-isolate," the screener said when he came back, according to Siebert. Exhausted, the New York University drama student retrieved his bags and was greeted by family members who took him home. Siebert, 21, said he was never contacted about any of the information he reported to officials at the airport. The next day, he independently went to be tested at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. A day later, the results came back confirming his infection. "Ultimately, I am a culprit in bringing coronavirus back to the United States," he said. His mother also came down with the illness, though her symptoms appeared before Siebert's return. The two isolated themselves for weeks in the household, he said, and no other family members became sick. Siebert was among 110,000 passengers screened during the first four days of the Europe travel restrictions. According to the CDC, only 140 cases of infection were identified either by airport evaluations or subsequent test results reported to the center by local health authorities. If other travelers were exposed by Siebert's infection, it is unlikely any of them were ever told. A CDC spokesman said the center has conducted "contact tracing" investigations on nine Europe-to-United States flights since the restrictions began. Iberia Flight 6275 - the one Siebert took to get home - was not among them. - - - The Washington Post's Julie Tate contributed to this story. Following the Minister of Informations call to engage the media in the national discourse while the virus remains in the worlds ecosystem, on Friday 22nd May 2020, Dr Da Costa Aboagye, the leader of the national risk communication and social mobilisation talked about the institutionalisation of the control and preventive measures whilst living with Covid-19 in safety. Appearing on JoyFMs Super Morning show Dr Da Costa Aboagye discussed with host Kojo Yankson that until a cure is found for the virus, the preventive and control measures will continue to guide the new normal in the fight against the virus in Ghana. Giving details of the presidents control and preventive measures strategy, Dr Da Costa said one of the key control measures initiated by the president was to limit and stop importation of cases. This, he said started with the closure of borders and subsequent mandatory quarantined of about 1,030 passengers. Dr Da Costa explained that, out of the 1030 passengers, 115 persons tested positive and according to him, the timely decision by President Akufo-Addo to put mandatory quarantine control measures in place helped the country to avoid a catastrophic potential spread and overwhelming of health facilities. On general preventive measures, he noted that in the absence of a vaccine, the countrys guiding principles after easing restrictions would be based on hand washing, social distancing and wearing mask. Organizations may also be asked to put specific protocols in place in addition to the general preventive measures, he noted. Social mobilisation engagements with media, faith -based organisations, traditional leaders and other stakeholders will help shape the general and specific protocols on preventive measures, implementation, enforcement, contingencies, public health education, monitoring and evaluation. He touted Finally, Dr Da Costa noted that an all government approach is enshrined in science under the determinants of health and the principles of health in all policies where health is part of policies in the economic, transport, agriculture, security, environment and communication agencies. This he said helps when taking a holistic assessment for decision making. ----Myjoyonline Hailey Bieber Recalls the Time She Snuck Out to Go On a Date With Justin Bieber Hailey Bieber is taking a walk down memory lane. The 23-year-old star gave fans more insight into her relationship and marriage with Justin Bieber. On Friday night, the two lovebirds recorded a Facebook Live session at their house, and let their followers ask them anything. During their live video, Hailey shared cute tidbits about the first time she and the 26-year-old pop star kissed, which also happened to be the same night that she snuck out of her house to go on a date with her now husband. "The first time we kissed, we were in New York and we had gone to dinner together," she remembered of their special moment. Adding, "[Justin] asked me to go get sushi with him and I called my parents to ask them if I could go and they said no. They were like, 'Absolutely not, you're not going to hang out with Justin by yourself, that's not happening.'" Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber's Road to Marriage Hailey explained that her sister, Alaia Baldwin, did what older sisters do: covered for her. "My older sister covered for me and was like, 'Oh yeah, she's gonna sleep over at my apartment and it's all good.' She covered for me and we went to dinner and didn't get caught," the 23-year-old star shared. Justin Bieber, Hailey Bieber The couple's date night proved to be unforgettable! Hailey recalls her and Justin having their first kiss after dinner. "We were just hanging and we went back to watch a movie and we kissed," she said. Sometimes, it pays to break the rules! Fast forward to September 2018, and the two got married at a New York City courthouse. A year later, they would celebrate their wedding for a second time, but with close family and friends witnessing their union in a romantic South Carolina ceremony. Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli have officially entered guilty pleas for charges related to the college admissions scandal but according to People, a judge has not yet accepted. The outlet reports that the couple appeared before a federal judge via video conference on Friday, and that Loughlin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud while Giannulli pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud. However, the judge said he couldn't accept the plea until he sees their pre-sentencing report from the Massachusetts Probation Service. On Thursday, news broke that the couple was set to plead guilty after over a year of maintaining their innocence. Under the terms of the plea agreements, Loughlin will serve two months behind bars and Giannulli agreed to serve five months. Additionally, Loughlin was ordered to pay a $150,000 fine and was placed on two years of supervised release with 100 hours of community service. Giannulli is set to pay a $250,000 fine and will also be on two years of supervised release and must complete 250 hours of community service. "Lori and Mossimo are going through the legal process and want to put this behind them," a source close to the couple told People. RELATED: What's Next for Lori Loughlin? Last year, Loughlin and Giannulli were accused of paying a $500,000 bribe to help get their daughters into the University of Southern California. Last April, the couple pleaded not guilty to all charges against them, including conspiracy to commit money laundering as well as charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. In November, Loughlin and Giannulli also pleaded not guilty to additional federal bribery charges. Amid social distancing measures put in place to fight the coronavirus pandemic, case numbers have flatlined for a number of other diseases. But experts warn with the easing of movement restrictions, people have to keep following social distancing measures to ensure they dont come back. Measures put in place to halt coronavirus have also taken out a range of other diseases. Credit:AP Rates of influenza have been squashed flat after initially hinting at another serious year for case numbers. The numbers went so low Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said residents of the state were more likely to get COVID-19 than a flu in 2020. MONTREALA movement demanding special status for asylum-seeking guardian angels working on the COVID-19 front lines took their cause to Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus constituency office in Montreal on Saturday. A noisy convoy of several dozen vehicles drove past the building housing Trudeaus Papineau riding office while others displayed banners in support of the movement, which wants the government to accelerate access to Canadian permanent residency for refugees whore risking their lives working in the health network since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an extraordinary context, we can have extraordinary measures, said Wilner Cayo, the organizer of the protest. One of these measures is to grant these people permanent residence. Cayo said several hundred orderlies and other workers in the provinces hard-hit long-term-care homes find themselves in that very situation waiting to obtain permanent residence. We are tired of empty words, Cayo said. We want to send a message that Quebec is a more generous society than this and we say to our governments: stop your little political calculations, concretely recognize these people, grant them permanent residence. Alexandre Boulerice, the NDP member of Parliament for Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, was there to support demonstrators and said, in his opinion, the Liberal government will not be able to oppose the protesters request for very long. The least you can do is be grateful for the work of these people and be able to speed up the process, Boulerice said. They literally risk their lives in our CHSLDs (care homes) to take care of our seniors. There is also disappointment with provincial politicians. Earlier this month, Catherine Fournier, an independent member of the provincial legislature, tabled a motion to recognize the contribution of hundreds of asylum seekers, mostly of Haitian origin working as orderlies and called on the federal government to quickly regularize their status. But the motion was rejected by the governing Coalition Avenir Quebec, with Premier Francois Legault said such an exceptional measure could encourage more asylum seekers to cross the border. Asked Thursday, Legault said it is two separate issues. I want to be clear, Im very, very happy about the work that is done by some of them in our residences, we need them, we are lucky to have them, Legault said, adding that the federal government is responsible for handling those claims. But we cannot open the door to say, if you come illegally if you find a job, thats OK, Ill accept you as an immigrant, thats not the way it works, Legault said. Bill Johnson: Healing is as much of the Gospel as is forgiveness Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Healing and deliverance from sins were never supposed to be separate, said Bethel Church Senior Leader Bill Johnson. Arguing that throughout Scripture (including Mark 2), healing and deliverance always came hand in hand, Johnson said, We were never supposed to have evangelistic ministry brings people to Christ and then over here on the side, in some churches, praying for the sick is allowed. It was never meant to be separated. Healing is as much of the Gospel as is the message of forgiveness. The charismatic church pastor, whom many consider controversial, spoke during the virtual International Healing Conference this week, which brought together dozens of healing ministries from around the world. Johnson clarified that the eternal condition of a soul is the most important thing. But there are times Jesus wants to demonstrate His love and His compassion for people by healing the sick, by bringing deliverance, by cleansing the leper. Given that he was speaking at a healing event, which featured an online healing rally and healing services, Johnson emphasized that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a philosophy. It is not something that you take an online course for, that you become educated and now youre an expert in the Gospel. This is something that has to be tasted to be described, it has to be experienced. This Gospel of salvation was always intended to heal us from the inside out. As the world is currently suffering through the COVID-19 pandemic, the California pastor called it a privilege to live through a time of crisis a time when the nations of the earth are turning their attention from everything theyve held dear, everything thats been secure to them because everythings been shaken. But the Lord doesnt shake to distress or to cause pain, so to speak. Theres a shaking because were standing on unstable foundations and Jesus is calling us to adjust so that we are completely founded on His wonder, His mercy, His greatness. Speaking specifically to church leaders who have all been shaken, the pastor said he believes God is stirring up the heart of faith and courage to return to a simple Gospel of purity, that holiness before God and power where we demonstrate His love in this compassion for hurting and broken people. Its time for miracles to come back into the house. As of Friday, there are more than 5.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases around the globe and 335,418 deaths. The U.S. has reported the most cases, with 1.5 million confirmed, and most deaths at 95,276. Johnson urged Christians to stop blaming God when it comes to death and destruction. I remind you, Jesus said the devil came to kill, steal, destroy, he said. I hear people say, Well, God gave me this cancer to teach me patience. No, He didnt. He doesnt have cancer to give. What did He do? He came to destroy the works of the evil one. He also stated that Jesus still heals today and He can work through Christians. All those who put their faith in Christ have the Holy Spirit the death-defying, disease-defying, sin-canceling presence of the Spirit of God living in them, he added. Many of you say, Well, I just dont have enough faith. You dont have to have enough faith. Just put yourself in the right room, in the place where Jesus is doing something. Hell teach you how to grow in faith. Just use whatever you have and direct it towards Him. Dont measure your faith; thats the worst thing to do. Just simply turn your attention, the affection of your heart toward this wonderful Savior, this wonderful Healer and together lets watch what He will do in your life, what He will do through your life. The healing conference was initially scheduled to take place in Porto, Portugal, but was switched to an online event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other speakers and guests included Francis Chan, Benny Hinn, Heidi Baker and Nathan Morris. Chan said during the conference that he didn't believe in healing and miracles and even ridiculed those who believed they could heal. But after he experienced the power of healing recently, he began to pursue the gifts of the Spirit, he said. While India battles the coronavirus pandemic, four Indian states Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat are also confronting another challenge a desert locust attack. Sixteen out of 33 districts of Rajasthan are battling the scourge; Madhya Pradesh has reported one of the worst attacks in 27 years in the Nimar-Malwa region; and, Punjab and Gujarat have warned farmers that they could be the next. Reports say that swarms are threatening to touch the Rajasthan-Haryana border, and then could move into Delhi. The current round is the second such attack; the first one was from December to February. India was then moderately successful in tackling the problem, with states deploying teams to spray organophosphate to kill locusts. The desert locust is one of 12 species of short-horned grasshoppers; its swarms can travel up to 130 km in one day. Each day, a locust can eat its own weight about two grams of fresh vegetation. This means that they not only devour valuable standing crops, but can also devastate livelihoods of those associated with the agricultural supply chain. The Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that the locust attack could lead to a major threat to food security. Locust attacks are not new to India, but earlier they used to leave India by November. But the swarms stayed on till early February this year. This, scientists said, was because of the climate crisis. In 2019, the monsoon started six weeks ahead of time (first week of July) in western India. It also lasted till November, instead of the usual September/October cycle. Extended rains created breeding conditions and also produced natural vegetation on which locusts feed. The May attack has been attributed to a series of cyclones in the Indian Ocean that hit a sandy area in the Arabian peninsula, providing hospitable breeding conditions for locusts. Current global challenges the coronavirus pandemic, increasing intensity of cyclones (as Amphan has shown), the locust attacks in Africa, Iran, Pakistan and India demonstrate the perils of environmental degradation and the need for international cooperation to fight trans-border challenges. India has proposed a trilateral response in partnership with Pakistan and Iran to combat the desert locust wave. This is positive, and must be a template to deal with environment-related challenges. Rare earths group Lynas Corp has received a setback to its expansion plans after warning the US Department of Defense contract it was awarded last month may be on hold while the political debate heats up on whether the country should source its rare earths onshore. In a statement to the ASX on Friday evening, Lynas confirmed media reports in the US - debating the merits of sourcing rare earths locally versus from allies or other sources - have impacted on the contract that could help fund its plants to set up a processing plant in Texas. "Lynas remains one of two companies selected for Phase 1 of the project, however Lynas understands that the US governments progress on Phase 1 is currently on hold those political issues are addressed," the company said. The Lynas Mt Weld mine in Western Australia may be a problem for US politicians like Senator Ted Cruz who want the US to control the entire supply chain for rare earths. Credit:Bloomberg According to Reuters, the Department of Defense - also known as the Pentagon - informed Lynas and another successful applicant for rare earth funding, MP Materials, that the decision had been "put on hold until further research can be conducted." As the Bridgeport Diocese works to reopen churches for the public celebration of Mass, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano said the prime reason to suspend services was our common moral obligation to protect human life. He said given all the misinformation that exists in the media, we must never forget that the decision was rooted in a commitment to remain faithful to a central tenet of our Catholic faith. Writing on his Facebook page and the Bridgeport Dioceses web site Caggiano said, the grave reason that motivated the suspension of public Mass was our commitment to the central Catholic belief in the sanctity of every human life and our common moral obligation to protect human life. On Thursday, the first public Mass was held at St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church in Bridgeport. The outdoor Mass was one of the first in the county since coronavirus health concerns put restrictions on public gatherings including religious services. It was held behind the church in the grotto, which was only completed about a year ago. The diocese, which includes all Roman Catholic churches in Fairfield County, will hold masses in one of two ways, Caggiano said. The first format will offer seating arranged according to proper social distancing, and will support a maximum of 50 people. The second will involve parishioners remaining seated in their cars. The number of cars permitted will depend upon the size of the parking lot, the need to distance cars six feet apart from each other and allow for the safe exit of any car in case of an emergency The good news is that the celebration of public Mass has begun in our Diocese outdoors, in a manner that every health official considers the safest venue in which to congregate, following social distancing rules, Caggiano said. While this is a first step forward, we are all anxious to be able to resume the public celebration of Masses in our churches as well. To this end, we will soon make a public announcement about how and when we can reopen our church buildings. Caggianos message was posted the day after President Donald Trump labeled churches and other houses of worship as essential" and called on governors nationwide to let them reopen this weekend even though some areas remain under coronavirus lockdown. Trump stressed the importance of churches in many communities and said he was identifying houses of worship churches, synagogues and mosques as essential places that provide essential services. Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential but not churches, Trump said. Its not right. So Im correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential. These are places that hold our society together and keep our people united. Caggiano said the decision not to hold public services was never based on any debate about whether our Catholic faith and its practice is essential. For anyone who believes, this issue is not debatable. The practice of our faith is at the heart of who we are. The Eucharist sustains our daily life and temporarily to suspend its public celebration could only be justified by a grave, moral cause. Recognizing the great pain that was caused by the suspension, our churches have remained open for private prayer, Eucharistic adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Penance. To be clear, the practice of our Catholic faith is essential and necessary for our personal salvation as revealed by our Savior and Redeemer, Caggiano wrote. When it became clear that the passing of the COVID-19 virus often occurs by asymptomatic persons sharing regular human contact, time was needed to understand how such infections occur, the best ways to avoid passing the contagion, all the while maintaining as much of the public practice of the faith as was prudent and still protecting human life- especially the elderly and sick in our midst. In the last eight weeks, we have made much progress in this regard, allowing us to begin the resumption of public worship in a prudent and gradual manner, the bishop wrote. If we failed to protect human life during this pandemic, how can we ever hope to convert our society to end the culture of death and to recognize and protect every human life? Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press Gov. Gavin Newsom didnt pick just any restaurant to announce that the state was preparing to allow dine-in restaurants and offices to reopen in some counties he picked Mustards Grill in Napa Valley. The restaurant is the creation of longtime Newsom friend Cindy Pawlcyn and aptly advertises itself the place to go for a heaping plate of honest American fare with worldly sophistication, washed down with a glass of the valleys finest. Actor Rohan Mehra, well known for his role in the TV serial Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, posted a heartfelt note on Instagram, mourning the death of actor Mohit Baghel. The latter actor died in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. He had been suffering from cancer. Taking to Instagram and posting a picture with Mohit, Rohan wrote: How uncertain life is ... My one and only friend whom I could rely on has gone forever ... It is unbelievable and heartbreaking. I still remember how we instantly connected when we met for the first time 7 years ago during the shoot of our film Uvaa ... From sharing secrets to supporting each other, you were always there for me bhai R.I.P Mohit baghel I will miss you bhai ... I wish R.I.P meant Return If Possible. Among the industry colleagues who responded to Rohans post was actor Hina Khan. She wrote: Oh my god.. I hv met him so many times Stay strong Rohan.. I know you wer very close to him..may his soul rest in peace.. prayers. It was writer-director Raaj Shaandilyaa, well-known for his film Dream Girl starring Ayushmann Khurrana, who had tweeted to break the news. Raj had written in Hindi: Mohit, mere bhai itni jaldi kya thi jaane ki? Maine tujhse kahaa tha dekh tere diye saari industry ruk gayi hai. jaldi se theekh hoke aaja uske baad hi sab kaam shuru karenge. Tu bahot achi acting karta hai. Agli film ke set pe tera intezaar karunga.... aur tujhe aana hi padega. Om Sai Ram (What was a hurry to go so early? I told you how the entire industry has stopped working for you. Get well soon and all will begin work again. You act well. I will wait for you on the sets of our next film and you will have to show up). Also read: When Dharmendra broke down during Esha Deols vidaai, mother Hema Malini hugged her goodbye. Watch video Speaking to PTI on Saturday, he said, He is gone too soon. He has been undergoing treatment for cancer at AIIMS in Delhi since six months. I spoke to him last on May 15 and that time he was ok, he had started recovering. He stayed with his parents and elder brother in Mathura. I learnt about his demise from a common friend, who said he passed away today morning at his residence. Raaj, who had worked as a writer with Mohit in Comedy Circus and Jabariya Jodi, said he wanted to cast the actor in his directorial debut Dream Girl (2019) but due to date issues they couldnt work together on the film. He was such a talented actor. His comic timing was great. He had two films with him that time - Milan Talkies and Bunty Aur Babli 2 -- so we couldnt work together on Dream Girl. Mohit has also acted in films Ekkees Toppon Ki Salaami and Gali Gali Chor Hai. (With PTI inputs) Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON If K-12 classes remain online this fall, parents will be faced with the unreasonable burden of overseeing all of their kids learning while at the same time trying to keep up with their regular jobs. (Wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock) Come September, K-12 Classes Should Be in Person, Not Online Commentary University and college campuses are going to look quite empty this fall. Thats because many post-secondary institutions have already announced that virtually all their first semester classes will be taught online, with a real possibility of continuing the online format for the full academic year. With universities moving to a distance learning format, some politicians are suggesting K-12 schools follow suit. For example, Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew recently posted a tweet asking why the Manitoba government was planning to resume in-person classes in K-12 schools when colleges and universities were putting their courses online. The problem with this question is it assumes that K-12 learning works the same way as post-secondary learning. It doesnt, for a number of reasons. For starters, university classes are often many orders of magnitude larger than K-12 classes. First year courses in major universities often have upwards of 150-200 students. These classes take place in major lecture halls and can consist of professors giving extended lectures while students take notes. If students are lucky, they might get to ask an occasional question. Its not difficult to replicate this type of learning in an online format. Record the lecture, put it online, and students then listen to it whenever they want. In some ways, this might make things easier for many students since they will no longer need to drive to the university campus. Plus, there typically isnt a lot of student-to-student interaction in huge lecture halls so students wont even miss out on much socialization. However, this is not what learning looks like in any K-12 school in Canada today. While teachers, particularly at the high school level, still make use of lectures, even the most traditional classrooms are far more interactive than the one-way transmission of knowledge you get in a university lecture hall. A key part of learning at the K-12 level is the student/teacher relationship, and its difficult to cultivate this relationship online, no matter how good technology might be. In addition, distance education requires students to do most of their learning independently. Its one thing for university students to complete their courses online, but its another thing entirely to expect the same from Grade 1 students. The reality is that if K-12 classes remain online this fall, parents will be faced with the unreasonable burden of overseeing all of their kids learning while at the same time trying to keep up with their regular jobs. You cant give elementary students tablets and send them off to do their own thing. That would be a disaster. Teachers across the country worked incredibly hard to convert the last couple months of classes into some sort of online format. However, lets not assume that what worked in the last few months of the school year will work just as well in September. Its one thing to conclude a school year in an online format, its another thing entirely to start a new school year this way. Expecting teachers to develop quality online relationships with students they often havent even met in person yet is unrealistic. The only reason distance education wasnt a total disaster this spring was because teachers could lean heavily on the relationships they had previously built up with students over the course of a school year. Without this personal connection, it is naive to assume that distance learning in the fall would work as well as it did this spring. Its also important to remember that K-12 schools do far more than teach academic subjects. School is where kids get involved in sports, socialize with their classmates, and develop strong connections with adult role models. Often, schools provide at-risk students with their only healthy environment since home is not a safe place for them. It also becomes a lot harder for school staff to identify and report possible child abuse cases when their only contact with students is through a computer screen. Finally, we know a lot more about COVID-19 than we did several months ago. The best information we now have indicates that school-age children are less likely to contract this virus or develop serious complications from it than anyone else. If it is safe for children to visit grocery stores and hang out in public shopping malls, it should be safe for them to attend regular classes at school. Keeping all students home until scientists find a COVID-19 vaccine isnt a viable option, particularly since it could be many months, or even years, before a vaccine becomes available. Provincial governments would be wise to signal now that they will do everything they can to resume in-person K-12 classes this fall. Extended online learning might work for post-secondary institutions, but it will not work at the K-12 level. Michael Zwaagstra is a public high school teacher and author of A Sage on the Stage: Common Sense Reflections on Teaching and Learning. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. English centers will have to re-assess their technological capability and products after the pandemic ends because the crisis has changed everything. Analysts said there are three factors that determine the success of English centers: coverage, curriculum, and location. If English centers are located in advantageous positions near residential quarters, they can easily approach clients. However, the advantageous positions turned out to be a disadvantage in the epidemic, because people tried to stay at home as much as possible to avoid the spread of coronavirus, while centers had to pay high rents. When the epidemic broke out, when other English centers were fumbling for solutions, Yola and Apax Leaders decided that they needed to go online, considering digital transformation a vital strategy. Ngo Thuy Ngoc Vu, the co-founder of Yola, said when the Hanoi Education and Training Department asked students to stay off school, Yola began organizing online classes. Within 24 hours, Yola received more than 3,000 registrations from parents and positive feedback. To date, more than 10,000 students have registered for the classes. Within 24 hours, Yola received more than 3,000 registrations from parents and positive feedback. To date, more than 10,000 students have registered for the classes. Apax Leaders also quickly switched the offline education network with 60,000 students to online classes within one week and committed to online classes with the same quality as offline ones. Eighty percent of students at Yola and Apax Leaders online classes are from offline classes. The tuition of online classes is high and the interface is not that special. Analysts believe that these hinder Yola and Apax Leaders to expand the online English training market share. ELSA Speak, the English speaking and communication practicing app utilizing AI, has been used in 101 countries and territories in the last five years. It has 7 million students throughout the world with representative offices in Portugal, Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Japan. ELSA has joined forces with the Ministry of Science and Technology to offer online courses to the Vietnamese community. Through the program on teaching English at home during the epidemic, ELSA offers 100 percent funding for ELSA Pro 3 package. One month after the announcement of the program, over 100,000 registrations were made. In order to ensure the quality of the app when the number of learners increases rapidly within a short time, ELSAs staff has to work 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, according to ELSA founder Van Dinh Hong Vu. Nguyen Hong Nam, Yolas managing director, commented that after Covid-19 ends, English centers will have to re-assess their technological capability and products. The businesses which have big revenue from traditional teaching will have to reconsider the way they provide services and products, he said. Chi Mai Ministry removes ABC foreign language testing system The Ministry of Education and Training has decided to remove the ABC foreign language testing system used at local language training centres from January 15. Oil prices have climbed nearly uninterrupted since late April, but the gains could be coming to an end. On Friday, oil prices fell sharply, hitting the pause button on a rally that saw WTI rebound from -$37 per barrel on April 20, to nearly $34 per barrel on May 21, a more than $70-per-barrel swing in just a few weeks. Of course, the plunge deep into negative territory was likely a unique, one-off phenomenon. Nevertheless, the rally back into (positive) $30 territory has been impressive. Of note, Chinas oil demand has climbed back to about 13 million barrels per day (mb/d), a swift rebound that undergirded improving market sentiment. With Chinas demand back to about 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels, oil traders are clearly holding out hopes of a quick rebound elsewhere. Meanwhile, the rapid shut in of production in North America combined with the OPEC+ production cuts has meant that the supply side of the equation is doing its part. More than 2.2 mb/d of U.S. oil production has been shut in, according to comments from the U.S. Secretary of Energy, a faster curtailment than expected. There has been a raft of investment bank forecasts that have predicted a supply deficit in the second half of 2020. But the optimism surrounding the oil market, such as it is, may be going too far. On Friday, the Chinese government said that it would not offer up a GDP growth target for 2020, highlighting the serious challenges facing the worlds second largest economy. Beijing pointed to great uncertainty because of the coronavirus. The government also declined to undertake massive government stimulus in the same way that it did in the wake of the global financial crisis a decade ago. Related: Covid-19 Crisis Could Crush Brazils Oil Boom Rising tension between the U.S. and China are also weighing on global markets. For political reasons, the leadership in both countries are blaming the other for the coronavirus. The spat could fuel more conflict, perhaps unraveling the phase 1 trade deal or provoking some other trade retaliation. In the U.S., crude inventories fell by 5.6 million barrels last week, a huge draw, but gasoline stocks actually increased, muddying the outlook. After weeks of rising, US gasoline demand was down again for the first time. Demand (for oil products) also remains very subdued elsewhere, Commerzbank said in a note on Friday. With concerns on the demand side remaining we regard the latest price rally on the oil market to be excessive. At the same time, the run up in oil prices occurred alongside a buildup in speculative bets on oil futures. That helped fuel price gains, but it also exposes the market to a correction back in the other direction. The extremely positive positioning of investors, especially in WTI, makes the oil market susceptible to price corrections in the event of any emerging doubts and uncertainties, Commerzbank said. Related: Saudi Arabia And Kuwait Halt Production At Giant Joint Oil Field Most importantly, despite assurances from Trump administration officials, a V-shaped recovery is extremely unlikely. President Trump has repeated this prediction, saying just days ago: I think youre going to have a V. I think its going to be terrific. His top economic adviser Larry Kudlow has said the same, although he dialed back the optimism on Thursday while trying not to disagree with his boss. Sure, the U.S. will see a V-shaped recovery, Kudlow said, but the V might not look exactly like a V. You can have your own Vs. Theres Vs. There are lesser Vs, Kudlow said. There are combos of Us and Vs. With more than 38 million people applying for unemployment in the past two months, and the pandemic still raging, a fully recovery is a long way off. [F]ew traders are pricing in any significant sustained global recession, Standard Chartered said in a report. All that optimism has, in our view, left prices slightly above the top of their sustainable short-term trading range. At the same time, there is little reason to think that the U.S. or any other country can avoid a second wave of infections after reopening. A second wave is not such a remote possibility and a new round of lockdowns could send [oil] prices back to much lower levels very quickly, and the market knows it, Rystad Energy said on Friday in a statement. Therefore lower prices this morning are not a surprise, and they are not necessarily the result of a market event, they are rather a correction of the consecutive boosts that oil has seen over the last days. Still, the data firm said that it sees oil stabilizing in the $30-$35 range, with potential in the 40s only later in the year when and if demand strengthens and approaches pre-Covid-19 levels. By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A rezoning of flood-prone land that delivered a windfall to the family of a Liberal staffer is among the contentious developments in Melbournes south that could be investigated in the wake of the Casey land scandal. Kingston City Council will on Monday night vote on a proposal to hire external investigators to probe more than 20 planning decisions from as long ago as 2004 including matters linked to allegedly corrupt developer John Woodman and his associates, including lawyer Megan Schutz, lobbyist and former local Liberal MP Lorraine Wreford and Labor lobbyist Phil Staindl. Developer John Woodman leaves an IBAC hearing in November. Credit:Justin McManus An independent inquiry by external lawyers, which appears to have majority support among councillors, could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and follows a preliminary search of Woodman-related projects by council officers. However, the proposed investigation is at risk of being undermined by factional wrangling among councillors over what projects should and should not be included for further scrutiny. Associate Professor, Dr. Chu Hoang Long from the Australian National University (ANU) on May 23 expressed his belief that the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), once effective, will boost two-way trade thanks to eased tax barriers. EVFTA will boost two-way trade between Vietnam and the EU thanks to eased tax barriers. Footwear is among Vietnam's exports. Illustrative image. (Photo: VNA) In the short-and mid-terms, it will facilitate Vietnams market expansion in post-COVID-19 when economic activities in other countries are recovered, he said, adding that Vietnamese enterprises and consumers would access goods and materials with good quality and reasonable prices from the EU. In the long run, the agreement will make it easier for Vietnam to access high technologies from the EU to improve its productivity and product quality, Long continued. The EVFTA has put Vietnam in a favourable position in the new global economic order that is being shaped from impacts of the pandemic, he stressed. To optimise the agreement, the country should push ahead with domestic institutional reform to meet commitments in the deal, he suggested. More attention should be paid to investment and customs procedures, technical standards, especially product origin, animal and plant quarantine, intellectual property, government procurement and sustainable development, Long went on. He also suggested Vietnam seriously observe regulations on food safety and product origin when exporting to the EU one of its biggest agro-forestry-fishery importers. To utilise opportunities generated by the EVFTA, firms need to fully understand commitments of Vietnam and partners, proactively seek cooperation opportunities with foreign partners and join global and regional supply chains, Long said. If Vietnam knows how to minimise such opportunities, the country would become a destination for major investment waves, and with its favourable geographical location, the country would serve as a gateway for trade and investment activities of the EU in ASEAN and Australia, he emphasised. Vietnam can become a processing centre for ASEAN and Australian businesses to serve export to the EU, and vice versa, Long believed./.VNA Vice PresidentM Venkaiah Naidu greeted people on Sunday on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr and appealed to them to follow social distancing norms during celebrations. In his message, Naidu said the festival fortifies the spirit of compassion, charity and generosity in our society. "It is an occasion for families and communities to come together. However, this year, as India and the world continue to fight the relentless battle against the spread of COVID-19, we are celebrating almost all our traditional festivals at home," he said. Naidu said "this time we have to be content" with a subdued celebration and adhere to the safety norms of social distancing and personal hygiene. "May the noble ideals associated with Eid-ul-Fitr usher in health, peace, prosperity and harmony in our lives," he said. Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated in the country on May 25 except Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala. The festival heralding the end of the fasting month of Ramzan was celebrated across Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala on Sunday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Telstra has hilariously trolled 5G conspiracy theorists with a cutting retort to a hysterical Facebook comment. A concerning number of people believe signals from the new 5G network being rolled out across Australia causes coronavirus. This is despite a total lack of evidence and that contracting a virus spread by bodily fluids from telecommunications signals being impossible. 'Take down 5G towers there (sic) weapons that cause covid!!' a man named 'James A' wrote in all caps. Telstra has hilariously trolled 5G conspiracy theorists with a cutting retort to a hysterical Facebook comment Telstra hit back: 'Hi James, the 5G towers will help download your conspiracy videos faster.' The exchange was fabricated on Photoshop and did the rounds on social media, but the company liked it so much it endorsed it. 'Attention everyone. This isn't real, but we wish it was. So we're sharing it now,' Telstra wrote on its Facebook page. A depressing Essential Research survey found ridiculous conspiracy theories are widespread among the Australian population. Twelve per cent of those surveyed thought the 5G wireless network was being used to spread the coronavirus. The same number of people believe the pandemic is being used to force people into getting vaccinations. A local protester is seen in April in Mullumbimy, Byron Bay (pictured) trying to stop in installation of 5G in the town The results prompted the federal government to renew warnings about claims linking 5G to coronavirus are bogus. 'Any suggestions that there is a link between 5G and coronavirus are utterly baseless,' Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said. 'There is no evidence that the use of these radio waves in mobile networks is harmful to health or related to the current health pandemic.' One in eight believe Microsoft founder Bill Gates is somehow responsible for the virus. Mr Gates has donated millions of dollars to research efforts to develop and manufacture a coronavirus vaccine. Anti-vaxxers and 5G conspiracy buffoons held a series of small protests against coronavirus lockdowns around Australia earlier this month. Residents fear 5G technology can have harmful effects on health but these claims have been debunked by the scientific community (pictured, a local protest in April) One in eight Australians believe 'utterly baseless' conspiracy theories that coronavirus is linked to 5G technology. Pictured is a protester at mass rally in Melbourne on May 10 Conspiracy theorists bearing signs with anti-5G messages joined anti-vaxxers and other Victorians furious with the state's strict lockdown measures at a mass rally held in Melbourne, where 10 arrests were made. There were also angry scenes at Mullumbimby near Byron Bay in northern NSW last month when Telstra installed 5G upgrades despite a local council unanimously agreeing not to support any upgrades that will facilitate 5G technology. The council astonishingly took its tinfoil hat-wearing residents' concerns seriously, saying it had 'never seen so much electromagnetic activity'. Councillors agreed to halt work on the Telstra tower, claiming they hadn't been given 'assurances' that high speed internet didn't affect people's health. Anti-vaxxers and 5G conspiracy buffoons held a series of small protests against coronavirus lockdowns around Australia earlier this month Australian professor of medicine, and public health advocate John Dwyer described conspiracy claims that 5G causes the deadly virus as 'dangerous nonsense'. 'At this time in the fight against the epidemic, this is dangerous nonsense. Even to have a few people think differently that social distancing isn't for them is a silly idea and is putting all of us at risk,' he told Seven News last month. 'For some people, the idea of a conspiracy theory turns them on. Most of the time, it doesn't matter that much but in this particular case, it's dangerous.' The roll-out of 5G networks in Australia began in June 2019, with technology using a similar frequency to existing 3G and 4G networks. The only difference with 5G is it can work at faster speeds as it uses a higher band. Mumbai: A body of a seer (sadhu) was found inside his ashram in Maharashtra's Nanded late on Saturday night, news agency ANI reported. The deceased sadhu has been identified as Balbrahmachari Shivacharya and his body was found at his ashram in Nandeds Umri Taluka late last night. Notably, the police also found another body, said to be of his accomplice Bhagwan Shinde from the spot. As per the latest development, the police has arrested an accused, Sainath Shingade, in connection with the case. As per reports, bodies of both the seers have been found inside the ashram near the bathroom of the house. The police suspect that the accused had entered the Mutt with an intention to steal. The criminals looted Rs 69,000, laptop and other valuables from the victim's bedroom totalling around Rs 1.50 lakh, besides his car keys. As Shivacharya tried to grapple him, they strangled him and his accomplice to death with a charging cable. The accused later tried to escape from the scene by hiding the corpses in a car trunk. They sped off in the monk's car but ended up crashing at the main gate of the ashram. Hearing the crash noise alerted the people around after which around 8-10 inmates ran outside and saw the attackers jumping onto a two-wheeler and speeding off into the darkness. Meanwhile, tension has gripped the area following the double-murder at the Mutt. In view of the sensitivity of the incident, Nanded Superintendent of Police Vijaykumar Magar said around five crack teams have been formed and fanned out into the district to nab the absconding criminal. The police also found that the suspect used to have meals and even stay at the Mutt sometimes. On the other hand, the seer was a well-known mahant of the district and was involved in the development work of the area for a long time. Hailing from Karnataka, he had come to Nanded a decade ago and set up the ashram which he ran along with a band of followers. The incident comes more than a month after two sadhus and their driver was lynched by a mob in Palghar's Gadchinchale village while they were on their way to attend a funeral in Gujarat's Surat amid the nationwide lockdown. The incident that took place on the night of April 16, had attracted nationwide outrage. Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine addressed the controversial debate on wearing masks Sunday, telling the public that doing so is important to protect the health of others and the issue shouldn't be politicized. "This is not about whether you're liberal or conservative, left or right, Republican or Democrat," DeWine told NBC's Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press." As states across the country begin reopening their economy and easing stay-at-home orders, DeWine emphasized the importance of following public health measures and wearing face masks, citing scientific studies. "It's been very clear what the studies have shown, you wear the mask not to protect yourself so much as to protect others," he said. DeWine's response comes after North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, also a Republican, made an emotional plea on Friday to be more empathetic rather than shaming those who wear masks. "If someone is wearing a mask, they're not doing it to represent what political party they're in or what candidates they support," Burgum said. "They might be doing it because they've got a 5-year-old child who's been going through cancer treatments. They might have vulnerable adults in their life, who currently have Covid and they're fighting." DeWine said he agrees with Burgum and added, "this is the one time when we truly are all in this together. What we do directly impacts others." While public health officials continue to recommend the use of face coverings in public, President Donald Trump has repeatedly refused to follow such practice. Trump visited a Ford Motor Co. plant in Michigan on Thursday, where he did not wear a mask during the public part of the tour. Despite a state law and company policy requiring facial coverings, Trump said it was "not necessary" to wear one when a reporter asked why he was not wearing a mask. "Everybody's been tested and I've been tested." On Sunday, Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, told CBS' Margaret Brennan on "Face the Nation" that governors and elected leaders "should be setting a strong example on what kind of behavior we should engage in." tweet "If we're more careful on what we do, I think that's actually going to facilitate a successful reopening on getting back to the important things, getting back to the economic activity," he said. New Delhi, May 24 : Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that coronavirus cases will increase in different parts of the country till the migrant influx continues. However, he assured that the situation is being closely monitored and the country's health infrastructure is ready to handle the situation. The Minister said this in a social media 'interview' with BJP leader G.V.L. Narasimha Rao, who asked about the "strategic and gradual exit from the lockdown". "Many restrictions in this lockdown were lifted as per the strategic and gradual exit of the country from it. Number of (active) cases in the country is nearly 70,000 now. As per my knowledge, now we can treat even 10 lakh Covid patients at one time. What message would you give to the people of this country when the lockdown is about to be lifted and there are chances of rise in the number of cases?" asked Rao. In response, Harsh Vardhan said: "If we have relaxed the lockdown and are sending lakhs of migrant workers to their destinations with confidence, that clearly indicates that we know our situation and are closely monitoring it. Our strategies are ready. We are testing migrant workers and quarantining them. "I think for one to two weeks, the cases will increase till all of them reach their states. "However I want to say to people of this country that if the relaxations are used optimally with discipline, by following social distancing and hygiene, using masks etc, we will be able to restore normal life." He also said that many experts including one from the US had predicted that there will be millions of cases and deaths in India between May and June. "Fortunately, nothing like that happened. The PM had given instructions and guidance to handle the worst scenario even as there were only a few cases in the country," he said. Harsh Vardhan also said that learning "from the experience of countries like Italy etc where numbers spiked due to common hospitals, we earmarked dedicated Covid hospitals, separate Covid Health and Covid Care centres. There are 2.5 lakh beds of isolation plus ICU and oxygen, 1.7 lakh beds in 2,065 Covid Health Centres. We created 7,063 Covid care centres in the country which have 6.5 lakh beds. "All combined, it goes to over 10 lakh. We have also reserved beds in private hospitals but I don't think that there will be a requirement. There are more than 10,000 quarantine centres in the country." The Minister said that now the country has the capacity of doing 1.10 lakh tests per day. "From one lab in February in the country, we now have 599 labs including 422 government labs. We have prophylactic medicine hydroxychloroquine for our people as well as other countries too. We are fully prepared to handle even the worst scenario. I want to assure the country that they need not to worry about it." Noting that India successfully handled the situation during dangerous diseases like Nipah and Ebola, Harsh Vardhan said: "We know the location of our Covid cases due to our surveillance mechanism and are doing everything required as per the strategy to stop it from spreading." Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the country's nearly 40,000 grocery stores have been classified by officials as "essential" businesses that must remain open, putting the stores at the front lines of the crisis. At least 100 grocery workers nationwide have died of covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, since late March, and at least 5,500 others have tested positive, according to a Washington Post review of data from the nation's largest grocery workers union, other workers' rights coalitions and media reports. Below are comments provided by supermarket chains about their operations during the pandemic. - - - - Walmart Our associates are playing a critical role in helping people have access to fresh food, medicine and critical supplies during this crisis, and their safety is our highest priority. In areas experiencing community-wide outbreaks like Quincy and Worcester, our associates also felt the impact as members of those communities. We work closely with public health and medical experts and follow their guidance in implementing safety and health measures for our associates and customers. Since the start of this pandemic we've been following the evolving guidance of health and medical experts, working diligently to ensure our response is appropriate to scale in how we protect our customers and associates, while also taking into account the complexities that surround each location and the varying dynamics at play in working with state and local authorities. With stores, clubs and other facilities located within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population, the health of our associates tends to track with the health of the country as a whole. Given the significant differences in reporting criteria and standards in the different jurisdictions where we operate we are unable to confidently provide a specific number of cases at this time with a degree of certainty. However, we believe the number of associates that have contracted COVID-19 is better than the current U.S. trend. It may be impossible to track the source of anyone's infection, especially in some of the communities that have felt the devastating impact of the virus. As part of our response we have a clear protocol in place for how we are cleaning and sanitizing stores, and have provided guidance for managers to work through each confirmed case. Part of this overall process also involves reiterating to our associates the leave options available to them specific to this crisis, and administered by Sedgwick. We've seen a high adoption of those benefits, which is a strong indicator that our associates are hearing that their health is the most important factor. Additionally, we've sourced PPE and made those resources available for all associates. While we are looking into Mr. Quiros' claims we have not been provided with enough information to substantiate them. Ms. Quiros was separated for performance reasons unrelated to any request for time off due to the Pandemic. These claims are not consistent with the experiences of the more than 235,000 people recently employed by Walmart or the countless other associates that have been able to utilize our emergency leave policy to stay home and keep their jobs protected. - Lorenzo Lopez, Walmart spokesman - - - - Kroger (owner of Ralph's and QFC) Our most urgent priority throughout this pandemic has been to provide a safe environment for our associates and customers while meeting our societal obligation to also provide open stores, ecommerce solutions and an efficiently operating supply chain so that our communities have access to fresh, affordable food and essentials. Since mid-March, we have invested $700 million to reward our associates and safeguard associates, customers and our communities. On May 15 we announced a special Thank You Pay for hourly frontline associates - $400 for qualified full-time associates and $200 for qualified part-time associates, totaling an additional $130 million - to acknowledge their dedication to maintaining safe, clean and stocked stores. The new Thank You Pay bookends an Appreciation Pay first provided to frontline associates for their efforts at the start of the pandemic in March. It also follows multiple Hero Bonuses that were paid in April through mid-May, with associates receiving their final payment by May 23. In addition to these investments, we have recently provided new career opportunities to more than 100,000 workers nationwide, including those from the hardest-hit sectors like restaurants, hotels and food service distributors, to support our retail, ecommerce, manufacturing and logistics operations. Kroger employs one of the largest unionized populations in the U.S. And prior to the crisis, our workforce topped 460,000 associates. Ralph's outbreak: We decided early on to be transparent, ensuring our associates and customers feel valued and safe. This includes making sure our associates are informed. Once we're notified of associates who have a confirmed diagnosis, have symptoms, may have been exposed to the virus or have been asked to quarantine by a healthcare provider due to a health-related reason, a member of our HR team contacts the employee to offer support and gather additional information, such as when the symptoms began, when they were last at work and other relevant details. This process immediately ensures the manager is well informed and notifies all co-workers and encourages others to self-quarantine, if appropriate. Our guidance is always to communicate with integrity - openly and transparently - while protecting the privacy of any affected associate. We are thankful to report 12 of the associates at the Hollywood store that we treated as if testing positive for COVID-19 have already fully recovered and returned to work. A total of 10 associates out of the store's total 158 associates are still self-isolating due to exposure, per the company's paid COVID-19 Emergency Leave guidelines. We have identified this location as a hot spot and are offering free testing to those symptomatic and asymptomatic. Customer counting software: During this national pandemic, we committed to adopting preventive measures to help protect the safety and health of our associates, customers and communities. As an illustration, the standard building capacity for a grocery store is 1 person per 60 square feet. Under Kroger's reduced capacity limits, the number is 1 person per 120 square feet. By leveraging QueVision, our preexisting technology system that uses sensors and predictive analytics, we can more efficiently support capacity limits. Our management team also verifies limits, creating a safer environment. Thermometer errors: We are unaware of any mass calibration thermometer errors. We also encourage our associates to monitor their own health and check their temperature at home before every shift. Store closings/cleaning: Our practice is to perform a thorough deep cleaning by a third party with a focus on common and high-touch areas once we're notified of a confirmed case. In many cases, a store will close earlier than its scheduled time for this step to happen overnight. Below are the measures we have implemented and continue to execute to protect the safety of our associates, customers and communities: - Offering COVID-19 testing to associates based on symptoms and medical need. - Providing COVID-19 Emergency Leave to associates most directly affected by the virus or experiencing related symptoms and providing paid time off. - Supplying masks for all associates and encouraging them to stay home if they are sick. - Encouraging customers to wear masks in stores, or alternatively, use ecommerce services. - Providing comprehensive benefits packages, including healthcare coverage and retirement benefits. - Offering $5 million through the organization's Helping Hands fund to provide financial support to certain associates experiencing hardships due to COVID-19, including childcare costs. - Making mental health resources readily available. - Continuing implementation of customer capacity limits and special shopping hour for senior shoppers and higher-risk customers. - Continuing the use of plexiglass partitions and physical distancing floor decals. - Expanding contact-free payment solutions like Scan, Bag, Go and Kroger Pay. - Offering a no-contact delivery option, low-contact pickup service and ship-to-home orders. Reporting to health departments: Our stores coordinate with local health departments when we learn of a positive COVID-19 case in our workforce and take immediate action to support and safeguard our associates and customers. We are acutely aware and responding to the safety needs of our associates across our family of companies. We continue to work closely with federal, state and local public health authorities as they coordinate our country's response to flatten the curve and slow the spread of COVID-19. Number of employees who tested positive for covid-19/died from the virus: The cumulative effect of Kroger's safety efforts has contributed to our case rate being below that of the surrounding communities where we operate, and significantly below the national case rate. That doesn't mean there aren't hotspots; this is a pandemic and there are areas of the country where we have individual locations with higher rates of illness. In those areas, we're responding with additional safety measures, including associate testing. - Kristal Howard, Kroger spokeswoman - - - - Whole Foods Market Whole Foods Market is providing an essential service in our communities and like all businesses operating in this climate, we continue to balance that responsibility with our responsibility as an employer to ensure the health, safety and privacy of our Team Members. Any notification of a diagnosis in our stores is met with swift and comprehensive action and communication, and stores continue to diligently follow all guidance from local health and food safety authorities. Along with enhanced daily cleaning protocols, social distancing and crowd control measures, we require temperature screenings and face masks for in-store workers, and in addition to providing face masks, we offer gloves and personal face shields for added protection. We are auditing all of these practices on a daily basis to help protect the health and safety of our Team Members and customers, which remains our highest priority. We do notify health departments of confirmed cases in our stores and diligently follow the guidance of local health and foody safety authorities. Like most grocery retailers, we have Team Members who have been affected by COVID-19, and are supporting any Team Member diagnosed or placed in quarantine so they can prioritize their health and stay home. Our priority is ensuring safety in our stores, which is why we address any confirmed diagnosis in our stores or facilities with a comprehensive action plan that includes enhanced cleaning and contact tracing, as well as communicating directly with our Team Members. If a customer has a question about a specific location, they are encouraged to reach out to our customer care team for information. Because of the thorough nature of our daily enhanced cleaning procedures and our escalated safety protocols, our stores remain open to serve our communities under the guidance of health officials. We made the decision to temporarily close our Lynnfield location out of an abundance of caution. The store has had multiple professional deep cleanings and disinfections throughout the facility, and we are following the guidance of health and food safety authorities. - Rachel Malish, Whole Foods Market spokeswoman - - - - BJ's Wholesale Club The safety of our team members, members and communities is our top priority. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, we have taken aggressive actions and implemented extensive safety and sanitation measures across all our facilities; and we always encourage our team members to provide feedback and voice concerns. We're fully focused on supporting our team members and operating our clubs with the highest safety standards. Some of our safety measures include, but are not limited to: - Significantly increased sanitation and deep cleaning protocols on top of our already high standards. - Continuous communication reinforcing social distancing protocols and using signage, floor decals and overhead announcements to enforce. - Limiting the number of members to no more than 20% of a club's capacity at any given time. - Providing masks and gloves to all team members, and face shields for certain positions. - Mandating that customers wear masks while in our clubs where required by state or local authorities and requesting it in all other locations. - Additional training on safety and sanitation practices and procedures. - Temperature checks of all team members and on-site vendors upon arrival. - Mobile and fixed sneeze-guard barriers placed in checkout lanes, at the membership desk and at our exit for the receipt-checking process to maintain social distancing protocols. - Waived absenteeism policy. - Provide standard pay for up to 14 days for team members under mandated quarantine or who have tested positive for COVID-19. - Notifying all team members, regardless of shift, when there is a confirmed diagnosis in their club. - Immediately bring in a third-party industrial cleaning vendor to thoroughly sanitize and clean the club after any notification of a confirmed diagnosis. - Covering the cost of testing and COVID-related treatment for those enrolled in our health plans. - Donating more than $1 million to support relief funds, hunger relief programs and hospitals throughout our footprint. - Ensuring team members have access to financial assistance through our employee relief fund. - Requiring any vendor employee to wear a mask while in our clubs. - Going above and beyond CDC guidelines and recommendations in our safety and sanitation protocols and communicate with local health officials. - Kristy Houston, BJ's Wholesale Club spokeswoman - - - - Best Market/Lidl We are taking significant steps to protect the health and safety of our team members during this public health emergency. Across our entire store network, we are providing paid leave for all employees over the age of 65 or with documented health conditions that put them at higher risk of complications related to COVID-19. We also modified our attendance policy to allow all employees to stay home with full pay if they are sickened by the virus or placed under quarantine. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. When any team member tests positive for COVID-19, we immediately place that person on paid leave for 14 days and put all associates who may have had close contact with that person on paid leave out of an abundance of caution. To date, more than 150 employees without any symptoms have been put on paid administrative under this policy. At all our stores, we have enhanced our cleaning regimen to meet or exceed guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We are limiting the number of customers in our stores to encourage social distancing, equipping our team members with masks and gloves, and installed protective barriers at checkout lanes. We take our responsibility to protect our team members seriously. Confirmed Case of Covid-19 at Franklin Square Store: We follow the latest guidelines established by the CDC at all our stores which stipulates the incubation period for COVID-19 is 14 days. When we learn of a confirmed employee case, we conduct a close contact trace and put any employee who may have had close contact with an infected employee on paid administrative leave for the period of time that extends to 14 days from exposure. Prior to returning to work, our HR team screens those employees to ensure that they have not developed symptoms. In the case you cited at Franklin Square, the employee who tested positive had not been at work for nine days when we learned of the diagnosis. At that point, we immediately contacted the employee you mention. We determined that she was last in contact with the infected employee nine days prior. Despite having no symptoms, we placed her on paid administrative leave for five days to fully cover the 14-day period since possible exposure. Prior to returning to work, per our policy, our HR team contacted her to ensure no symptoms had developed before returning to the store. Passing of Gladys Cortes: We were saddened when we learned of her passing. Gladys was a valued member of our team for many years and brought enthusiasm and passion to work every day. Gladys last worked at the store in Islip on March 30th, and we have no reports indicating that she was sick while working. Our policy is clear that employees who are sick should stay home. We reiterate this policy to our team and our store management regularly. We first learned of Glady's positive diagnosis and of her passing on April 9th. As soon as we were informed, we immediately briefed employees at the store on the same day through in-person meetings. We also issued a letter the following morning to all team members at the store on their paycheck. In the letter to employees, we pointed out that we thoroughly clean all our stores every day throughout the day. When an employee with confirmed case of COVID-19 worked in the store within a five-day period, we will also have a third-party company specializing in sanitization conduct an additional deep cleaning of the store. According to CDC guidance, five days is the maximum time the virus can live on surfaces. In this case, Gladys was not in the store for nine days. We reported the case to the appropriate regulatory authorities, who investigated and closed the case. - William Harwood, Lidl spokesman - - - - Target At Target, our priority has always been the safety and well-being of our team, and that's the approach we've taken throughout the coronavirus. Since early March, we've introduced dozens of safety, social distancing and rigorous cleaning measures at our stores across the country. The number of confirmed cases we're seeing across our team is lower than the percent being reported for the U.S population. But even a single case gets our attention, which is why you see us working so hard to do everything we can to protect our team and our guests. We're informing team members who work at a location where a case of the coronavirus is confirmed and we'll continue to be transparent in the process, along with the measures we put in place to address it. While being transparent, we're also careful to keep team member privacy from being compromised with the information we share. There are some details we do not provide, as it increases the likelihood of a team member's privacy being compromised. We're following health expert guidance and we're providing information that any health department requests of us. We want all team members to feel comfortable sharing their concerns. We provide opportunities for team members to share feedback, either through team leaders or through anonymous reporting. While I can't provide company-by-company detail, what I can share is our high-level approach. Partners who operate in our stores receive updated information regarding our policies and expectations as we monitor and address the evolving situation pertaining to the coronavirus. Additionally, we routinely communicate CDC guidance in and around stores to reinforce these important measures. - Danielle Schumann, Target spokeswoman - - - - Trader Joe's Trader Joe's has long been known as an employer of choice because of our industry-leading compensation and benefits we provide our Crew Members, as well as our caring culture and the communication we maintain with our Crew Members. This has held true as we have addressed the COVID-19 coronavirus. Since the beginning, we've looked to the CDC and local and state health officials for guidance on best health and safety practices, meeting and exceeding all recommendations and guidelines on everything from the implementation of proper cleaning and safety measures to the proper handling, tracking and reporting of positive cases. Upon notification of any possible exposure to COVID-19 in any of our stores, we follow practices that meet or exceed CDC and other health official requirements. Our actions vary by situation, and depending on the date range of potential exposure, can include notifying the public and Crew Members, and closing our stores for additional, thorough cleaning and sanitization. We take a hyper careful approach by closing stores in these instances, and we do not reopen a store until we are satisfied that further intense cleaning and sanitation has been completed. Any time someone at one of our stores tests positive and they were recently in the store, we close the store for an additional, thorough cleaning and post the closure on our website, in addition to posting a notice on the door of the store. We stay in touch with local and state health officials and comply with all reporting requirements for COVID-19. In fact health officials consistently tell us that we go above and beyond. The CDC recommends there be an additional cleaning if someone who is sick has been in a facility within the last 7 days, however that additional cleaning is something Trader Joe's does in our stores every day. This thorough cleaning is done in addition to the cleaning that takes place throughout the day, every day. At Trader Joe's we pride ourselves on operating our business with integrity and adhering to the law at all times. We also listen to our Crew Members and customers, appreciate and often implement their ideas and input, and take all concerns seriously. From the beginning, we have made it clear that Mr. King's employment at Trader Joe's did not end because of desire to set up a social media page or because he expressed concerns. When asked further about that, I have been clear that due to for privacy reasons I am not at liberty to say more. As this unprecedented situation continues to evolve, so has our approach to doing all we can to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our Crew Members and customers. Every day, we're listening to Crew Members and customers and re-evaluating what we're doing and what we can do better. Our Crew Members are the heart of the company, every day going above and beyond to take care of customers and their communities. We want to do everything we can to take care of them. Their safety and wellbeing have been at the center of every decision we've made, throughout this situation. Over the months, we have provided safety and sanitation guidelines and protocols for our stores and reinforced these new measures with regular reminders and updates. We were one of the first grocery stores to reduce store hours, regulate the number of customers in our stores, and implement social distancing protocol in all stores. Examples of additional measures we've taken: - Early on we instituted enhanced cleaning and sanitization efforts at all of our stores, especially in high-touch areas, as we know this is the best way to combat any potential virus. - All of our stores are conducting Crew Member Wellness Checks with all Crew Members, prior to the start of each shift. The Wellness Checks screen for potential exposure to COVID-19, as well as symptoms consistent with a COVID-19 infection. They are an extra precaution we are taking to reduce the possibility of any Crew Members inadvertently exposing their fellow crew or our customers to illness. - Any Crew Member who had health insurance before the pandemic will keep that insurance, no matter how many hours they work. This allows Crew Members the opportunity to take a couple of days or a couple of weeks off without repercussions to their jobs or the benefits they've come to enjoy. - We implemented bonus pay as well as $2/hour increases of thank you pay on top of already industry-leading pay that is $15/hour starting pay. The average tends to be much higher because Crew Members have the potential to receive a 7%-10% annual increase. - We have increased Crew Members' store discount to 20%. - Even before the CDC changed it's guidance on masks, at the start of April, we had masks made for all of our Crew Members and we had plexiglass shields installed at registers at all of our stores, starting with stores located in areas that have higher COVID-19 cases. - We've reduced store hours to support our Crew Members in taking care of one another and our customers. - We were one of the first grocery stores to limit the amount of customers in our stores at one time, and implement social distancing measures in all stores, to help ensure all Crew Members and customers are able to maintain the recommended 6-foot distance when working or shopping. - We've dedicated a special shopping hour for only our senior customers over the age of 60 and other vulnerable customers who may need extra assistance while shopping. - Kenya Friend-Daniel, Trader Joe's spokeswoman The former member representing Kogi west in the upper chamber of the national assembly, Dino Melaye is definitely not new to controversial comments. The controversial ex-lawmaker in his latest comment stated that the population of people waiting to steal in Nigeria is higher than the population of people who are currently looting the economy. Read Also: Nigeria Sold Crude Oil For 64 Years But Couldnt Feed Citizens For Just Two Weeks: Melaye He made this remark via a comment on his official Instagram page. Advertisement He wrote: In Nigeria, the population of people waiting to steal is higher that the population of people currently stealing. God pass through Nigeria. The most common chemical bond in the living world -- that between carbon and hydrogen -- has long resisted attempts by chemists to crack it open, thwarting efforts to add new bells and whistles to old carbon-based molecules. Now, after nearly 25 years of work by chemists at the University of California, Berkeley, those hydrocarbon bonds -- two-thirds of all the chemical bonds in petroleum and plastics -- have fully yielded, opening the door to the synthesis of a large range of novel organic molecules, including drugs based on natural compounds. "Carbon-hydrogen bonds are usually part of the framework, the inert part of a molecule," said John Hartwig, the Henry Rapoport Chair in Organic Chemistry at UC Berkeley. "It has been a challenge and a holy grail of synthesis to be able to do reactions at these positions because, until now, there has been no reagent or catalyst that will allow you to add anything at the strongest of these bonds." Hartwig and other researchers had previously shown how to add new chemical groups at C-H bonds that are easier to break, but they could only add them to the strongest positions of simple hydrocarbon chains. In the May 15 issue of the journal Science, Hartwig and his UC Berkeley colleagues described how to use a newly designed catalyst to add functional chemical groups to the hardest of the carbon-hydrogen bonds to crack: the bonds, typically at the head or tail of a molecule, where a carbon has three attached hydrogen atoms, what's called a methyl group (CH3). "The primary C-H bonds, the ones on a methyl group at the end of a chain, are the least electron-rich and the strongest," he said. "They tend to be the least reactive of the C-H bonds." UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow Raphael Oeschger discovered a new version of a catalyst based on the metal iridium that opens up one of the three C-H bonds at a terminal methyl group and inserts a boron compound, which can be easily replaced with more complex chemical groups. The new catalyst was more than 50 times more efficient than previous catalysts and just as easy to work with. advertisement "We now have the ability to do these types of reactions, which should enable people to rapidly make molecules that they would not have made before," Hartwig said. "I wouldn't say these are molecules that could not have been made before, but people wouldn't make them because it would take too long, too much time and research effort, to make them." The payoff could be huge. Each year, nearly a billion pounds of hydrocarbons are used by industry to make solvents, refrigerants, fire retardants and other chemicals and are the typical starting point for synthesizing drugs. 'Expert surgery' on hydrocarbons To prove the utility of the catalytic reaction, UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow Bo Su and his coworkers in the lab used it to add a boron compound, or borane, to a terminal, or primary, carbon atom in 63 different molecular structures. The borane can then be swapped out for any number of chemical groups. The reaction specifically targets terminal C-H bonds, but works at other C-H bonds when a molecule doesn't have a terminal C-H. "We make a boron-carbon bond using boranes as reagents -- they're just a couple steps away from ant poison, boric acid -- and that carbon-boron bond can be converted into many different things," Hartwig said. "Classically, you can make a carbon-oxygen bond from that, but you can also make a carbon-nitrogen bond, a carbon-carbon bond, a carbon-fluorine bond or other carbon-halogen bonds. So, once you make that carbon-boron bond, there are many different compounds that can be made." Organic chemist Varinder Aggarwal from the University of Bristol referred to the catalytic reaction as "expert surgery" and characterized UC Berkeley's new technique as "sophisticated and clever," according to the magazine Chemical and Engineering News advertisement One potential application, Hartwig said, is altering natural compounds -- chemicals from plants or animals that have useful properties, such as antibiotic activity -- to make them better. Many pharmaceutical companies today are focused on biologics -- organic molecules, such as proteins, used as drugs -- that could also be altered with this reaction to improve their effectiveness. "In the normal course, you would have to go back and remake all those molecules from the start, but this reaction could allow you to just make them directly," Hartwig said. "This is one type of chemistry that would allow you to take those complex structures that nature makes that have an inherent biological activity and enhance or alter that biological activity by making small changes to the structure." He said that chemists could also add new chemical groups to the ends of organic molecules to prep them for polymerization into long chains never before synthesized. "It could enable you to take molecules that would be naturally abundant, biosourced molecules like fatty acids, and be able to derivatize them at the other end for polymer purposes," he said. UC Berkeley's long history with C-H bonds Chemists have long tried to make targeted additions to carbon-hydrogen bonds, a reaction referred to as C-H activation. One still unachieved dream is to convert methane -- an abundant, but often wasted, byproduct of oil extraction and a potent greenhouse gas -- into an alcohol called methanol that can be used as a starting point in many chemical syntheses in industry. In 1982, Robert Bergman, now a UC Berkeley professor emeritus of chemistry, first showed that an iridium atom could break a C-H bond in an organic molecule and insert itself and an attached ligand between the carbon and hydrogen. While a major advance in organic and inorganic chemistry, the technique was impractical -- it required one iridium atom per C-H bond. Ten years later, other researchers found a way to use iridium and other so-called transition metals, like tungsten, as a catalyst, where a single atom could break and functionalize millions of C-H bonds. Hartwig, who was a graduate student with Bergman in the late 1980s, continued to bang on unreactive C-H bonds and in 2000 published a paper in Science describing how to use a rhodium-based catalyst to insert boron at terminal C-H bonds. Once the boron was inserted, chemists could easily swap it out for other compounds. With subsequent improvements to the reaction and changing the metal from rhodium to iridium, some manufacturers have used this catalytic reaction to synthesize drugs by modifying different types of C-H bonds. But the efficiency for reactions at methyl C-H bonds at the ends of carbon chains remained low, because the technique required that the reactive chemicals also be the solvent. With the addition of the new catalytic reaction, chemists can now stick chemicals in nearly any type of carbon-hydrogen bond. In the reaction, iridium snips off a terminal hydrogen atom, and the boron replaces it; another boron compound floats away with the released hydrogen atom. The team attached a new ligand to iridium -- a methyl group called 2-methylphenanthroline -- that accelerated the reaction by 50 to 80 times over previous results. Hartwig acknowledges that these experiments are a first step. The reactions vary from 29% to 85% in their yield of the final product. But he is working on improvements. "For us, it shows, yeah, you can do this, but we will need to make even better catalysts. We know that the ultimate goal is attainable if we can further increase our rates by a factor of 10, let's say. Then, we should be able to increase the complexity of molecules for this reaction and achieve higher yields," Hartwig said. "It is a little bit like a four-minute mile. Once you know that something can be accomplished, many people are able to do it, and the next thing you know, we're running a three-and-three-quarter-minute mile." An employee arranges steel products at a factory in An Giang Province, southern Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Phuong Dong. Vietnam can entrench itself in global supply chains if the U.S. forms a network of partners to reduce reliance on China, analysts said. Vietnam was recently invited to join the "Quad" countries, Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S., in an unofficial teleconference on combating Covid-19 and reviving the economy post-pandemic. Analysts said the addition of Vietnam, South Korea and New Zealand to the group, which has been dubbed "Quad Plus," suggests the group is seeking to reduce the dependence on China in the global supply chain. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last month his government was working with these six countries to "move the global economy forward" by restructuring the supply chains. American officials are reportedly looking for ways to push companies to move sourcing and manufacturing out of China using tax incentives and subsidies. Economist Nguyen Tri Hieu said as one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia with exports running into the tens of billions of dollars annually, Vietnam has many good reasons to be selected to the grouping. Other experts said the pandemic has placed Vietnam in the spotlight thanks to its drastic and quick response to contain it and successfully prevent any deaths. Phung Duc Tung, director of the Mekong Development Research Institute, said after the pandemic revealed that multinationals are too dependent on China for their manufacturing, Vietnam has emerged as an alternative destination for them. Vietnam has 64 percent of the population in the working age and labor costs lower than that of China, he said, adding that the countrys long coastline and shared border with China are other factors that would help a switch. It has already been identified as their next investment destination by many multinationals. Apple, Google and Microsoft are all reportedly making plans to begin or expand production in Vietnam this year. Experts say the country will benefit even more in trade if a grouping like Quad Plus is established. Economist Pham Chi Lan said Quad Plus could help Vietnam further advance its trade relations with the U.S. without the need for a free trade agreement, which would take a lot of time and work. There would be a wave of American investment coming to the country, and investors from Japan, another Quad member, and the E.U, with which Vietnam has signed a free trade pact, could also pour money, she said. Vietnam has in the last three decades missed many opportunities to establish a better position in the global supply chain, and it should not make the same mistake again since after this time there might not be any space left, she warned. "This is a golden opportunity for Vietnam." Experts also warned that Vietnam needs to move quickly since other Asian countries are doing so. Indonesia has reportedly persuaded 27 U.S. companies to relocate to an industrial zone in Java. India reached out to more than 1,000 companies in the U.S. last month through its foreign missions, offering incentives to manufacturers seeking to shift from China, while Malaysia and Thailand have also been offering incentives to multinationals. Tung said the Vietnamese government needs to make institutional changes to make the country a more appealing investment destination. Transparent and democratic policies would attract investors since they then would not have to worry about "unofficial costs" while doing business in Vietnam, he said. Besides offering tax incentives, Vietnam should also dispatch officials to find out from foreign investors what they seek and what the government could offer, he added. There are also concerns about infrastructure. Thao Nguyen, senior leasing manager at real estate service firm CBRE Vietnam, said the limited supply of industrial land and poor road and port quality are barriers to attracting foreign investment. There are concerns about Vietnams capability to absorb this new wave of investment since numerous challenges remain, including infrastructure capacity constraints, according to a recent CBRE report. Tung said the private sector should be allowed to participate more in developing infrastructure to meet the increasing needs of FDI companies. Democrats fired back Saturday after the chairwoman of the Republican Party of Bexar County denounced the novel coronavirus crisis as a hoax at a rally outside City Hall. The chairwoman, Cynthia Brehm, told several supporters Friday that the coronavirus was a hoax perpetrated by the Democratic Party. Democrats quickly responded by issuing a statement that said Texas Republicans were downplaying the threat from the virus and had mismanaged the health crisis. They linked Brehms attitude concerning the virus to that of the states leadership: Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, both Republicans. From top to bottom, Texas Republican leaders continue to downplay and mismanage the coronavirus crisis. Texans continue to suffer because of their lack of leadership, the Texas Democratic Party responded in its Saturday statement. In a video clip from KENS-5 TV that was widely disseminated on social media, Brehm rejected Mayor Ron Nirenbergs and County Judge Nelson Wolffs call to wear protective masks. She cited Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, calling the policy unconstitutional. This is America, she said, and we shouldnt have to be forced or mandated to wear a mask. Asked what he had to say about Brehms charge at Saturday nights daily coronavirus briefing, Wolff was clear. Let me say it to you this way. It was about 2 years ago, maybe three, I was talking to my late, great friend Commissioner Paul Elizondo, Wolff recounted. Paul said, Weve got to run for re-election again. And I said Paul, why would we want to do that? You know, were getting a little bit older. And he said Well, theres too (expletive) many crazy people running for office. This is a good example. By Saturday afternoon, the video had more than 18,000 likes on Twitter and 106 shares on Facebook. Why is this happening today? Brehm is heard to ask at the lectern. Ill tell you why all of this has been promulgated by the Democrats to undo all of the good that President Trump has done for our country, and they are worried. So, take off your masks, exercise your constitutional rights. Stand up, speak up, and vote Republican. On ExpressNews.com: Brehm demands county cut successful program In an email later, Brehm said the group held the news conference to speak out against its constitutional rights being violated. She said that under the mayors and county judges orders, she has had to wear a mask when shopping for groceries. Brehm said she hopes in the future that Nirenberg and Wolff will stop imposing edicts on people and will cooperate with Abbott to get Bexar County back to work. Many small businesses have closed, and their employees are now unemployed, she said. Telling people to stay quarantined until June when the governor is trying to get us up and running is not helping. Its hindering it. After her speech, Brehm hugged Douglas D.B. Stearns, who was the next speaker at the rally. Stearns, a GOP precinct chairman, also downplayed the seriousness of the pandemic. He said people have a 0.05 chance of catching the Wuhan flu. Brehm is in a runoff against John Austin, a real estate appraiser, for her position at the top of the county Republican Party. The runoff election is July 14. In a text, Austin said that as a country, people have pulled together and protected the health system by flattening the curve. I support protecting our most vulnerable citizens by following the presidents policies for social distancing and the wearing of masks when necessary, he said. I think President Trump and Gov. Abbott are doing the best they can to fight this disease and open the economy. On ExpressNews.com: Losing Democratic hopeful, Republican runoff candidate criticizes San Antonio elections Brehms comments are just the next iteration in a long line of Republicans not taking the coronavirus seriously, he said. Republican campaign consultant Roger Legrand said hes concerned about the GOP community. The Bexar County Republican Party has been largely hijacked by a fringe community of the far right, he said. It is extremely depressing to me as a millennial Republican because I dont think were reaching new voters. I think people who are reading these stories are very unlikely to join us in the party, Legrand added. Its a regrettable situation at a time when our country should be coming together to protect our most vulnerable. vtdavis@express-news.net Two Nigerian federal agencies in Abuja have taken their fight over office accommodation to the public via social media. It all began when the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, on Sunday, shared that the agency no longer has an office from which to operate. NIDCOM published a video on Twitter where the CEO said the agency has not had an office for a year now. She said, In one year, we dont have an office. The office we got, given to us by NCC but we were actually driven away by the honourable minister of communications and digital economy, Mr Isa Pantami, within two days, they drove us out with guns and what happened? The place was given to us by NCC. You know we all help each other, NCC as an agency of government, said there is a place you can use to settle in, and just as we settled in, I was in Ethiopia when I got a call. I thought that it was a joke. I came back from Ethiopia on Thursday, this happened on Tuesday, by Friday when I went to the office, guns, armed men had taken over the place. I thought it was a joke, but here is the thing, Im a government employee, so is he. Its government business. Mrs Dabiri-Erewa further said that she has complained to the relevant body. I have complained officially but we let it be. He wants the place, let him take it. That place is still there, a whole floor is still vacant. As I speak with you all our items are locked up. I dont have a computer, I dont have printers, everything has been locked up. So, after COVID-19, we are hoping that we can get a space and move in. These things locked are personal printers, personal laptops of our very dedicated staff because when you are just starting a lot of things are not there. NCC Reacts The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) reacting to the aforementioned video said that the claim by NIDCOM was false. It said that the commission was not sent packing. A statement issued by Henry Nkemadu, NCCs director of public affairs, reads: The NCC has not withdrawn the offer but had hiccups from the preparation of the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate the Communications and Digital Economy Complex and launch of other projects relating to the mandate of government. He further explained that incidentally, after the offer of the office spaces to the NDC, the Director-General, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, had not visited the complex to take possession of any of the offices and also the commission had not started using any of these spaces as offices. Minister of Communication, Dr Isa Pantami Therefore, the Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, could not have sent armed men to drive the staff of the Diaspora Commission out of the Communications and Digital Economy Complex. Concerning NIDCOMs property, Mr. Nkemadu said that the properties were safely warehoused in some offices in the complex. Communications Minister reacts The Minister of communication Isa Pantami in a tweet said THIS IS A FAT LIE FROM HER: The owner of the building @NgComCommission has faulted her lies on their social media platforms. The minister has never given that directives to any gunman. We need to be very objective in reporting. I have never sent any gunmen there, & I have no one. NIDCOM responds The commission issued a statement on Sunday in response to NCCs statement. In the statement, NIDCOM restated that they were forcefully evicted from the annex. On the 9th of February, the staff were given one week by the Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Ali Pantami, to pack out but within 48 hours of the said quit notice, they were forcefully evicted by security operatives attached to the complex on the orders of the Minister on February 11, it read. The commission further said that the allegation that NIDCOM did not move into the office when allocated, this is untrue, false accusation and contradictory to the statement of NCC to the effect that NIDCOM properties were warehoused and intact in the annex. A video showing the secretary of the commission addressing the staff after being locked out on February 11, was shared on NIDCOMs official handle on Twitter. By Clare Jim and Yew Lun Tian HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry branch in Hong Kong dismissed concerns that its proposed national security laws for the city would harm foreign investors, hitting back at "meddling" countries as Beijing's ties with Washington soured further. The security legislation, which could see Chinese intelligence agencies set up bases in Hong Kong, has sent chills through the business and diplomatic communities, spooked financial markets and escalated geopolitical tensions. U.S. government officials have said the legislation would end the Chinese-ruled city's autonomy and would be bad for both Hong Kong's and China's economies. They said it could jeopardise the territory's special status in U.S. law, which has helped it maintain its position as a global financial centre. Hong Kong is caught in the cross-hairs of a Beijing-Washington conflict developing on many fronts. After trade disputes and reciprocal accusations over the source and handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Washington on Friday accused the Chinese government of making it impossible for U.S. airlines to resume service to China. Britain, Australia and Canada expressed "deep concern" in a joint statement about the proposed security laws which they said would undermine the "one country, two systems" principle agreed when Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Bankers and headhunters said it could lead to money and talent leaving the city. Hong Kong stocks slumped 5.6% on Friday, and sent chills through global markets. A spokesperson of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in Hong Kong said in a statement the city's high degree of autonomy "will remain unchanged, and the interests of foreign investors in the city will continue to be protected under the law". Beijing's move comes after pro-democracy protests in 2019 plunged Hong Kong into its biggest political crisis since the handover. Communist authorities see the protests as a security threat and blame the West for fomenting unrest. Story continues The commissioner's office described statements by "meddling countries" as "double standard and gangster logic". "No matter how venomously you smear, provoke, coerce or blackmail us, the Chinese people will remain rock-firm in safeguarding national sovereignty and security," it said. "Doomed is your plot to undermine China's sovereignty and security by exploiting the troublemakers in Hong Kong as pawns and the city as a frontier for secession, subversion, infiltration and sabotage activities against China." Chris Patten, the last governor of the former British colony, said China has betrayed the people of Hong Kong. HALF-WAY DEAD As Hong Kong braced for its first major protests since the proposal of the legislation on Sunday in the centre of the city, police said in a statement they "will deploy adequate manpower in relevant locations." Despite reassurances from Beijing and Hong Kong authorities, many Hong Kongers fret over losing rights. Lok, 42, a clerk at an investment company, said she felt there was no prospect for her children, aged 16 and 9, and she hopes they will move away: "I think Hong Kong is half-way dead. I didnt expect Hong Kong would deteriorate that quickly." Hong Kong publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai, an outspoken critic of Beijing who faces charges of illegal assembly, said on Twitter the legislation would bring the end of "China's last miracle" and the communist party was slaughtering "the proverbial golden goose." Over the past 24 hours, Hong Kong's pro-Beijing politicians have also responded to concerns that the national security legislation could reduce freedoms. Upon her return from Beijing late on Friday, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the stock market "goes up and comes down" and blamed protests for destabilising the business environment. Henry Tang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, said the legislation was "beneficial" for business, bringing stability. In an interview with Reuters, Lam's predecessor as Hong Kong chief executive, Leung Chun-Ying, said the legislation was needed to "stamp out terrorism". He noted that the British had maintained a police special branch, dismantled before the territory was handed over to Chinese rule in 1997. Singapore has a Special Branch. We dont. America has all kinds of law enforcement agencies that are tasked to deal with national security threats. We dont. So its not surprising that as part of the efforts to fill the national security legal gap, we need to have a body, Leung said. (Editing by Peter Graff) The first of five tankers carrying much-needed Iranian fuel and oil products entered Venezuelan waters on Saturday, a Venezuelan government official said. "The ships of the sister Islamic Republic of Iran are in our exclusive economic zone," Venezuelan oil minister Tareck El Aissami wrote on Twitter after the arrival of the first tanker, named Fortune. The fleet is carrying about 1.5 million barrels of gasoline according to media reports, and arrives amid tensions between Tehran and Washington, which has imposed sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports and Iran. Venezuela had said its navy and air force would escort the tankers after Tehran warned of "consequences" if the US stopped the ships from reaching their destination. According to shipping tracker MarineTraffic, as of at 9:00 pm local time (0100 GMT Sunday) Fortune was near the coast of Sucre state in northern Venezuela after passing off Trinidad and Tobago. It plans to sail to the El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello in northern Carabobo state, according to the state-run television station. The rest of the Iranian ships -- the Forest, Petunia, Faxon and Clavel -- will arrive in the next few days, according to state television. Relations between Caracas and Tehran have become close since former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez took power in 1999. Iran has repeatedly expressed its support for Nicolas Maduro, his successor, who is also supported by Russia, China, Turkey and Cuba. The United States calls Maduro a "dictator", however, and has leveled a battery of economic sanctions against his administration, including an oil embargo that came into force in April 2019. The fuel from Iran comes at a time when the shortage of gasoline, chronic for years in some parts of the country, has worsened in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, but its production is in freefall, a collapse that experts attribute to failed policies, lack of investment and corruption. A church in Berlin has opened its doors to Muslims in need of a place to pray who can longer squeeze into their mosque following the implementation of social distancing regulations. Germany has started easing its coronavirus lockdown as deaths fall, with religious services being allowed to restart from 4 May, though worshippers must remain 1.5m away from each other. The Martha Lutheran church in the trendy area of Kreuzberg offered to host people who wanted to attend Friday prayers at the end of Ramadan but were blocked from going into the mosque due to coronavirus rules. The Dar Assalam mosque in Berlins Neukolln district can now accommodate only a small amount of its usual visitors. It is a great sign and it brings joy in Ramadan and joy amid this crisis. This pandemic has made us a community. Crises bring people together," the imam at the mosque told Reuters. Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Show all 13 1 /13 Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Cheryll Mack, 46, a registered nurse in the emergency department, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift outside the hospital where she works. "The Covid-19 spread has affected a lot of livelihood, a lot of people's lives. It has created a crisis, death in general. So I would like to ask not one single person, but all people worldwide, to converge and join the platform that this is something that nobody can fight individually," said Mack. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Dr Laura Bontempo, 50, an emergency medicine doctor wears her personal protective equipment she uses when she sees patients, while posing for a photograph after a nine-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moments have actually been separating families from patients, there is a no-visitor policy now and taking people away from their loved ones is very challenging," Bontempo said. "I'm used to treating sick patients. I treat sick patients all the time. It's very different knowing that the patient you are treating, is actually a risk to you as well. That's the main difference here. No one who works in hospitals is afraid of treating sick people. Just want to keep staff safe and the patients safe at the same time." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Ernest Capadngan, 29, a registered nurse who works at a biocontainment unit poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moment during the shift was just seeing Covid patients die helpless and without their family members beside them," Capadngan said. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Martine Bell, 41, a nurse practitioner in an emergency department, poses for a photograph after a six-hour shift outside the hospital where she works. "The hardest thing in all of this, has been taking care of fellow healthcare providers. It really hits home and it's really scary when you see someone that could be you coming in and now you're taking care of them. It's also hitting home that once healthcare providers start getting sick, who is going to be taking care of the public," Bell said. "It's very stressful, everyone is on edge. We don't know who's coming in next, or how sick they're going to be, or if we are going to get a whole bunch of people or if we're not going to get no one. It's a really stressful and just a completely unusual time for all of us." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Kaitlyn Martiniano, 25, a registered nurse who works at a biocontainment poses for a photograph after a 12.5-hour shift, outside the hospital. "We have a lot of patients and they are pretty sick right now but we have not yet been hit as hard as New York or Seattle, so I feel like we are very lucky with that so far. Every day you have to just be optimistic." Said Martiniano. "I think the reason that we are not being hit as hard right now is because so many things are closed, and because so many people are staying at home." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Tracey Wilson, 53, a nurse practitioner in an intensive care unit (ICU), poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works. "I had a patient fall out of bed today and I had to call his wife and tell her and she couldn't come see him, even though she pleaded and begged to come see him," Wilson said. "There is a lot of unknowns and with that unknown is a lot of anxiety and stress that we're not used to dealing with." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Meghan Sheehan, 27, a nurse practitioner in an emergency department, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works. "I think the hardest moment has been the fear that lives within all of us. There is a lot of unknown right now. We fear what's going to happen tomorrow, how the emergency department will look next week when we come in. We have fears about our own colleagues, whether they will fall ill. We also fear that we could be asymptomatic carriers and bring this virus home to our families and our loved ones. There has been a lot of fear over our supplies and whether we'll run out. And then obviously there is the fear that we will see patients and not be able to do everything we normally can to help save patients' lives," Sheehan said. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Kimberly Bowers, 44, a nurse practitioner in an ICU, poses for a photograph after a 13-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moment was a young woman who died and her family wasn't able to be here with her," Bowers said. "I think right now, it's just frustrating and scary just not knowing what comes next." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Tiffany Fare, 25, a registered nurse who works at a biocontainment unit poses for a photograph after a 13-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works. "One of the hardest moments was having to see a family member of a Covid patient, say goodbye over an iPad, rooms away. That was a tough one, I can't imagine how hard it would be to be saying goodbye, you can't see your loved one and then they're gone," Fare said. "My team has been really great to me. We've worked really well together and we've really come together in this crisis. We don't really know each other, we all come from different units within the same hospital, so for us to come together and work so well as a team, it's been a journey but I think that's what is giving me hope." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Dr Kyle Fischer, 35, an emergency medicine doctor, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift, outside the hospital where he works. "Since it's a new virus, we don't have any experience with it. For most diseases I am used to seeing it and taking care of it and this, I don't have any starting place. I know what I'm hearing from New York, I've read all of the papers it seems like, but no one knows what the correct answers are, so there's a huge amount of uncertainty and people are really, really sick. So it's hard to second guess whether or not you are doing the right thing when you think you are but you never quite know," said Fischer. Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Julia Trainor, 23, a registered nurse at a surgical ICU, poses for a photograph after a 14-hour shift, outside the hospital. "The hardest moment was having to put a breathing tube in my patient who could no longer breathe for herself and after the breathing tube went in, we called her family and the husband, of course, couldn't visit her because of visitor restrictions at the hospital. So I had to put him on the phone and hold the phone to her ear, as he told her that he loved her so much and then I had to wipe away her tears as she was crying," said Trainor. "I'm used to seeing very sick patients and I'm used to patients dying but nothing quite like this. In the flip of a switch, without the support, they're completely isolated. They're very sick. Some of them recover and some of them don't. But the hardest part, I would think, is them having to go through this feeling like they are alone." Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Lisa Mehring, 45, a registered nurse who works in a biocontainment unit with Covid-19 patients, poses for a photograph after a 12.5-hour shift, outside the hospital where she works in Maryland. "Seeing these new moms have babies has been the hardest moment along with having do their pumping for the new moms and them not being able to be with their newborn children, it's hard to think of the family that they are missing," Mehring said. Photos Reuters Inside US hospital: A day fighting the coronavirus Jacqueline Hamil, 30, a registered nurse in an emergency department, poses for a photograph after a 12-hour shift outside the hospital. "The hardest moment of my shift today, I was in charge, and we had a really sick patient that was in a really, really small room and usually, when we have sick crashing patients, we can have a ton of resources and a ton of staff go in and help with the nurse and the doctors that are taking care of that patient. But due to the patient being ruled out for the coronavirus, we could only have five or six people in the room at a time and putting on all the gowns and gloves and masks and face shields to protect us in case the patient does have coronavirus, it takes a while, so the nurse that was in there, ended up being in the room for you know 6, 7 hours with minimal breaks and it was hard being in charge and knowing that she was stuck in the room and really nothing I could do to help her," Hamil said. Reuters Samer Hamdoun, a congregation member, added: It was a strange feeling because of the musical instruments, the pictures. But when you look, when you forget the small details, this is the house of God in the end. Officials said on Saturday that more than 40 visitors who attended a service at a church in Frankfurt after the Covid-19 lockdown was eased had caught the virus, despite adhering to social distancing rules. Restaurants and cafes in Berlin were permitted to open their doors from 15 May but with strict social distancing guidelines which ask people to remain 1.5m away from each other, and force waiters to wear face masks. According to the Robert Koch Institute, 8,216 people in Germany have died from coronavirus while there have been 177,850 cases. Gunawardena can be regarded as one of the respected political leaders and a person of integrity who deserves the respect and honour of the people of Sri Lanka. He is an eloquent speaker, always armed with thorough knowledge of the subject with facts and figures. by C. Kuruppu One should associate with a noble person who is intelligent, wise, learned, virtuous and dutiful, just as the moon follows the path of stars - The Dhammapada (SukhaVagga) This verse from The Dhammapada comes to mind whenever I see Minister Dinesh Gunawardena amidst the general public in his numerous political activities. Dinesh, known as the fearless son of the Lion of Boralugoda, cut his political teeth by entering Parliament on May 18, 1983, being elected a member of Parliament in the Maharagama by-election as the Leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna. Since then, the services rendered by Minister Gunawardena as a Member of Parliament being the voice of the people are too numerous to be elaborated in a short article like this. Dinesh with former Indian HC to Sri Lanka History bears testimony to the great service rendered by him to the country, nation and religion during the last 37 years of his parliamentary life, always preserving the traditions and practices of the House. Today he holds the important Ministerial portfolios of Foreign Relations and Skills Development, Employment and Labour Relations, contributing immensely to boost the countrys image at numerous events, dispelling many a myth created by unscrupulous elements. In his long political career, Mr Gunawardena has held numerous positions such as the Cabinet portfolios of Transport, Environment, Urban Development, Water Supply and Drainage, Sacred Area Development, Foreign Affairs, Skills Development, and Employment and Labour Relations, dedicating himself fully to the task entrusted by respective governments. It is well known how he endeared himself to the electorate through his services in those capacities, very successfully devoting his time and overwhelming knowledge of the affairs of the country. He never abused his power or position for his own personal gain or benefits. Mr Gunawardena, a distinguished Royalist, can truly be indentified as one of the most vociferous and yet truly honest Parliamentarians who graced our Legislature for the last three decades. Even his worst enemy will find it difficult to level an accusing finger at him as far as integrity, moral conduct, moral rectitude and decency is concerned. In his distinguished political career, he represented the House of Parliament throughout from 1983 onwards, except during the period of government in 1994. I have had the opportunity to listen to his voice in Parliament from the day he first entered Parliament, always raising his voice for the electorate in particular, and the common good of the country in general, whenever the interests of the country were at stake. Mr Gunawardena can be regarded as one of the respected political leaders and a person of integrity who deserves the respect and honour of the people of Sri Lanka. He is an eloquent speaker, always armed with thorough knowledge of the subject with facts and figures. His greatest quality as a gentleman in politics is the sincerity with which he speaks, and all the speeches he has made in the House bear testimony to his multi-faceted personality characterised by the love and affection he has for the downtrodden masses. Like his father, he never tolerates injustice to anybody, and particularly when the integrity of the Motherland is at stake, he becomes the most vociferous speaker, the mighty warrior in the forefront, taking the cudgel against the powerful, whoever that might be. His kind of politics transcends ethnicity, religion, language, class/caste or any of the many identities which divide our people. The key qualities that his character embodies are a love for the country, the respect for people including his political opponents, practical common sense, simplicity in dress and language, honesty, integrity, and above all, the value of the Rule of Law and Democracy. When he was assigned the position of Chief Government Whip of Parliament in the Mahinda Rajapaksa government, he played a very significant role for the smooth and efficient functioning of Parliamentary democracy. He was responsible for maintaining discipline among Government Members of Parliament, playing the role of advisor to back-benchers on matters relating to parliamentary practice and procedure. He also functioned as the Leader of the House until the recent dissolution of Parliament in the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government, contributing his might in full measure as a key figure in the affairs of the Government and Parliament. Mr Gunawardena, a progressive nationalist and patriotic populist Parliamentarian, following the footsteps of his father the late Philip Gunawardena (Father of the Socialist Movement in Sri Lanka) and his mother the late Kusuma Gunawardena, both Parliamentarians. His father was a national hero who brought colour and dignity to politics. Minister Dinesh had the opportunity and the benefit of learning from his father from his tender age. He hails from a great political family in Boralugoda, which was the seat of political giants of the day including his uncle the late Robert Gunawardena and aunt the late Vivienne Goonawardena (well-known Socialist icons). Influenced by these great personalities, he earned a wealth of political experience throughout his life which have always stood him in good stead. He and his Mahajana Eksath Peramuna worked closely with Sirimavo Bandaranaike in the 1980s, and during the Presidential Elections of 1982 and 1988 he battled against the Government of J R Jayewardene. Being a longstanding close comrade and Parliamentary colleague of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa he has served in the Cabinets of both Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Chandrika Kumaratunge in the last two decades. In 2015, after the defeat of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Minister Dinesh Gunawardenas balanced and mature style of politics helped him to bring most of the progressive parties in the country together and to build up a strong opposition in Parliament. He is considered a veteran on Parliamentary practices and procedures and Standing Orders of Parliament. He is known among his colleagues as a Parliamentarian who respects and treats alike both the government and the opposition benches. He served as Chairman of the Election Reforms Select Committee of Parliament under two governments and recommended the mixed election system for Sri Lanka which has been accepted virtually by all sections of the society. His experience ranges from trade unionism to Parliament, from opposition to government, and armed with such a vast experience, he speaks with authority, making his arguments with facts and figures.Possessed with a full grasp and understanding of current international affairs, he is a national democrat who is committed to a mixed economy and social welfare, and looks after students, workers and trade union rights in general. As Foreign Minister in President Gotabaya Rajapaksas government, Minister Gunawardenas recent speech at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Withdrawing from the Co-sponsorship of UNHRC Resolutions was the outcome of a historic decision taken on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka for which his name will go down in the annals of the history of Sri Lanka. Mother Lanka is proud to have a son in the calibre of Dinesh Gunawardena among her many worthy sons and daughters who have all contributed their might to make what she is today. Long is the way she has to travel to achieve the ultimate goal of true prosperity, free from the shackles of external influence. It is the fervent hope of all Sri Lankans that minister Dinesh Gunawardena, who completes 37 years since entering Parliament this week, will walk a long way with Her in that journey. (The writer is a former Librarian of Parliament, and Secretary to the Chief Government Whip of Parliament, and former Director (Documentation) of the Presidential Secretariat.) analysis Are repressive governments more threatening to their citizens than COVID-19? Simbabrashe Gukurume, in this incisive article shows how Zimbabweans are more likely to be killed and have their sources of livelihood destroyed by the government than by COVID-19. Authoritarian regimes are taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to entrench their power and control. In Africa, leaders and their political henchmen are pushing through interventions that further their own personal political interests, often at the expense of their political nemesis and the majority of the citizens. In South Africa, a family is suing the state for the death of Collins Khosa who passed on at the hands of the South African National Defence Forces (SANDF) and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD). The use of brute force and violence has also been reported in Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Kenya, where state security agents enforcing COVID-19 lockdown curfews have killed civilians. Despite having no single confirmed coronavirus case then, Zimbabwe declared COVID-19 a national disaster in March 2020. After five confirmed cases, the president quickly imposed a national lockdown on the 30th of March - initially for a 21-day period. Afterward, it was extended twice for two weeks, and then from 16 May 2020 for an indefinite period, albeit with two weekly reviews of the situation. At the time of writing, the country had 46 confirmed cases and 4 deaths. While fear and anxiety about COVID-19 have gripped people in the country, many seem to be more afraid of something different. Since the lockdown and subsequent deployment of the police and army, it is common to hear people say, 'In this country, we are more afraid of hunger and the state security than the coronavirus.' For many people, the state and its repressive apparatus represent an immediate and serious threat to their lives and livelihoods. Lockdowns and deployment of state apparatus To enforce the lockdown regulations, most of the Zimbabwean government deployed soldiers and the police. This deployment of state apparatus is largely concentrated in low-income spaces where adherence to lockdown measures such as socio-physical distancing is next to impossible. Some scholars have argued that social distancing is not only impossible among the urban poor, but is a privilege that many poor people cannot afford. 'How can I practice social distancing when I am sharing a small room with two different families?' a resident of Mbare's Matapi flats who shares a room with six other people asked. Mbare is the oldest high-density suburbs in the southern part of Harare. Matapi flats are low-income single room council owned in Harare's oldest high-density suburb. Initially constructed to house single migrant workers, they now house multiple families in each room. For people in such conditions, being outside is better than being indoors - hence, their defiance to social distancing and other lockdown measures is rife. In fact, the living and working realities in low-income places make social distancing a myth and privilege. In addition, buying soap and sanitizers is now considered a luxury amid a critical food crisis. 'If given a choice would you buy soap or sanitizers with your last penny when there is no food to eat? - Some would argue. To enforce the lockdown, the deployed police and army have often adopted a heavy-handed approach - arresting and beating up thousands of people in low-income neighbourhoods. In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second-largest city, two women were brutally assaulted by police officers for breaching social distancing rules on a supermarket queue for scarce basic commodities. Considering a long and protracted history of state-sanctioned violence in Zimbabwe, the militarisation of streets and public spaces constitutes 'symbolic violence' that invokes traumatising experiences of past experiences of brutality. Abductions and Brutality In Zimbabwe, the lockdown has led to a sharp increase in human rights violations by state apparatus. The recent alleged abduction and sexual abuse of the MDC Alliance female activists is a case in point. While government-aligned newspapers, ZANU-PF politicians, and their supporters have dismissed these abductions as stage-managed, the government has ordered a full-scale investigation into the abductions. Initially, the police confirmed they had arrested the three for protesting against the government in violation of lockdown rules, but later denied when party colleagues and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights demanded access to them. The government had promised to provide financial and social support to vulnerable people, but nothing has been provided to date and many families are already facing starvation. Later, they were found traumatised and seriously injured with reports that they had been stripped naked, beaten and sexually molested, and asked to drink each other's urine. These abduction, torture, and disappearance of ZANU-PF critics is neither surprising nor new. In 2015, suspected state security agents abducted pro-democracy activist and journalist Itai Dzamara. To date he has not been found. In fact, civil society and opposition activists believe that abductions, brutality, torture, and disappearance is one of ZANU-PF's key modus operandi of dealing with critics and political nemesis. Although citizens have a constitutional right to engage in peaceful protests, in Zimbabwe, protests are always met with brutality, abductions and torture of activists. Thandekile Moyo's article noted that the notorious Central Intelligence Office (CIO) and military intelligence commit many of Zimbabwe's abductions, extrajudicial murders, and enforced disappearances. I have also argued elsewhere that the government deploys a huge network of its state apparatus for spying purposes as well as intimidating political critics and opponents in various spaces. Demolitions, Livelihoods, and Homelessness The deepening poverty and unemployment forced the majority of Zimbabwe's urban population into operating informal markets at undesignated spaces in many cities in Zimbabwe. During the lockdown, the Ministry of Local Government ordered city councils to demolish illegal structures in an operation akin to the (in) famous 2005 Operation Murambatsvina. The government considers the informal sector a potential hotspot for the spread of the coronavirus. Like the Murambatsvina demolitions, the latest demolitions were not only motivated by epidemiological and public health concerns but also political reasons. Crowded market places like Siya So (Magaba), Mupedzanhamo, and other markets in Harare were particularly targeted and ordered to close. In Masvingo, the popular Chitima market was also demolished by the city council. This led to massive losses for some vendors whose produce was left to rot after the demolitions. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Zimbabwe Coronavirus By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. While the courts had declared the demolitions illegal and ordered them to be stopped, the demolitions continued. ZimRights regard demolitions as a violation of people's social and economic rights. Many vendors I interviewed in Harare felt that the government was supposed to build on the effort of poor vending and create better infrastructure for them to operate, but instead the government chose to destroy their only source of livelihood. In addition, corruption by law enforcement agents has peaked during the lockdown. Some police and military officers are extorting citizens already buckling under the economic weight of the lockdown. With the government promising to tighten the lockdown by deploying more security forces into the streets, such conditions will create an environment ripe for state security excesses like police corruption and brutality. Without addressing the structural forces that (re)produce social inequality and provision of social safety nets as well as social protection measures, pandemics like COVID-19 will have long-lasting impacts on the lives and livelihoods of many people. In fact, without adequate, social, and financial support most of the WHO recommended public health measures like social/physical distancing, lockdown, and hygiene will be a myth in many poor African neighbourhoods. In fact, some governments such as in Zimbabwe have taken the opportunity to consolidate their power and control. During this protracted COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant lockdown measures, Zimbabweans have to grapple with both food and economic insecurity as well as state security repression. Simbarashe Gukurume is a lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Great Zimbabwe University. During Operation Lam Son 719, Tony Goodson defended the tactical operations center all day and night from attacks in every corner during the Vietnam War. But one explosion struck near him, shooting him into the air. When he landed, he looked down and saw his legs covered in bloods and scars. Goodson was winded, but after medical officers picked the shrapnel out of his legs, he was sent back into the field to defend the Khe Sanh Combat Base, supporting South Vietnamese troops. I felt very lucky the next morning, Goodson said. Lam Son 719 left over 200 Americans killed or missing in action while 1,149 were wounded, according to History Net. Goodson, now 70 years old, told The Jersey Journal on Sunday that he can never forget about those he lost during the war. Memorial Day is a bittersweet time, he added, but not being able to get together for the traditional annual events due to coronavirus virus concerns makes him sad. Goodson, a commander at VFW Shelton Post 2294, said they will instead have a small gathering for a flagpole raising and prayer service outside, spaced out from one another, on Monday at 10 a.m. Members of the post will also visit monuments individually. All Jersey City-run events are canceled until further notice. On Friday, Gov. Murphy loosened state restrictions allowing groups of 25 outside. Though Monday will have a smaller crowd, Goodson said its the right move to follow guidelines and avoid hosting large gatherings because its not worth the risk. The Jersey City native was a U.S. Army sergeant and served in Vietnam from June 1970 to May 1971. He was also part of the 101st Airborne Division during Lam Son 719 where 19 U.S. Army aviators died, 59 were wounded and 11 went missing, according to the Air Force History and Museums Program. Birthdays, holidays, its all the same to me, Goodson said. ... I always think about those who couldnt be here. For Stephen Holinka, 72, he said he feels terrible without the traditional Memorial Day events, which are a way for him to commemorate his former comrades people who he thinks about often. Holinka has marched with Jersey Citys Lafayette Amvets Post 33 in its annual Memorial Day parade for the last 40 years. Afterwards, there would also be a mass, memorial services and a luncheon for members, family and friends at Broadway Diner in Bayonne. But those are other events that wont be happening Monday due to COVID-19. Just a shame we couldnt have it..., Holinka said. ... Its been a very disappointing year. Holinka said that on Monday hell be thinking about all the people he knew during his three years of service. He was a former sergeant and spent a tour in 1966 to 1967 in Korea before volunteering in 1968 for the Vietnam War. The commander of Amvets Post 33 also said hell been commemorating the former World War II veterans of the post, many of whom have died. I knew many of them very well and we had some great times at the post, Holinka said. I just think about them so much and what theyve done for this country. I constantly think about them. Theyre part of me. Though therell be no parades, some places like Weehawken have decided to move their festivities online. Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner told The Jersey Journal Saturday that there will be a virtual Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday. It will include a dedication of wreaths, veterans ritual, naming of deceased Weehawken Elks Lodge members and more. The broadcast will be available through the townships government Facebook page and website. I think were all disappointed, said Elks Exalted Ruler Lorraine Wuillamey. But of course, everybody understands. China's decision to impose national security reforms on Hong Kong, after decades of trying to get such changes passed through its devolved legislature, crosses a threshold from which there appears to be no turning back. The new law presented last week at the National People's Congress in Beijing promises tougher measures on those deemed as harbouring secessionist views, and codifies China's right to use national troops and national security agencies in Hong Kong. What is shocking about this new law is not the detail of its seven articles but rather the way it is being forced upon the city by the Chinese congress. It is an admission that Beijing has no faith left, after the months of street protests last year, in the administration of the city's leader, Carrie Lam. Speaking yesterday, Leung Chun-ying and pro-Beijing city politicians raised the prospect of new investigative powers for Beijing in comments likely to further enrage campaigners fearing the end of the financial hub's treasured autonomy. It came as Hong Kong was on edge last night, with an eerie calm settling over the city ahead of the first mass demonstrations planned since lockdown buried a year of turmoil and pro-democracy protests. The city's hidden network of protesters and activists are gearing up for a banned march today. One protester said: "They want to crush us in body and spirit. We need to focus. We can see why the Chinese Communist Party hates Hong Kong's freedom so much." Another protester warned that the move by China could prompt a "next level" response from activists. Others said they were scrubbing their social media history to get rid of anything that may lead any Chinese police to their door. They must now tread a careful line between staying out of sight and keeping up a message to the outside world, another protester said, adding Hong Kongers can't fight Beijing's clampdown alone. "It is the beginning of the end of Hong Kong as we know it," said Professor Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at Soas University of London. Joshua Wong, one of the most high-profile figures of the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement that emerged to protect the city's autonomy in the years since 2014, said the law would "kill future democratic movements, since all protests and other calls for democracy in the city will be classified as attempts at subversion, just like how the Beijing government does in [mainland] China". Speaking to reporters, he called on the people of Hong Kong to "stand up and fight this uphill battle", Mr Wong said he believed that activists like himself, who have spoken publicly abroad and lobbied for the international community to support Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, were "probably the prime target" for a clause in the new law banning foreign intervention in the city. That there will be protests in response to Beijing's move is unquestionable, says Prof Tsang. "It is going to be a very hot summer in Hong Kong - if anything, I think it is going to be worse than last year." He described yesterday's move as the death knell for the "one country, two systems" principle, whereby Hong Kong is seen as part of China but with its citizens enjoying freedoms and judicial independence unseen on the mainland. China's premier, Li Keqiang, insisted yesterday that Beijing would continue to uphold the system. "Either way," says Prof Tsang, "it is the end of 'one country, two systems' - because if Hong Kongers stand up and fight the new law they will be crushed. If they don't stand up, they don't fight, then they will be rolled over. But it is pretty hard to see the people of Hong Kong just rolling over." China has been looking for a way out of the protest crisis for a long time now, he added, and the coronavirus crisis has presented "the perfect timing" to make its move, with the Western democracies that would normally speak out for Hong Kong too preoccupied with their own virus outbreaks - or "dependent on China for PPE". For activists like Mr Wong, the only hope now is that the international community does not look the other way. Independent Many classic films depict servicemens valiant wartime deeds, and these deserve another look on the day we remember those who have fallen for our sake: Memorial Day. After the success of 1939s Gone With the Wind, American Civil War films became popular. Before America joined World War II, World War I was the most frequent setting for combat films. During World War II, stories about the war were popular, remaining so for years. Uniting and Sacrificing for Victory (LR) Ronald Reagan, Rhonda Fleming, and Bruce Bennett in 1951s The Last Outpost. (Paramount Pictures) The Civil War A classic Civil War drama is 1951s The Last Outpost. A Confederate cavalry brigade plagues a Union outpost. Union colonel Jeb Britton (Bruce Bennett) comes to capture them, but trader Sam McQuade (John Ridgely) insists that setting local Apaches against the Confederates is the solution. Britton fears they will attack all Americans once provoked, but McQuade persists. Meanwhile, Britton learns that McQuades discontented wife, Julie (Rhonda Fleming), was engaged to his brother, Vance Britton (Ronald Reagan), before he joined the Confederate Army. When Col. Britton encounters the Confederates, he realizes their captain is his brother. After Apaches kill trader McQuade, Vance impersonates the Union major sent to recruit the Apaches, visiting them himself. He must release the imprisoned Apaches (arrested for McQuades murder) before the tribe attacks, all while keeping his Confederate identity secret. A scene from The Last Outpost. (Paramount Pictures) In The Last Outpost, the war within America is reflected by the brothers opposing military sides. However, near the films end, Union and Confederate soldiers unite against a common enemy. Jeb, Union soldiers, and townspeople try to defend a town against the Apaches. Knowing the Native Americans hopelessly outnumber them, Vances regiment joins the battle, saving his brothers defense from annihilation. Although enemies in the war, these soldiers unite as Americans. Their loyalty helped America reunite after the war, just as the Britton brothers plan to reconcile. Pat OBrien (L) and James Cagney star as priest and soldier, respectively, in The Fighting 69th. (Warner Bros) World War I A memorable World War I movie is 1940s The Fighting 69th. New Yorks 69th Infantry Regiment prepares for combat with Maj. Wild Bill Donovans (George Brent) military leadership and chaplain Father Duffys (Pat OBrien) spiritual guidance. Cocky recruit Jerry Plunkett (James Cagney) clashes with Sgt. Mike Wynn (Alan Hale). Plunketts comrades quickly grow to hate him, but Father Duffy believes in him. In Europe, the 69th finally sees battle. Although Jerry has longed to fight for months, he acts cowardly in the trenches, causing comrades to be killed. Maj. Donovan wants Plunkett transferred, but Father Duffy asks that he be given one more chance, believing faith will give Jerry courage. In The Fighting 69th, the Fourth Alabama Infantry Regiment camps by the 69th. A fight ensues when an Alabaman brags that they beat the 69th during the Civil War. Maj. Donovan stops the fight, reminding the soldiers that they are no longer enemies: Those men on both sides were Americans. They fought and then rose above their hatreds to become one people again. Our two regiments are now brigaded together. But theres no room for sectional feuds, because were all one nation now, one team. An all-American team pulling together and known as the United States Army. Americans must unite for victory. John Wayne (L) and Robert Montgomery in They Were Expendable. (MGM) World War II A great World War II film is 1945s They Were Expendable. Lieutenants Brick Brickley (Robert Montgomery) and Rusty Ryan (John Wayne) struggle to convince superiors of their PT boat squadrons value. After Pearl Harbor, the squadron is relegated to messenger duties. Eventually, they are assigned to destroy an enemy cruiser. Brick chooses his boat and Rustys for the mission, but he replaces Rusty after Rusty is discovered to have blood poisoning from shrapnel. While restless in the hospital, Rusty is tended by nurse Sandy Davyss (Donna Reed); they bond at a hospital dance. After Rusty recovers, Sandy transfers to the island where his squadron is located, and a romance blossoms. Soon after, they receive a special mission, transporting important personnel 600 miles. These personnel include Gen. MacArthur and his family, but this prestigious mission is just one of the squadrons many jobs toward victory. They Were Expendable shows that service is not always heroic. Seeing Lt. Brickleys disappointment about the messenger assignment, Adm. Blackwell (Charles Trowbridge) explains that duty is not always exciting: You and I are professionals. If the manager says, Sacrifice, we lay down a bunt and let somebody else hit the home runs. Our job is to lay down that sacrifice. Thats what we were trained for, and thats what well do. These courageous sailors find passive assignments harder than dangerous missions, but they follow orders. As Brick tells Rusty, Theirs not to reason why. Theirs but to do. And die, Rusty finishes, although he doesnt like being bored to death. However, their opportunities come because they willingly serve as needed. In Memoriam Two of these movies feature beautiful tributes to fallen soldiers. After the first battle in The Fighting 69th, Sgt. Joyce Kilmer (Jeffrey Lynn), a famous poet from the 69th, recites excerpts from Rouge Bouquet, a poem hed written for fallen comrades: Perhaps their brave young spirits hear The bugle sing, Go to sleep! Go to sleep! Slumber well where the shell screamed and fell. Let your rifles rest on the muddy floor, You will not need them any more. Dangers past; Now at last, Go to sleep! And up to Heavens doorway floats From the wood called Rouge Bouquet, A delicate cloud of bugle notes That softly say: Farewell! Farewell! Comrades true, born anew, peace to you. Your souls shall be where the heroes are, And your memory shine like the morning-star. Brave and dear, Shield us here. Farewell! James Cagney plays a coward and then a hero in The Fighting 69th. (Warner Bros) In They Were Expendable, two sailors on Rustys boat, Squarehead Larsen (Harry Tenbrook) and Slug Mahan (Murray Alper), are killed in action. Rusty delivers the eulogy, describing the importance of servicemens funerals: A serviceman is supposed to have a funeral, as a tribute to the way he spent his life. Escort, firing squad, wrapped in the flag he served under and died for. In war, you gotta forget those things and get buried the best way you can. John Wayne (2nd R) as Lt. Rusty Ryan in They Were Expendable from 1945. (MGM) Rusty recites Requiem by Robert Louis Stevenson in their honor: Under the wide and starry sky. Dig the grave and let me lie. Glad did I live and gladly die. And I laid me down with a will. This be the verse you grave for me: Here he lies where he longed to be. Home is the sailor, home from the sea, And the hunter home from the hill. Then, one sailor plays Taps on harmonica. The Citadel of Peace These three classic films honor fallen servicemen by glorifying soldiers from three American wars. The Last Outpost shows the war that tore America apart like feuding brothers, but American brotherhood, like the Britton brothers bond, was too strong to sever. The Fighting 69th honors World War I soldiers by joining historic figures Wild Bill Donovan, Joyce Kilmer, Oliver Ames, and Father Duffy with fictional characters. They Were Expendable, based on William L. Whites book, dramatized PT Boat Squadron 3s excursions under John D. Bulkeley and Robert Kelly (Brickley and Ryan, respectively) to celebrate their bravery. The Fighting 69th ends with Father Duffys prayer for remembering servicemen, a beautiful tribute to all American veterans: Hear the prayer of this, Americas lost generation. They loved life, too. It was as sweet to them as to the living of today. They accepted privation, wounds, and death, that an ideal might live. Dont let it be forgotten. Amid turmoil and angry passions, when all worthwhile things seem swept away, let the tired eyes of a troubled world rise up and see the shining citadel of which these young lives formed the imperishable stones. America, the citadel of peace. Tiffany Brannan is an 18-year-old opera singer, Hollywood historian, travel writer, film blogger, vintage fashion expert, and ballet writer. In 2016, she and her sister founded the Pure Entertainment Preservation Society, an organization dedicated to reforming the arts by reinstating the Motion Picture Production Code. President Donald Trump lashed out at Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, D, in a pair of late-night tweets Thursday after she called him "a petulant child" following his refusal to wear a face mask at all times during his visit to a Ford manufacturing plant in the state earlier that day. "The president is like a petulant child who refuses to follow the rules," Nessel said in a Thursday evening appearance on CNN. "This is no joke." Nessel, who wrote a strongly worded letter to Trump ahead of his visit telling him that he had a "legal" and "moral responsibility" to wear a mask, unleashed on the president in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Nessel slammed Trump for sending a "terrible message" and said that his unwillingness to adhere to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's executive order and Ford's company policy mandating face coverings showed that he does not care about anyone but himself. "He is a ridiculous person and I am ashamed to have him be president of the United States of America," she said. "I hope that the voters of Michigan will remember this when November comes. That he didn't care enough about their safety, he didn't care about their welfare, he didn't respect them enough just to engage in the very simple task, the painless task, the easy task of wearing a mask when he was provided one." She continued: "I hope that we'll have a new president soon enough who does respect people more than this president does." The state's chief law enforcement official also doubled down on her previous threat to take action against any company or facility in Michigan that allows Trump inside without a mask, telling Blitzer that her office is "going to have to have a very serious conversation with Ford in the event that they permitted the president to be in publicly enclosed places in violation of the order." Nessel's criticism did not go over well with Trump. "The Wacky Do Nothing Attorney General of Michigan, Dana Nessel, is viciously threatening Ford Motor Company for the fact that I inspected a Ventilator plant without a mask," the president tweeted shortly after 11 p.m. "Not their fault, & I did put on a mask. No wonder many auto companies left Michigan, until I came along!" Less than five minutes later, Trump fired off another attack aimed at the "Do nothing A.G. of the Great State of Michigan." Nessel, he wrote, "should not be taking her anger and stupidity out on Ford Motor - they might get upset with you and leave the state, like so many other companies have - until I came along and brought business back to Michigan." Ford did not respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post early Friday. But in a statement to reporters after Trump's visit, the company said that executive chairman Bill Ford had "encouraged" the president to wear a face covering on his tour inside the Detroit-area factory that has been repurposed to produce ventilators and masks. "He wore a mask during a private viewing of three Ford GTs from over the years," the company's statement said. "The President later removed the mask for the remainder of the visit." Trump said as much to reporters Thursday after he was questioned about his decision to go without a mask. "I had one on before," he said, standing barefaced in front of several men wearing masks and a large sign advertising the facility's mask-making efforts. "But I didn't want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it." Trump went on to add that he was "given a choice" about donning a face covering. "I had one on in an area where they preferred it, so I put it on and it was very nice. But they said, 'Not necessary here,' " he said, later showing off a navy blue mask with a presidential seal to the cameras. When asked to confirm Trump's comments, Bill Ford only shrugged and responded, "It's up to him." Trump's disregard for the facility's policy and Whitmer's executive order, which requires that face coverings be worn in all enclosed public spaces, sparked widespread backlash Thursday, most notably from Nessel. Ahead of Trump's visit, Nessel had said that the president would be asked not to come back to Michigan if he didn't follow the state's mask mandate. In her interview with Blitzer, Nessel said Thursday's events were "extremely disappointing and yet totally predictable," likely referring to past instances in which Trump has not respected mask policies - even those implemented by the White House. Still, Nessel stressed that Trump's actions are "very, very concerning." "He's conveying the worst possible message to people who cannot afford to be on the receiving end of terrible misinformation," she said, noting that the virus has now killed more than 93,000 people nationwide. In Michigan alone, there are about 53,500 confirmed cases and more than 5,100 deaths, according to most recent figures. By flouting mask requirements, Nessel said Trump is essentially telling people, "I don't care about you. . . . I don't care about anyone but myself." On the subject of taking action against Ford, Nessel did not go into specifics, but warned the automaker that Thursday's visit could have jeopardized the safety of its employees. "They knew exactly what the order was and if they permitted anyone, even the president of the United States to defy that order, I think it has serious health consequences, potentially to their workers," she said. "The last thing we want to see is for this particular plant now to have to close its doors . . . because someone may have been infected by the president. That is a real possibility." Though the novel coronavirus reached the White House earlier this month, Trump said he has consistently tested negative. Before leaving for Michigan on Thursday, Trump gave an update on his daily test results, telling reporters, "I tested very positively in another sense. . . . I tested positively toward negative." "I tested perfectly this morning," he continued. "Meaning I tested negative. But that's a way of saying it: Positively toward the negative." That didn't stop Nessel from condemning Trump's behavior at the Ford factory Thursday, or responding to his Twitter attack with scathing tweets of her own. "Seems like you have a problem with all 3 women who run MI - as well as your ability to tell the truth," Nessel tweeted just before midnight, referencing Trump's recent clashes with Whitmer and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. "Also, hard to say I've 'done nothing' as AG with all the lawsuits myself and the other @DemocraticAGs have filed and won against you," she added. Nessel wasn't the only one on Thursday who went after Trump for failing to wear a mask for the entirety of his tour. The sight of the lower half of Trump's face proved equally upsetting to late-night host Stephen Colbert, who lumped the president's visit in with the "series of disasters" Michigan is experiencing. But the CBS host said Trump was right about one thing: the media would be too happy to see him in a mask. "There would be enormous pleasure in seeing less of his face," Colbert joked. - - - The Washington Post's Anne Gearan contributed to this report. Vietnamese wait to be repatriated home at an airport in Russia, May 12, 2020. Photo courtesy of Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A woman on a repatriation flight from Russia was confirmed Vietnam's latest Covid-19 case Sunday morning, taking the active cases tally to 58. Among the active cases, ten have tested negative at least once. Sunday morning also marked the start of the 38th straight day in a row that the nation has gone without community transmission of the disease. "Patient 325" is a 34-year-old woman from the northern province of Ninh Binh. She returned from Russia on Vietnam Airlines flight VN0062, landing May 13 at Van Don Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh. She tested negative on arrival and positive on May 21. She's being treated at the Hospital of Tropical Diseases in the northern province of Hai Duong. She had been infected with the novel coronavirus in Russia, but was announced recovered before she returned to Vietnam. So far, 32 people on the VN0062 flight have been confirmed infected with the coronavirus, including 30 passengers and two crew members. They were all quarantined upon arrival. The nations Covid-19 tally has gone up to 325 with 185 of them imported and the remaining caused by community transmission. The last community transmission case was recorded on April 16. There has been no Covid-19 death in Vietnam to date. The countrys most seriously ill case, "Patient 91," a 43-year-old British man, was temporarily taken off continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) Saturday. He remains in critical condition and on life support, depending almost entirely on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation). ECMO is a technique that pumps blood out of the body and to a heart-lung machine that removes carbon dioxide and sends oxygen-filled blood back. CRRT is a technique that replaces the normal blood-filtering function of the kidneys, helping them heal and prevent further damage. The Covid-19 pandemic has hit 213 countries and territories, with more than 343,500 deaths reported. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a Central Military Commission meeting, reported the North's state media KCNA on Sunday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a Central Military Commission meeting and discussed "new policies for further increasing the nuclear war deterrence of the country," state media reported Sunday. Also discussed at the enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party were important military steps and organizational and political measures to further bolster up the overall armed forces, according to the Korean Central News Agency. "Set forth at the meeting were new policies for further increasing the nuclear war deterrence of the country and putting the strategic armed forces on a high alert operation in line with the general requirements for the building and development of the armed forces of the country," the KCNA said. It did not elaborate what the "new policies" for nuclear deterrence were. KCNA via Yonhap KCNA via Yonhap KCNA via Yonhap The former prime minister of Papua New Guinea has been arrested and taken in for questioning over alleged misappropriation and corruption involving the purchase of two generators from Israel. Peter O'Neill was arrested by police at Jackson's International Airport in Port Moresby on Saturday after flying back from Brisbane, Australia, where he had been stranded because of Covid-19 lockdowns. He was later released on bail and will spend two weeks in isolation at his home due to the same virus restrictions. O'Neill led Papua New Guinea for seven years before quitting in 2019 after a number of resignations from his government. Police said the investigation involves the purchase of the two power generators from Israel for 50 million kina ($14.2 million) when O'Neill was leading the country. In a statement quoted by the Australian Broadcasting Corp., police official Hodges Ette alleged O'Neill directed payments for the purchase of the generators without approval of parliament and without a tender process. Ette said police believe "there is reasonable evidence of offenses of misappropriation, abuse of office and official corruption." Police attempted to arrest O'Neill in October over a different issue but they withdrew the charge when O'Neill challenged its validity in court. : A two-month-old baby boy, who was allegedly sold by his parents for Rs 22,000, has been rescued by the police here on Sunday. Citing preliminary investigation, the police said the couple allegedly sold their baby on Saturday night, their second child born around two months ago "due to some financial problems and also due to the drinking habit" of the baby's father. However, the baby's mother told police that her husband, who was addicted to drinking, was responsible for selling their child, the police said Acting on a tip-off, a police team recovered the baby from a woman-buyer and handed over the baby to the Child Welfare Committee, a police official told PTI. "The couple sold the baby for Rs 22,000 to a woman, who stays in their neighbourhood and it seems she wanted to give the child to her sister who had no issues. The couple also signed on a bond paper and handed over the baby to the woman on Saturday night," the police official said. The woman was nabbed on Sunday while she was taking the baby to a hospital, the official said adding the baby's parents and the woman buyer were detained and efforts were on to nab three other absconding accused who had signed as witnesses on the bond paper. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tradition is the foundation upon which everything is built at Willamette National Cemetery, a sprawling 270-acre site about 10 miles east of Portland. More than 180,000 veterans and family members are laid to rest at this cemetery, which opened in late 1950 in Happy Valley. Rituals and rules are followed to the letter. Protocol offers dignity and certainty, both often lacking in the world beyond these manicured grounds. This is a place where flags that drape coffins are removed and folded just so. Salutes are snapped with precision, the hand never trembling. Shoes are shined, uniforms crisp. There is a proper way to walk, to turn and to offer a quiet word of condolence to mourners. Tradition is on majestic display at the annual Memorial Day service. Rain or shine, the somber event typically draws nearly 2,500 people from the metropolitan area. The agenda never varies: Speakers, dignitaries, hymns and prayers. Until this year. For the first time in nearly 70 years, there will be no service, no pomp and circumstance, no public gathering to honor those who have died and those who continue to serve the nation. Tradition lost out to COVID-19. The National Cemetery Administration, which oversees Willamette, decided not to host public events at any of the national cemeteries this Memorial Day. A staff member at each site will perform a small and private observance that will be photographed and later posted on the organizations website, Facebook and Twitter pages. At Willamette, families and friends may visit Monday to continue the tradition of placing flowers at a gravesite. The only official moment marking the day will be when the cemeterys director quietly lays a wreath at the foot of the cemeterys flagpole. With that, he will walk away. And that will bring an end to Memorial Day 2020 at Willamette National Cemetery. *** This is a tough year, Crystal Purdy-Newland said Thursday. No question about it. Shes been in the funeral business for 15 years, the last 12 at Lincoln Memorial Park & Funeral Home across from Willamette National Cemetery. Her funeral home is part of the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Program, a national organization thats provided 1,700 funerals for veterans whose bodies were not claimed. As such, what takes place at Willamette National matters to Purdy-Newland. This year just wont be the same, she said. The inability to have the service will make it feel somewhat hollow. To stand in the crowd at a Memorial Day service, to walk the rolling hills at any time of the year, is to be reminded of lifes fragility, facing the ultimate truth that we all will one day die. It feels particularly acute this year with a running tally of people who have died from complications brought on by the novel coronavirus. We can think about all this on our own this Memorial Day, said Purdy-Newland. But theres something powerful when people come together to reflect. In the large group thats been out here every year you feel support being with people who are strangers. Even as traditions end this year, the cycle of life does not. Each week, as many as 80 bodies arrive at Willamette National Cemetery. *** Anthony Sessions, the administrative officer at Willamette National, has been in the business 17 years. He spent time here, served at other national cemeteries and returned three months ago just as the storm arrived. Were still providing services for families, Sessions said Thursday. But everything has changed. The front office is closed. Arrangements are worked out over the phone, and employees wear face masks. Greg Lindstrom, a cemetery representative who works with families, said the cemetery remains open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily to allow people to visit gravesites. I expect people will be out here Memorial Day, he said, but nothing will be organized. Staff wont be able to help visitors find a specific site, something difficult to do on your own. The Gravesite Locator kiosk in the administrative building has been turned off over fears about sanitizing the unit and concerns about social distancing as people wait their turn. To help, a mobile grave locator that can be used with a smart phone will be available. The cemetery will post QR codes on signs throughout the cemetery to help link the visitors to the site. What all of us miss is the opportunity to reassure families, said Lindstrom. Also missing this year will be the sea of flags on more than 160,000 gravesites. Thats heartbreaking, said Purdy-Newland, who can see Willamette National from the parking lot at her funeral home. In past years, teams of Boy Scouts came to the cemetery the week before Memorial Day to place a flag at each gravesite. Ive watched them, she said. Its clear they consider it a sacred task. They handle it with honor. At each grave, they place a flag, stand at attention and then salute. While large flags will be placed along the cemeterys Avenue of Flags, the individual flags are what provide the most power, said Purdy-Newland. Each flag represents a life, she said. When you see them all, you cant help but feel that loss. The National Cemetery Administration has created a virtual way for people to pay tribute at the Veterans Legacy Memorial. The site, launched in 2019, contains a memorial page for each veteran and service member interred in a VA national cemetery. Online visitors are invited to leave a tribute on a veterans page. All comments will be reviewed for appropriateness prior to being posted. That will help, said Purdy-Newland. Her husband, Ian, was awarded a Purple Heart after being wounded while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq. In 2006, a foreign fighter dropped a grenade into the Humvee that Newland and his buddies were riding in. A 19-year-old gunner used his body to cover the grenade. He died. Newland, severely wounded, has scars and shrapnel in his body. Memorial Day is not just a vacation day for my husband, she said. He uses the day to think about the friends he lost. Its hard for him to enjoy the day and just have a barbecue. *** The bodies that arrive at Willamette National are treated with respect. It doesnt matter if in civilian life that person earned a living as janitor or a CEO. Tradition matters from beginning to end. In normal times the family gathers at one of the outdoor shelters scattered throughout the cemetery. A contingent of motorcycle riders, members of the Patriot Guard, lead the way. They stand at attention as an honor guard removes the casket covered with a flag. The ceremony moves quickly. Words spoken, the flag folded and presented to the family and then a 21-gun salute. These days, families must stay in their cars, watching officials at the gravesite. There are no words spoken, no flag presented. The only ceremonial moment is when taps is played. Not the closure needed, said Lindstrom, the staff member who works with the families. But because of the virus, its the best we can do. The plan is to hold the traditional services when its deemed safe again. No one knows when that will be. Outside the front office, yet another hearse arrives. -- Tom Hallman Jr; thallman@oregonian.com; 503-221-8224; @thallmanjr Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Investors who take an interest in NewOcean Energy Holdings Limited (HKG:342) should definitely note that insider Tseng Hon Wong recently paid HK$0.80 per share to buy HK$1.1m worth of the stock. While that's a very decent purchase to our minds, it was proportionally a bit modest, boosting their holding by just 1.9%. Check out our latest analysis for NewOcean Energy Holdings NewOcean Energy Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year Chairman Siu Shum made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for HK$7.5m worth of shares at a price of HK$1.65 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being HK$0.78). It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. While NewOcean Energy Holdings insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. Their average price was about HK$1.48. These transactions suggest that insiders have considered the current price attractive. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! SEHK:342 Recent Insider Trading May 24th 2020 NewOcean Energy Holdings is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Insider Ownership Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. NewOcean Energy Holdings insiders own about HK$238m worth of shares. That equates to 21% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. Story continues What Might The Insider Transactions At NewOcean Energy Holdings Tell Us? It is good to see the recent insider purchase. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. Once you factor in the high insider ownership, it certainly seems like insiders are positive about NewOcean Energy Holdings. One for the watchlist, at least! 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. At Simply Wall St, we've found that NewOcean Energy Holdings has 3 warning signs (2 are a bit unpleasant!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis. But note: NewOcean Energy Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. Love or hate this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email 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. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. President Donald Trump's press secretary may have revealed his private bank account and routing numbers while displaying a check during a Friday press briefing, The New York Times reported. Kayleigh McEnany was displaying a check that showed Trump's quarterly salary donations. This time, the president donated $100,000 to the Department of Health and Human Services. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany holds up what appears to be a real check with President Donald Trump's bank account and routing number at a press briefing on Friday. The photo has been cropped to exclude any information. The White House During a briefing on Friday, President Donald Trump's Press Secretary may have shown his private bank account and routing numbers, while displaying a check he donated to the Department of Health and Human Services, The New York Times noted. The photos are cropped to exclude any possible information. As Business Insider previously reported, Trump promised to donate his $400,000 presidential salary, and each quarter it is revealed what entity receives the donation. "I won't take even one dollar. I'm totally giving up my salary if I become president," Trump said in a short video posted to his Twitter account in 2016. According to The Times, Kayleigh McEnany not only revealed where this quarterly $100,000 donation was going but inadvertently showcased what appeared to be a "real check from Capital One, complete with the relevant details." An administration official told The Times that mock checks were never used in the briefing. That sort of personal information could allow someone to hack an account, withdraw funds, and make unauthorized purchases. White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany holds up the check. This photo has been cropped to remove potential information. The White House Eva Velasquez, the president, and chief executive of the Identity Theft Resource Center told The Times that while she believed a bank would have extra precautions for protecting the bank accounts of high profile individuals like Trump, she was concerned about McEnany's actions. Story continues "This is one of those situations where setting the example is very important," Velasquez told The Times. "It's very important for your average person to understand this is not a best practice." McEnany has not responded to Business Insider's request for comment at the time of publication. Read the original article on Business Insider RUGBY star Simon Zebo has called for prison sentences for people who racially abuse players during games. Ulster Rugby banned a spectator for life last year after Mr Zebo was insulted while playing for visitors Racing 92 at Belfast's Kingspan Stadium. The Cork-born player said: "Ulster banned him, but who decides if that's too much or too little? There's no place for racism in any sport, but nothing seems to be happening. "If someone is going to say that and think they're a tough guy, I'd see how tough they are after six weeks in jail. "If I punched someone in the street, that's what would happen and it's the same thing in my eyes. More needs to be done to stop it." The 30-year-old suffered racist abuse when he was growing up but thought those days were gone. "Growing up in Ireland and playing all sports, I got stuff like that when playing against kids who didn't know the impact of what they were saying," he said. "As a kid, you're full of rage. When you're older, you're disappointed. I'm disappointed that it happened to me and that it happened in Ireland." Ulster Rugby thanked supporters for coming forward to identify the spectator who racially abused Mr Zebo. The club said at the time: "Following a robust investigation into allegations of abuse directed at Simon Zebo during the fixture versus Racing 92, Ulster Rugby has sanctioned a lifetime ban on a spectator for breaching our stadium regulations. We are all very proud of our reputation as an inclusive club, and the unacceptable behaviour of this one individual is not reflective of our supporters or the values of our club." After the Champions Cup clash, Mr Zebo tweeted: "I hope my ears deceived me with some comments directed my way from the crowd. #Not on - Django wins in the end." The end of the tweet was a reference to Quentin Tarantino's 2012 film Django Unchained, about an African-American slave who tracks down his wife after securing his freedom. Zebo's father is from the Caribbean island of Martinique and his mother is from Ireland. Nanded : , May 24 (IANS) In a sensational incident, a sadhu was robbed and murdered in his bedroom at his ashram in Umri (Nanded), early on Sunday. Barely 12 hours after the incident, the prime suspect was caught, a top police officer said. The sadhu had arrived from Karnataka to Nanded over a decade ago. The sadhu, who was strangled to death, has been identified as Shivacharya Nirvanarudra Pashupatinath Maharaj, the founder-spiritual head of Nirvanji Pashupatinath Mutt. Addressing media persons, Nanded Superintendent of Police Vijaykumar Magar, the prime suspect, Sainath Langote first killed his accomplice Bhagwan Shinde and then went to the ashram late on Saturday. He entered Shivaharya Maharaj's bedroom where he was resting and threw chilli powder in his eyes, blinding him. Then he quickly grabbed cash of Rs 69,000, his laptop and other valuables in the bedroom worth approximately Rs.1.50 lakh, besides the sadhu's car keys. As Shivacharya Maharaj attempted to grapple with him, Langote pinned him down and strangled him, then dragged his body to the sadhu's car parked outside and dumped it into the boot. "He started the car and sped off towards the road outside, but the car crashed into the main gate of the ashram creating a noise, alerting the other sevaks sleeping inside the ashram," Magar said. Around 8-10 other ashram sevaks rushed outside to check the ruckus and when they saw their seer's belongings and his body in the car trunck, they attempted to stop Langote, but he gave them the slip. A short distance away, Langote managed to steal a motorbike and sped off into the darkness and hours later, the police found the body of his accomplice Shinde from a nearby school premises, Magar said. In view of the sensitivity of the incident, Magar said around five crack teams were formed which fanned out into the district and managed to catch Langote this afternoon. "The prima facie motive for the Sadhu's murder was clearly robbery and the second killing could be due to rivalry or some differences among them. The absconder suspect has been caught by a police team. We will interrogate him and get further details of the crime," Magar told IANS. Nanded Congress strongman and PWD Minister Ashok Chavan appealed that the murder should not be politicized, since the police investigations are underway and the autopsy report is awaited. He said the deceased sadhu belonged to the Lingayat caste, and both Shinde and Langote who belonged to the same community were his followers. Shivacharya Maharaj had come to Nanded over a decade ago and set up the ashram which he ran along with a band of followers. As many as 10,000 people have returned in the last four weeks from red zones to Hamirpur district, which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Himachal Pradesh. Over 16,000 people returned from other states to Hamirpur district between April 26 and May 23, Deputy Commissioner Harikesh Meena said on Sunday. Of them, nearly 10,000 returned from red zone areas, he added. The number of infected people in Hamirpur district is 61 as against the hill state's total of 193, as of Sunday evening. Himachal Pradesh has 55 active COVID-19 cases. The DC said the process of collecting samples of people coming from red zones was expedited. So far, over 4,500 samples have been taken in the district and around 3,500 of them are from red zones, he added. About 170 more people are soon returning to Hamirpur from red zones of Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Thane in Maharashtra in two trains, he added. The DC maintained that over 13,000 people have completed their quarantine period in the district. Meena paid surprise visits to various institutional quarantine centres on Sunday and directed persons posted there to take proper care of the people coming there. He visited quarantine facilities set up in the premises of National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur and Government Degree College, Hamirpur and got information about lodging and various facilities provided to the people there. The DC, accompanied by Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil) Dr Charanji Lal, instructed the officials concerned to ensure all necessary arrangements on time to keep various services here running smoothly. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) The Nigerian Armed Forces said on Sunday that the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) killed close to 200 armed bandits in multiple air strikes in the northwest of the country Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 16:37:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YANGON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar authorities seized large haul of stimulants and methamphetamine (ICE) in Shan state, according to a release from the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) on Sunday. Acting on tip-offs, the anti-narcotic police force stoped and searched a car travelling to Moe Mate township from Mantong township on Saturday, and 168,000 stimulants worth 336 million kyats (240,000 U.S. dollars) were confiscated from the car along with one suspect. The township police filed a case against the suspect and further investigation is underway under the country's Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law, the release said. On Friday, 124 kg of methamphetamine (ICE) and 248,000 stimulants were seized from a car in Ywangan township of the same state. According to a latest release issued by the President's Office, a total of 1,123 drug-related cases were registered across Myanmar while 1,724 suspects were charged in connection with the cases as of May 16 this year, since the formation of the Drug Activity Special Complaint Department on June 26, 2018. Enditem Scuba diving takes the lucky few to a world of adventure and thrilling sights. Most of us think of diving as drifting along, exploring coral reefs or swimming through schools of fish. Often it involves swimming near a sea turtle or watching a shark cruise past. But there is another side to diving that is less common and less frequently imagined when we say the words "scuba diving". Cenotes are rivers of fresh water that are a popular diving destination, especially in Mexico. Limestone formation and erosion caused an enormous system of underground lakes and rivers, many of which are connected by tunnels and crevices. Scuba divers have been able to explore these beautiful and crystal clear cenotes for many years. The fish are unique and so is the animal life, because it is fresh water, not salt water that runs through them. Cenotes offer tunnels, ledges, overhangs, open areas, and even mangrove roots to explore. These scuba divers had reached the turnaround point in their open cenote dive near Akumal, Mexico. They surfaced in a large pool in the mangroves from a depth of 12m (36 feet). The limestone ledges and mangrove bushes around the opening were the perfect habitat for crocodiles. This large male is 2.5m (7.5 feet) long and has a head and jaws that are full of very impressive teeth. The divers approached cautiously for a close look and some video and photographs of the formidable looking beast. Well camouflaged and large enough that he does not have any true predators, this male was not worried about a few people in his pool. But as they became braver and closed the distance, the crocodile gave them a warning that they had entered his personal bubble. With a display of his hundreds of teeth, the divers quickly got the message to move back. Crocodiles are ambush predators that patrol the shores of the waters they inhabit. They recognize land animals that come to drink as prey. They will move silently and slowly until they are close enough for a lunge attack and they will snap their powerful jaws on the creature, dragging it into the water. Animals that are not killed quickly will be drowned and then eaten. But crocodiles are not used to hunting food in the water and they rarely see. The National Democratic Party (NDP) has presented some assorted items to the Ho Municipal Police Command to fight the COVID-19 and limit its spread. The items, which included Veronica buckets, hand sanitizers, liquid soaps, and nose masks are to enable security personnel to observe the health safety protocol while discharging their duties to curb the spread of the virus. The Party also gave similar items to the Tsito Health Centre in the Ho West District to encourage health personnel to carry out their duties effectively. The chiefs and people of Ho-Ahoe, Tsito, Ho-Ahoe market women, drivers at Metro mass taxi rank in Ho, NDC Park Tricycle Union, and drivers at Klefe station also benefited from similar items to fight the pandemic. Mr Prince Mensah, the Volta Regional Chairman of the Party said security personnel continues to play crucial roles in maintaining the peace of the country, thus, the need to support them with the items to protect them against the virus so they could continue to serve the nation. He said the Party also considered the well-being and role of health personnel in the fight against the disease as very crucial, hence the support to ensure their safety and to cushion them deliver more on their duties. The Chairman said though the government was doing its best at tackling the pandemic, it cannot do it alone therefore, it was important to augment the effort as a political party because we need every citizen alive for socio-economic development of the country. He said the Party would be distributing 5,000 nose masks, 3,000 Veronica buckets, 3,000 hand sanitizers, and 2,500 liquid soaps throughout the Volta region, adding that similar exercises would be done in other regions. Mr Mensah reiterated the need for everyone to adhere to the World Health Organization's and the Ghana Health Service's safety protocols to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Mr Anthony Danso, Ho Municipal Police Commander was grateful to the Party for the gesture and said the items would be placed at the Commands duty posts to service personnel and the public. 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 China is "open" to international cooperation to identify the source of the novel coronavirus, but any investigation must be led by the World Health Organization and "free of political interference", China's foreign minister said Sunday. Wang Yi blasted what he called efforts by US politicians to "fabricate rumours" about the origins of the virus and "stigmatise China". The United States and Australia have called in recent weeks for an investigation into the source of the pandemic. Both US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have accused China of a lack of transparency over the issue, and repeatedly pushed the theory that the virus leaked from a Chinese maximum-security laboratory. Most scientists believe the virus jumped from animals to humans, possibly from a market selling exotic animals for meat in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. "China is open to working with the international scientific community to look into the source of the virus," Wang said at a press conference on the sidelines of China's annual parliament session. "At the same time, we believe that this should be professional, fair and constructive," he added. "Fairness means the process be free of political interference, respect the sovereignty of all countries, and oppose any presumption of guilt." Wang said a "professional" search for the origin of the virus must be "led by the WHO", and "allow scientists and medical experts to conduct scientific research on a global scale." The World Health Organization called on Beijing earlier this month to invite the UN body to investigate the source, but Wang did not say if foreign experts would be invited into the country as part of the efforts. China has previously proposed that the "global response" to COVID-19 should only be assessed when the pandemic is over. WHO members on Tuesday adopted a resolution at the UN body's first virtual assembly to review international handling of the pandemic. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has said Beijing is open to international cooperation to identify the source of the novel coronavirus Blog Archive Apr 2010 (22) May 2010 (25) Jun 2010 (8) Jul 2010 (12) Aug 2010 (18) Sep 2010 (19) Oct 2010 (29) Nov 2010 (30) Dec 2010 (18) Jan 2011 (13) Feb 2011 (21) Mar 2011 (23) Apr 2011 (19) May 2011 (31) Jun 2011 (36) Jul 2011 (46) Aug 2011 (26) Sep 2011 (12) Oct 2011 (15) Nov 2011 (17) Dec 2011 (7) Jan 2012 (18) Feb 2012 (4) Mar 2012 (12) Apr 2012 (18) May 2012 (10) Jun 2012 (21) Jul 2012 (8) Aug 2012 (15) Sep 2012 (7) Oct 2012 (17) Nov 2012 (20) Dec 2012 (10) Jan 2013 (58) Feb 2013 (59) Mar 2013 (60) Apr 2013 (98) May 2013 (135) Jun 2013 (204) Jul 2013 (293) Aug 2013 (351) Sep 2013 (363) Oct 2013 (348) Nov 2013 (374) Dec 2013 (442) Jan 2014 (547) Feb 2014 (476) Mar 2014 (526) Apr 2014 (527) May 2014 (469) Jun 2014 (408) Jul 2014 (472) Aug 2014 (522) Sep 2014 (443) Oct 2014 (472) Nov 2014 (497) Dec 2014 (536) Jan 2015 (539) Feb 2015 (520) Mar 2015 (582) Apr 2015 (658) May 2015 (679) Jun 2015 (673) Jul 2015 (728) Aug 2015 (803) Sep 2015 (923) Oct 2015 (924) Nov 2015 (802) Dec 2015 (791) Jan 2016 (782) Feb 2016 (835) Mar 2016 (929) Apr 2016 (866) May 2016 (947) Jun 2016 (1044) Jul 2016 (882) Aug 2016 (1035) Sep 2016 (967) Oct 2016 (918) Nov 2016 (854) Dec 2016 (885) Jan 2017 (879) Feb 2017 (777) Mar 2017 (896) Apr 2017 (872) May 2017 (850) Jun 2017 (851) Jul 2017 (971) Aug 2017 (1040) Sep 2017 (998) Oct 2017 (1144) Nov 2017 (1046) Dec 2017 (838) Jan 2018 (873) Feb 2018 (769) Mar 2018 (885) Apr 2018 (809) May 2018 (827) Jun 2018 (820) Jul 2018 (840) Aug 2018 (854) Sep 2018 (844) Oct 2018 (851) Nov 2018 (870) Dec 2018 (912) Jan 2019 (919) Feb 2019 (827) Mar 2019 (957) Apr 2019 (913) May 2019 (1007) Jun 2019 (935) Jul 2019 (950) Aug 2019 (936) Sep 2019 (910) Oct 2019 (920) Nov 2019 (874) Dec 2019 (908) Jan 2020 (941) Feb 2020 (849) Mar 2020 (898) Apr 2020 (848) May 2020 (822) Jun 2020 (789) Jul 2020 (819) Aug 2020 (858) Sep 2020 (841) Oct 2020 (873) Nov 2020 (812) Dec 2020 (780) Jan 2021 (765) Feb 2021 (716) Mar 2021 (819) Apr 2021 (805) May 2021 (815) Jun 2021 (824) Jul 2021 (830) Aug 2021 (832) Sep 2021 (791) Oct 2021 (754) Nov 2021 (683) Dec 2021 (693) Jan 2022 (451) The youngest member of the royal family of Sweden, Prince Oscar, takes central stage in a series of newly released pictures. The four-year-old son of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel looked thrilled as he befriended sheep while in the grounds of Haga Palace in Stockholm on Monday last week. The same day, the young royal had earlier been photographed with his elder sister Estelle, eight, and his mother Victoria, 42, in a beekeeper's outfit to celebrate World Bee Day. Scroll down for video Prince Oscar of Sweden, four, had the time of his life befriending sheep at the royal residence, Haga Palace, near Stockholm, on Monday Have you any wool? The young royal couldn't hide his glee as he ran after a black sheep, his mother, Crown Princess Victoria, keeping a close watch The photographer who captured the cute outing has now shared new snaps of the young prince playing with the sheep, seen with his watchful mother not far behind. In the pictures, four-year-old Oscar gets close to the curly-coated sheep, hugging their black wool and cuddling their heads, while Crown Princess Victoria is seen smiling in the background. Oscar did not seem to be fazed by the large animals, who were almost twice his size. Instead, he casually rested his arms, and on one occasion, his whole body, on their black wool. The Crown Princess, still wearing her beekeeper suit, and a pair of pink gloves, was keeping watch, minding her son's steps as he jumped into the enclosure, ready to mingle with the animals. The little prince enjoyed some time with one of his new friends, casually resting against the sheep's coat Still wearing her beekeeping suit, Crown Princess Victoria, 42, seemed delighted to see her young son having such fun Little Oscar was photographed with a big grin on his face while running after a black sheep and clapping his hands in excitement. Later on, Victoria's hand was carefully holding the animal's head still as her son rested his cheek close to the animal's forehead, a happy smile lighting up his face. Victoria, Estelle and Oscar had headed outside at Haga Palace, the Swedish royal residence, in order to observe beehives ahead of World Bee Day. Victoria had to keep a watchful eye on her young son as he jumped into the sheep's enclosure, ready to play The young royal, wearing a pair of jeans and rubber boots, shared a tender cuddle with one of the sheep Princess Estelle, seven, and Oscar, four, looked bewildered as they observed some bees on the grounds of Haga Palace Princess Estelle even picked up one of the hive's slats to showcase the many bees, as her younger brother eagerly looked on. The adorable pictures were shared on the royal court's official Instagram account. 'Before #worldbeeday, the Crown Princess took Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar to the hives at Haga Palace,' the social media post read. Ready to go! Oscar could barely hide his excitement as he climbed the fence to the sheep enclosure with his mother The prince pondered his wide choice of playmates as he gently petted a sheep's black wool The sheep remained calmed and gentle as the young prince cuddled them 'There they learned more about bees and why they are important for our biodiversity. Humans rely on pollinators, such as bees, to eventually be able to get food on the table. 'The beehives at Haga Palace were a much appreciated gift to the Crown Princess from the Swedish beekeeper's national association, @biodlarna, 10 years ago.' The Crown Princess has been an honorary member of the Swedish Beekeepers' Association since 2002 and the beehives were a wedding gift to her and her husband Prince Daniel, 46, from the organisation. Audi Formula E driver Daniel Abt was disqualified and ordered to pay 10,000 euros ($10,900.00) to charity on Sunday for getting a professional gamer to compete under his name in an official esports race. The German, who apologised for "having called in outside help", was also stripped of all points won to date in the all-electric series' Race at Home Challenge which features drivers using simulators remotely. "I did not take it as seriously as I should have," said the 27-year-old, accepting the punishment for sporting misconduct. "I am especially sorry about this because I know how much work has gone into this project on the part of the Formula E organisation. I am aware that my offence has a bitter aftertaste but it was never meant with any bad intention." Pro gamer Lorenz Hoerzing, Abt's 'ringer', was disqualified from all future rounds of the separate Challenge Grid competition. The 15-lap race around a virtual Berlin Tempelhof track was won by Britain's Oliver Rowland for Nissan e.dams with Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne second for Mercedes. Vandoorne had made clear on his Twitch stream during the race that he suspected somebody else was driving under Abt's name and pretending to be him. He was backed up by Jean-Eric Vergne, a two-times champion in real life. "Please ask Daniel Abt to put his Zoom next time hes driving, because like Stoffel said Im pretty sure he wasnt in," the Frenchman said. Abt, who had not featured on the virtual podium in any of the previous races, did not appear for online post-race interviews. Formula E's real life series leader Antonio Felix da Costa appeared less concerned, however. "It's just a game guys. We all know Daniel as a fun guy and a joker...," commented the Portuguese on Twitter. Formula E did not explain how the deception had happened but the-race.com website, which runs a popular series of virtual races with Torque Esports, said it understood organisers had cross-referenced the IP addresses of competitors. They realised that Abt, who had qualified second, could not have been at the wheel. The esports series features regular Formula E drivers competing from their homes in isolation and aims to provide some action for fans with racing on hold in real life due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The drivers are usually visible in their simulators on Zoom, but the-race.com said the face of the driver purporting to be Abt was hidden by some equipment while his Twitch stream stopped working. Vandoorne was seen calling Abt's mobile but he did not answer. The Challenge Grid is made up "gamers and influencers" competing for a prize of real-life track time in a Formula E car at a race weekend. The disqualification meant series leader and compatriot Pascal Wehrlein moved up from fourth to third. The Eid prayer is done in the same way like in the mosques, however, there is no Khutba (sermon) being delivered by the Imam of the mosque. It is just like any normal daily prayer. The Eid prayer has two rakahs, however, it has extra takbeers. Takbeer refers to when Allah-Hu- Akbar is said to begin the prayer and one raises the hands to the ears, it is an Arabic word. During normal prayers, takbeer is said only once, but for the Eid prayer, you have to say takbeer 12 times in two rakahs (this is the procedure followed in the UAE). One can say seven takbeers in the first rakah and then begin reciting the Quran as done during normal prayers. You must say extra five takbeers during the starting of the second rakah and then finish your prayer like you normally do. In mosques, it is the Imam who delivers the khutbah (sermon) of Eid, however, that is not allowed when the prayer is performed at home. The prayer can be performed alone at home or with family members. During Ramadan for a period of 30 days Muslims observe Roza. Eid depends on the sighting of the moon which normally occurs on the 29th or 30th day of Ramadan. The exact time and date of Eid ul-Fitr is confirmed after the crescent moon has been sighted. Eid shall now be celebrated in India on May 25 since the moon could not be sighted on Saturday night, Ahmed Shah Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Delhis Jama Masjid said. Bukhari has also appealed to people to offer Eid namaz at their homes due to the coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter The facade of the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa on March 13, 2019. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images) China Building, Bugging Government Offices in African Nations, Report Says China has been building key government offices and facilities in African countries for decades and fitting them with gear that likely allows the Chinese government to spy on everyone, from presidents and prime ministers to judges and generals and beyond, according to a recent Heritage Foundation report. More than 186 buildings constructed by China in 40 of the 54 nations in Africa house the sort of sensitive data and activity that invites surveillance, Heritage researcher Joshua Meservey found. The Palace of Justice in the Angolan capital of Luanda was built in 2012, while in the notorious kleptocracy of Equatorial Guinea, the Chinese erected the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in 2015. And in Zimbabwe, where its former leader, the late Robert Mugabe, once called Chinese leader Xi Jinping a God-sent person, China has built the countrys National Defense College and is constructing its parliament, according to the report. In all, Chinese companies have built, expanded, or renovated at least 24 presidential or prime minister residences or offices; at least 26 parliaments or parliamentary offices; at least 32 military or police installations; and at least 19 ministries of foreign affairs buildings, the report states. That gives Beijing extraordinary access to gain insights into the most intimate workings of governments across Africa, and to the information that gives China clairvoyant-like powers to adjust its tactics to maximum advantage. In conjunction with physical assets, China has also built 14 intra-governmental telecommunication networks, with Chinese-made systems such as those from Huawei. Meservey expects that those networks are all compromised in favor of Chinas intelligence-gathering activities, giving the regime a significant advantage over not only its political and commercial competitors in Africa, but also over host-country officials who may themselves be liable for misdeeds. The breadth and depth of intelligence coverage China has been able to achieve through its construction projects across Africa is a sign of the continents importance to Beijings geopolitical strategies, the report points out. The Evidence The suspicion that many of these facilities act as listening stations for Beijing is bolstered by two factors. China has already been caught red-handed vacuuming up years of data from one of Africas most important public buildings. In 2018, first Le Monde and then the Financial Times ran stories exposing two systemic security breaches that China had hard-wired into the building it constructed and donated for the African Unions headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The first was the discovery that the AUs servers, also a Chinese gift, were uploading data to servers in Shanghai, nightly from midnight to 2 a.m. The other breach at the AU was more tactile. A physical inspection of the AU building uncovered listening devices throughout the building. Aside from the AU case, which offers direct evidence of Chinas ability, and, more importantly, its willingness to spy on and compromise a friend, a second factor adds compelling circumstantial evidence to the likelihood that China is spying on Africa through the medium of its building infrastructure there. That evidence is found in China, where for decades, apartment compounds and hotels were built that exclusively housed foreigners. In most if not all of those facilities, listening equipment was deployed to monitor conversations and movements of residents and guests, according to multiple Chinese Communist Party and foreign business and diplomatic sources. Those compounds include groups of diplomatic apartment buildings in Beijing, as well as hotels operating under major Western European and American brand names. Indeed, even foreign students in China are known to have found microphones in their dormitories. The Ramifications The high probability that China is using infrastructure that it builds in Africa to spy on political and business leaders and events should give the United States pause, the report suggests. If the capability to spy in Africa is being used, then it means that China has better surveillance access to Africa than any other nation operating on the continent, Meservey writes. Using that access and the inside knowledge it provides gives China an advantage in competitive commercial negotiations. It also tips Beijing about who in Africa can be influenced to make decisions favorable to Chinas goals, and how to exert and recruit that influence. But the scope of surveillance isnt limited to Africans, the report points out. Anyone in a room built or equipped by China can be the subject of Beijings listening capabilities, including U.S. and other foreign officials. In addition, activities that take place in those physical locations between a host country and any other foreign nation also become vulnerable to Chinese spying, compromising diplomatic strategies, military counterterrorism operations, [and] joint military exercises. Which is why, Meservey advises, the U.S. should try to complicate Beijings surveillance as part of a strategic response to the CCPs [Chinese Communist Party] effort to reshape the global order. Beijings Reaction In his May 22 press conference, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for Chinas Foreign Ministry, called the Heritage reports claims ridiculous and based on nothing but lies, illusions, and ideological bias, in response to China Dailys request to comment on the report. In addition, African leaders publicly refuted such rumors on multiple occasions, Zhao said. The Heritage report anticipated that response. Expect little helpand perhaps even resistancefrom some African states. Given how adroitly the CCP has built influence in Africa and the many examples of African countries fearing to defy Beijing, the U.S. should not expect these governments to offer much assistance in ameliorating Americas counterintelligence problem in Africa, the author writes. In fact, some, if asked, or in an attempt to curry CCP favor, may even actively collaborate with Beijing to hinder American efforts to protect its interests on the continent. In-depth Analysis and Data-driven Insights on the Impact of COVID-19 Included in this Global Hair Loss Products Market Report. The hair loss products market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 6% during the period 20192025. New York, May 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Hair Loss Products Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2020-2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05894594/?utm_source=GNW The global hair loss products market is witnessing robust growth, which is expected to continue during the forecast period. An increasing number of customers demanding hair loss products to meet functional purposes has been driving the market over the last few years. The number of people with hair ailments is growing at a steady pace. The usage and demand for hair care products such as serums, shampoos, conditioners, and oils to improve the volume or strength have been increasing. The global demand for premium-quality hair wigs and extensions is influencing manufacturers to establish production facilities in Asian countries in China and India. It offers hair loss products at a lower cost than global markets. Low-priced goods are becoming extremely popular among price-conscious customers that explore cost-efficient options for surgical hair replacement procedures. Moreover, the growth in per capita disposable income has increased discretionary spending among several European countries, which bodes well for manufacturers in the region. The influence of social media is driving the demand for hair care products, especially for natural and organic ingredients. The growing inclination toward the maintenance of cleanliness and hygiene is another major driver. The introduction of innovative and differentiated products, as well as enriching consumer experience with the help of technological advancements, is further fueling the market growth. The following factors are likely to contribute to the growth of the hair loss products market during the forecast period: Traction of Organic and Vegan Products Skinification of Hair Rising Awareness and Adoption of Topical Hair Loss Products Social Media and Popup Stores Driving Adoption The study considers the present scenario of the hair loss products market 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. HAIR LOSS PRODUCTS MARKET SEGMENTATION This research report includes a detailed segmentation by product, gender, distribution channels, and geography. Shampoos and conditioners are the most widely penetrated hair care products worldwide. The segment accounts for the largest revenue share among both male and female consumers across the globe. One key reason for the high adoption of these products, especially among men, is the convenience of usage as they can easily be fit into daily bathing and grooming routines. Oils are the most common and widely utilized hair care products and constitute an essential component of hair care kit, primarily in developing countries of APAC. Oils are gaining traction in European countries such as France and Italy. The growth is on account of the incorporation of organic and essential oil extracts, which have regrowth properties. The women segment is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. This is due to the increasing fashion awareness and collective popularity of hair care products among females. More than 80% of women are apprehensive about the ingredients in the products related to essential care. Hence, the demand is not growing for organic-based products, but also ingredients. In the US, over 23% of women are suffering from hair loss or other weakening conditions. Pattern hair loss or Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA), is the most prevalent type of hair loss in men and women. Hence, the growth of the womens hair fall products market is likely to witness steady growth during the forecast period. The distribution channel modes include online and offline mediums. The online segment includes official company websites and third-party vendors. The offline channel is further segmented into supermarkets, department stores, chemists, catalogs, spas & salons, and other modes such as hair clinics. To gain a competitive edge, vendors are relying on the multi-channel sales model. Market Segmentation by Product Shampoos & Conditioners o Women o Men Oil o Women o Men Serum o Women o Men Others o Women o Men By Genders Men o Shampoos & Conditioners o Oil o Serum o Others Women o Shampoos & Conditioners o Oil o Serum o Others By Distribution Channels Offline Online INSIGHTS BY GEOGRAPHY The global hair care and premium cosmetics industry is highly penetrated in Western Europe and North America. The market is rapidly growing in APAC, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa regions. The growth is propelled due to high awareness and the growing trend in the grooming industry. The Asia Pacific region is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Japan is leading the hair loss products market, followed by China and India. Australia and Singapore lag in the revenue momentum owing to the niche demand from core target consumers. Europe, with a market share of 25%, is estimated to continue its significance during the forecast period. The growth can be concentrated in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, and Russia. The UK, Germany, Italy, and France can serve as the hotspots for the launch of premium and luxury goods in Europe. North America is expected to contribute 15% of the total market revenue by 2025. The US region is the major contributor. The region is expected to witness the growth of numerous domestic vendors in the next five years. The shift in the grooming trend among generation X and millennials is more likely to sustain during the forecast period. By Geography Europe o Spain o Germany o Italy o France o UK North America o US o Canada APAC o South Korea o China o Japan o Australia o India Latin America o Brazil o Mexico MEA o Turkey o Saudi Arabia o South Africa o UAE INSIGHTS BY VENDORS Customer demands have steered the global hair loss products market. Manufacturers have been introducing new produces depending on the prevailing trends in fashion, beauty, and personal sectors. However, this has not been able to increase the demand for hair care products. This is because new trends and products showcased by celebrities and influencers on social media are one of the primary factors propelling the market in the current scenario. The market is observing consolidation wherein several vendors are focusing on the acquisition of domestic brands to strengthen their product portfolio. With the help of acquisitions, vendors are also trying to reduce the competition. Key Vendors Henke Loreal Unilever P&G Henkel Coty Other Vendors Revlon Estee Lauder Kao Corporation Shiseido Hoyu Developlus Embelleze Natulique Kevin Murphy AmorePacific Maria Nila Godrej Davines Johnson & Johnson Honasa Cellmid Pureology Aveda Lipogaine DS Healthcare Hims Keeps Harklinikken Beardo Natura & Co Forrest Essentials The Man Company Shahnaz Husain Group Dr. Batras Himalaya Herbals Brillare Isdin Wow Science Khadi Natural Kama Ayurveda Sebapharma Biotique Veta KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED: 1. What is growth rate of hair loss treatment products market size in India? 2. What is the global hair loss products market size and growth rate? 3. Which is the leading segment/geography in the global hair loss products market? 4. What is the market size of hair loss shampoo industry? 5. What are the key drivers, trends, and factors driving the global hair loss products market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05894594/?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. __________________________ CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In the midst of this virus-caused pandemic, the threat of other killer viruses will always generate headlines. For example, an NPR article caught my eye: Are There Zombie VirusesLike The 1918 FluThawing In The Permafrost? The article presumes that layers of frozen soil could warm in coming years, perhaps releasing frozen pathogens into the world. For example, the bodies of 1918 flu pandemic victims buried in the far north could perhaps harbor deadly viruses that could cause a new outbreak. The corpses of smallpox victims have been found buried in the permafrost as well. Scientists have attempted to revive the influenza virus and smallpox specimens extracted from such victims. However, their attempts have all failed. The reason is simple: these pathogens lived in people at body temperature, not frozen corpses. When they were extracted, they were found to be as dead as their victims. The story illustrates this fact: fear-based stories dominate our media because they work. I clicked on the NPR headline because the threat it suggests seemed both real and frightening. If such pathogens are waiting to be released into the world, I wanted to know about them. Of course, in retrospect, it makes sense that a virus that lives in a living human could not live in a frozen corpse. But by the time I discovered this, I had read most of the story. In a recent article, David French explained this phenomenon: Shades of gray dont raise funds. Or generate clicks, I would add. He continues: Its good guys vs. bad guys, and there are two states of beingvictory or crisis. As a result, while not all media or activism is fear-based, much is. French notes, There is virtually no market for a problem that isnt a disaster. Your public will veer toward putting out the raging fire over tossing a few cups of water on smoldering wood. Heres the bottom line: the more an article can alarm or frighten us, the more it will engage us. Changing the world through fear or faith Christians, by contrast, have the best news in the world to share. Gospel, in fact, literally means good news. The fact that the God who made us also loves us passionately and unconditionally is astounding. The fact that his Son died on the cross so we could live forever is news every person on the planet deserves to know. If researchers developed a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 today, wouldnt you want to know it by tomorrow? However, we can share this news most effectively when we exhibit its power most personally. A story even more compelling than fearful headlines is a changed life. When a blind man healed by Jesus was challenged to explain his transformation, he stated simply but profoundly: One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see (John 9:25). Missionary Hudson Taylor: Many Christians estimate difficulty in the light of their own resources, and thus they attempt very little and they always fail. All giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on his power and presence to be with them. Will you reckon on his power and presence today? Originally posted at denisonforum.org Lucknow, May 24 : The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has banned Corona patients from keeping mobile phones inside isolation wards of COVID-19 hospitals in the state. Patients admitted in dedicated L-2 and L-3 COVID hospitals will no longer will allowed to take mobile phones along with them in the isolation wards in order to check the spread of the infection. According to an order issued by the state government late on Saturday night, two mobile phones will now be available with the ward in-charge of the COVID care centres so that patients and talk to their family members and administration if required. Further, the orders specify that the mobile numbers should be communicated to the family members of the patients also. Director General Medical Education, K.K. Gupta, who issued the order, has informed all concerned officials and directors of dedicated COVID hospitals. "To facilitate the communication between COVID-19 patients admitted in clinics, with their family members, or anyone else, ensure that two dedicated mobile phones while adhering to infection prevention norms, are kept with ward in-charge of COVID care centre," the order said. According to the latest data available on the website of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Uttar Pradesh now has 5,735 cases of Corona positive patients and the numbers have been growing steadily since the past ten days. Unable to withstand the coronavirus pandemic that has crippled global travel and with it, the heavily indebted 102-year-old car rental company's business, Hertz has filed for bankruptcy protection. The Estero, Fla.-based company's lenders were unwilling to grant it another extension on its auto lease debt payments past a Friday deadline, triggering the filing on Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. Hertz and its subsidiaries will continue to operate, according to a release from the company. Hertz's principal international operating regions and franchised locations are not included in the filing. By the end of March, Hertz Global Holdings Inc. had racked up $18.7 billion in debt with only $1 billion of available cash. Starting in mid-March, the company whose car-rental bands also include Dollar and Thrifty lost all revenue when travel shut down due to the coronavirus. The company made significant efforts but couldn't raise money on the capital markets, so it started missing payments to creditors in April, the filing said. Hertz has also been plagued by management upheaval, naming its fourth CEO in six years on May 18. "No business is built for zero revenue," former CEO Kathryn Marinello said on the company's first-quarter earnings conference call May 12. "There's only so long that companies' reserves will carry them." In late March, Hertz shed 12,000 workers and put another 4,000 on furlough, cut vehicle acquisitions by 90 percent and stopped all nonessential spending. The company said the moves would save $2.5 billion per year. But the cuts came too late to save Hertz, the nation's No. 2 auto rental company founded in 1918 by Walter L. Jacobs. Jacobs sold the company, initially called Rent-A-Car Inc., to John D. Hertz in 1923. In a note to investors in late April, Jefferies analyst Hamzah Mazari predicted that rival Avis would survive the coronavirus crisis but Hertz had only a 50-50 chance "given it was slower to cut costs." On May 18, Hertz named operations chief Paul Stone as CEO and announced that Marinello would step down as CEO and from the company's board. Mazari called the step unusual just days before a potential bankruptcy filing. He also noted that CEO changes have been common at Hertz since financier Carl Icahn entered the firm in 2014. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Icahn's holding company is Hertz's largest shareholder. Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Woronka credited Marinello with reigniting Hertz's revenue growth, writing in a note to investors that it rose 16 percent in 2018 and 2019 combined. Hertz's bankruptcy protection filing was hardly a surprise. In its first-quarter report filed earlier in May with securities regulators, the company said it may not be able to repay or refinance debt and may not have enough cash to keep operating. Under a Chapter 11 restructuring, creditors will have to settle for less than full repayment. Its biggest creditors are banks, but the filing lists IBM, Lyft, United and Southwest Airlines as others owed between $6 million and $23 million each. Walnut Creek police are searching for two men wanted in connection with a shooting that injured two people on Thursday. In a 24-second clip from surveillance footage that captured the shooting, a light-colored sedan can be seen pulling up behind a parked black SUV in the parking lot of a business on the 1200 block of Newell Avenue at 6:22 p.m. Two masked men can be seen stepping out of the sedan and running toward the passenger side of the SUV. Police said the two men were armed with handguns and immediately shot at the victim seated in the passenger side of the SUV. The victim, who was not identified, was struck at least once. The video shows a rear passenger opening a drivers side door and collapsing onto the lot shortly before the driver behind the wheel of the SUV identified by police as John Rankin can be seen exiting the vehicle and returning gunfire toward the two suspects, running out of frame. After the seconds-long exchange, the two armed suspects can be seen returning to the sedan, which promptly drove away from the parking lot. Neither suspect has been arrested, police said. Police said responding officers found bullet casings, shattered glass and blood in the lot. Within minutes of arriving at the scene, police said they learned that two men were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds related to this incident. Police did not immediately clarify who those men were in connection to the shooting. Officials said an innocent bystander who was seated in a nearby vehicle was struck by gunfire from Rankins firearm. The persons condition was unknown on Saturday. Police have arrested Rankin, of Detroit, Mich., on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and shooting into an inhabited vehicle. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Police released the surveillance video on Friday and are asking the publics help to identify the suspects. Anyone with information should call call Walnut Creek Police Department Detective Leonard at 925-256-3523. Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez The latest novel coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Saturday. This article is no longer updating. Read the latest here. 10 p.m.: Ontarios regional health units reported their first day below 400 new COVID-19 cases in nearly a week on Sunday as Torontos average rate of new infections has hit a new high, surpassing a previous April peak, according to the Stars latest count. As of 9 p.m. Sunday, the health units had reported a total of 27,072 confirmed and probable cases, including 2,164 deaths. The total of 339 new confirmed and probable cases reported since Saturday evening was well down from a recent string of above-average case reports this week, which had seen five straight days at above 400 new cases. A recent upturn in infections across Ontario has not been felt equally across the province. The daily count of new cases has been relatively flat outside of Toronto over the last two weeks. Meanwhile, numbers in the city have now surpassed the highest levels of new case reports seen since the beginning of the pandemic. Indeed, most of Sundays case growth in Ontario came in Toronto, which by itself reported another 200 new cases, with nine more fatal cases. Last month, Torontos daily average for new cases rose steadily to eventually peak at an average of 209 per day for the seven days ending April 23. On Sunday, the equivalent seven-day average passed that rate, to 218 cases per day. Meanwhile, the 24 fatal cases reported in the province since Saturday evening were in line with the long-term recent falling trend. The rate of deaths is down considerably since peaking at more than 90 deaths in a day earlier this month, about two weeks after the peak in the daily case totals. Earlier Sunday, the province once again reported another day in which testing labs completed far fewer COVID-19 tests than the target of 16,000 daily. The 11,383 tests completed the previous day was the seventh straight well below the target. The province says the labs have the capacity to complete about 20,000 tests daily. In the past, spikes in case counts have followed days with high testing rates, and vice versa for days of low testing. Because many health units publish tallies to their websites before reporting to Public Health Ontario, the Stars count is more current than the data the province puts out each morning. The province also reported 878 patients are now hospitalized with COVID-19, including 148 in intensive care, of whom 104 are on a ventilator numbers that have fallen in recent weeks. The province also says nearly 19,500 patients who have tested positive for the coronavirus have now recovered from the disease about three-quarters of the total infected. The province says its data is accurate to 4 p.m. the previous day. The province also cautions its latest count of total deaths 2,073 may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system, saying that in the event of a discrepancy, data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date. The Stars count includes some patients reported as probable COVID-19 cases, meaning they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test. 9:37 p.m.: Thomas Waerner won this years Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in March, but he is still waiting to return to his home in Norway. Waerner and his 16 dogs have been stranded in Alaska by travel restrictions and flight cancellations caused by the coronavirus pandemic, The Anchorage Daily News reported Saturday. The 47-year-old plans to fly home in early June on a DC-6 aircraft bound for the Air History Museum in Sola, Norway. Everts Air Cargo of Fairbanks is selling the historic plane, and Waerner said the museum is expected to finalize the deal this week. 8:30 p.m.: Mayor John Tory, who visited Trinity Bellwoods park on Saturday, apologized for breaking the COVID-19 rules in a statement released Sunday. I want to apologize for my personal behaviour, Tory said via Twitter. I visited Trinity Bellwoods Park to try to determine why things were the way they were. I fully intended to properly physically distance but it was very difficult to do. I wore a mask into the park but I failed to use it properly, another thing Im disappointed about. These were mistakes that I made and as a leader in this city, I know that I must set a better example going forward. Don Peat, the mayors spokesman, said Tory had made significant efforts to maintain physical distance, moving when people came too close or asking them to step back. 8 p.m.: A Manitoba Indigenous group says there's a deal with the province's Crown-owned hydro utility to remove blockades set up over fears that workers could introduce COVID-19 to an area around a multi-billion dollar hydroelectric project. Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak says in a news release that leaders of First Nations that had been blockading the Keeyask power project met with Manitoba Hydro President Jay Grewal on Saturday, and that they reached an agreement for the barricades to come down. The announcement says the deal includes lifting a court injunction issued last week against Tataskweyak Cree Nation, one of the communities that was part of the protest. Four northern First Nations stopped entry at three points around the site about 725 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg after Manitoba Hydro said it would rotate out hundreds of employees and contractors who had been there for eight weeks. 7:17 p.m.: A Mississauga mosque says it was still able to celebrate Eid on Sunday with a physically distant drive-thru celebration with thousands of congregants. The Islamic Society of North America says roughly 2,000 cars with multiple people inside were able to take part in Mississauga where mosque staff handed out gift bags for families. Eid al-Fitr is an Islamic holiday that celebrates the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, in which people go without food or drink from sunrise to sunset. Chihab Kaab, chair of ISNAs board, said they had planned to start the event at 10 a.m., but cars had already started lining up an hour early. He said spirits were high It was truly the spirit of Eid and it was the celebration that people needed. 4:40 p.m.: There are 10,035 cases of COVID-19 in Toronto, which is an increase of 200 cases since Saturdays tally. In total, 7,397 people have recovered a 195 case increase since Saturday, the city stated in a Sunday press release. There have been 759 COVID-19 deaths in Toronto. In the fall out of the gathering at Trinity Bellwoods Park, the city said bylaw enforcement is focused on providing education about the physical distancing bylaw and provincial orders, further stating that education and awareness is the preferred method, but that tickets will be handed out if need be. Four tickets were issued at Trinity Bellwoods Park on Saturday. The statement said residents are expected to go outside and enjoy the healthy benefits of exercising and fresh air, while also maintaining physical distancing requirements. 1 p.m.: White House coronavirus task force co-ordinator Deborah Birx says shes very concerned that people going outdoors for the Memorial Day weekend arent maintaining six feet of social distancing. She was responding to reports showing people crowding at beaches. Noting that people with no symptoms could unwittingly spread the coronavirus, Birx said people need to wear masks in public if they dont socially distance because you dont know whos infected. 12:50 p.m.: The U.S. government is expected to announce a ban on travel from Brazil due to the spread of coronavirus in Latin Americas hardest-hit country. National Security Adviser Robert OBrien says the U.S. wants to take every step necessary to protect the American people. President Donald Trump already has banned travel from the United Kingdom, continental Europe and China, all of which have been hit hard by the virus. On Wednesday, Trump said he was considering barring entry to flights from Brazil. Brazil reported more than 347,000 COVID-19 cases as of Friday, second behind the U.S. in the number of infections, according to a Johns Hopkins University count. Brazil also has recorded more than 22,000 deaths, fifth most in the world. There have been more than 96,000 U.S. deaths. 12:15 p.m.: Speaking at Queens Park on Sunday, Premier Doug Ford reprimanded the thousands of people gathered at Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto on Saturday who were seen breaking physical distancing rules and disobeying the provinces emergency orders. I thought it was a rock concert at the beginning, Ford said. When I went out there, I was absolutely shocked. He further added that he understands people want to get outside and enjoy the beautiful summer days. But the images I saw, we just cant have that right now. Its just too many people too close, he said. Ford further reminded everyone that the virus is still present among us and if precautions are not taken, it can spread like wildfire. Its a deadly killer and we cant give it an inch, he said. Until a vaccine is found, our best defence is to detect the virus, isolate it, and slow the spread. In the news conference, Ford further urged the people of Ontario to get tested even if they are not showing symptoms. If youre worried you have COVID-19, or if you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, even if you are not showing symptoms, please go get a test, said Ford. You wont be turned away and you dont need an appointment. Just show up at a testing centre and they will test you, he added. The province is expected to release a testing strategy next week. 11:30 a.m.: Ontarios regional health units continue to report rising COVID-19 case counts as the rate of new infections has rebounded after falling from a peak in mid-April, according to the Stars latest survey. As of 11 a.m. Sunday, the health units had reported a total of 26,759 confirmed and probable cases, including 2,140 deaths. The total of 458 new confirmed and probable cases reported since the same time Saturday morning was once again up from recent averages, a sign the provincewide decline in infection rate has reversed. The recent increase has not been felt equally across the province. The daily count of new cases has been relatively flat outside of Toronto over the last two weeks. Meanwhile, numbers spiked in the city this week to among the highest levels of new case reports seen since the beginning of the pandemic. The 207 cases reported per day on average over the last seven days in Toronto is lower only than a brief single-day spike in mid-April, when the epidemic was peaking in the province. The number of new cases reported each day had been on a downward trend since hitting a peak of more than 700 in late April. However, the average has begun to rise slightly after flattening out to about 360 cases per day last week; before this week, the province last saw more than 400 cases on May 8. Meanwhile, the 26 fatal cases reported in the province since Saturday morning was back in line with the recent falling trend. The rate of deaths is down considerably since peaking at more than 90 deaths in a day earlier this month, about two weeks after the peak in the daily case totals. Earlier Sunday, the province once again reported another day in which testing labs completed far fewer COVID-19 tests than the target of 16,000 daily. The 11,383 tests completed the previous day was the seventh straight well below the target. The province says the labs have the capacity to complete about 20,000 tests daily. In the past, spikes in case counts have followed days with high testing rates, and vice versa for days of low testing. Because many health units publish tallies to their websites before reporting to Public Health Ontario, the Stars count is more current than the data the province puts out each morning. The province also reported 878 patients are now hospitalized with COVID-19, including 148 in intensive care, of whom 104 are on a ventilator numbers that have fallen in recent weeks. The province also says nearly 19,500 patients who have tested positive for the coronavirus have now recovered from the disease about three-quarters of the total infected. The province says its data is accurate to 4 p.m. the previous day. The province also cautions its latest count of total deaths 2,073 may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system, saying that in the event of a discrepancy, data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date. The Stars count includes some patients reported as probable COVID-19 cases, meaning they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test. 10:45 a.m.: After thousands of people were spotted at Trinity Bellwoods park on Saturday, apparently ignoring physical distancing rules, Toronto police officers are at the park today to enforce those rules. Thousands of people gathered at the Trinity Bellwoods Park, near Queen Street West and Ossington Avenue, despite the citys emergency orders that bans gatherings of more than five people. Mayor John Tory said the city officers will be issuing tickets to those spotted in parks and not following the rules. I was just dumbfounded by this kind of lack of personal responsibility, Tory said. More than 2000 people have died as a result of COVID-19 in Ontario. 10:30 a.m.: U.S. President Donald Trumps national security adviser said Sunday he thinks leaders of the worlds major economies would love to get out of their offices and meet in person and plan the post-COVID world at a summit Trump is considering hosting in the United States in June. Trump had scheduled the Group of Seven summit for June 10-12 at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland. But in March, he announced he was cancelling the annual meeting because of the pandemic and that the leaders would confer by video conference instead. His national security adviser, Robert OBrien, said Sunday morning that the meeting would be a chance for the leaders to decide how to get their economies reopened and how we can work together to make sure that we all get out of this COVID crisis and bring back health and prosperity to our peoples. OBrien said wed be looking at the end of June at this point. He said so far weve got a great response from the invitations that have been extended. OBrien said U.S. officials will ensure that everybodys tested. Well make sure its a safe environment if the leaders can come here. 8:30 a.m.: For Muslims, Ramadan culminates on Sunday with Eid al-Fitr, or Festival of Breaking the Fast, when families and friends gather for large feasts, prayer and exchanging of gifts. During Ramadan, families will frequently break fast together in the evening or attend prayers at their local mosque during the day. The COVID-19 pandemic has made those traditions impossible. Mosques across Canada are altering their Eid plans with virtual prayers, drive-through gift giveaways and live social media events in order to observe the holiday. 7 a.m.: Well-spaced faithful gathered in St. Peters Square for the first time in months for the traditional Sunday papal blessing. They cast their gaze at the window where the pope normally addresses the faithful. Pope Francis has been delivering the blessing from inside the Apostolic library during the epidemic. Francis came to the window and waved to the people in the piazza at the end of the blessing. May 23 8:21 p.m.: A day after Torontos mayor and medical officer of health stressed the need to continue social distancing, hundreds of people were seen sunbathing and relaxing in close proximity in Trinity Bellwoods Park. Video of the crowds circulated on social media and led to a public outcry. Mayor John Tory told the Star late Saturday that there would be a heavier presence of bylaw officers at the park on Sunday. Tory added that he visited several parks on a sunny Saturday and Trinity Bellwoods was the exception when it came to respecting social distancing regulations. The gathering came a day after a press conference where Eileen de Villa said visits on Mothers Day may be connected to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases. 6:30 p.m.: Ontarios regional health units are reporting their fifth consecutive day with more than 400 new COVID-19 cases as the average rate of new infections per day continues to rise, according to the Stars latest count. As of 5 p.m. Saturday, the health units had reported a total of 26,733 confirmed and probable cases, including 2,140 deaths. In North Korea, a meeting was held to go over policies of nuclear war deterrence, headed by the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un mentioned by North Korean state media on Sunday, May 24. This was the most recent appearance by the North Korean leader in 21 days, coming after the US announcement to conduct a nuclear test that has not been done in a long time. According to the KCNA of North Korea, officials of the Central Military Commission were intent on drafting needed policies, to strengthen the efficacy of nuclear war deterrence better, not giving out any more details. Part of the agenda discussed is the crucial measures that will improve the firepower of most artillery pieces, belonging to the army of North Korea. It bolsters their offensive capacity that is present now. One salient point is putting the "strategic armed forces" to be stationed on a high alert to improve the state and condition of the armed forces of North Korea. When and where the meeting was convened was not revealed, though several communiques from the KNCA reported that there was an order signed by the North Korean leader on May 23. Twenty days have passed since Kim Jong Un was seen by the general public, he emerged from a long three-week absence which became a catalyst for speculations about his health. In circulation was a photo courtesy of the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Sunday with the North Korean leader using a pointing stick in a presentation for officers in the North Korean military. One impression from the photos is that everyone in the meeting, even Kim Jong Un were not wearing masks without considering the danger of transmissions. Also read: North Korea Hunting Leaker of Kim Jong-Un's Fake Death Video That Circulated Online Throughout the outbreak, North Korea states that there is no single case of the coronavirus, reported by the state. A review and analysis were done that examined the drawbacks of all military and political activities, and what improvements were to be done by the establishment, said sources. Where in the world is Kim? Speculations ran amuck as the press had a field day, giving wild theories why he did not appear in nationally relevant gatherings and the founder's birthday, all guessing if he was dead or alive. Until his public appearance in a factory inauguration last May, right after his disappearance and reports of being missing that took the world by surprise. According to an American newspaper, the current American administration is considering a nuclear test from 1992 to signify America's resolve against Russia and China. For North Korea, the threat of a nuclear arms race is disquieting to the nation. A US source mentioned that with the US making such a move, it will cause problems with negotiations that concerns North Korea on its stand about nuclear testing, and eventually dropping it. The status of negotiations about the management of the North Korean arsenal is stalled, as of now. Even with summits of the US and North Korea. In recent months, North Korea was active in testing rockets which are multiple launch rocket systems, but Japan and the US say there are ballistic missiles. A UN resolution that prohibits the UN Security Council that has not allowed any weapons testing comes to the wings of the nuclear deterrence policy which North Korea needs. Related article: President Trump is Glad That Kim Jong Un is Alive and Well @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A n officer spoke to Dominic Cummings' father about his son self-isolating at the family home in Durham, police have confirmed. The Prime Minister's chief adviser is accused of breaking coronavirus lockdown rules by making a 250-mile journey to Durham with his family, when his wife had coronavirus symptoms. Downing Street has defended Mr Cummings' actions, insisting he "acted in line with guidelines", adding that claims he was spoken to by police about the matter were wrong. "At no stage was he or his family spoken to by the police about this matter, as is being reported," a statement said. But Durham Police said officers spoke to Mr Cummings' father over the phone on April 1. Police said they spoke to Dominic Cummings' father / Getty Images Following a significant number of media enquiries over the weekend, Durham Constabulary can add the following detail," the force said. On Tuesday, March 31, our officers were made aware that Dominic Cummings had travelled from London to Durham and was present at an address in the city. At the request of Mr Cummings father, an officer made contact the following morning by telephone. During that conversation, Mr Cummings father confirmed that his son had travelled with his family from London to the North-East and was self-isolating in part of the property. Durham Constabulary deemed that no further action was required. However, the officer did provide advice in relation to security issues. The chief adviser is facing calls to resign over the alleged lockdown breach / AFP via Getty Images Mr Cummings is facing new claims of flouting Government rules amid reports he made a second trip to Durham during the lockdown. A witness told the Sunday Mirror and the Observer that he was seen on April 19 in woodland near the Durham property he stayed at with his family - days after he was spotted back in Downing Street on April 14, and when strict rules were still in place not to travel. Both the Labour Party and SNP have questioned who knew, and when, that Mr Cummings had travelled from his home in London to Durham and whether this was a breach of rules at the time. After the latest revelations emerged, a Labour source said: If these latest revelations are true, why on earth were Cabinet ministers sent out this afternoon to defend Dominic Cummings? In response to the new claims, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: Yesterday the Mirror and Guardian wrote inaccurate stories about Mr Cummings. Today they are writing more inaccurate stories including claims that Mr Cummings returned to Durham after returning to work in Downing Street on April 14. We will not waste our time answering a stream of false allegations about Mr Cummings from campaigning newspapers." New Delhi, May 24 : As businesses and enterprises face a severe crisis amid the coronavirus pandemic, industry body CII has cautioned that although tough times may prompt companies to collaborate with their competitors, they must take decisions and operate as per the anti-trust law and the Competition Act of 2002. In its competition law compliance manual for corporates in the wake of novel coronavirus, CII noted that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) would keep a close watch for any potential competition law infringement during this period. "The current COVID-19 crisis has created unprecedented challenges in India and across the world. This impact of COVID-19 on the functioning of the economy may prompt companies to collaborate with their competitors to tackle the uncertainty and hardship faced. However, companies must note that antitrust laws continue to apply and all business decisions undertaken by companies must not fall foul of the provisions of Competition Act, 2002," said the industry manual. It said that companies must carefully evaluate their business operations during the COVID-19 period, especially if their business operations might require close collaboration with competitors. "The concrete antitrust risks surrounding any such collaboration remain difficult to assess. Given the absence of any guidance from the CCI, companies should tread with caution and consult their antitrust lawyers as and when required or while exploring any collaboration," the CII manual said. It said that companies should reach out to their external counsel to assess these risks and must avoid information exchanges through trade associations or any other platforms. It said that while entering into any form of collaboration, companies should take care that the collaborative efforts must be limited to products or services directly affected by the pandemic or the exigency measures. "Particularly, pharmaceutical companies should limit their collaborations on R&D to anti-COVID-19 vaccines and should not, in its garb, collude on other drugs," it said. All negotiations and internal discussions must be documented by companies and all collaboration arrangements must be reviewed beforehand by external legal counsel for any risks of contravening competition law principles and only pursuant to this review, should they be implemented, according to the CII manual among other suggestions. There is, I think, a little bit of hypocrisy in all of us. A few years ago in Connemara, I sat chatting with a well-known and outspoken vegetarian musician who was wearing a T-shirt with 'McS**t' emblazoned defiantly - even a little piously - across it. I neglected to tell her that on the long drive to the West, myself and the kids had stopped at the subject of her right-on ire, McDonald's, for a particularly delicious Happy Meal. I hoped she wouldn't see the evidence of our lunch in the boxes in the back of the car and, even worse, possibly notice the traces of Ronald McDonald's ketchup across my guilty face as I talked to her about the depth of her music while trying not to look at her T-shirt, lest she out me as an imposter. Last Wednesday, I drove with the kids to McDonald's in Nutgrove, Churchtown. I grew up around the corner, so it was an excuse to show my children the school that daddy went to, a place where Christian Brothers would knock lumps out of you with sticks. It was a expedition, of sorts, to show my kids the road I grew up on - Henley Park - many years ago; a road where I once played with Mary Lou McDonald, when she was a little and very jolly girl running around Henley Park with her cousins, my little sister and I. Mary Lou's auntie, Jean Butler, was my mother's best friend. So I called it a pilgrimage to my home town last Wednesday. This, of course, was nothing short of a bare-faced lie. There is nothing worse, they say, than the lies you tell yourself, but surely worse is the lies you tell your kids. So, just to be absolutely clear, the real reason we went to Churchtown was to have a Happy Meal after two months of going without. Alas, it was not to end well. There was a mile-long queue outside the restaurant and I had to make an executive decision to go to a nearby Spar, buy some fruit and yogurt, drive to Rathfarnham to have a picnic in St Enda's Park, where Patrick Pearse once lived. My old playmate Mary Lou would have approved. As would, more importantly, my wife, who wasn't best pleased about the proposed lunch in McDonald's. I have to say, I am as much an advocate of healthy eating as the next person, but sometimes I would actually prefer a Big Mac to a steak. So, there you have it. Judge me all you like. Despite all my tonguein-cheekiness about McD's, I think that it's a disgrace that a fast food restaurant can open - but we can't open the bloody schools. I have been going stir-crazy since the first week of March in a house with two very small kids and a wife. The latter home-schools our five-year-old daughter, while I take our two-year-old son out to the park, the beach, the car park, anywhere, once it is not in the house while the actual home-schooling is taking place. It is very difficult for everyone, especially the children, as I'm sure it is in each and every household across Ireland. Cracking-up is the new national sport. I woke up last Monday with a blinding headache. There is some irony in having a two-day migraine when your job - when you are not looking after your children - involves spending long amounts of time looking at a computer screen: typing and reading words. So, I was miserable last Monday and Tuesday. My wife would probably say I was miserable before that, too, going back to the start of the lockdown or, even before that again, to the day I was born. It is hard not to be a misery guts when there doesn't seem to be a holiday at the end of it all. The only un-depressing part of it happens when I look at Independent.ie at the same time every evening to check what the deaths were for the day from Covid-19 and they appear to have fallen, thankfully, to a low number. Good news at last. Some nights, when we are not too exhausted by the daily grind of the same, week in, week out, and the kids are in bed, my wife and I watch Netflix. We watch - and laugh sometimes at - Schitt's Creek. Last Thursday night, I hoovered and mopped the downstairs of the house. You don't get more glamorous than that. I finished at 11pm. I opened a beer and watched the three final episodes of Peaky Blinders. I went to bed at 2am, sad that Aberama Gold, Aidan Gillen's character, seemed have met a grisly end, like Aidan did as Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish in Game of Thrones. As you can possibly tell from these late-night musings, my life is upside down. I love my wife and kids, but I'm not sure I recognise who I am any more. I don't mean that in the strictly physical sense (even though I am overweight, unkempt and in need of a bath on occasion). I mean it in the more philosophical way. I had to drive into town last week. I had a letter from work to show to gardai should they stop me, which they did outside RTE. It was weird being in a completely empty building on Talbot Street. There wasn't a soul about. I did what I had to do, then quickly got in the car. And took a wrong turn. I ended up effectively lost in my hometown, because every road I drove on to seemed to say no right turn when I wanted to go right. Looking out the window of the car, the streets of our nation's capital were a little less busy than I remembered, pre-lockdown, with poor unfortunate heroin addicts and the like with their shirts off enjoying the sun on a gorgeous summer's day in a city in lockdown because of a killer virus. I drove in circles for a while (it was a metaphor for existence as I currently know it), ended back on Talbot Street, before finding myself driving anxiously - and illegally - on the bus lane up O'Connell Street. Gardai looked at me like I was some sort of lost fool. Which wasn't far from the truth. It all reminded me of something Oscar Wilde once said: "I think God, in creating man, somewhat overestimated his ability." First Bay Area Restaurants Reopen for Dine-In, Navigate New Procedures NAPA, Calif.Clean tables and chairs waited expectantly in the shade in front of Tarla Mediterranean Bar and Grill in Napa, California, on May 23. The doors were wide open, and curious passersby slowed to do a double-take at this eatery emerging from hibernation. Napa County is the first Bay Area county to allow dine-in to resume at restaurants. California Gov. Gavin Newsom released industry guidelines on May 12, but said dine-in would reopen gradually across the state, starting in counties less affected by COVID-19. Yusuf Topal, the restaurants owner, said he worked with county officials on reopening. He walked us through the new dining experience. People stop in front of Tarla Mediterranean Bar and Grill in Napa, Calif., on May 23, 2020. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times) Half the dining tables are removed and the remaining ones are spaced further apart at Tarla Mediterranean Bar and Grill in Napa, Calif., on May 23, 2020. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times) Some diners eat outside at Tarla Mediterranean Bar and Grill in Napa, Calif., on May 23, 2020. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times). The dining room looked sparse. Half the tables were removed to allow space between diners. The tables were bare, with staff only bringing out place settings when needed. The staff took the temperature of each customer and recorded his or her contact information. All employees had their temperatures taken at the beginning of the shift. When seated, customers didnt get the usual menus. We are using disposable menus, and also we are using a QR code for the customers to be able to read the menus on their phone and also to be able to do the payment on their own smartphones, Topal told The Epoch Times. Yusuf Topal opens Tarla Mediterranean Bar and Grill in Napa at full service on May 23, 2020. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times) People can scan the QR code to see the menu on their phone or ask for a one-time use menu at Tarla Mediterranean Bar and Grill in Napa, Calif., on May 23, 2020. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times) Chef Jason Naaman (R) takes the bartenders temperature before work starts at Tarla Mediterranean Bar and Grill in Napa, Calif., on May 23, 2020. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times). The same items were on the menu as usual, however. Topal said the restaurant is still serving the full menu. Executive Chef Jason Naaman has been cooking takeout orders for the past two months. It was a process of getting used to putting food back on plates instead of boxes, he said. Its wonderful to see the guests happy, and people getting out of their house and enjoying themselves, Naaman said. Executive Chef Jason Naaman at Tarla Mediterranean Bar and Grill in Napa, Calif., on May 23, 2020. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times). The restaurant was booked fully for the long weekend. We are very busy, we are completely booked and we are very excited to open again and serve our customers, Topal said. We can see a crazy number of people calling and they want to make a reservation, they want to come and dine with us. But unfortunately, we are running with a 50 percent capacity. With social distancing in the dining room, the space can only fit so many people. But Topal is just glad to have more people than none. We cannot stay closed. We have rent and laborers to pay, and employees that have to feed their families, he said. Staff members sanitize the dining room and kitchen regularly. In the kitchen, were sanitizing every 30 minutes all of the work surfaces. Everyone in the kitchen is wearing masks and gloves. We have sanitizing stations as well with hand sanitizer, Naaman said. Employees clean every half hour at Tarla Mediterranean Bar and Grill in Napa on May 23, 2020. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times) Elsewhere in the Bay Area In Carmel-by-the-Sea, in Monterey County, because indoor dining isnt yet proceeding, local restaurant owners are working on another approach. Restaurants are obtaining permission from city officials on a case-by-case basis for outdoor dining spaces. As a community, were working on doing parklets for individual restaurants, and community dining by closing streets down, Ken Spilfogel, owner of Village Corner California Bistro and a member of the citys restaurant committee board of directors, told The Epoch Times. In Corte Madera, Marin County, restaurant owner Tony Farah said hes confused and waiting for more clarity before he makes his reopening plans. That regulation is not easy, and every day they change it, and so I need to wait, Farah told The Epoch Times. His Cafe Verde Pizzeria & Ristorante has outdoor seating, but half of the area is city-owned and must remain closed. I dont know whats going on right now, he said. Nobody knows whats going on right now. In San Jose, in Santa Clara County, Angelina Ramos is poring over all the new guidance and regulations and says her restaurant wont reopen until its better prepared, she said. Santa Clara has been harder hit by COVID-19 than some other counties. Wed rather wait a little bit longer and make sure that were ready, than to make a mistake and open too soon, just to close down again, Ramos, the director of operations at Luna Mexican Kitchen, told The Epoch Times. Since the day we closed, Ive been researching and planning for this, she said. So its nice to have the guidelines now. These are all the things that we were thinking about. The Muslim event would is being held from a virtual platform in line with the ban on public gatherings to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, with some key Muslim leaders, are expected to join the National Chief Imam. The 30-day fast, one of five pillars of Islam, is a period devoted for peace, forgiveness, fellow-feeling and self-diagnoses. Eid-ul-Fitr is also a period where Muslims engage in charity, sharing of gifts, merry-making amongst other spiritual and social activities. Sheikh Nurudeen Quaye, the Greater Accra Regional Imam of the Ghana Muslim Mission (GMM), however, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the COVID-19 restrictions had not in any way affected the spiritual upliftment of Muslims in the Holy Month of Ramadan. He said every natural intervention, such as the Covid-19 outbreak, occurred in line with the will of Allah. However, it did not undermine Allah's command to worship, he said, adding that, the method of worship may change, but the essence and rewards would not change. "Allah says in the Holy Quran that, He has perfected Islam for us as a Religion with the full measure of its blessings, and it has also been designed to be adjusted to any situation and time," he said. The coming of Ramadan in this period of COVID-19, he said, was, therefore, to remind Muslims that despite the situation, man was created into this world for a purpose, and that was to worship the creator voluntarily. Sheikh Quaye said he was happy that the Ramadan had been observed with the same fervor as was done in the previous years. Other Muslims the GNA spoke to expressed similar positions, saying worshipping at the individual level because of the closure of the mosques, had drawn them closer to Allah. Some said they used social media to connect and strengthen each other. ---GNA Two hundred and forty-one (241) Ghanaian deportees on board a Kuwait Aircraft arrived at the Kotoka International Airport on Saturday from the Gulf State. Also onboard the flight were 43 Togolese nationals enroute to their home country. The Ghanaian deportees were welcomed on arrival by Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, the Minister of Aviation, Mr Charles Owiredu, a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mr Henry Quartey, Deputy Minister of National Security, and Mr Dickson Osei Bonsu, Chief Legal Advisor of Operation COVID-19 Safety Committee. They were taken through arrival procedures by officials of the Ghana Immigration Service and screened by health personnel. They would undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine at designated hotels under heavy security. The decision to accept the deportees into the Ghanaian jurisdiction despite the closure of the country's borders was reached at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, May 21. This follows weeks of bilateral discussions between the governments of Ghana and Kuwait. Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, on Friday, May 22, told journalists that the Government of Kuwait informed Ghanas Government of its intention to deport some 245 Ghanaians who were illegally living in the Gulf State. Subsequently, Government granted a special permit for the admission of the said deportees to Ghana in line with immigration and health regulations to prevent a threat to the Ghanaian population. He said the deportation was to be executed via a special charter flight and the Kuwaiti Government would bear the cost. The deportation comes at a time when the countrys borders remain closed to human travel as part of international travel restrictions under Ghanas COVID-19 Response Programme to prevent the importation of the disease. The trip, he said, was in line with exemptions granted for special evacuation of foreign nationals during the border closure period. The Minister said the deportees would be mandatorily quarantined and tested for COVID-19 immediately they arrived in the country. He said those who may test positive for COVID-19 would be supported with treatment and those who would test negative would still be in quarantine for 14 days for a second and would be released based on the results. They would be under the custody of the State for preliminary investigations on the circumstances of their illegal stay in Kuwait. Upon completion of the investigations, a case by case determination would be made on the status and further handling of each deportee in accordance with the law. The Minister indicated that the cost of quarantine and treatment would be borne by the Government of Ghana. The National Security Secretariat, in collaboration with the Military, Ghana Immigration Service and the Police Service would be responsible for ensuring the mandatory quarantine is adequately enforced. The Ghana Health Service would be responsible for testing and treatment if it becomes necessary, the Minister said. Mr Oppong Nkrumah assured the public that government had instituted measures to safeguard the health of the Ghanaian population in compliance with the COVID-19 Response Programme. 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 On Saturday, May 24, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario provided an update in regard to the EHV-1 situation in the Woodbine Racetrack backstretch. The contents of the AGCO release appear below in both English and French. Notice to the Industry Containment measures continue to appear successful at containing EHV-1 at Woodbine Racetrack. Restrictions on training for Barns 11, 33 and 35 lifted. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) received new test results that suggest the containment and mitigation measures continue to contain the neuropathogeniclogical form of EHV-1 to a single barn at Woodbine Racetrack. As a result, the AGCO has lifted all the restrictions on training for Barns 33 and 35, as well as the non-isolated horses in Barn 11. Two horses in Barn 11 remain in isolation. Restrictions on training of horses residing in other barns remain in place (please refer to May 21 Notice). All horses in Barn 10 were re-tested and results all came back negative. In addition, all horses in Barn 12 were re-tested and two additional horses tested positive, bringing the total to 27. All the remaining horses in Barn 12 tested negative. As per the containment protocol, the horses that tested positive have been removed to isolation and Barn 12 remains in lockdown. Assuming no other horses display clinical signs, the plan at this time is to re-test all horses in Barn 12 on Monday, May 25. Horses from Barn 10 will be re-tested on Friday May 29. The AGCO is continuing to monitor the situation closely and further developments will be reported. EHV-1 cannot be spread to humans and is unrelated to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Avis a lindustrie Les mesures de confinement semblent toujours efficaces pour contenir lEHV-1 a lhippodrome de Woodbine. Levee des restrictions sur lentrainement pour les etables 11, 33 et 35. La Commission des alcools et des jeux de lOntario (CAJO) a recu de nouveaux resultats de tests qui suggerent que les mesures de confinement et dattenuation continuent a contenir la forme neuropathogene de lherpesvirus equin de type 1 (EHV-1) dans une seule etable de lhippodrome de Woodbine. En consequence, la CAJO a leve toutes les restrictions sur lentrainement pour les etables 33 et 35, ainsi que pour les chevaux non isoles de letable 11. Deux chevaux de letable 11 restent isoles. Les restrictions sur lentrainement des chevaux residant dans dautres etables restent en place (veuillez vous referer a lavis du 21 mai). Tous les chevaux de letable 10 ont ete testes a nouveau et les resultats sont tous revenus negatifs. De plus, tous les chevaux de letable 12 ont ete testes a nouveau et deux autres chevaux ont ete testes positifs, ce qui porte le total a 27. Tous les autres chevaux de letable 12 ont ete testes negatifs. Conformement au protocole de confinement, les chevaux testes positifs ont ete mis en isolement et letable 12 reste fermee. En supposant quaucun autre cheval ne presente de signes cliniques, il est prevu pour linstant de refaire des tests sur tous les chevaux de letable 12 le lundi 25 mai. Les chevaux de letable 10 seront a nouveau testes le vendredi 29 mai. Nous continuons a suivre la situation de pres et nous ferons rapport sur levolution de la situation. LEHV-1 ne peut pas se transmettre a lhomme et nest pas lie a la pandemie actuelle de COVID-19. CANBERRA, Australia - Six million Australians have downloaded a smartphone app that helps health authorities trace coronavirus infections, officials said Sunday. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the COVIDSafe app is playing a strong role in Australias response to the pandemic and that several countries have expressed interest in learning from its positive impacts. If a user is diagnosed, the app works to identify other users who have been in close proximity for 15 minutes or more in the previous three weeks. The government has said at least 40% of Australias 26 million people need to use the app for it to be effective. There are approximately 17 million cellphones in Australia. The government and states have been easing restrictions on travel and allowed for increased use of restaurants and bars in the past few weeks. Australia has recorded more than 7,100 cases of the coronavirus, including 102 deaths. In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region: 3 NEW CASES IN CHINA: China reported three new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, two from outside the country and one locally transmitted in the northeastern province of Jilin, which has experienced a minor outbreak now apparently largely contained. No new deaths were reported and 79 people remain in treatment, with another 380 under isolation and monitoring for being suspected cases or having tested positive for COVID-19 without showing any symptoms. China has reported a total of 82,974 cases, including 4,634 deaths. SOUTH KOREA RECORDS 25 NEW INFECTIONS: South Korea reported 25 additional cases of the coronavirus over a 24-hour period, amid a continuation of small-scale outbreaks in the country. The country has confirmed a total of 11,190 cases, including 266 deaths. Seventeen of the 25 new patients were locally infected, while the other eight came from overseas, health authorities said. South Korea eased many of its strict social distancing rules in early May before it saw a sudden uptick in the number of cases associated with nightclubs in Seouls Itaewon entertainment district. Health authorities had confirmed a total of 225 cases linked to Itaewon cubs as of noon Sunday. ___ Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday instructed all deputy commissioners to form separate cells to carry out rescue and relief operations during floods. In an official release, Sonowal said that the state government is fighting against COVID-19 and flood and erosion situation simultaneously. "He has already directed all deputy commissioners to set up separate cells to carry out relief and rescue operations expeditiously during flood," the release said. Sonowal observed that the district administrations have already geared up with all preparations to deal with flood and said they have been directed to provide all possible support to the people affected by flood. "Moreover, he said that the challenges posed by novel coronavirus pandemic would be more daunting and called upon people to fight against it as a cohesive force," the statement said. Sonowal also thanked the people of Assam and extended gratitude for their support and cooperation to the BJP-led coalition government in the state on completion of four years on Sunday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-25 00:34:41|Editor: Wang Yamei Video Player Close Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan joins a deliberation with fellow deputies from Hunan Province to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) during the third session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, May 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei) BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan on Sunday called for resolve and perseverance to ensure steady and sustained progress in realizing national rejuvenation. Wang made the remarks while joining a deliberation with fellow deputies from Hunan Province to the 13th National People's Congress during its ongoing annual session. Wang expressed full support for the government work report. Speaking of China's progress in COVID-19 fight, Wang said the Party leadership and the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics are the country's biggest political advantages, and the people's trust and support are the most powerful strength behind victory over challenges. Talking about the draft civil code that is under deliberation, Wang said it will help boost the modernization of China's system and capacity for governance. Enditem Amaravati, May 24 : With 66 new cases in 24 hours till Sunday morning, there seems no respite for Andhra Pradesh in its battle against coronavirus as its total tally climbed to 2,627. Briefly, for a few days last week, the state seemed to be turning the tide as single digit tallies were reported from almost all the hotspot districts. However, the past few days have yet again seen COVID-19 cases tending to be higher. The state nodal officer reported that 47 new cases were detected in the preceding 24-hour cycle compared with Sunday tally. A significant number of new cases were found to have travel history to the Koyambedu market in Chennai -- including 3 in Chittoor district and 8 in Nellore district. The since-closed Koyambedu market was identified as one of the biggest spreaders of COVID-19 in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, where positive cases tally has long crossed the 10,000-mark. With evacuation flights landing in Andhra Pradesh over the past few days, a few of the hundreds of foreign returnees have tested positive. On Sunday, authorities reported that 17 new cases are of foreign returnees. Of these, 12 are from Kuwait, 3 from Dubai and 2 from Qatar. One of the reasons attributed to the higher daily counts is the large number of tests in Andhra Pradesh. The state ranks behind Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu in terms of overall numbers of tests conducted, while in terms of testing ratios, it ranks below Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir. On a positive note, the number of active cases has been slowly coming down in Andhra, with a third of the positive cases or 764 persons receiving treatment in various hospitals. A total of 29 persons were cured and discharged by Sunday morning, taking the state's tally of cured persons to 1,807. The state nodal officer reported that 11,357 samples were tested in the past 24 hours as against 9,136 during the preceding cycle. As no corona death was reported since Saturday morning, the state's death toll remained 56. Meanwhile, the tally of cases among returnees from other states remained static at 153. However, the active cases tally fell to 119 from 128, as 9 more persons were cured and discharged. Of these, 8 persons had returned from Maharashtra and 1 from West Bengal. Previously, 25 persons from Gujarat had been cured and discharged. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has hailed supporters rallying in the country's capital to back his administration as an unfolding political scandal adds to the worsening coronavirus outbreak. Surrounded by security guards wearing masks, but not wearing one himself, Bolsonaro was shown in a live-streaming video on his Facebook page greeting protesters waving Brazilian flags and calling him a "legend", days after Brazil topped Russia to become the world's No.2 virus hotspot after the United States. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Secretary of Institutional Security and Brazilian Army General Augusto Heleno wave to supporters. Credit:Getty The Brasilia rally, one of several demonstrations Bolsonaro has encouraged in recent weeks, came as the administration of US President Donald Trump, a close ally of the far-right Bolsonaro, announced it was prohibiting foreigners from travelling to the United States if they had been in Brazil in the past two weeks. Health ministry figures released on Saturday evening showed 16,508 new cases were recorded in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total above 347,000, while the death toll increased by 965 to 22,013. President Donald Trump used the words this weekend when he demanded Friday that states allow houses of worship to reopen. Robert Jeffress, an influential Texas evangelical pastor, spoke with Trump afterward and told him he didnt plan to open his megachurch until June 7. He wasnt ordering every church to open, said Jeffress, the senior minister at the First Baptist Church in Dallas whos in regular contact with the president. Theres no one-size-fits all. Houses of worship, by nature centers for community, are eager to open -- especially when businesses like liquor stores, many complain, have been open throughout the deadly coronavirus pandemic. But the faithful, despite Trumps desire to cater to them politically, appear to be moving cautiously. Jeffres, whose church spreads out across six blocks, plans to open only at 20% capacity. They will encourage mask-wearing and urge vulnerable populations, like the elderly, to continue to watch their popular services on TV or via livestream. There is an insatiable hunger among Christians right now to get back to worship, he said. Yet they want to do it in a safe way. Church Versus State That hunger has led to tensions with local officials. Several states have been the target of lawsuits, and on Friday a federal appeals court ruled that California churches must abide by Governor Gavin Newsoms order to temporarily ban in-person religious services. Attorney General William Barr has threatened the state with legal action. The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now, Trump said in a statement on Friday. If they dont do it I will override the governors. Congregation Etz Chaim, an Orthodox congregation in Los Angeles, immediately took Trump up on his word and sent an email out to congregants. It noted with great pleasure and joy that Sabbath services could begin again Friday evening. Still, its defiance -- in a city that has asked its residents to stay home -- came with masks and social distance. Potentially Destructive Some religious leaders have criticized Trump for pushing too soon. In a signed letter to the president Saturday in the Washington Post, two evangelicals called his demand both irresponsible and potentially destructive. They noted outbreaks in churches in South Korea, Georgia, Texas and Arkansas. On Saturday, 40 cases were traced to a church in Frankfurt, Germany. Some local leaders have tried accommodate religious services, with more than half of states already loosening rules on houses of worship. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday allowed groups of 10 to gather -- the number for a minyan, the quorum needed for Jewish worship -- if socially distanced. Some religious leaders say they simply wont open until local leaders encourage them to do so. Yahya Luqman, the imam at the Fazl Mosque in Washington, D.C., part of a larger local Ahmadiyya congregation in the area, said they remain closed -- and will for the foreseeable future. The biggest Muslim festival of the year, Eid al-Fitr, takes place Sunday after a month of fasting. We want people to have people safe and healthy and alive, Luqman said. Worship of God can occur at home, which is what were encouraging. Touch Nothing At the start of May, Florida allowed houses of worship to reopen, and the First Presbyterian Church in Bonita Springs did so -- carefully. Doug Pratt, the senior pastor, said the church sanctuary holds 1,300 people but now seats between 100 and 300 for their two Sunday services. He said masks are encouraged. There is no choir, and no one can touch Bibles, psalm-books or church bulletins. The offering tray isnt even passed. If people want to make a contribution, the offering plate is sitting at the door, Pratt said. Australian women are suffering more job losses, worse anxiety and more-dire long-term financial prospects than men due to the economic shutdown caused by COVID-19. Academics and advocates including Sex Discrimination commissioner, Kate Jenkins, say more women are likely to be pushed into poverty, which will extend into later life unless gender-specific solutions are included in the recovery. A joint Melbourne University Policy Lab and La Trobe University study found April labour force figures showing greater job losses for women: it found 15.8 per cent had experienced job loss compared with 11 per cent of men. The closure of Target, announced on Friday, will put between 1000 and 1300 more retail workers out of jobs. Credit:AAP The Life During Lockdown study found women are less likely than men to be working at home with their hours and pay unchanged and are suffering from more sleep disturbance and greater fear about funding their retirement. Two Toronto women are behind an idea to use ultraviolet light to sanitize groceries at the checkout counter and the duo already have interest from two major grocery chains in Ontario. Alyssa Mincer said she thought of the idea six weeks ago when she was wiping down groceries for her sister, who was pregnant and has since given birth. We were very concerned about her having her baby during COVID, said Mincer. And as a family we decided to implement a set of rules that everybody would follow and everyone would work together to keep this newborn safe. Part of this was wiping down groceries with Lysol wipes, which is very stressful and tedious, she said, and actually gave me a lot of anxiety because I didnt know if I was doing it right. Mincer, 29, had read an ad for cleaning cellphones using UV light and she called her friend and soon-to-be business partner Dara Gallinger to float an idea using the same technology to inactivate the coronavirus on groceries. At the point when Mincer called, Gallinger was considering her future options and thought she might make a move into private equity. When she heard Mincers idea, though, it sounded like the exact thing we should be doing now. Within days, the two women had partnered with a small Cambridge company Prescientx which is developing UV machines to sanitize N95 masks so they can be reused instead of being thrown out after each use. Evidence shows the type of light used in the machine, called UV-C, disrupts the ability of DNA and RNA in viruses including COVID-19 to replicate, says Bill Anderson, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Waterloo, which means the virus cant reproduce in the human body and cause harm. A one-day pilot of the technology at the Summerhill Market in the Annex last week proved successful, although the machine, built as a prototype for sanitizing masks in a hospital setting and not for use in retail, cost between $40,000 and $50,000 and proved too big for the end of a checkout counter in the store. Mincer and Gallinger are developing a much smaller, less powerful unit that can be integrated at the checkout counter. They say the machines will be ready to sell in 90 days, though they dont know the cost yet. UV-C light can be harmful to humans and direct exposure can result in radiation burns like a sunburn. Because UV-C rearranges your DNA which is one of the ways it stops the virus from replicating it has the potential to generate cancer, said Anderson. But, he said that loading groceries into a unit like the one used at Summerhill Market is safe as long as the user is wearing plastic gloves to block the ultraviolet rays. The machine has been built in a way that prevents any leakage. Theres no harm for anyone around the machine, said Mincer. Also, unlike the machine used in the pilot, the unit that Mincer and Gallinger are developing will not require anyone to put their hand inside the area where the UV-C light is because the conveyor belt will start outside of the contained area and feed the groceries through. Although machines like the one tested by Mincer and Gallinger emit a bluish light, Anderson says the colour is a byproduct of how the lamps operate and UV-C cant be perceived by the human eye. Gallinger said she and Mincer, who is a realtor, werent sure how interested people would be in using the technology, especially if they werent already wiping down their groceries with a disinfectant when they returned home. But she says the response was overwhelmingly positive. Even people who are not wiping down their groceries said they would use this service if it was presented in stores, said Gallinger, who, at 36, has already co-founded a business Brodflour, a mill and bakery in Toronto and sold it. At the Summerhill Market, the machine was set up at the end of a checkout counter and groceries were placed on a conveyor belt in the unit and run under the UV light for 30 seconds. General manager Matthew Rogge said the unit generated a lot of positive interest. Brad McMullen, company president of Summerhill Market, said the machine piloted was too big and powerful to be working in close quarters all day, but hes considering testing it out in an off-site facility where online orders are processed. We think those who order online would also be more likely to have an interest in sanitized groceries, said McMullen in an email. We are very interested in the grocery store model they are working towards which will be right sized for a store of our size and with a more accessible in and out platform for packing. The coronavirus has triggered interest in using ultraviolet light as a disinfectant. New York Transit said on Friday that it was starting a pilot project using ultraviolet light lamps supplied by PURO Lighting to determine how efficient the technology is in killing COVID-19 on buses and trains and in stations. And McGill Universitys Research Institute is testing a disinfectant robot, which it ordered from a Danish company near the start of the pandemic. UV-C light is known to kill microorganisms on surfaces and in the air, according to a press release from the institute, but this will be the first time the technology will be evaluated in Canada using an automated robot. Anderson, who has been researching ultraviolet light for 30 years, has advised Prescientx as well as many other companies on the technology but he has no vested interest in the business. He says that, in theory, UV-C should work the same way on the surfaces of boxes and packages of grocery store items that are being hit with a sufficient dose of the light as it does on other surfaces. In research literature there hasnt been a bacteria or virus that hasnt been susceptible to UV-C, said Anderson. Actor Amanda Bynes says her life is back on track and she is doing fine following her mental health treatment. In an Instagram post on Saturday, the 34-year-old actor said that she spent the last two months in treatment, where she learned to deal with her social anxiety. ''Update: Getting my Bachelor's degree from FIDM ... Taking online classes, trying to get a 4.0 GPA Looking forward to starting my online store in the future #goals ''Spent the last two months in treatment. Worked on coping skills to help with my social anxiety that caused me to drop out of school months ago. Back on track and doing well! I'm now living in transitional living and doing therapy during the week," Bynes wrote alongside a latest photograph of herself. About her relationship status, the actor said she was still engaged to Paul Michael. Still engaged to the love of my life Paul Hope you're all staying safe. Bynes first announced her engagement to Paul, whom she met at her former sober living home in late 2019, on Valentine's Day. In March, the actor's lawyer had revealed that she was receiving ''mental health'' treatment and asked her fans not to ''speculate'' on her personal life while she focuses on ''getting better''. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DANBURY - The citys industrial tax base would get a big boost with a $200 million power generation plant and technology campus planned by a New York-based energy company. The proposed Lotus Danbury Technology Center, touted recently in Mayor Mark Boughons State-of-the City speech, would be energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, the company CEO said in an interview on Friday. The project has been proposed for a 23-acre site on the Ridgefield border just south of the Matrix Corporate Center. So far there are no blueprints for residents to review. The concept is for a state-of-the-art technology and development center with advanced natural gas energy power generation, a low-energy-consumption data center, and a fuel cell assembly component, said Stefan Amraly, the CEO of Lotus Energy Group. This is a special project for us and I am very excited. The power-generation component of the campus, which is likely to provoke questions about noise and air quality during the projects environmental review, should have no noticeable impact on neighboring residents, Amraly said. The two power-generation engines themselves are relatively small, and burn gas highly efficiently, Amraly said, eliminating the need for smokestacks. It is the same engine as you see on the bottom of a Boeing 767, and the machine is at the very top-of-the-line in terms of efficiency and low emissions, Amraly said. We have an emission-capturing system that is similar to running a natural gas stove, except it is six times more effective. The gas-fired engines would be used to generate electricity only during peak usage periods, according to Amraly. He estimated to city officials during a preliminary presentation that the power plant would run no more than 25 times a year. Boughton said the impact on the environment would be minimal. This technology is quiet and is way below our own noise ordinance, he said. Amraly stressed on Friday that the power plant component of the technology campus represents a small part of the overall investment in the property at 100 Saw Mill Road. It is not a power plant per se - there is no smokestack and no exhaust, said Amraly, whose company has offices in England, Denmark, Egypt and Singapore. The capital investment in the site exceeds the value of the power generation. The wooded property, which is already home to a bio-pharmaceutical company called BioDell, is zoned for light industrial use. The building would be incorporated in the campus design. Lotus has an agreement to buy the property from Mulvaney Properties, assuming the project receives approvals from the citys land use agencies. They want to take over the entire property, property owner George Mulvaney said. So far the city has not seen Lotus official plans for the site, said Sharon Calitro, Danburys planning director. Boughton also said he had not seen blueprints. They filed a notice several weeks ago saying they want to do an electrical generation piece, but I have not seen the actual site plan, Boughton said. The proposal includes 30,000 square feet of space for computer data storage. Lotus already has a commitment from a telecommunications company to occupy half of that space, Amraly said. The campus would also be home to fuel cell assembly center, Amraly said. There are also plans to equip the site with solar panels to power charging stations for the centers electric vehicles. We hope to be fully completed in 2018, Amraly said. We hope to be through the land use approvals and begin site work in the spring. rryser@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342 In other parts of the country, there are reasons to feel more certain: decreasing death tolls, fewer people testing positive for the novel coronavirus, and businesses that have been allowed to carefully reopen. But the District and its suburbs have yet to catch up. The city, Maryland and Virginia lead the country in the percentage of positive test results for the virus, White House coronavirus task force leader Deborah Birx said in a news conference Friday. The jurisdictions also lag behind other areas in a decline in infections, Birx said. While governors in Maryland and Virginia have begun gradual reopenings, restrictions remain tight in the Washington suburbs, as they do in Richmond and Baltimore. When the COVID-19 threat hit in March, most Americans didn't have much of a choice about their new work-from-home existence. But now that a majority of the workforce have settled into their new routines, it may be hard for many to snap back to the daily commute and the office grind again. And the numbers spell it out remote workingwell, works. A survey found remote workers actually logged almost 60 more hours of core work per year than those in an office. And remote workers saved anywhere from 2 to 5.5 hours a day without commuting and time-consuming in-person meetings. With results like those, the only real question is how do you ensure your core work hours are truly time well spent? With The Remote Work and Productivity Bundle, you can learn the techniques that will help keep you focused on your key tasks so you can enjoy the work from home lifestyle with zero guilt. This package collects seven courses that bolster both the physical and mental approaches to working remotely so you can do high-quality work in less time and with less hassle. With How To Be Hyper Productive In Your Home Based Business, you'll develop the disciplines and habits needed to take your home-based job or business to be both highly productive and highly profitable. Meanwhile, the Coronavirus and Remote Work: Tools and Tactics for Business Continuity course take that training a step further, minimizing work disruption, managing expectations, and feeding your creativity and innovation, all from home. While technique is always important, your mental outlook is even more vital to success. The Managing Reptilian Brain Tendencies in Fearful Times examines proven ways to interrupt natural stress responses to threats like coronavirus, offering practical tactics for positively impacting your work life and your home life. Looking deeper into you is also at the center of 7 Habits of High Achievers: A 7-Step Plan for Winning In Life, helping you create opportunities with 7 proven habits for success derived from a 30-year study of business motivation and initiative. If working from home appeals to you, you might want to consider the gun-for-hire life of the freelancer. The Freelancing: How to Work from Home Doing Freelance Gigs instruction helps you spot services you can provide clients as an online freelancer and guide expectations. Or you can just dive in and start your own business from your living room. The Work From Home: 5 Ways To Turn Your Knowledge and Skills Into an Online Business looks at the key pieces of the top business models, identifies which personalities work best in each model, and figure out the earning potential of each business option. Finally, Online Business: Work from Home takes your current skills and applies them to one of those structured business models, including close looks at the right software, platforms, marketing strategies, and even the branding and affiliate marketing to grow your online business into a winner. Each course in this package regularly costs $99 to $199. But with this deal, the whole package is now available for only $29.96. Prices are subject to change. India saw the biggest spike in COVID-19 cases for the third consecutive day on Sunday with 6,767 new infections reported in the last 24 hours taking the nationwide tally to 1,31,868, while the death toll due to the disease rose to 3,867 with 147 more fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, after visiting the dedicated COVID-19 health centre (DCHC) at Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Ayurved Charak Sansthan (CBPACS) in Najafgarh, said the country has ramped up its testing capacity and around 1,50,000 tests can be conducted every day. "Yesterday itself, we have conducted 1,10,397 tests. Till yesterday, we have conducted 29,44,874 tests," he said, adding that India now has 422 government laboratories and 177 private laboratory chains to conduct COVID-19 tests. In an online interaction with BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao, the health minister said India felt a "big jolt" with the sudden spike in cases following the Markaz incident in Delhi's Nizamuddin area. Vardhan said the incident was a lesson for all communities that when a collective decision is taken by the country, it must be followed with discipline. At the same time, he said there was no point talking about it now as strict contact tracing of Tablighi Jamaat congregation participants was done and those who contracted coronavirus have been treated. Meanwhile, the health ministry also issued a separate guideline for domestic travel and international arrivals. In the guidelines for domestic travel, the ministry advised passengers to download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones and asked states to ensure thermal screening at the departure point of airports, railway stations and bus terminals. Asymptomatic passengers should be permitted to travel after being asked to self-monitor for 14 days, it said. Dos and Don'ts shall be provided along with tickets to travellers by agencies concerned, said the ministry's guidelines for domestic travel (air/train/inter-state bus travel). The guidelines come after the Indian Railways last week issued a list of 100 pairs of trains that it will operate from June 1, putting in operation popular trains such as Durontos, Sampark Krantis, Jan Shatabdis and Poorva Express. Also, after a two-month hiatus, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has announced the resumption of domestic flights from May 25. He also said that India will try to restart a good percentage of international passenger flights before August. The Health Ministry also issued guidelines for international arrivals, saying that before boarding, all travellers shall give an undertaking that they would undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days. All scheduled commercial passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 25. While domestic flights will resume from Monday, international flights remain suspended. Before boarding, all travellers shall give an undertaking that they would undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days -- seven days' paid institutional quarantine at their own cost, followed by seven days isolation at home with self-monitoring of health, the guidelines said. Only for exceptional and compelling reasons such as cases of human distress, pregnancy, death in the family, serious illness and parent(s) accompanied by children below 10 years, as assessed by the receiving states, home quarantine may be permitted for 14 days, it stated, adding the use of Aarogya Setu app shall be mandatory in such cases. Vardhan, during his interaction with Rao, hailed the lockdown imposition as a bold decision which acted as a "potent social vaccine" against the virus and said it was taken at the right time. Many developed countries of the world put a lot of thought into making this decision and decided to impose lockdown when the situation went out of control, he said. In his remarks after visiting the COVID-dedicated facility, Vardhan said, "A total of 968 dedicated COVID hospitals have been identified across the country with 2,50,397 beds (1,62,237 Isolation beds plus 20,468 ICU beds); 2,065 Dedicated COVID Health Centres with 1,76,946 beds (1,20,596 isolation beds plus 10,691 ICU beds); and, 7,063 COVID Care Centres with 6,46,438 beds." About the status of containment of COVID-19 in the country, Vardhan said, "Prior to lockdown, on March 25, the doubling rate was 3.2 when measured over a period of three days, three when measured over a period of seven days and 4.1 when measured over a period of 14 days." "Today, it stands at 13 over a three-day window, 13.1 over a seven-day window and 12.7 when measured over a 14-day window. The fatality rate stands at 2.9 per cent, while the recovery rate has improved to 41.2 per cent. Clearly the situation has improved due to lockdown," he asserted. Meanwhile, the number of active COVID-19 cases in the country stood at 73,560. While 54,440 people have recovered, one patient has migrated to another country, the health ministry stated in its bulletin. "Thus, around 41.28 per cent patients have recovered so far," a Health Ministry official said. Of the 147 deaths reported since Saturday morning, 60 were in Maharashtra, 27 in Gujarat, 23 in Delhi, nine in Madhya Pradesh, seven in Rajasthan, five in Tamil Nadu, four each in West Bengal and Telangana, three in Uttar Pradesh, and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand. Jinja : , May 24 (IANS) Indian Association in Uganda, with help of the Indian Military training team, set up a military war game centre in Jinja district. On Sunday, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni inaugurated the war game centre conceptualised by Indian military team for Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF). While commissioning the wargame centre at the Uganda Senior Command and Staff College in Kimaka in Jinja District, the the President said, "This centre is also a great gesture of the wider cooperation and support we enjoy with the government and the people of India." He also hailed the relationship between the UPDF and the Indian army which he said has a lot of knowledge, experience and heroism. "Our relationship with India has existed for centuries. We were colonised together by a small group of people who came from Europe, but when we all woke up, and the small groups ran away. During that time, we fought together first against the Japanese in Burma. The heroic Indians are the ones who stopped the westward expansion of Japan at the famous battle of Kohima," he said. The war game centre is named 'INDIA' and is a type of strategy game that simulates warfare realistically, as opposed to abstract strategy games such as chess. Brigadier Ranjit Singh, Head of the Indian military team said that it is a fitting token of gratitude from the Indian community of Uganda for the UPDF, which has been the stabilising force in Uganda and the region for over three decades. The war game centre, constructed with an amount of over 1 billion Ugandan Shillings ($265,000), has been funded by voluntary contributions from Ugandans of Indian origin. Lieutenant General Andrew Gutti, Commandant of Senior Command and Staff College, where the Wargame Centre has been constructed, highlighted that the Indian Military Training Team has been a trusted partner of UPDF over many years. He said that the landmark training aid will help make the UPDF Senior Command and Staff College a centre of excellence in the entire region and it will remain a lasting symbol of the special bond that Indians in Uganda share with UPDF and India shares with Uganda. Patricia Ripley, a mother from Florida was indicted for her child's murder. She told the police that Alejandro, her son, a nonverbal nine-year-old with autism was kidnaped from Home Depot's parking in Miami. Reports said, Ripley was taken late Friday night into custody, and indicted with "first-degree murder and premeditated murder" for her son's death. The nonverbal boy was found lifeless Friday morning, several hours after the "Amber Alert," and launching an intensive search for him. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, they are very sad to announce that "the child was found dead." Katherine Fernandez Rundle, the Miami-Dade State Attorney said, police were able to obtain a video,showing Ripley pushing the nine-year-old into a canal Thursday night, at around 7:30 p.m. Screaming Heard Based on the police report, after residents heard screaming, they found the boy and eventually, rescued him. About an hour after, Ripley headed to a different canal, and unfortunately this time, she said, no one was there to save him. The state attorney also shared the death of the nine-year-old boy, as a tragic loss of life, not to mention, "Loss of any young life," has left all of them grieving. The senseless death of the boy, she added, "will stay with all of us." Ripley's defense was that she told the investigating police, that they were followed and ambushed on Thursday evening, at a parking lot of Home Depot, by two men riding a vehicle who, she claimed, demanded drugs. In a statement, police indicated that the driver of an unidentified vehicle tried to "side-swipe her vehicle," then, it reportedly blocked her while "a male passenger ambushed her, and demanded drugs." According to Ripley, she explained to the men that she did not have any drugs. After that, she said, the men stole her mobile phone and kidnapped her son. The surveillance video, according to Fernandez Rundle, showed the parking lot with Ripley sitting in her car for around 15 minutes before the alleged kidnapping was reported. Meanwhile, according to the Miami-Dade police, the boy's body was discovered around four miles from where Alejandro was allegedly abducted. Mother's Lie about the Kidnapping Fernandez Rundle also said Ripley lied about her son's abduction. She added detectives found a video that showed her pushing Alejandro into a canal, specifically at "103rd Avenue and Kendall Drive." As earlier mentioned, Fernandez Rundle also said, according to witnesses, they were able to rescue the boy the first time. However, the next crime scene was shown at a different canal, this time, located at the Southwest 62nd Street and 13th Court. When Ripley appeared in court in Miami-Dade, reports said, Aldo Ripley, Alejandro's father, was also there and seen in tears. Meanwhile, Antoinette Uribe, who said she knew the Ripley family since her son and Alejandro "were both patients at the My Kid Therapy Center," located in Country Walk. Uribe described the boy as "the world to his parents." While the case is still being investigated, Uribe, and others who were at the memorial, reports said, were convinced that the two men the Ripley was referring to in her statement, were the ones who abducted and killed Alejandro. Check these out! President Muhammadu Buhari Sunday celebrated the eid-el-fitri with his family in Abuja. The celebration of the Islamic festival was low key across Nigeria due to the coronavirus pandemic. Large gatherings have been banned in most parts of the country to check the spread of the virus. See the photos of the president and his family below. President @MBuhari and his immediate family observe the #EidAlFitr Prayer at the State House. [PHOTO CREDIT: @MBuhari] President @MBuhari and his immediate family observe the #EidAlFitr Prayer at the State House. President Muhammadu Buhari and his family celebrating Eid-Al-Fitr. President Muhammadu Buhari and his family celebrating Eid-Al-Fitr. (Natural News) A new paper out of Australia takes a closer look at the possible origins of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), revealing that it more than likely is an unnatural consequence of deliberate manipulation and not some random fluke. SARS-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as it is also being called, has been under increasing scrutiny in recent days as scientists try to determine how it might have passed from exotic animals to humans. This type of thing simply does not happen with coronaviruses apart from some kind of tampering, the world is learning. In order to get to the bottom of it, laboratories could undertake the lengthy task of dissecting the virus using traditional methods. But this would take an incredible amount of time, and many are demanding answers now. This is where the new research paper from down under comes into play, as scientists there utilized a powerful in silico method of modeling analysis to more rapidly determine what made the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) transfer from animals to humans. Using an in silico meaning the use of silicon computer chips for advanced simulation, the team structural homology modeling approach to characterize the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the team was able to determine that it has a high affinity for binding to the human ACE2 receptor. The next step involved constructing models of the ACE2 receptors of relevant species in order to calculate the binding energy of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to each one of them. This revealed that the novel virus prefers human ACE2 receptors more than any others, including those found in bats. This is an interesting find, seeing as how authorities, especially early on, were insistent that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) originated in bats that were being sold as meat at so-called wet markets in Wuhan, China. What this all revealed to the scientists involved is that SARS-CoV-2 somehow became highly adapted to human pathogens more than any other pathogens. And this suggests that the virus many not have originated naturally. Overall, the data indicates that SARS-CoV-2 is uniquely adapted to infect humans, raising important questions as to whether it arose in nature by a rare chance event or whether its origins might lie elsewhere, they wrote in their abstract. Listen below to The Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, offers a science-based explanation as to a much larger coronavirus depopulation agenda: No, your dog is not going to give you coronavirus The fact that these scientists found that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) does not particularly like animals completely debunks the newest lie from the federal government that people should be afraid of their pets and force their furry family members to practice social distancing. And it was not just this study that made that determination: Other related research has determined that ferrets, dogs, and other domesticated animals are not at risk of contracting and spreading the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) because it does not replicate well within their bodies. Even so, it would appear as though we have a Chinese bioweapon on our hands for which continued digging will hopefully determine its true origins. Did the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) simply escape from a Chinese laboratory, or was it intentionally released? And will there be repercussions for the communist state? Given the seriousness of the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it is imperative that all efforts be made to identify the original source of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the new paper concludes. In particular, it will be important to establish whether COVID-19 is due to a completely natural chance occurrence where a presumed bat virus was transmitted to humans via an intermediate animal host or whether COVID-19 has alternative origins. This information will be of paramount importance to help prevent any similar human coronavirus outbreak in the future. 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: arXiv.org BusinessInsider.com NaturalNews.com National Chief Imam, Dr. Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharabutu, on Saturday (May 23, 2020) took delivery of food items from African waste management leaders, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, as its usual corporate social responsibility towards the celebration of this years Eidul Fitr. The company has a culture of supporting the Chief Imam with food items to in turn support the vulnerable in his community as they break their fast during the Sallah celebration in Accra. Presenting the items, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Jospong Group of Companies which Zoomlion Ghana Limited is a subsidiary, Mrs. Sophia Lissah, disclosed that 10 cartons of oil and 30 bags of 25kgs of rice plus an undisclosed amount of money were donated to the Chief Imam. She said the company cannot thank the Chief Imam enough for his sustained prayers and quest to ensuring a peaceful co-existence among the religions in the country. Mrs. Lissah said the management and staff members have enjoyed a cordial relationship with the Chief Imam and the Muslim community over the years and wish to maintain that at all times. Receiving the items, the National Chief Imam, Sheik Osman Nuhu Sharabutu, expressed gratitude to Zoomlion Ghana Limited and its owner, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, for the consistency in supporting him during festive seasons, and prayed for the almighty Allah to continue to bless and expand the Jospong companies to greater heights. He urged the Eid-Ul-Fitr celebrants, especially the youth, to avoid crowds and unnecessary jubilation with motorbikes and other social vices as we are not in normal times. He admonished them to regularly wash their hands under running water with soap, use alcohol-based hand sanitisers, observe social/physical distancing and wear nose masks as prescribed by the Ghana Health Services (GHS) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ensure that they do not contract the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Later in an interview, the spokesman of the Chief Imam, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, said the Chief Imam will hold a virtual prayer on GBC tomorrow, Sunday 23rd May 2020 with a few government functionaries and Islamic leaders, and urged all Muslims to watch from their homes and participate in the prayers. He appealed to all Muslims to ensure that they pray in their homes to help curb the spread of the virus, stressing we are no longer in normal times. Memorial Day is a national holiday observed in the United States on the last Monday in May. It is the day when Americans honor the women and men who have served in the military. The Memorial Day holiday was first observed in 1868. The holiday was called Decoration Day. The observance was at what was then known as the National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It is now known as Arlington National Cemetery. More than four million people visit the cemetery every year. It is the most famous national burial place in the United States. It includes about 250 hectares of rolling hills, and trees that were planted hundreds of years ago. There are more than 8,000 trees of 300 species in the cemetery. Up and down the hills are lines of simple white headstones marking the graves. About 400 of the markers have gold letters on them. These are the burial places of those who have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the nations highest military honor. Among those buried at the cemetery are military and political leaders, cabinet officers and Supreme Court justices. Astronauts, explorers and athletes are also buried there. So are chaplains, nurses, slaves and even war correspondents. Arlington is on the land that once belonged to George Washington Parke Custis, a step-grandson of George Washington. The cemetery holds the graves of soldiers who died in every war in American history. Some who fought and died in the Revolutionary War in the 1700s were moved there from a nearby cemetery. The first military burial was on May 13, 1864 for Private William Christman, who died in the Civil War. On May 15, 1864, two unknown Union Soldiers were buried at Arlington. They were the first of almost 5,000 unknowns who are now buried at the cemetery. On March 4, 1921, Congress approved the burial of an unidentified American soldier from World War I. It is now the site of the famed Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Nearly 4,000 former slaves are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. One of them is James Parks. He dug the first graves in the cemetery. And he is the only person buried there who was also born on the property. Two American presidents are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. William Howard Taft was president in the early 1900s. John F. Kennedy was president in the 1960s. More people have visited his grave than any other in the United States. Other famous people buried at the cemetery include Joe Louis. He was an Army sergeant in World War II. He was a world champion boxer. Robert E. Peary discovered the North Pole. Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee founded the Army Nurse Corps. And the remains of the seven astronauts who died when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded are buried in Section 46. Sixty-five foreigners are also buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Britain has the most, with 26. South Vietnam has 10, including nine unknown soldiers. Not everyone who gave military service to the United States may be buried at the cemetery. Those who can be buried there include anyone who died while serving on active duty or who retired from military. Also eligible are those who received high military awards, including the Medal of Honor, those who were injured in combat and former prisoners of war. Some federal government officials and the spouse and children of those buried at Arlington may also be eligible. There is no cost for the burial or funeral service. Cemetery officials are worried that they will soon run out of space. So they have added an area where the ashes of people who chose to be cremated rather than buried can be placed. There are tens of thousands of spaces in the building, which is called a columbarium. The cemetery is also expanding by almost 11 hectares. This will add almost 30,000 burial places. Since 1948, on the Thursday before Memorial Day, soldiers from the 3rd US Infantry, The Old Guard, have placed small American flags in front of every headstone in the cemetery. This year, more than a thousand Old Guard soldiers placed more than 220,000 flags in front of each grave marker to honor every individual buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Some of the Old Guard soldiers placed flags in front of the graves of soldiers they knew, in Section 60. Some have called it the saddest place in America. It is where some of the soldiers who died in Americas latest wars -- in Iraq and Afghanistan -- are buried. Im Christopher Jones-Cruise. Shelley Gollust and Christopher Jones-Cruise wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story species n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants eligible adj. able to be chosen for something; able to do or receive something columbarium n. a building or area where urns holding a deceaseds cremated remains are placed How does your country honor those who died in war? We want to hear about it. Write to us in the comments section. A crisis unfolding in Senegal, the World Food Programme warns 130 million people are facing starvation because of the pandemic. The World Food Programme says the coronavirus pandemic could push an additional 130 million people to the brink of starvation by the end of the year. While the number of infections is multiplying in Senegal, the government is easing restriction on movement, fearing a looming food crisis. Al Jazeeras Nicolas Haque reports from Sandiara in Senegals Thies region. Following her huge success in hit TV drama Chernobyl, Jessie Buckley has little to be embarrassed about now but the 30-year-old Irish actress cringes at one memory of her teenage years growing up in Co Kerry. I was in the Gleneagle marching band, which was the social suicidal point in my life, Jessie recalls. Every Sunday with my clarinet, which had some apparatus missing, I would march around car parks in Killarney with a band. Please laugh it is incredibly laughable. Jessie Buckley pictured attending the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 at Royal Albert Hall on February 2, 2020, in London, England The Irish actress playing Lyudmilla Ignatenko, the young wife of a firefighter who suffers from exposure to radiation, in the hit TV drama Chernobyl David Walliams jokes that he wanted to write a childrens book about an evil music boss but gave up when he realised his pal, fellow Britains Got Talent judge Simon Cowell, was a better villain than anything he could create. Walliams says: I had an idea for a story where there was a boy band and one by one they were replaced by robots. There was an evil genius behind it based on Simon. 'He was turning them into robots as he himself had a metal heart and he did not have any feelings. But then I thought there is no point as it is all true. Perhaps the next thing David could write is his own P45 from BGT... Theyre currently self-isolating in a $18 million mansion in Beverly Hills but according to one royal commentator, Prince Harry and Meghan Markles exit from the royal family has been a nightmare that has spiraled out of control. Jane Barr, who runs the From Berkshire to Buckingham blog claims Harry and Meghan had no interest in leaving the royal family. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle never wanted to leave the royal family, according to one commentator. Photo: Getty Images Instead, she claims the Sussexes actually wanted to just change their place in the royal pecking order and run their own course in the family, however their plan didnt pan out as theyd hoped. Meghan loved being royal. Royalty was an absolute jackpot. She never wanted to relinquish the ultimate A-lister status she had finally achieved, Jane wrote. Meghan and Harry did not want out; they did not choose their current position. It has been a nightmare that has spiraled out of control for them. From the moment the BRF (British royal family) balked at their initial January statement, to the showdown at Sandringham where they had to make their choice, to the humiliation of losing permission to use their HRHs (a veritable stripping of their status), to the loss of their brand name/trademarks, to the current catastrophe of trying to launch a new (profitable venture) in the midst of a global pandemic, they have had a wretchedly rocky road. Back in January, Meghan and Harry shocked their fans when they released a statement detailing how they were stepping away from their roles as senior royals. After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex left the royal family in March, after revealing they were stepping back from their roles as senior royals in January. Photo: Getty Images We intend to step back as senior members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. Story continues 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. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support. Over the following days it was alleged that the Queen had no idea they were about to make the statement public and was left heartbroken at the Sussexs decision to break free from The Firm. The Sussexes are now living in LA. Photo: Getty Images Crisis meetings were held at Buckingham Palace between Prince Harry, Prince William, Prince Charles and the Queen. Eventually it was decided that the couple would no longer formally represent the Queen and they were required to withdraw from royal duties, including official military appointments. The couple moved to Canada but just before coronavirus restrictions were imposed they upped sticks and decided to set up home in LA, with their one-year-old son, Archie. Last month, it was claimed that Prince Harry is missing parts of his former life, especially the camaraderie that came with being part of the military. Prince Harry was forced to relinquish his roles as Captain General Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant, RAF Honington and Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command. According to The Telegraph, the 35-year-old is longing for the camaraderie of his days in the Army and thinks it may have helped him cope with all the changes that are occurring in his life. He has been telling friends he still can't believe this has happened. He can't believe his life has been turned upside down, his friend said. He was in a happy place when he was serving in the Army, then he met Meghan and since then life has been great. But I don't think he foresaw things turning out quite as they did. Harrys friend went on to say that Harry doesnt blame Meghan for wanting to move back to her hometown of LA, but he feels that he might have been better protected if he was still in the Army. Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com. Think your employee benefits are pretty generous? Your state may think overwise. Depending on your business location, you might be required to offer employees things like paid sick leave or PTO payouts. And if your state doesnt currently mandate certain benefits, they may in the future. Why not start offering them now? 7 things to consider offering before your state tells you to Determining employee compensation is arguably one of the trickiest things you do as an employer. You have to strike a balance between what workers want and what your business can afford. But as more states expand employee protections, you may not have much of a choice on what you offer your staff. Read on to get a jumpstart on state-mandated types of employee benefits. Related: The Basics of Employee Benefits 1. A higher wage You know about the federal minimum wage law. But how much do you know about your states minimum wage requirements? Only half of the states follow the federal minimum wage. The other half set a higher state minimum wage that employers must provide. So if your business is located in a state that follows the federal minimum wage, you might consider offering a higher wage to your employees. Plus, a higher wage looks pretty good when it comes to attracting and retaining employees, right? When setting a higher-than-minimum wage, you cant just pull an arbitrary number out of a hat. More than likely, youll need to do a bit of research to make sure that youre offering a competitive wage. That way, you can avoid both underpaying and overpaying your employees. 2. Paid sick leave Everyone gets sick. But, theres no federal law that requires employers to give paid sick leave to employees. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 44 percent of workers at businesses with fewer than 100 workers cant take a paid sick day when theyre under the weather. Related: The Myriad Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace However, a number of states have implemented state-mandated paid sick leave laws. And, that number seems to be growing. Currently, 11 states (plus Washington, D.C.) have laws requiring eligible employers to give employees time off for qualifying situations. If your business is in a state with a paid sick leave law, you may have no choice but to offer paid sick leave. But if you arent subject to paid sick leave laws, you can still choose to offer employees this great benefit before your state potentially forces you to. By doing so, you can discourage employees from coming into work when theyre sick, protect other co-workers from catching a bug, and help boost productivity. 3. Paid family leave Do you give your employees paid family leave? Not many employers do. In fact, only 18 percent of all private industry workers have access to paid family leave (PFL). The states that require paid family leave treat it like unemployment insurance employees, employers or both pay into a state fund that pays out benefits to employees when they take leave. If your state doesnt have a PFL program, offering it to your employees could give you an edge as an employer of choice. You might consider enrolling in a paid family leave program on your own before your state (or the federal government) passes a new law. 4. PTO payouts If you willingly give your employees paid vacation days, your state may require you to give paid time off (PTO) payouts. PTO payouts require employers to pay employees for earned but unused time off either at the end of the year or when an employee leaves. A number of states require employers to provide PTO payouts. And if yours doesnt, you might consider doing so of your own free will. 5. Paid jury duty leave So, your employee has been served with time on a jury. Do you give them paid time off while theyre fulfilling their civic duty? Related: 5 Reasons Enhanced Benefits Programs Are Good for Business If your business is located in one of the 10 states that have jury duty compensation laws, the answer is an emphatic yes. If not, you might consider broadening your employee benefits by offering paid jury duty leave. When giving employees paid time off to attend jury duty, think about what time youll actually pay for. You might give partial wages, especially if your state compensates people serving on jury duty. Or, you may give paid jury duty leave for a set period of time. 6. Voting leave Some states require employers to provide paid voting leave while others mandate unpaid leave. All in all, 30 states require time off to vote. Most states designate how long employees get off to vote, too (e.g., two hours). Dont live in a state with voting leave laws? Consider making the executive decision and offering time to your employees anyway. Or, if your business is in a state with unpaid voting leave laws, you might offer paid time to your employees instead. Whether you voluntarily decide to offer paid or unpaid voting leave, your employees will thank you for it. It can help them fulfill their civic responsibilities ... without having to wait in line for an hour after work. 7. Time off for any reason Only one state requires employers to give time off for any reason, and that state is Maine. Plus, Maines bill, An Act Authorizing Earned Employee Leave, wont take effect until January 2021. If Maines paid time off for any reason law is anything like paid sick leave and family leave laws, other states may start implementing similar requirements. Again, this is all just something to mull over. But you absolutely need to know your states laws and whether they affect you. Only then can you consider voluntarily offering non-mandated benefits before your state forces you to. Related: 7 Things to Consider Offering Employees Before Your State Forces You To How Preparation and Role-Playing Can Help You Become a Brilliant Communicator The Role Model Mindset: Being a Great Entrepreneur Is About Showing Others What's Possible Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved A COVID-19 outbreak at a Vancouver food processing facility has puts Clark County Public Healths request for a Phase 2 variance from Washington state on hold. As of Saturday, 47 employees at Firestone Pacific Foods have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to company CEO Josh Hinerfeld. This appears to be the Portland areas biggest workplace outbreak thus far, excluding the healthcare sector. As our community moves forward, whether next week or in the weeks that follow, we may unfortunately see more positive cases," Clark County Council Chair Eileen Quiring said in a news release. Hinerfeld said the company with 161 employees and 18 temporary workers and contractors had its first confirmed case midday Sunday, May 17, and learned of two more later that afternoon. The Vancouver plant shut down Monday but the infection total has now grown to 47, with 26 new cases confirmed on Friday, according to public health authorities. One of the infected employees has been hospitalized. The Vancouver Clinic shifted from its normal operations and on Friday started testing Firestones remaining workforce, and to retest some of those who previously tested negative. Clark Countys public health department said late Friday that it is tracking the Firestone outbreak and working to trace the contacts of infected employees. Everyone who tests positive is instructed to isolate at home and close contacts will be asked to quarantine for 14 days, according to a Clark County news release. Clark Countys public health department spokeswoman Marissa Armstrong said it is collaborating with the company to implement additional controls to prevent infections whenever the facility reopens. Those controls include things like installing barriers between work stations, installing more hand-washing stations, staggering work shifts and lunch/break schedules, she wrote in an email. Hinerfeld said the company took steps to protect employees before the outbreak, including social distancing, temperature checks, providing masks to employees and offering expanded sick leave. Food processing facilities have emerged as a major source of infection across the country, apparently because employees work indoors and are often in close proximity to one another. There have been at least two such workplace outbreaks in Oregon in Astoria and Albany. Despite the concentration of coronavirus outbreaks among workers at fruit, vegetable, seafood and meat processing facilities, health authorities say they havent seen evidence the coronavirus can be spread through food. The World Health Organization says it is highly unlikely people would become infected by the virus through food because COVID-19 is a respiratory illness. As businesses in Oregon and Washington reopen amid a gradual loosening of coronavirus restrictions, Hinerfeld said his companys experience should serve as a cautionary tale. We thought we had a pretty good plan in place and boy, it bit us in the rear end, he said. This genie is not back in the bottle. This article has been updated with additional cases confirmed. Mike Rogoway with updates by Janet Eastman mrogoway@oregonian.com | @rogoway Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories Prince William and Kate Middleton might opt out of sending Princess Charlotte back to school in June so they can keep up her coronavirus lockdown routine with brother Prince George at home. Charlotte, five, is currently in reception year at Thomass school in Battersea, London, while George, six, is in Year Two. Under the latest Government guidelines - which the 19,000-a-year school is expected to follow - Reception, Year One and Year Six classes are to reopen from June 1, meaning Charlotte could return but George must remain at home. A final decision on whether the school will reopen will be announced this week, The Sunday Times reported. Prince William and Kate might opt out of sending Princess Charlotte, five, back to school in June. Right: Charlotte helping to pack up and deliver food packages The royal couple previously said it had been 'challenging' to teach their three children - who they said had 'got such stamina'. Pictured: The family clapping for NHS carers in April The royal couple, who have been staying at their Norfolk home, Amner Hall, during the crisis, previously said it had been 'challenging' to teach their children at home - joking that they have 'got such stamina'. Speaking in an interview with BBC Breakfast in April, Kate, 38, said of homeschooling: 'Don't tell the children, we've actually kept it going through the [Easter] holidays. I feel very mean. 'The children have got such stamina, I don't know how. Honestly, you get to the end of the day and you write down the list of all the things that you've done in that day.' She added: 'It's just having that bit of structure actually. And it's great, there's so many great tips online and fun activities that you can do with the children, so it hasn't been all hardcore.' Speaking in an interview with BBC Breakfast in April, Kate said of home schooling: 'Don't tell the children, we've actually kept it going through the holidays. I feel very mean.' Pictured: George and Charlotte playing together in 2018 Ballet and a rooftop playground... what George and Charlotte are missing at Thomas's Battersea Thomas's London Day Schools is a group of independent, co-educational preparatory schools in Battersea, Clapham, Fulham and Kensington. It was founded in 1971 when actress Joanna Thomas, a mother of three, started a kindergarten in a church hall. Thomas's Battersea branch opened in October 1990, and the school has 540 pupils between the ages of four and 13. Thomas's Battersea branch (pictured) opened in October 1990, and the school has 540 pupils between the ages of four and 13 It occupies a Grade II listed building - which was once a grammar school founded in 1700 - where facilities include a rooftop playground, theatre, ballet and pottery rooms. The most important school rule is to be kind, while other core values include courtesy, confidence and humility. Former pupils include singer Florence Welch (of Florence & The Machine), model Cara Delevingne and her sisters, Poppy and Chloe. Advertisement Earlier this month, Kate joked that Prince George was 'jealous' of his five-year-old sister's homework and 'would rather make spider sandwiches'. Pictured: Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George applaud NHS workers Earlier this month, Kate joked that Prince George was 'jealous' of his five-year-old sister's homework and 'would rather make spider sandwiches'. Appearing on ITV's This Morning, the mother-of-three said: 'George gets very upset because he just wants to do all of Charlotte's projects. Spider sandwiches are far cooler than literacy work.' The Duchess also previously talked about how she and Prince William, 37, had kept a strict regime while homeschooling their children George, Charlotte and Prince Louis, two. Speaking on the BBC last month, the couple said it was important to avoid scaring their children and making it 'too overwhelming', but added that home schooling was 'fun' and the children had been pitching tents, cooking and baking. Kate, who sported a chic striped T-shirt as she sat next to her husband at their Norfolk home said: 'You pitch a tent take the tent down again, cook, bake. Appearing on ITV's This Morning, the mother-of-three (pictured) said: 'George gets very upset because he just wants to do all of Charlotte's projects. Spider sandwiches are far cooler than literacy work.' 'You get to the end of the day - they have had a lovely time - but it is amazing how much you can cram into one day, that's for sure.' The government's decision to send children back to school has been met with criticism from trade unions, ministers and local authorities over whether is is safe to do so. Hartlepool in County Durham and Liverpool said they would ignore the Government's plan to let some primary school pupils back to the school from June 1. Concerns have been echoed by The British Medical Association who warned the number of coronavirus cases was still too high to open schools safely. Speaking on the BBC last month, Prince William and Kate (pictured in March) said it was important to avoid scaring their children and making it 'too overwhelming', but added that home schooling was 'fun' and the children had been pitching tents, cooking and baking Thomas's school in Battersea is housed in a Grade II listed building, the former Sir Walter St John's Grammar School which dates back to 1700. The school, which describes itself as Christian, open to children of all faiths, believes in 'praise as the greatest motivator'. Parents are told their children will be in an atmosphere which seeks positive relationships between pupils, teachers and parents. Art, ballet, drama, ICT, French, music and physical education are all taught by specialist teachers from a child's first day. Of all the challenges you may experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps one of the most arduous is that of being a caregiver. The pandemic is adding another layer of stress to your daily responsibilities. During our last support group meeting, we discussed the difficulties our members are facing with the additional changes they are encountering. Some of our members, with loved ones at home, are finding it taxing to keep their loved ones occupied. Its stressful when you cant or are uncomfortable going out to a restaurant, unable to interact with friends, wearing a mask when you run errands, or attempting to discuss the reasons for social distancing. Its even harder trying to explain why family and friends are no longer able to come into the home to visit. Members with a loved one in a nursing facility have an additional layer of separation as they are not allowed to visit face-to-face with their family member. This can be very confusing to their loved one and adds additional guilt to the Caregiver when they are unable to visit as often as they were accustomed. In some cases, families are able to connect with their loved one via internet options, if they can find a health care employee to assist, or perhaps just get an update from the nursing home on a periodic basis. Its extremely important that you, as a caregiver, make time to care for yourself, especially during these unsettling times. Joan M. Gillis, senior clinical team manager at McLean (Belmont, MA) Hospitals Geriatric Psychiatry Inpatient Services stresses that compassion fatigue occurs when a caregiver is continually stressed from caring for someone in need. You emotionally disengage which reduces your ability to provide care, Gillis said. You lose the ability to be empathic. "Self-care is not selfish. It keeps you mentally alert, physically healthy and emotionally strong. You need stamina in the caregiving role. Your poor physical and/or emotional health will most certainly impact your loved one. You need to take time out to recharge and refocus yourself. It is NOT a luxury. It is a basic and essential human need. Sometimes all you need is to have someone else give you permission to take care of yourself FIRST. Please take these words to heart and concentrate on taking care of yourself before you take care of your loved one. It will make all the difference in your caregiving world! Join us We normally hold a monthly Alzheimers Caregivers Support Group meeting at Kentucky Ridge Assisted Living in Mason City. Kentucky Ridge has been on lockdown since early March due to the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, with the help of the Iowa Alzheimers Association, we were able to offer an online meeting, which was attended by several of our members. It was a great way to reconnect and get brought up to speed on the challenges and successes of how our caregivers are handling the issues they are facing whether their loved ones are at home with them or residing in a nursing facility. Walk to End Alzheimer's We are planning on joining the 2020 Mason City Walk to End Alzheimers on Saturday, Oct. 3. Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, this walk is the worlds largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimers care, support and research. This inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to join the fight against the disease. Please contact us if you are interested in joining our team, would like to have a team of your own, or if you would be interested in being a Community Sponsor for the Walk. Final note Finally, if you are reading this and know a caregiver who is struggling, you may be wondering what you can do to help. First of all, simply recognizing a caregivers situation can go a long way. Is there something you could do to help lighten their load? Perhaps you could offer to pick up a few things when youre running errands, bring over a home-cooked meal or take-out from their favorite restaurant, have a conversation on the phone or outdoors while practicing social distancing. Just be the friend you would want to have. You can make a profound difference in a caregivers day. You may also contact the Iowa Alzheimer's Association 24/7 at 800-272-3000 or https://alz.org/iowa for additional information and assistance on anything related to Alzheimers. Please visit and LIKE our Facebook page at Alzheimers Caregivers Support Group-Mason City and email us at alzsupgroupmc@outlook.com with any questions or concerns. Michael and Constance Wentworth of Mason City are Alzheimers support group facilitators. Their periodic columns will highlight specific real-life questions or concerns addressed at one of their support group meetings. For more information, see their page on Facebook, Alzheimer's Caregivers Support Group Mason City. You can also email them at alzsupgroupmc@outlook.com or call 641-201-1797 and leave a message. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan along with other senior officials of the Health Ministry on Saturday interacted with representatives of 11 municipal areas from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Rajasthan which have reported a high number of COVID-19 cases. These areas alone account for 70% of India's active case-load. A presentation was made to highlight the trend in case trajectory with respect to total confirmed cases, the fatality rate, doubling time, tests per million and confirmation percentage. The major challenge lies in those corporations having shorter doubling time, higher mortality rate and a higher confirmation rate than the national average. They were briefed about the factors to be considered while mapping the containment and buffer zones; the activities mandated in containment zones such as perimeter control, active search for cases through house-to-house surveillance, contact tracing, testing protocol and clinical management of 'active' cases. Surveillance activities in the buffer zone such as monitoring of SARI/ILI cases, ensuring social distancing and promoting hand hygiene were also stressed doing the interaction. Key officials from the Health Ministry told the representatives of the municipal corporations to maintain high vigilance and monitoring in areas of old cities, urban slums and other high-density pockets along with camps or clusters of migrant workers. Sudan's team told the affected corporations that screening of high-risk population and groups and effective and sturdy clinical management of the admitted cases are necessary to reduce the fatality rate. The ministry team also said that out of those 11 corporations, which are yet to create a 24/7 control room, must do it on priority. Testing needs to be stepped up, Sudan's team told the corporations, which can help in early detection of COVID-19 cases, timely clinical management and a reduction in fatality rate. Also highlighted were better coordination and the use of local languages. Some good examples were also shared: Mumbai Municipal Commissioner briefed about establishing close cooperation between private hospitals and municipal authorities for pooling in the health infrastructure such as the ICU and oxygen beds. The authorities in Indore focused on contact tracing and active house-to-house surveys. --IANS abn/sfm/prs Cashiers at a grocery store sanitize a card reader and the checkout area, Thursday, March 26, 2020, in Quincy, Mass., as an extra precaution out of concern about the spread of the coronavirus. 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/Steven Senne) Read more By the end of April, employees at a Walmart in Quincy, Massachusetts, were panicking: Sick colleagues kept showing up at work. Other employees disappeared without explanation. The store's longtime greeter was in the hospital and on a ventilator, dying from covid-19. Local health officials grew alarmed as employees and their relatives reported sick co-workers. Shoppers called to complain about crowded conditions. "We have had consistent problems with Walmart," wrote Ruth Jones, Quincy's health commissioner, in an April 28 email to the Massachusetts attorney general's office. "They have a cluster of Covid cases among employees and have not been cooperative in giving us contact information or in following proper quarantine and isolation guidelines." The next day, at another Walmart in Worcester, Massachusetts, a local public health director ordered a shutdown after obtaining an internal company list showing nearly two dozen employees had tested positive. Health officials in the two cities pressed the nation's largest grocer to test all of its employees at the two stores for coronavirus. The screenings, which began within days in the store parking lots, helped confirm a wider problem: 119 of the workers were infected, according to health officials. Despite the pandemic, grocery stores generally are not required to publicly disclose cases of coronavirus involving employees or report them to the local health departments. As states now move to reopen, many grocers are being criticized by health officials, lawmakers and store employees for not being more open with the public and their own workers about outbreaks within their stores. The Washington Post interviewed about 40 current and former employees at more than 30 supermarkets who alleged that the companies had not disclosed cases of infected or dead workers, retaliated against employees who raised safety concerns and used faulty equipment to implement coronavirus mitigation measures. The $800 billion grocery industry - dominated by a handful of major players, including Walmart, Kroger and Albertsons - employs more than three million people in what are typically low-paying positions with little job security. Amid the pandemic, the country's nearly 40,000 grocery stores have been classified by officials as essential businesses that must remain open, putting the stores at the front lines of the crisis. Grocery stores, one place most consumers cannot avoid during the pandemic, have reported double-digit growth in sales in recent months. At least 100 grocery workers nationwide have died from the virus since late March, and at least 5,500 others have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a Post review of data from the nation's largest grocery workers union, other workers' rights coalitions and media reports. Many local health officials told The Post they have been left in the dark as clusters of cases have emerged in supermarkets coast to coast. "We really need to have better communication. There's got to be something moving forward ... that changes the current process," said Karyn Clark, Worcester's public health director. Clark said a nurse had to call the local Walmart several times before the company shared its internal list of infected employees. In interviews, supermarket chains defended their efforts to protect workers and the public, saying they have required masks for employees, encouraged social distancing and rewarded workers with hazard pay and bonuses. Some grocers said they have collaborated with health departments across the country to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. "Our associates are playing a critical role in helping people have access to fresh food, medicine and critical supplies during this crisis, and their safety is our highest priority," said Lorenzo Lopez, a Walmart spokesman. "In areas experiencing community-wide outbreaks like Quincy and Worcester, our associates also felt the impact as members of those communities. We work closely with public health and medical experts and follow their guidance in implementing safety and health measures for our associates and customers." Supermarket chains said they are being transparent about outbreaks while protecting the privacy of affected workers, which is governed by a patchwork of laws and regulatory measures. All of the grocers contacted by The Post - Walmart, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market, Target, Kroger, BJ's Wholesale Club and Lidl - declined to provide the number of workers who tested positive for the coronavirus or died from it. Combined, those employers account for roughly 11,300 stores and 2.4 million employees nationwide. United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents 900,000 workers at major chains, including Kroger, Safeway and Giant, has called on the companies to be more forthcoming to protect workers and customers in an industry that has remained a lifeline for households after states shut down most nonessential businesses for the pandemic. Over the past five weeks, the union said the number of its grocery workers who have been infected or exposed to the virus jumped from 1,557 to 10,453. "While some companies are doing the right thing and keeping shoppers and employees informed, there are still some keeping consumers in the dark and trying to sweep this information under the rug," union president Marc Perrone said. Many grocery workers told The Post that despite social distancing measures, they often share break rooms, bathrooms and devices for clocking in and out of their shifts. One sick employee, public health experts said, can potentially expose hundreds of colleagues and shoppers each day. Local government health officials, whose job is to track and notify the public of disease outbreaks, said they have been hamstrung by many supermarkets responding slowly to their pleas for information about employees who are infected with the coronavirus or may have been exposed to it. In Quincy, the health department first contacted the local Walmart on April 11 to inform the store of an employee it learned had tested positive for the coronavirus. Jones, the health director, said they asked the company repeatedly for the names and contact information for employees who worked closely with the infected employee so they could identify and inform other workers who may have been exposed. In the meantime, the health department kept learning of new cases among store employees and the number of potentially exposed employees mushroomed. After receiving no information for nearly two weeks, Jones escalated her request to the Walmart corporate office. Finally, on April 28, Walmart provided contact information for employees at the Quincy store who had been exposed to the virus, Jones said. Five days later, 69-year-old Yok Yen Lee, the greeter at the store, died from covid-19, her family said. Under pressure from the health department, Walmart then closed the store for a week, cleaned it and offered testing to every worker. In all, 34 employees at that location tested positive. In Worcester, more than 80 employees were infected, health officials said. Troubled by Walmart's response in Quincy and Worcester, lawmakers sent a letter on May 7 to Doug McMillon, the company's president and chief executive. "Across the country, more than 20 Walmart employees have died from COVID-19, and employees have had to take the critical work of contact tracing into their own hands to try and remain safe," the delegation, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote in the letter. In a May 19 response to lawmakers, Bruce C. Harris, a Walmart vice president of federal government affairs, wrote that managers are required to meet with associates to let them know about each positive case, and that they are monitoring the number of employees taking leave. "We are managing thousands of different, and sometimes conflicting, emergency orders and directives," Harris wrote. In Los Angeles, a Ralph's supermarket employee, Jackie Mayoral, said managers instructed workers not to talk about sick colleagues around customers and that managers also refused to disclose how many employees were infected. It was only through the union that Mayoral learned more than 20 of her colleagues at the supermarket, owned by Kroger, had tested positive for the virus. "Me and my co-workers are a family, and we should be able to talk about the things that are going to be able to affect us and possibly kill us," said Mayoral, who was diagnosed with covid-19 in April and believes she contracted the virus at the supermarket, the only place she regularly visits outside of her home. She has since recovered. Asked about the directives to avoid speaking about cases, Kristal Howard, a Kroger spokeswoman, said the company's guidance "is always to communicate with integrity - openly and transparently - while protecting the privacy of any affected associate." Employment attorneys said companies must balance protecting employee privacy with keeping workplaces safe. "We're dealing with overlapping laws, gaps in laws and differing guidance from different levels of government," said Kirk Nahra, an attorney at the law firm WilmerHale who specializes in privacy, data and health-care issues. "Companies are not supposed to disclose your name, but can they tell other employees in the meat department that someone who worked there Tuesday tested positive? Sure." Industry experts said the pandemic has left some supermarket chains struggling with what information should be shared with regulators or the public about sick and exposed employees. Grocery companies are facing unprecedented challenges when an employee falls ill or dies, according to Hilary Thesmar, chief food and product safety officer for the Food Marketing Institute, a trade group for grocery stores and wholesalers. "Companies are having to weigh a lot of factors: When did the employee test positive? When were they last at work?" she said. But Oscar Alleyne, chief of programs and services at the National Association of County and City Health Officials, said that retailers need to be more transparent with public health officials in order to protect these high-risk essential workers and the public. "You're only as good as the data you have," Alleyne said. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which oversees workplace safety, issued guidance in April that coronavirus cases were reportable to the agency under certain circumstances. But the agency said it generally wouldn't enforce the rules except for employers in the health-care industry, emergency response organizations and correctional institutions. New workplace safety guidance from OSHA that goes into effect Tuesday asks most industries to report coronavirus cases that meet certain criteria. But employment experts say it's murky and allows employers to decide whether the cases are work-related. In the absence of data, UFCW has compiled daily reports on infected employees from its local chapters. Employees at chains, including Walmart and Whole Foods, have started their own grassroots efforts to tally illnesses and deaths at their stores, using social media and published reports to confirm tips. (Jeff Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon, which owns Whole Foods, owns The Washington Post.) During the outbreak, Whole Foods, which has about 500 stores in the United States, began sending voice mail and text messages to employees to notify them of coronavirus cases in their stores. But some officials are pushing for more disclosure. On May 11, attorneys general from 12 states and the District of Columbia wrote to Whole Foods and Amazon, admonishing the companies for failing to alert health officials and the public about infections and deaths of their workers. The attorneys general said they learned from media reports of multiple infections among workers at a Whole Foods in the District and of two employee deaths in Portland, Oregon, and Swampscott, Massachusetts. By not sharing a breakdown of coronavirus cases, the retailers may be breaching consumer protection laws, which "require businesses to provide truthful information and disclose material information to consumers," the letter said. Whole Foods has not responded to the letter, but a company spokeswoman said the chain is balancing the essential services it provides with ensuring the "health, safety and privacy" of their workers. Grocery chains have publicly touted face masks, social distancing requirements, rigorous cleaning and temperature checks as proof that they are keeping workers and customers as safe as possible. FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered. Two grocery chains have used faulty or ineffective equipment, according to documents and interviews. The Kroger-owned Quality Food Centers chain uses infrared sensors to count the number of shoppers in its stores as a way to limit customers and facilitate social distancing. But the technology routinely provided false tallies, according to internal company documents obtained by The Post. "Once a person is inside for 30 minutes, the system assumes that individual is an associate and stops counting that person," QFC President Chris Albi said in a Q&A with employees of the chain, which has 62 stores in Washington and Oregon. A Kroger spokeswoman declined to answer specific questions about any problems with the system but said management regularly verifies the capacity limits within the store. At BJ's Wholesale Club in Baltimore, a manager said the thermometers were not calibrated properly and the temperature readings of employees consistently reported 96 or 97 degrees. The manager said a supervisor also brushed off concerns about the lack of social distancing by employees who examined customers' receipts as they left the warehouse. "It is appalling conduct and a policy that is putting us all in danger," said the manager, who spoke anonymously for fear of retaliation. "I would quit in protest, but I worry that without me, it's one more person in a leadership role who is not taking this seriously." A BJ's spokeswoman said since the coronavirus outbreak, the company has "taken aggressive actions and implemented extensive safety and sanitation measures across all our facilities; and we always encourage our team members to provide feedback and voice concerns." Even when employees have reported feeling sick, some said that their managers have insisted that they continue to work because of staffing shortages. Gladys Cortes, who worked at the Best Market supermarket in Islip, New York, told her manager in late March that she wasn't feeling well and had a bad cough, but her boss wouldn't allow her to leave early and said she needed to be back the next day, according to Noemi Salavarria, a former colleague who said she talked with Cortes when she was hospitalized days later with covid-19. Two other workers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation, said they had heard Cortes talking in the store about how she felt sick and needed a break. Cortes, a single mother of a young child, died on April 9 of complications from covid-19. "If they would have let her go home, she could still be alive," Salavarria said. "She didn't deserve this." After Cortes died, management sent out a letter to employees that noted "the passing of one of our colleagues." It made no mention of her name or how she had died. LatinoJustice, a nonprofit legal defense fund, documented concerns about Cortes and employees at other supermarkets in an April 30 letter to the chief executive of Lidl US, a chain that owns Best Market and has about 100 stores in the U.S. After receiving no response, LatinoJustice said it filed a complaint on May 12 with the New York state attorney general. William Harwood, a Lidl spokesman, said the company had "no reports indicating that she was sick while working. Our policy is clear that employees who are sick should stay home." Marian Meszaros, a 63-year-old employee at the Best Market supermarket in Long Island's Franklin Square in New York, said she believes a manager waited more than a week to inform her in late April that her co-worker in the cramped meat department had tested positive for the coronavirus. She said the human resources manager offered her five days of paid leave, saying that it was sufficient time off because she had been exposed over a week ago and wasn't showing symptoms. Meszaros said she believes the manager delayed informing her because the store had been so short-staffed, and she worried she could still get sick and infect her co-workers. "I have nightmares about this," Meszaros said. "No one in the store feels safe." The supermarket chain in March had announced a new pandemic-related policy that provides 14 days of paid leave to workers who test positive for the coronavirus, as well as paid leave for colleagues who came into close contact with them. Harwood said the Islip store immediately contacted Meszaros when it learned of the infected employee, and she was given five days off because it had been nine days since they had been in contact at the supermarket. The human resources team called Meszaros to ensure she had no symptoms prior to returning to work, Harwood said. "We are taking significant steps to protect the health and safety of our team members during this public health emergency," Harwood said. As infections have spread within supermarkets, employees at two national chains said that stores retaliated against them for speaking up about safety or discussing sick colleagues. When a Target manager informed Michael Branss in late April that a co-worker in Palatine, Illinois, had tested positive for the coronavirus, Branss said the manager also told him not to talk about the case. A longtime employee, Branss worked in the back of the store where employees were in close proximity as they unloaded incoming merchandise. Frustrated by the lack of information about the department where the infected employee had worked, Branss said he called several colleagues and advised them to bring their own masks because the store didn't always have enough. After noticing a missing co-worker, he and fellow employees discussed whether they had been exposed. A few hours later, Branss said he was called into the human resources office and reprimanded for talking about the sick employee. He was told the store was concerned about following federal privacy laws. Fearing retaliation, he said he denied talking about the case. About 2 1/2 weeks later, Branss said Target fired him for refusing to answer questions for the store's investigation of potential privacy violations. "I didn't do anything wrong. These are my friends, and I want them to be safe and healthy," he said. "They punished me for trying to gather information to make a personal safety plan for myself." A Target spokeswoman, Danielle Schumann, said Branss was terminated "for conduct reasons unrelated to these claims" but provided no details. In a Target store in Riverdale, New Jersey, employee Mary Jo Kalchthaler said workers are informed of their colleagues' illnesses and deaths but are told not to discuss the cases publicly. "Every store that I know of has had cases of covid-19, but they don't want to spook people," said Kalchthaler, who took a leave of absence in early May because she felt unsafe at work. "There are still people who think Target, Walmart and other food stores are magical kingdoms where everything is sterile and nobody has ever gotten sick, and that's what they want people to keep thinking." Target did not respond to questions about allegations that employees were told not to discuss coronavirus cases. But Schumann said, "while being transparent, we're also careful to keep team member privacy from being compromised." Some workers alleged they have been disciplined simply for raising safety concerns. In early March, Kris King took two weeks off from his job at a Trader Joe's in Louisville after coming down with a cough, fever and sore throat. King said he created a private Facebook group for his colleagues to discuss frustrations with the store's handling of the pandemic and to come up with recommendations to keep them safe. After he returned to work, a manager on March 21 confronted King about the Facebook messages and repeatedly encouraged him to quit, according to a lawsuit King has since filed against Trader Joe's. "He said, 'If you don't feel safe here, we can end this right now,' " King recalled in an interview. A week later, King was terminated. Trader Joe's cited multiple reasons, including the creation of the Facebook group, according to King. "The safety of the people I work with is the most important thing and that workers in this situation are able to be heard and have a voice," said King, a 37-year-old with four children. "And that's really just not happening." Trader Joe's, which has 505 outlets nationwide and employs 50,000 people, has denied in court his claims, including that the supermarket "was not following appropriate safety measures" at the store. "We have made it clear that Mr. King's employment at Trader Joe's did not end because of desire to set up a social media page or because he expressed concerns," said Kenya Friend-Daniel, a Trader Joe's spokeswoman. "I have been clear that ... for privacy reasons I am not at liberty to say more." Jon Tenholder, a Trader Joe's employee at the same Louisville store, received a written disciplinary warning on May 10, roughly two weeks after Tenholder spoke with customers about the Kentucky governor's order that only one person per household at a time be permitted inside a grocery store. Management accused Tenholder of making customers uncomfortable by saying they shouldn't be shopping together. Tenholder refused to sign the incident report and described it in a written rebuttal as "retaliation" for asserting that employees "deserve to be the central voice of our safety." Friend-Daniel disputed Tenholder's account but declined to comment further citing privacy laws. "We don't retaliate against people for sharing concerns or for trivial reasons," Friend-Daniel said. Walmart, the nation's largest private employer, has touted its response to the pandemic from the start, including a policy that allowed its 1.5 million U.S. employees to take up to two weeks off if they were exposed to the coronavirus, and waived attendance policies for workers who felt uncomfortable or unable to work. Shortly after the policy was announced on March 10, Kyle Quiros and his wife, Rebekkah, took jobs as temporary workers at a Walmart in Medina, Ohio. By mid-April, Kyle, who was born with one kidney and has other health problems, had a fever and was vomiting frequently. He said he tested negative for the coronavirus, but a physician recommended he stay home for two weeks. Rebekkah also fell ill. When she returned to work, she said a supervisor informed her that she was being let go because she had called in sick too many times. A few days later, Kyle came back to work but was sent home because he had a temperature of about 100 degrees. He soon received a call saying his employment was over, despite several weeks left on his contract. "It was unfair. I was fired because I was sick, even though they have a policy saying you wouldn't get fired," he said. Lopez, the Walmart spokesman, said Rebekkah Quiros was terminated "for performance reasons unrelated to any request for time off due to the pandemic." He said he "had not been provided with enough information to substantiate" allegations made by Kyle Quiros. Other Walmart employees also told The Post that workers fear calling in sick because they did not want to jeopardize their jobs. "These claims are not consistent with the experiences of the more than 235,000 people recently employed by Walmart or the countless other associates that have been able to utilize our emergency leave policy to stay home and keep their jobs protected," Lopez said. But in Quincy, days before Lee, the Walmart greeter, was rushed to the hospital on April 20, she told family and friends that she was worried she could lose her job because she was sick and needed time off, said her daughter, Elaine Eklund. After Lee died, Walmart officials put out a statement saying the company was "mourning alongside their family." Since then, messages have streamed in from colleagues and longtime shoppers remembering the grandmother of two. "I worried about her the last time I saw her in the store," one stranger said in a handwritten letter. The Washington Posts Julie Tate and Nate Jones contributed to this report. Gaya (Bihar) [India], May 24 (ANI): The second repatriation flight from Muscat, Oman, under the Centre's 'Vande Bharat' mission reached Gaya in Bihar via Delhi on Sunday with 132 stranded Indian nationals onboard. Gaya District Magistrate Abhishek Singh told ANI that the passengers of the flight hail from Bihar and Jharkhand and were brought from Delhi last night. They were only allowed to exit the airport following a medical screening under a Covid-19 protocol. "Sixteen returnees hail from Jharkhand and we will send them to Ranchi by a bus. The rest of them will be sent to 14-day quarantine in Bodh Gaya and will undergo a medical examination every alternate day," Singh said. He added that many hotels in Bodh Gaya have been established as quarantine centres. "Migrants living in those centres will have to bear the expenses themselves," he said further. First repatriation flight from Muscat, Oman, under Vande Bharat Mission of the second phase, landed at Cochin International Airport on Saturday with 177 passengers. The Indian Embassy in Oman said on Twitter that the first leg of the second phase of Vande Bharat Mission from Oman has been successfully completed. Around 1000 stranded Indian nationals are expected to arrive from Oman in the second phase of the operation which started on May 16. (ANI) With no mass prayer or get together, no hugging or handshake Eid will be celebrated in a subdued manner in Bihar on Monday, as the COVID-19 induced lockdown has dampened the mood of the festivity. People will hold Eid prayers inside their homes as all mosques along with religious places of other faiths are now closed because of the measures taken to break the chain of coronavirus infection. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who usually visits the congregation at Gandhi Maidan here in every year on Eid day, will not go anywhere to exchange greetings, official sources said. Patna's Imarat Shariah said that people will not be able to offer prayers at Idgah and mosques due to the extension of lockdown till May 31, and urged them to offer prayers at homes. "I neither heard nor seen an Eid where people will be offering namaz in their homes. There will neither be any handshake, nor will we hug our friends and relatives. It's an Eid with a lot of difference," retired IAS officer Afzal Amanullah told PTI. Amanullah, who retired as the secretary of Union Parliamentary Affairs Ministry and had served as Bihar in various capacities, said there will be no traditional Eid get together this time. "We shall exchange greetings and wishes to each other over the phone and through SMS and WhatsApp. We pray that everyone remains safe and healthy," said Amanullah who was appointed as the state's Real Estate Regulatory Authority chairman. Muzaffarpur-based journalist Khwaja Jamal said children are a disappointed lot as they will have to stay indoors on the day of Eid, the biggest festival of Muslims. "Because of the COVID-19, We will miss social gatherings which is a key part of the festival," Jamal said. Bihar has so far reported a total of 2,478 coronavirus cases. Of them, 13 died of the disease, 677 recovered and 1788 are currently under treatment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two men went missing Saturday in separate incidents north of Houston on the first day of the Memorial Day weekend. A man in his 40s fell off his jet ski about 4 p.m. Saturday on Lake Conroe. The man, who was not wearing a life vest, fell in the 20-foot-deep water about a quarter-mile off East Beach. Authorities were searching for him. While the parks surrounding Lake Conroe remain closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, authorities have allowed lakegoers access to the waters and advised them to carry safety equipment. Hours later, authorities in Burleson County were searching for a man who went missing while swimming in Somerville Lake. The man believed to be 19 had been boating with friends. As they were returning, he jumped into the water with friends to swim the remaining 25-50 yards to shore, said John Pollock, Chief Deputy with the Burleson County Sheriffs Office. He never made it. Authorities were still searching for him at 8 p.m. One or two swimmers who had been with the man had made it to shore, Pollock said, adding that police do not believe the man was wearing a personal flotation device, Pollock said. The incident brought a swarm of first responders to the lake, said Raven Blalock, who helps manage the park with her husband, Mike Blalock. After a long day of work with hundreds of visitors she and her husband decided to take some time to enjoy the park themselves, and then the ambulances started to arrive. At the boat launch, it was chaos, she said, recalling searchers desperately trying to find the man. It was very, very horrifying, she said. At first, they heard an 8-year-old girl was missing, though she was found sleeping in the back of a car. Its sad, Mike Blalock said. Police regularly patrol the park, Mike Blalock said. Despite that, the park has weathered boat crashes and other problems. We cant control people being ignorant, he said. The incident mirrors a similar incident on May 26 2019, when two young men from Houston were walking into the lake when they hit a drop-off, according to past news reports. One of the men died. In October of 2019, two boaters died in separate accidents, according to past news reports. One man fell off a jet ski on Oct. 2, 2019 and drowned. He was not wearing a life jacket, as required. A few weeks later, James Carpenter of College Station, 69, fell out of his fishing boat and drowned. And in July of 2000, the park was the site of a particularly tragic incident where three children and two adult relatives drowned in a swimming accident and failed rescue attempt. None of the five was wearing a life jacket, according to a news report about the incident. Gwendolyn Wu contributed. driven by a compounded growth of 5. 3%. Hospital-based Laboratories, one of the segments analyzed and sized in this study, displays the potential to grow at over 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. New York, May 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Clinical Laboratory Services Industry" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p04707129/?utm_source=GNW Poised to reach over US$76.5 Billion by the year 2025, Hospital-based Laboratories will bring in healthy gains adding significant momentum to global growth. - Representing the developed world, the United States will maintain a 6.3% growth momentum. Within Europe, which continues to remain an important element in the world economy, Germany will add over US$2 Billion to the regions size and clout in the next 5 to 6 years. Over US$1.8 Billion worth of projected demand in the region will come from Rest of Europe markets. In Japan, Hospital-based Laboratories will reach a market size of US$6 Billion by the close of the analysis period. As the worlds second largest economy and the new game changer in global markets, China exhibits the potential to grow at 5% over the next couple of years and add approximately US$6.7 Billion in terms of addressable opportunity for the picking by aspiring businesses and their astute leaders. Presented in visually rich graphics are these and many more need-to-know quantitative data important in ensuring quality of strategy decisions, be it entry into new markets or allocation of resources within a portfolio. Several macroeconomic factors and internal market forces will shape growth and development of demand patterns in emerging countries in Asia-Pacific. All research viewpoints presented are based on validated engagements from influencers in the market, whose opinions supersede all other research methodologies. Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04707129/?utm_source=GNW CLINICAL LABORATORY SERVICES MCP-6 MARKET ANALYSIS, TRENDS, AND FORECASTS, MAY 2 CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. MARKET OVERVIEW Clinical Laboratory Services - An Overview Growth of Specialty Labs Recent Market Activity Outlook Developed Nations: Cost Pressures Necessitate New Strategies Despite Challenges, Emerging Markets Provide Growth Opportunities Routine Testing Takes the Lead; Esoteric Testing Services Drive Growth Key Market Drivers Growth Contributing Factors in a Gist Rising Healthcare Needs of Aging Global Population Increase in Healthcare Spending in Emerging Markets Increasing Awareness Levels Need to Cut Healthcare Costs Rising Incidence of Diseases Increasing Role of Clinical Labs in Testing Infectious Diseases Global Competitor Market Shares Clinical Laboratory Services Competitor Market Share Scenario Worldwide (in %): 2020 & 2029 Impact of Covid-19 and a Looming Global Recession 2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS ADICON Clinical Laboratories, Inc. (China) ARUP Laboratories (USA) Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc. (USA) DaVita, Inc. (USA) Enzo Clinical Labs (USA) Genova Diagnostics, Inc. (USA) Kingmed Diagnostics (China) Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (USA) Dynacare (Canada) Mayo Clinic Laboratories (USA) NeoGenomics Laboratories (USA) Genoptix, Inc. (USA) Quest Diagnostics, Inc. (USA) Sonic Healthcare Limited (Australia) Bioscientia Institut fur Medizinische Diagnostik GmbH (Germany) American Esoteric Laboratories (USA) Spectra Laboratories, Inc. (USA) SYNLAB International GmbH (Germany) The National Health Laboratory Service (South Africa) Thyrocare Technologies Limited (India) Unilabs SA (Switzerland) 3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS Need for Clinical Laboratories to Reinvent Business Models Laboratory Informatics Offers Opportunities to Streamline Operations Transforming Hospital Laboratory into a Profit Center Laboratory Specific IT Platforms Provide a Business Case for Outreach Programs Hospital Outreach Laboratories Deliver Better Value to Larger Organizations Managing and Measuring Value Manufacturers Leveraging Expertise to Address Requirements of Laboratories Factors Impacting Laboratories Moving Towards Value Driven Healthcare Maximizing ROI in a Low Cost Environment Making Most of Global Best Practices Advent of Novel Devices Fuel growth for Clinical Laboratory Services Market Biobanks Gain Prominence Home Based Systems Go Digital Drones Emerging as Cost Effective and Efficient Mode for Transporting Samples Innovative Strategies of Clinical Laboratories at Health Systems Creation of Standardized Medical Laboratory Services Laboratory Testing Industry Faces Unique Investor Led Disruption Divergent Paths for Independent Labs and Health System Labs Factors Affecting Divergence Supporting ACO Requirements Transformations in Healthcare Integrated Care Support Population Health Initiatives Home-Field Benefits Evolving Clinical Laboratory Sector to Drive Diverse Lab Test Segment Market Share Key Market Differentiators Real-Time Lab Data Access IVD Market Growth: An Indication of Growth in Clinical Labs Market New Technologies and Tests Drive Demand for Specific Testing Increasing Role of Advanced Tests in Clinical Treatment Decision Making Increasing Opportunities in Personalized Medicine and Clinical Trial Services Cancer Testing Market: Opportunity for Clinical Labs Shortened Hospitalization Enhances Significance of Medical Labs Lab Automation Speeds Up Standardization Gains Precedence in the Hunt for Automation Heightened Use of IT Systems in Clinical Laboratories Assessing the Impact of Point-of-Care Testing on Clinical Labs Autoimmune Disease Testing: Labs Seek Cost-Effective & High Productivity Options POLs: Reducing Turnaround Times for Testing POL Market Succumbs to Cost Pressures Laboratory Outsourcing Trend Gains Strength Value-Based Outsourcing of Services to Take Center Stage Challenges Facing Lab Testing Market Dependence on Third Parties Lack of Skilled Workers 4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE Table 1: Clinical Laboratory Services Global Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 2: Clinical Laboratory Services Global Retrospective Market Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019 Table 3: Clinical Laboratory Services Market Share Shift across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 4: Hospital-based Laboratories (Location) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2020 to 2027 Table 5: Hospital-based Laboratories (Location) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2012 to 2019 Table 6: Hospital-based Laboratories (Location) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 7: Independent Laboratories (Location) Potential Growth Markets Worldwide in US$ Million: 2020 to 2027 Table 8: Independent Laboratories (Location) Historic Market Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2012 to 2019 Table 9: Independent Laboratories (Location) Market Sales Breakdown by Region/Country in Percentage: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 10: Physician Office-based Laboratories (Location) Geographic Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Million: 2020 to 2027 Table 11: Physician Office-based Laboratories (Location) Region Wise Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2 to 2019 Table 12: Physician Office-based Laboratories (Location) Market Share Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 III. MARKET ANALYSIS GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS UNITED STATES Market Facts & Figures US Clinical Laboratory Services Market Share (in %) by Company: 2020 & 2025 Market Analytics Table 13: United States Clinical Laboratory Services Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Location: 2020 to 2027 Table 14: Clinical Laboratory Services Market in the United States by Location: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2012-2019 Table 15: United States Clinical Laboratory Services Market Share Breakdown by Location: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 CANADA Table 16: Canadian Clinical Laboratory Services Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Location: 2020 to 2027 Table 17: Canadian Clinical Laboratory Services Historic Market Review by Location in US$ Million: 2012-2019 Table 18: Clinical Laboratory Services Market in Canada: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Location for 2012, 2020, and 2027 JAPAN Table 19: Japanese Market for Clinical Laboratory Services: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Location for the Period 2020-2027 Table 20: Clinical Laboratory Services Market in Japan: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Location for the Period 2012-2019 Table 21: Japanese Clinical Laboratory Services Market Share Analysis by Location: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 CHINA Table 22: Chinese Clinical Laboratory Services Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Location for the Period 2020-2027 Table 23: Clinical Laboratory Services Historic Market Analysis in China in US$ Million by Location: 2012-2019 Table 24: Chinese Clinical Laboratory Services Market by Location: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2012, 2020, and 2027 EUROPE Market Facts & Figures European Clinical Laboratory Services Market: Competitor Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2020 & 2025 Market Analytics Table 25: European Clinical Laboratory Services Market Demand Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027 Table 26: Clinical Laboratory Services Market in Europe: A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Period 2012-2019 Table 27: European Clinical Laboratory Services Market Share Shift by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 Table 28: European Clinical Laboratory Services Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Location: 2020-2027 Table 29: Clinical Laboratory Services Market in Europe in US$ Million by Location: A Historic Review for the Period 2012-2019 Table 30: European Clinical Laboratory Services Market Share Breakdown by Location: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 FRANCE Table 31: Clinical Laboratory Services Market in France by Location: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2020-2027 Table 32: French Clinical Laboratory Services Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Location: 2012-2019 Table 33: French Clinical Laboratory Services Market Share Analysis by Location: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 GERMANY Table 34: Clinical Laboratory Services Market in Germany: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by Location for the Period 2020-2027 Table 35: German Clinical Laboratory Services Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Location: 2012-2019 Table 36: German Clinical Laboratory Services Market Share Breakdown by Location: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 ITALY Table 37: Italian Clinical Laboratory Services Market Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Location for the Period 2020-2027 Table 38: Clinical Laboratory Services Historic Market Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Location: 2012-2019 Table 39: Italian Clinical Laboratory Services Market by Location: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2012, 2020, and 2027 UNITED KINGDOM Table 40: United Kingdom Market for Clinical Laboratory Services: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Location for the Period 2020-2027 Table 41: Clinical Laboratory Services Market in the United Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Location for the Period 2012-2019 Table 42: United Kingdom Clinical Laboratory Services Market Share Analysis by Location: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 REST OF EUROPE Table 43: Rest of Europe Clinical Laboratory Services Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Location: 2020-2027 Table 44: Clinical Laboratory Services Market in Rest of Europe in US$ Million by Location: A Historic Review for the Period 2012-2019 Table 45: Rest of Europe Clinical Laboratory Services Market Share Breakdown by Location: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 ASIA-PACIFIC Table 46: Clinical Laboratory Services Market in Asia-Pacific by Location: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the Period 2020-2027 Table 47: Asia-Pacific Clinical Laboratory Services Historic Market Scenario in US$ Million by Location: 2012-2019 Table 48: Asia-Pacific Clinical Laboratory Services Market Share Analysis by Location: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027 REST OF WORLD Table 49: Rest of World Clinical Laboratory Services Market Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Location: 2020 to 2027 Table 50: Rest of World Clinical Laboratory Services Historic Market Review by Location in US$ Million: 2012-2019 Table 51: Clinical Laboratory Services Market in Rest of World: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Location for 2012, 2020, and 2027 IV. COMPETITION Total Companies Profiled: 131 Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04707129/?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. __________________________ CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 A Filipina domestic worker has committed suicide in Lebanon at a shelter run by her embassy, consular officials said Sunday, days after a rights group complained about accommodation at the shelter. The embassy, in a statement posted on its Facebook page, said the unnamed "household service worker" arrived on Friday at the shelter and the next day "reportedly jumped from a room she was sharing" with two others. She died of her injuries on Sunday, it said, adding that "details of the incident are currently being investigated". An estimated 250,000 domestic workers -- mostly from Ethiopia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka -- live in Lebanon, many in conditions condemned by rights groups. Those conditions have worsened in recent months as Lebanon is grappling with its worst economic crisis in decades, as well as a coronavirus lockdown. Some Lebanese families have started paying their home help in the depreciating local currency, while others are now unable to pay them at all, with increasing reports of domestic workers being evicted onto the streets. A sponsorship system known as "kafala" excludes maids, nannies and carers from Lebanon's labour law, and leaves them at the mercy of their employers, who pay wages as low as $150 a month. The death of the Filipina domestic worker comes after a visit to the embassy shelter by a delegation from Lebanon's National Human Rights Commission. On Monday the commission, in a letter sent to the embassy and posted on Facebook, criticised conditions at the shelter. "The occupancy exceeds the official capacity," it said. "Respect the minimum requirements for daily outdoor excercise" and "make available appropriate psychological support to all women and staff," the rights group added. It also called on Lebanese authorities to "ensure that migrant domestic workers are protected from exploitative working conditions during the lockdown". A video posted by the embassy on its Facebook page Monday said the shelter was currently home to 26 people who receive "all meals and necessities" free of charge. File Photo The Union government is operating special flights under the Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate more than five lakh Indians stranded abroad due to the Corona crisis. The second phase of is currently underway. As part of the mission, a special flight from London landed at Indore Airport at 8.35 am on Sunday. With this, travellers from Madhya Pradesh and other nearby states reached Indore. They were examined by a medical team deployed at the airport. Advertisement Flight servicesThey were then sent to the respective district headquarters. It may be mentioned that on arrival at the district headquarters, all these passengers would be quarantined for 14 days. The director of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport, Indore, said that all the Indians from abroad have been thermally scanned and medically examined by doctors. During this time, Corona's symptoms were examined. He said arrangements were being made to send the passengers to their hometowns, where they would have to stay in quarantine for 14 days. Advertisement CoronavirusBuses and taxis have been arranged at the airport for passengers from outside Indore. For those who wish to be quarantined in Indore, arrangements have been made to stay at Hotel Amar Vilas and Regenta Hotel. Indore MP Shankar Lalwani said that many people from the US and London were constantly texting him that they were upset and were having trouble in eating. Following allegations of corruption after 1 Billion Naira was discovered in one of the 64 accounts linked to Obasa which was leaked by Sahara Reporters. A petition, in line with the whistle blowing policies of the Federal Government has been sent to Buhari and the Financial Intelligence Unit to investigate the speaker. The discovery of the 1 Billion Naira in a single account which was accumulated after the Speakers first year in office was brought to light by the petition. The group called on the Financial Intelligence Unit to investigate acts of gross financial misconduct, criminal breach of public first and abuse of office. Obasa has come under heavy scrutiny recently as leaks show how he received state parliament funds for end of the year parties and no service rendered, nepotism through outsourcing contacts to his friends. Other allegations include the approval of 258 Million Naira for the printing of Invitation cards ( 2 months after event was held) and approving 51 Million for a four day leadership summit in Austria with 9 other persons. There has been no word from EFCC and other financial corruption agencies on investigating the speaker so far. He appealed to President Akufo-Addo and the health authorities in Ghana to release some Covid-19 patients for him to apply the herbal preparation, to prove the efficacy of the preparation. Mr Apeakorang who said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra said after the issue had inundated the social media spectrum. Mr Apeakorang who had pushed for the stoppage of mining in the Atewa Forest,and for marijuana to be legalized for its medicinal and financial benefits,made a strong case of traditional herbal preparations, which he said contributed to the longevity of people in some rural areas of Ghana. He was so sure of the efficacy of the preparation made up of Aidan Fruit (prekese), selim (whentia); cloves (pepre), ginger and garlic that he said he would be vindicated by the people after healing patients. According to the activist, his organization had sent a letter to President Akufo-Addo to consider the cure he had discovered as a treatment to the coronavirus pandemic. Kwame Nkurmah, the First President of Ghana and other nationalists sacrificed their lives to give Ghana independence. If my cure does not work effectively after two weeks of application, I should be sacrificed for my Motherland Ghana. I believe my ancestors never failed in any battle they encountered because they derived strength from our local herbs and they lived for about 130-150 years without attending to the hospital. He urged health professional who would disagree with the efficacy of the cure to consult him for proof. ---GNA Bir-Lehlou (Liberated Territories) 23 May 2020 (SPS) - President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Brahim Ghali, has congratulated President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, H.E. Mohamed Ould Sheikh Al-Ghazwani, on the occasion of the blessed Eid Al-Fitr, offering him and the brotherly Mauritanian people his best congratulations and sincere wishes. With the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the advent of the blessed Eid al-Fitr, I am pleased, on my own behalf and on behalf of the people and government of the Sahrawi Republic, to extend to your Excellency and through you to sister Mauritania, government and people, our warmest congratulations and best wishes, said the President of the Republic. With the advent of the honorable occasion of Eid al-Fitr, we proudly recall the bonds of brotherhood, friendship and cooperation, which are close and rooted, that link the two brotherly Mauritanian and Sahrawi peoples, and we are all determined to promote them to serve the interests of our two countries and peoples and the aspirations of the peoples of the region in devoting peace, security, stability and prosperity, in the context of good neighborliness and mutual respect, he added. (SPS) 062/SPS New Delhi: As Indias repatriation exercise continues, the Union home ministry has now outlined stringent protocols for non-residential Indians to return to their destination countries. While the Centres move comes days after it had given the go-ahead for NRIs to return abroad, it is now treading cautiously with India now taking small steps to open up domestic air traffic, even as it mulls the resumption of commercial international flights, in due course. On Sunday, the Union home ministry issued a fresh order stating, Such persons will apply to the ministry of civil aviation or to any agency designated by MoCA for this purpose along with necessary details, including places of departure and arrival as prescribed by MoCA." However, in a bid to prevent the covid-19 outbreak from spiralling out of control, the Centre has attached stringent conditions to the return of NRIs, abroad. The ministry has now stated that only those people will be allowed to travel out of India to their destination countries if their visa for that country is valid for at least one year or the passenger is a greencard or OCI (overseas citizen of India) card holder. However, the centre has made a concession for people who will be travelling for medical emergencies or a death of a family member, with such passengers being required to hold a visa that is valid for six months. While their travel from India will be on non-scheduled commercial flights that are allowed by the MoCA for bringing back stranded Indians," on the basis of confirmed tickets, the ministry of civil aviation will also be required to ensure the extent of travel restrictions in the destination country and whether or not stranded NRIs will be permitted to enter their destination country. At the same time, the cost of travel will have to be borne by the passengers themselves and only asymptomatic passengers would be allowed to board the flight." The MHA also reiterated the protocols that have been dictating the repatriation of Indians who had been stranded abroad. While the ministry has said that Indians stranded abroad need to register with their Indian missions in that country, priority will be given to cases of distress, including migrant workers who have been laid off as well as people faced with the expiry of short term visas, those with a medical emergencies, pregnant women and the elderly. Those required to return to India due to death of family member, and students will also be given priority. However, even amongst the returnees, only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed on board the repatriation flight. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics The clouds parted, the sun began to shine and Mass began - in the parking lot. It has been over two months since Catholics have been able to gather and celebrate Mass in New Jersey due to coronavirus restrictions. And close to 200 of them gathered in the parking lot of St. Bernard of Clairvaux church in Bridgewater Sunday to celebrate Mass and receive communion while still seated in their vehicles that were parked 6 feet from each other. Margaret Blood receives communion from Father Edmund Luciano at St. Bernard of Clairvaux in Bridgewater on Sunday in Bridgewater Sunday May, 24, 2020.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for Its good to see you, even though through a windshield, Monsignor Randall Vashon, the parishs pastor, said. People were not allowed to leave their vehicles during the service and ministers brought communion to each carload of worshippers. Our people have been without the eucharist since the quarantine, added Vashon. The parking lot service has space for 107 cars and parishioners need to make reservations for the 9 a.m. or 12 p.m. Masses. The parish has about 1,400 families that regularly attend, Vashon said. Ushers were present, but they turned into parking attendants, guiding drivers to their parking spot. Car windows lowered and outdoor speakers could be heard all the way in the back. And in Catholic tradition, even late arrivals could get a spot in the back. In mid May, Gov. Phil Murphy said churches could hold drive-in services if attendees stayed in their vehicles. Monsignor Randall Vashon celebrates Sunday Mass in the parking lot of St. Bernard of Clairvaux in Bridgewater Sunday May, 24, 2020.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for I was a beautiful thing," said Lori Colelli who brought her mother Laura Mannarino. It was glorious, the sun game out as the priest was speaking, she said. It was a little chilly out but with the convertible top down but Margaret and David Blood were warmed by the sun. Margaret thought it was great and David felt it was much needed. Margaret Blood and David Blood listen to Vashon.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for Clergy wore masks and used hand sanitizer when they distributed the communion. Its a temporary solution, not ideal, Vashon said. The parking lot service was worth it because we were together, Vashon said. But hed prefer not doing it again, hoping to hold Mass inside the church soon. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Ed Murray may be reached at emurray@njadvancemedia.com. As Muslims gear up for the Eid-el-Fitr celebration, the Kaduna state police command has told residents to obey the state governments order on mass gathering and lockdown order. According to the state commissioner of police, Alhaji Umaru Muri, who made the plea via a new statement on Saturday, anybody found wanting would be dealt with decisively. Read Also: DPO Arrested Over Alleged Killing Of Policeman In Lagos He added that more men have been deployed into the state for the purpose. Advertisement The statement read, The Kaduna State Police Command wishes to inform members of the general public that, it has drawn out an elaborate operational strategy to ensure compliance with the total lockdown order imposed by the state government to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and intensive security coverage to checkmate the activities of criminal elements during EID-EL-FITRI period throughout the state. In this regard, the command has deployed both conventional and mobile policemen as well as undercover operatives to man and monitor key/vulnerable point with a view to ensure compliance with the lockdown and provide tight security across the state. The Command once-again reassure the good people of Kaduna State of its readiness to promptly respond to distress calls and decisively deal with any person or group of persons who in any way attempt to violate the lockdown and social distancing orders during the festive period. ALBANY When state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Breslin dismissed the rape case against an Albany County Jail officer charged with victimizing two female inmates, members of District Attorney David Soares' office were unhappy with the ruling and some of the language used in it. Breslin dismissed an indictment charging 61-year-old Michael Snyder of Renesselaerville with two felonies, third-degree rape and criminal sex act (the legal term for sodomy), as well as misdemeanor charges of sexual abuse. The judge determined that prosecutors had been unable to meet rules that call for prosecutors to be ready for trial within six months of filing an accusatory charge against a defendant. In doing so, the judge criticized the work of the prosecutor of the case, Assistant District Attorney Shannon Sarfoh, the bureau chief of Soares' Special Victims Unit since 2009. The decision used the term dilatory ("tending or intended to cause delay," according to Merriam-Webster) six times, such as when the decision broadly criticized a "prosecution fraught with dilatory conduct." Breslin took particular note of Sarfoh's remarks at a pre-trial hearing on Sept. 27. Earlier that morning, Sarfoh had sent an email to Snyders defense lawyer, Paul DerOhannesian, saying she would no longer attempt to admit Snyders statements into evidence. Breslin wrote that in response to DerOhannesian's "visible annoyance over the manner and method he was notified," Sarfoh had said, "That's kind of how I roll. " A transcript of the proceeding, however, showed her statement was a reference to the prosecutor working at night, and not a dismissive dig at DerOhannesian. "The assistant district attorney who handled this case is one of our most experienced and conscientious prosecutors, and we were disappointed with the uncharacteristically harsh tone the decision was written in," Cecilia Walsh, a spokeswoman for Soares' office, told Law Beat. Snyder was originally arraigned in the case on March 26, 2019. Prosecutors said they were ready for trial at that time. They argued that the only reason for the dismissal was that Albany County Judge William Carter had retroactively applied the states new discovery rules before they took effect on Jan. 1 of this year. The new rules require disclosure of evidence within 15 days of a defendants arraignment. "The court has found that we were under an obligation to apply laws that were not in effect until 2020 to a case that was set for trial in 2019," Walsh said. "We are very disappointed with this courts decision and will appeal." Breslin, the supervisory judge for the 3rd Judicial District (which covers seven counties, including Albany) did not respond to Law Beat's request for comment. Here's where things take a twist. Breslin's involvement with the case is fairly recent. Synder's case had been before Carter until Jan. 16, when Carter was removed from all cases involving Soares office because of an investigation by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct into Carter's conduct courtesy of a complaint by Soares. In April, the commission censured Carter for conducting an ex parte phone conversation with a sheriffs lieutenant related to a murder case. Soares and Carter have a history, including a three-year legal fight over Soares' decision to not prosecute the minor arrests of protestors involved in the 2011 Occupy Albany encampment. Make no mistake: The decision to toss the case was made by Breslin. But Carter's role as the judge in the case is mentioned throughout Breslin's decision. The court noted that Soares' office waited eight months and five days before Snyder's trial was supposed to start on Dec. 9 before asking Carter for a subpoena to review materials related to the personnel records of correction officers who were witnesses in the case. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "All relevant events concerning the (prosecution)'s obligation to examine their law enforcement witnesses' personnel records request, review and disclosure occurred in 2019," the decision said. "Thus, the (prosecution's) actions belie their current attempt to minimize their legal obligations based on the passage of 2020 Criminal Justice Reform legislation." On Dec. 20 with the state's new bail and discovery reforms still 12 days away from taking effect Carter informed the parties that he would allow the reforms to be retroactive in the Snyder case. "As of Dec. 20, 2019, that became the law of this case a fact the (prosecution) ignored in its Jan. 6, 2020, trial adjournment request letter and again, in response to the present motion," Breslin's decision said. "At no time have the (prosecutors) filed a motion to reargue or sought leave in any manner to revisit this legal issue." Snyder's attorneys insist the time period to be ready for trial was missed within 2019. Sources familiar with the defense team contend that whatever bad blood exists between Carter and Soares, the speedy trial rules were still violated. Law Beat reached out to DerOhannesian and Carter, but neither would comment. Soares' office is appealing to the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court's Third Department. Barring a reversal of the decision, the prosecution of Snyder is over. It cannot be presented to a new grand jury not that any are meeting amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Snyder's two alleged victims are suing the officer in U.S. District Court in Albany. Lee Greenstein, the civil attorney for one of the women, told Law Beat it was "very unfortunate that the criminal indictment was dismissed. ... The dismissal was based solely on speedy trial issues. We will continue to pursue Mr. Snyder for monetary damages in federal court for the serious harm that he caused. There will be no delay in delivery of 36 Rafale jets to India as the timeline finalised for the supply of the fighter jets will be strictly respected, French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain has said. France is reeling under swelling cases of coronavirus infection and there were apprehensions that the delivery of Rafale jets could be delayed due to the pandemic. Over 1,45,000 people were infected by the virus there, while the death toll stood at 28,330. However, Lenain asserted that the original timeline for the delivery of the jets will be adhered to. "The contractual delivery schedule of the Rafale jets has been perfectly respected till now, and, in fact, a new aircraft was handed over to the Indian Air Force in end-April in France, in keeping with the contract," Lenain told PTI. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh received the first Rafale jet at an airbase in France on October 8. "We are helping the Indian Air Force in arranging for the ferry flight of their first four Rafales from France to India as soon as possible. So there's no reason today to speculate that the schedule will not be maintained," the envoy said. India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore. The IAF has been maintaining that the Rafale jets would significantly enhance its combat capability. The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. Meteor is the next generation of BVR air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden. Guided by an advanced active radar seeker, Meteor provides all weather capability to engage a wide variety of targets from fast jets to small unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles. Besides the missile systems, the Rafale jets will come with various India-specific modifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording, infra-red search and tracking systems. The IAF has already completed preparations, including readying required infrastructure and training of pilots, to welcome the fighter aircraft. The first squadron of the aircraft will be stationed at Ambala air force station, considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF. The Indo-Pak border is around 220 km from there. The second squadron of Rafale will be stationed at Hasimara base in West Bengal. The IAF spent around Rs 400 crore to develop required infrastructure like shelters, hangars and maintenance facilities at the two bases. Out of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater with almost all the features of the fighter jets. The Congress raised questions about the deal, including on rates of the aircraft, and alleged corruption, but the government has rejected the charges. The United States has doubled its investment to expedite development of a potential COVID-19 vaccine Tired of claustrophobic coronavirus stay-at-home orders, some restless Americans are opting for a change of scenery and heading to states like Georgia and South Carolina, preferred destinations of quarantine-defying tourists. Ghosts are no longer the only ones wandering the shady, tree-lined squares of seductive Savannah, promoted as one of the most haunted cities in the United States. After Georgia's Republican governor began lifting state restrictions in late April, one of the nation's first major steps towards a return to normalcy, nighttime tours have resumed in this tourism pearl of the Deep South. Trolley buses, their suspensions straining on the cobblestones of the historic district, have resumed their routes, albeit with social distancing measures in place. And the souvenir stands and praline candy shops are once again busy along the riverfront of this former slave port, one of the oldest cities in the country. - 'Weird looks' - Arthur Parker, a 56-year-old New Yorker, had long dreamed of visiting Savannah and taking his family on a leisurely stroll in the shade of the city's famous majestic oak trees draped in Spanish moss. The pandemic -- whose death toll is rapidly nearing 100,000 in the US -- gave him a good excuse to escape the nation's COVID-19 epicenter and make the 12-hour drive south. "New York is so depressing nowadays," he sighed from a cafe terrace. "Everything is closed, the streets are empty, people are scared. We needed a change of scenery." Parker told AFP that his family was "getting weird looks when we say we're from New York. So we're trying to hide it, but our Brooklyn accent gives us away." After losing substantial bookings in March and April, normally two of the busiest tourist months in Savannah, Jonathan Morgan has seen customers gradually return to his three bed-and-breakfast properties in recent weeks. "We have two kinds of tourists: one which comes on an airplane and one which is driving through," he explained. "It's been mostly regional tourism lately, people coming on a one-day drive into Savannah." Story continues Many of the visitors are young, Morgan said, part of "a whole generation which is not really affected by COVID-19" and who are eager to travel. Among them is Kaycee, a student from Texas. She had intended to visit Paris to celebrate her college graduation but instead fell back on Savannah, where she stayed in Morgan's elegant Victorian mansion decorated in a French theme. "It feels like being in Paris, we're just missing the Eiffel Tower," Kaycee consoled herself. As for the safety of tourism during a pandemic: "I'm not worried at all," she insisted. "I wouldn't be traveling otherwise." - 'End-of-quarantine party' - Two hours' drive up the US East Coast, tourists were less visible in the city of Charleston, South Carolina, which reopened a bit later than neighboring Georgia. With temperatures on the rise, many preferred the beach, including Anne Miller, a twenty-something tourist from Ohio who recently gathered with a dozen friends for a weekend getaway at nearby Folly Beach. "We were just tired of waiting to get a normal life again, to get our freedom back. So we rented this big house by the beach for an end-of-quarantine party," said Miller, her shoulders reddened by the sun. In the seaside resort's crowded restaurants and bars, customers, almost all without masks, were not even pretending to abide by social distancing guidelines as they mingled and dined on platters of shrimp, the area specialty. There was hand-shaking, jostling, kissing on the cheek. "It feels like the virus never got here!" said Anne, grateful for the opportunity to spend some of the money she saved over two months of home confinement. "It's helping the local economy." New Delhi, May 24 : Railway Minister Piyush Goyal decided to address Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray through Twitter, demanding "required information" about Monday's planned 125 trains from the state. In a rather unusual move, Goyal took to Twitter to say: "Sadly, it has been 1.5 hours but Maharashtra Govt has been unable to give required information about tomorrow's planned 125 trains to the GM of Central Railway. Planning takes time & we do not want trains to stand empty at the stations, so it's impossible to plan without full details." He added that he expects the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra Government to "fully cooperate in the efforts made for the benefit of migrant labourers". The "required information" Goyal is referring to pertains to from where the trains will run and about their destinations, the list of passengers as well as their medical certificates. Goyal's public dig at Thackeray stems from the fact that he learnt from television news where the Maharashtra government claimed to have given a list of 200 trains to the Indian Railways. However, Goyal in another tweet in Hindi said: "But not the list of a single passenger train running tomorrow has come yet to the GM of Central Railways, even after following up." In another dig at the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Goyal said: "Hopefully, after coming to the station, trains do not have to go back empty, as what happened earlier." Benjamin Grosvenor Chopin Piano Concertos Decca, out now Rating: Sometimes hype is just that; hype. But occasionally its true. So those who in 2004 chose an 11-year-old Essex boy as the youngest ever winner of the keyboard section of the BBC Young Musician of the Year, amid a chorus of praise, can feel proud of their foresight. Because the now 27-year-old Benjamin Grosvenor, after yet more years of being described as the biggest thing to hit British piano playing for a long time, has finally proved it with this, his fifth Decca album. I remember joining in cataclysmic standing ovations at Londons Royal Festival Hall in the late 1980s after recitals by the then teenage Evgeny Kissin, who recorded these two concertos in Moscow when aged only 12. The now 27-year-old Benjamin Grosvenor (above) has finally proved his title of BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2004 with this, his fifth Decca album Everyone predicted a glorious future for him. Kissin, now 48, has had a perfectly respectable career as a concert pianist, but wouldnt now be on anybodys list of future greats. What is so special about this album, for which Grosvenor is expertly accompanied by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under their principal guest conductor, Elim Chan? Its the striking maturity of his playing, his impeccable technique, and especially the flair and imagination of his phrasing, which displays these old warhorses to their best advantage. His playing is entirely devoid of the shallow point-scoring and excessive sentimentality that sometimes afflicts young pianists in these pieces. Congratulations are also due to Elim Chan. Chopin was no orchestrator, and his immature and often dull orchestral introductions, in the past so often cut, are made truly interesting here by Chans own flair and imagination, which perfectly matches Grosvenors. I hope Decca will pair them up again for future recordings. On this evidence, they strike real sparks off each other. Private hospital operators in Pune in Maharashtra have said a large number of nurses, mostly from Kerala, were resigning amid the coronavirus pandemic, in the process putting extreme pressure on combat efforts. They said the issue was raised in a meeting with the district and civic administration on Saturday, with the latter suggesting nurses be told that Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) was in force which allowed hospital managements to reject "non-genuine" resignations. "Since special trains for migrants started, we are seeing at least seven nurses putting in their papers per day. Some 100 nurses, mostly from Kerala, have already left," said Dr H K Sale, executive director at Noble Hospital, one of the private COVID-19 facilities in Maharashtra's second largest city. "The issue was raised in the meeting with district officials on Saturday. I have instructed not to accept the resignations during this time when we are fighting a pandemic, that too at a time when the state government has regulated 80 per cent of beds in private hospitals," he added. Kale said the state government should give incentives to staff at private facilities to keep them motivated. Noble Hospital's chief nursing officer Trupti Nanda said the facility had some 450 nurses, of which 80-90 per cent are from Kerala, and 100 nurses have gone back since the outbreak began. "The main concern for them is safety. Moreover, they believe the COVID-19 situation in Kerala is better. So the profession versus panic scenario is playing out. We have spoken to their families as well to assure them there is nothing to worry here," she added. Sanjay Pathare, Director, Medical Services, Ruby Hall Clinic said the phenomenon of nurses resigning was common and motivation, safety and care were the key. "In Saturday's meeting, the district administration said hospitals should tell nurses and paramedical staff that MESMA was in force and so they cannot resign. The state government should give us in writing that during such times of pandemic, resignations, barring genuine ones, cannot be accepted," Pathare said. District Collector Naval Kishore Ram said the issue was discussed in Saturday's meeting and the need was to give nurses, paramedics, sanitation and housekeeping staff etc in the frontline a sense of security. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bansy Kalappa By Express News Service BENGALURU: The outlook for jobs is not positive. Efforts to check the spread of novel coronavirus---especially measures like the lockdown for nearly two months has resulted in job losses in Karnataka. Experts point to this worrying trend post Covid-19 both in the organized and unorganized sectors. Former chairman of Institute for Social and Economic Change Prof R S Deshpande agrees that job losses have been steep considering Bengaluru is an employment hub. The Karnataka unemployment data show a spike from 6 per cent to about 20 per cent, in just a couple of months. Asked about it, Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar admitted, We have been hit, referring to the corona crisis. He expressed hope that it would not last long. We will recover in about three months time, he said. The State Government has been trying hard to bring in large investments from China and other parts of the world. Hebbar said, The government efforts to bring in investments from other nations is still at a preliminary stage, but he sounded optimistic. This will change for the better. I am sure it will be some time before the foreign investments start coming in. We will be ready by then. Asked about the much-resented 10-hour work schedules and loud complaints that workers would not be able to give their best day after day with such punishing schedules, he said it was only for three months and pointed out that it was done only to encourage the investors and businessmen. He said the business and investor community should not lose hope. We have to be careful that the investors are not demotivated, he said. This work schedule would be reviewed after three months. Asked about the Opposition allegation that food kits were being distributed through MLAs keeping in mind the upcoming Gram Panchayat and BBMP elections, he said he would not like to comment on the issue. But Labour department sources, however, clarified that they had given these kits to all party MLAs and even opposition legislators had received them. How can anyone complain? they asked. A 39-year-old Mumbai man has been booked by the police for allegedly assaulting his wife over the khichdi she had cooked, officials said on Sunday. The accused identified as Abhijeet Sonkule works as a manager in a private company and his wife Jyoti Sonkule is a clerk, according to police. They live in JB Nagar in Andheri (East), they said. We have registered the case and investigating the matter, Vijay Belge, senior inspector from Andheri police station, said. Jyoti said in her statement to the police she was assaulted by Abhijeet on May 22 as he did not like the khichdi she had cooked. She added that her husband fights with her on small issues. They have been married since December 2017. He abused her verbally, then entered into the kitchen and picked up a rolling pin lying nearby to hit her on her stomach, chest and nose. She started bleeding profusely from her nose due to the beating and screamed for help. Abhijeet threatened her saying that he would kill her as she called for help, Jyoti told the police. Neighbours came to her rescue as they heard her screams and she was rushed to Cooper Hospital for treatment. Abhijeet has been booked under sections 324, 323, 504 and 506 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON One person walked into a hospital with serious injuries after a shooting in Scarborough on Sunday afternoon, police say. At 2:30 p.m., Toronto police tweeted that they had responded to reports of people shooting at each other from their vehicles at Danforth Road and Patterson Avenue, near Warden Avenue. While one vehicle fled the scene, the other was found disabled on location, police say. Officers found evidence of shell casings and bullet holes at the scene of the shooting. Shortly after, Toronto police said a victim of the shooting walked into a hospital with serious injuries. The investigation is still ongoing. Correction - May 25, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said the incident took place near Kingston Road. Abhya Adlakha is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @AbhyaAdlakha The guidelines for travel come after the Indian Railways last week issued a list of 100 pairs of trains that it will operate from 1 June. New Delhi: The health ministry on Sunday issued guidelines for domestic travel, advising passengers to download the Aarogya Setu application on their mobile devices and asking states to ensure thermal screening at departure point of airports, railway stations and bus terminals. Asymptomatic passengers should be permitted to travel after being asked to self-monitor for 14 days, the ministry said. Dos and Don'ts shall be provided along with tickets to travellers by agencies concerned, said the ministry's guidelines for domestic travel (air/train/inter-state bus travel). All passengers shall be advised to download the Arogya Setu application on their mobile devices, it said. The guidelines come after the Indian Railways last week issued a list of 100 pairs of trains that it will operate from 1 June, putting in operation popular trains such as Durontos, Sampark Krantis, Jan Shatabdis and Poorva Express. Also, after a two-month hiatus, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has announced resumption of domestic flights from 25 May. In its guidelines for domestic travel, the health ministry said suitable announcement about COVID-19, including precautionary measures to be followed, shall be made at airports, railway stations and bus terminals as well as in flights, trains and buses. With domestic civil aviation starting on 25th May, here are the latest guidelines on domestic travel issued by @MoHFW_INDIA. Travellers are requested to strictly follow these self-regulatory norms & help in India's fight against #COVID19 #WeShallOvercome#IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/3xwkazvvUc MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) May 24, 2020 The states/UTs shall ensure that all passengers undergo thermal screening at the point of departure and only asymptomatic passengers are allowed to board the flight, train or bus. During boarding and travel, all passengers shall use face covers or masks and will also follow hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene and maintain environmental hygiene, the ministry said in its guidelines. At airports, railway stations and bus terminals, required measures to ensure social distancing shall be taken, the guidelines said. Airports, railway stations and bus terminals should be regularly sanitised or disinfected and the availability of soaps and sanitisers shall be ensured, the health ministry said. Thermal screening at exit point shall be arranged and asymptomatic passengers will be permitted to go with the advice that they shall self-monitor their health for 14 days, the guidelines said. "In case, they develop any symptoms, they shall inform the district surveillance officer or the state/national call centre (1075)," they said. Those found symptomatic will be isolated and taken to the nearest health facility and will be assessed for clinical severity at the health facility, the guidelines said. Those having moderate or severe symptoms will be admitted to dedicated COVID health facilities and managed accordingly, the guidelines said. Those having mild symptoms will be given the option of home isolation or isolated in the COVID Care Centre (both public and private facilities) as appropriate and tested as per ICMR protocol, they said. "If positive, they will continue in COVID Care Centre and will be managed as per clinical protocol. If negative, the passenger may be allowed to go home, isolate himself/herself and self-monitor his/her health for further 7 days," the health ministry said. In case any symptoms develop, they shall inform the district surveillance officer or the state or the national call centre (1075), it said. The ministry said states can also develop their own protocol with regards to quarantine and isolation as per their assessment. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani launched a process on May 24 to release up to 2,000 Taliban prisoners after welcoming an offer by the militants of a three-day cease-fire to mark Eid al-Fitr, the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "As a responsible government we take one more step forward. I announce that I will expedite the Taliban prisoner releases," Ghani said in an address to the nation marking Eid al-Fitr. Ghani also urged the Taliban to press ahead with the release of Afghan security personnel they hold. A presidential spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi, later tweeted that "President Ghani today initiated a process to release up to 2,000 Taliban prisoners as a good will gesture in response to the Taliban's announcement of a ceasefire during Eid." Sediqqi added that Afghanistan's government "is extending the offer of peace and is taking further steps to ensure success of the peace process." In February, the United States and the Taliban signed an agreement aimed at ending the longest military action in U.S. history. The deal lays out a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in return for security commitments from the Taliban. It also stipulates that Kabul must free 5,000 Taliban prisoners, while the militants are to release 1,000 captives -- a move expected to lead to intra-Afghan negotiations. The Taliban on May 23 announced the cease-fire would start the following day. Shortly afterward, Ghani ordered security forces to abide by the cease-fire as well. In a post on Twitter, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the movement's leadership has ordered all fighters to "conduct no offensive operation against the enemy anywhere." In addition, they have been told to ensure "the security of fellow citizens." Zalmay Khalizad, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan, described the cease-fire as a momentous opportunity to accelerate a stalled U.S.-Taliban peace process. Other positive steps should immediately follow: the release of remaining prisoners as specified in the U.S.-Taliban agreement by both sides, no returning to high levels of violence, and an agreement on a new date for the start of intra-Afghan negotiations, Khalizad wrote on Twitter. A deadline for the Taliban to hold talks with the Afghan government passed in March amid a spike in violence and disagreements between the two sides over prisoner swaps. The prospect of direct talks between Kabul and the Taliban gained a boost on May 17 when Ghani and his political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, reached a power-sharing agreement nearly eight months after disputed elections that led to a parallel government and hampered efforts to broker a peace deal. The United States has about 12,000 troops in Afghanistan. Washington pays about $4 billion a year to maintain the Afghan military. Despite both sides vowing to observe the three-day cease-fire, a reported mortar attack has killed four civilians in the eastern Laghman Province. A further seven were also wounded in the incident that took place in the Ali Shang district of the province, the provincial governor's spokesman, Asadullah Dawlatzai, said. An investigation has been launched to find out who carried out the shelling, Dawlatzai said. No group has claimed the attack, but the Taliban has a strong presence in many parts of the district, and staged a number of deadly attacks on the Afghan security forces there in recent weeks. Taliban militants control about half of Afghanistan's territory and have continued to carry out attacks since the deal was signed. Afghan intelligence service spokesman Javid Faisal said on May 23 that at least 146 civilians were killed and 430 wounded in Taliban attacks during Ramadan. With reporting by AFP and AP French health minister Olivier Veran on Saturday asked the country's health council for advice on the use of malaria drug chloroquine against the Covid-19 virus. His remarks come after the publication of an scientific article critical of the use of the substance. According to an article published by medical journal The Lancet on 22 May, "using chloroquine or (its derivative) hydroxychloroquine to treat patients with Covid-19 might be hazardous", and that the substances have been used "despite proof of efficiency." The article says that the drugs may be "associated with cardiac toxicity" and influence the heart rate, potentially leading to ventricular fibrillation and, eventually, death. The Lancet quotes a study by Professor Mandeep Mehra, Medical Director of the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. The study took in information of 96,032 Covid-19 patients in 671 hospitals world-wide the largest such study to date, with almost 15,000 of them treated with chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine. "Decreased survival" Mehra and his colleagues were "unable to confirm the benefit of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine on outcomes for Covid-19," and even attributed to "decreased in-hospital survival" and an increased rate of irregular heartbeat. "Following the publication in The Lancet of an alarming study on the lack of efficiency and the risks of certain treatments of Covid-19, among which hydroxychloroquine, I reached out to the High Council of Public Health (HCSP) so as to analyse and propose, within 48 hours, a reevaluation of prescription regulations," French health minister Olivier Veran said in a tweet on Saturday. Veran's remarks run counter to a growing trend set by proponents for the use of chloroquine to treat Covid-19 patients. In earlier this year, some 400,000 people in France signed a petition urging health officials to let more doctors prescribe the drug to coronavirus patients. The French petition on the Change.org website was launched in early April by a group of doctors including Philippe Douste-Blazy, a cardiologist and former French health minister. The petition was in support for the approach advocated by the controversial Didier Raoult, a leading doctor and microbiologist based in Marseille. Cure for corona patients? In April, French President Emmanuel Macron held lengthy talks with Raoult, of the Mediterranee Infection Foundation in Marseille, who claims a derivative of an anti-malaria drug is a cure for patients with coronavirus. Professor Raoult combines hydroxychloroquine with an antibiotic, azithromycine, and uses it on Covid -19 patients before their symptoms necessitate admission to intensive care units. Last month, Raoult published the conclusions a study concluding that "hydroxychloroquine, combined with azithromycine, administered immediately after diagnosis is an effective treatment, without danger, against Covid-19.". According to the website the treatment was used for at least 3 days on 1061 Covd-19 patients. "Adverse effects" But more and more studies have shown different conclusions. On 14 May, a French study headed by Professor Matthieu Mahevas of 84 patients did "not support the use of hydroxychloroquine in patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 who require oxygen." On the same day, a Chinese study of 150 Covid-19 positive patients, carried out by Professor Tang Wei of the Institute of Respiratory Diseases, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China pointed out that administration of hydroxychloroquine did not result in significantly more people showing signs of being cured. On the contrary, Tang said that "adverse events were higher in hydroxychloroquine recipients than in non-recipients," citing diarrhea as the most common adverse effect, but not mentioning heart problems. Munjah Vitalis Fagha, Researcher in Comparative Politics Munjah Munjah Vitalis Fagha bagged home a PhD in Political Science from the University of Buea Saturday, May 16, 2020 after a thesis defense in which he made recommendations that could see an end to the socio-political situation in the North West and South West Regions. The thesis titled The African Peer Review Mechanism and the Strengthening of Political Institutions in Africa: A Comparative Analysis of Cameroon and Rwanda reveals that Cameroon's governance structures need to be subjected to a comprehensive governance review process if the country wants to make remarkable progress in governance and in warning and resolving intra-state conflicts. Munjah posits that the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) that was crafted as a blueprint for Africa's renewal, with its most innovative and audacious element being the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), launched in 2003 to improve governance, can be a panacea for Cameroon's deteriorating governance situation and rising intra-state conflicts. Dr. Munjah told Cameroon-Info.Net that although Cameroon was among the first countries to accede to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 3 rd April, 2003 to set up the peer review mechanism, it is yet to begin the review process in earnest. All discussions about the APRM process in Cameroon end at the Prime Minister's Office and in the hands of all the three panel members designated by the APRM Secretariat in Midrand, South Africa to foster the implementation of the process in Cameroon, he said. The researcher notes that the situation in the country's North West and South West regions could even have been avoided if the government of Cameroon undertook the Peer Review process and drew up action plans based on the country review report to address the issues raised. In the absence of that, the governance situation in Cameroon deteriorated making the executive arm of government to remain dominant over the other branches of government thus forestalling the separation of power, rule of law and constitutionalism. The APRM Heads of states and Governments Implementation Committee (HSGIC) and the government of Cameroon seem to be unwilling to kick start the peer review process in Cameroon 15 years after acceding to the MoU. Not even the current crisis has necessitated the review, said Dr. Munjah. In studying how APRM has strengthened political institutions in Rwanda and comparing it with Cameroon, Munjah focused on Democracy and Good Governance component, considering variables such as: the prevention and reduction of intra-state conflicts; Constitutional democracy; The rule of law and supremacy of the constitution; The separation of powers (including the protection of the independence of the judiciary and of an effective legislature); Accountable, efficient and effective public office holders and civil servants; and Rule of law and fighting corruption in the political sphere. The APRM, Munjah posits, provides a useful lens through which political scientists can examine governments, and regimes that wish to abide by the principles of good governance propagated by the World Bank through the good governance theory. Munjah subscribes to the views expressed by apologists of the Good governance theory and contends that there are some basic principles in governance that must be respected by all governments, whatever its form. The scholar in his recommendations enjoined the Head of State to personally commit to the African Peer Review Mechanism so that Cameroon can get some of the benefits that have accrued to states like Rwanda, Ghana and Kenya because their Heads of State demonstrated a high degree of commitment to the ideals of the continental body and directed the review process. If that is done, Munjah argues that it will facilitate open dialogue and learning, as well as build mutual trust among political stakeholders in Cameroon. In such an environment, frankness, robust debate, differences in opinion and criticisms will be less threatening and more acceptable. The APRM process should therefore be undertaken as matter of urgency in Cameroon, in view of creating a dialogue forum that might provide solutions to the on-going Anglophone crisis, said Dr. Munjah. The defense jury was made up of by Professor Paul Ntungwe Ndue as Chairperson, Associate Professor Moye Godwin as Rappoteur I, and Associate Professor John Ndefru as Rapporteur II. Associate Professor Banlilon Victor Tani and Associate Professor Abangma James Arrey were members of the jury. Munjah entered the defense venue as a student but left a newly minted PhD. The jury declared the work as a novelty given that such a surgical study on Cameroon's governance situation has never been done. It is the first-ever PhD defense in the Department of Political Science and Comparative Politics at the Faculty of Laws and Political Science of the University of Buea. Roger Henry Roe, 79, returned to his heavenly home on May 10, 2020, in Tucson, Arizona after a short fight with cancer. His devotion to his family and his firm belief in God supported him in his struggle and ultimately gave him peace. Roger was born to Clancy and Margaret Roe in Willard, Ohio. The family moved to Coolidge, AZ in August of 1948. In 1961, he married the love of his life, Peggy. They moved to Flagstaff in 1963 so he could attend and graduate from Northern Arizona University in 1966. Roger worked at Flagstaff Electric Supply and later became the Manager and Stockholder. He finished his career at N.J. Shaum & Son Electric and moved to Tucson, AZ. Roger devoted his spare time to family and the Episcopal Church. His favorite job at church was training the acolytes. He enjoyed the spirituality of it and the shaping of the youth of his church. Roger and Peggy raised four smart and beautiful children. He was an avid history and travel adventurer and enjoyed learning. He is dearly missed by his loved ones, who celebrate the fact he is at peace with his Creator. Roger is survived by his wife, Peggy; daughters, Brenda and Melissa and husband Rich; son, Randy; grandchildren, JR and fiance' Jessie, and Claire and fiance' Thomas; sister, Mary Beth; several loving nieces and nephews; and many close friends. He is preceded in death by his son, Robert Roger Robby; son-in-law, Brent; siblings, Patty and Gordon; mother; and father. Roger requested to be cremated and laid to rest next to his son at the Flagstaff Cemetery. A public memorial service will be scheduled in the near future. Memorial contributions and in lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Roger's name to the Acolyte Fund at the Church of the Epiphany in Flagstaff, AZ. Sunseekers have flocked to Greek beaches and tourist spots as much of the country's lockdown restrictions are lifted. After months of stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus, Greece has re-opened its famed museums and tourist destinations while relaxing restrictions on movement and shopping on the mainland in recent days. Athenians were able to gather to watch the sun set on Areopagus Hill, with the Lycabettus Hill in the background on Saturday evening. Athenians watch the sunset on Areopagus Hill, with the Acropolis in the background, on May 23, People enjoy a day at Kavouri Beach on May 23 in Vouliagmeni, Greece. Greece reacted early to curb the spread of Covid-19 but the pandemic wreaked havoc for international travel, dealing a damaging blow to the country's tourism sector Sunbathers enjoy a day at Kavouri Beach, some 20km south of Athens, on Saturday Others flocked to nearby beaches to enjoy the May sunshine and swim in the sea. People were seen enjoying a day out at Kavouri Beach, some 20km south of Athens, this weekend. Greece reacted early to curb the spread of Covid-19 but the pandemic wreaked havoc for international travel, dealing a damaging blow to the country's tourism sector. Greece - a destination favoured by British holidaymakers - was put on a six-week lockdown in March in a bid to slow the spread of deadly coronavirus. Businesses were shut as soon as the country recorded its first Covid-19 death and travel to the islands, such as Mykonos and Santorini, was restricted. Athenians watch the sunset on Areopagus Hill, with the Lycabettus Hill in the background, on Saturday evening, above and below After months of being on lockdown due to the coronavirus, Greece has opened its famed museums and tourist destinations while relaxing restrictions on movement and shopping on the mainland in recent days Locals climb the Areopagus Hill with the Acropolis in the background to watch the sunset Athenians watch the sunset on Areopagus Hill, with the Lycabettus Hill in the background, on May 23 But organised beaches - those with ticketed entrances and organised sunbeds - reopened on May 16 following official advice. Normally year-round hotels and restaurants are to resume operation in Greece on June 1 with strict distancing rules. Two fatalities from COVID-19 were reported in Greece during the most recent 24-hour period, bringing the death toll to 171, health authorities announced Saturday. A couple shares a tender moment near the Tower of the Winds historical landmark, as locals stroll through the Monastiraki neighborhood on May 23 People stroll through the Monastiraki neighborhood on May 23 in Athens, Greece, above and below Cyprus will reopen its airports to commercial flights on June 9 but British tourists will be banned from entering the country Another three new infections have been recorded since Friday afternoon, raising the nation's total to 2,876. The number of patients on ventilators stands at 20, while 99 have left intensive care. Greek authorities say they have performed 152,998 tests for the disease. Cyprus will reopen its airports to commercial flights on June 9 but British tourists will be banned from entering the country. People enjoy a day at the beach on May 23. Greek authorities say they have performed 152,998 tests for the disease People enjoy a day at Akti Vouliagmenis beach resort on May 23. Meanwhile, Spain has told foreign tourists that the country 'will be waiting for them' from July, but it is unclear whether this will apply to UK citizens Sunbathers gathered at the Akti Vouliagmenis beach resort on May 23 Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos said that airports would reopen to commercial flights after nearly three months of lockdown. Britain and Russia are the island's two largest tourist markets but both are not on the initial lists amid concerns has not been sufficiently contained in those countries. Meanwhile, Spain has told foreign tourists that the country 'will be waiting for them' from July. Spain's decision to open the holiday mecca in just over a month's time comes a day after the UK government urged Britons not to book their holidays as they will be forced to quarantine for 14 days on their return. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has told foreign tourists that the country 'will be waiting for them' from July The holiday mecca will open up its borders in just over a month's time giving hope to Britons wanting to spend the summer in the Costas. Pictured: A woman walks past a closed-off beach in Benidorm Tourists and locals returned to bars and terraces in Benidorm after the government relaxed lockdown measures last week Mr Sanchez told the nation yesterday: 'Spain receives each year more than 80 million visitors. 'That's why I'm announcing to you that from the month of July the entry of international tourism to Spain will restart in safety. 'Foreign tourists can now start planning their holidays here.' Whether Britons will choose to take advantage of Spain's easing of lockdown remains to be seen. The government's strict quarantine regimen will come into force on June 8. Home Secretary Priti Patel yesterday confirmed that all arrivals to the UK must self-isolate for 14 days on landing. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson came out in support of top aide Dominic Cummings Sunday after a joint investigation by the Daily Mirror and The Guardian found Cummings had traveled 260 miles in April to visit his parents while exhibiting coronavirus symptoms. The latest: "In traveling to find the right kind of child care, at a moment when both he and his wife were about to be incapacitated by coronavirus, and when he had no alternative, I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent and I do not mark him down for that," Johnson said Sunday. "And while there have been many other allegations about what happened when he was in self-isolation and thereafter, I believe that in every respect he has acted responsibly and legally and with integrity, and with the overwhelming aim of stopping the spread of the virus and saving lives," Johnson added. Why it matters: Cummings, a highly polarizing figure in British politics, is widely viewed as the architect of the Brexit campaign and Johnson's most influential adviser. Allegations that he broke lockdown rules came as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.K. surpassed 250,000 and the death toll neared 37,000. Johnson's move to unambiguously back Cummings amid national outcry could prove to be a politically significant decision down the road. The big picture: Calls for Cummings to resign grew over the weekend among opposition leaders and even some Conservative MPs, who pointed out the hypocrisy of a top adviser breaking the stringent rules that his government had long stressed were mandatory. On Saturday, members of Johnson's Cabinet came out in support of Cummings on Twitter, calling it "justifiable" and "reasonable" for him to seek family help to take care of his young child while he and his wife potentially fell ill from the coronavirus. But later that day, the Mirror and Guardian broke a second story alleging that Cummings had been spotted in his parent's town of Durham on April 19 after recovering from the virus and being photographed in London days earlier. Another witness claims they saw Cummings in Barnard Castle, a popular English tourist destination, on April 12. What they're saying: "Yesterday the Mirror and Guardian wrote inaccurate stories about Mr Cummings," Downing Street said in a statement. "Today they are writing more inaccurate stories including claims that Mr. Cummings returned to Durham after returning to work in Downing Street on 14 April. We will not waste our time answering a stream of false allegations about Mr Cummings from campaigning newspapers." Steve Baker, the first Conservative MP to call for Cummings' resignation, said on the BBC: Dominic is the inventor of these three-word slogans: 'Stay at Home,' 'Protect the NHS' and 'Save Lives.' ... The country cant afford this nonsense, this pantomime, now. Dominic should go, and we should deal with the things that matter in people's lives. the first Conservative MP to call for Cummings' resignation, said on the BBC: Dominic is the inventor of these three-word slogans: 'Stay at Home,' 'Protect the NHS' and 'Save Lives.' ... The country cant afford this nonsense, this pantomime, now. Dominic should go, and we should deal with the things that matter in people's lives. Roger Gale, another backbench Conservative, tweeted: "While as a father and as a grandfather I fully appreciate Mr Cummings desire to protect his child. There cannot be one law for the Prime Ministers staff and another for everyone else. He has sent out completely the wrong message and his position is no longer tenable." A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted. This story is developing. Please check back for updates. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Guests will be able to experience the Safari adventure at Six Flags Great Adventure from the privacy and safety of their own vehicles beginning Saturday. The Jackson, N.J. theme park announced last week that its Wild Safari Drive-Thru Adventure will open May 30 and will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. Active members, season pass holders, and employees can catch a special preview on Friday. The announcement comes shortly after N.J. Gov. Phil Murphys executive order permitted drive-through events implementing social distancing guidelines. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** The new safari journey will offer a contact-free experience. Starting Saturday, guests will be able to take a self-guided journey through 1,200 exotic animals from six continents in their own vehicles. Guests will slowly wind through 350 acres and 11 simulated natural habitats with animals like giraffes, elephants, rhinos, lions, tigers, bears and baboons. While most animals roam freely in the safari, predators are kept safely behind fences. According to Six Flags, all animals are clearly visible from car windows. The drive is about five miles and takes about one hour to complete. The safari operated as a self-drive-through experience from 1974 through 2012, before offering guided truck tours beginning in 2013. Six Flags Great Adventure will have a new experience for its Safari adventure. Guests will be able to drive-through in their own vehicles. (Courtesy/Six Flags) TICKETS AND RESERVATIONS REQUIRED To prevent overcrowding, advance tickets and reservations are required for the drive-through experience using Six Flags new online reservation system., which will incorporate new safety procedures for both guests and team members. The reservation system will be activated on Wednesday at 10 a.m. to allow members, season pass holders and single-day ticket holders to make reservations at sixflags.com/reserve. Guests will not be able to buy tickets at the gate, and guests without advance reservations will not be allowed to enter. Pricing for the safari experience is $18 per person for general admission, and children two years old and younger are free. Admission to the safari will be free for members and season pass holders, but reservations are still required. A new list of safety requirements is available on the parks website at www.sixflags.com/greatadventure. That includes keeping all windows, doors, and convertible tops closed; not feeding or touching the animals; no smoking, littering, or stopping; cars, SUVs and consumer pickup trucks with empty beds only -- no buses, campers, RVs, commercial vehicles or trucks larger than a consumer pickup truck; maximum speed of 5 miles per hour and maintaining safe distance between other cars and animals. All vehicles will be inspected prior to entering the safari, rules will be enforced throughout the journey by park staff, and anyone who violates the rules will be ejected from the park without a refund and possibly prosecuted. Six Flags Great Adventure will have a new experience for its Safari adventure. Guests will be able to drive-through in their own vehicles. (Courtesy/Six Flags) As a safety precaution, all Six Flags employees will be temperature-checked and health-screened each day, and they will be required to wear masks and gloves where appropriate. Due to current state regulations, no additional services will be available, so guests should plan accordingly for restroom breaks, gasoline and food. Only portable toilets will be available upon entrance and exit. The Wild Safari Drive-Thru Adventure will operate until the theme park is able to reopen. The theme park and waterpark will remain closed until further notice, per state, local and federal guidelines when it comes to COVID-19. The two parks were initially slated to open for the 2020 season on April 4. The opening date was later pushed back to mid-May. As of Sunday, there is no specific date when the parks will open. For guests who purchased one-day tickets for a specific date, they will be able to use the tickets on any operating day through Dec. 31, 2020, with no additional fees or restrictions. For each operating day the park is closed during the 2020 season, Six Flags will give 2020 season pass holders one additional operating day during the 2021 season. The brand new, record-setting Jersey Devil Coaster is expected to debut during the 2020 season. It will be the worlds tallest, fastest and longest single rail coaster, standing 13 stories tall, reaching speeds of 58 miles per hour and spanning over 3,000 feet of track, according the theme park. FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 24) As Eid'l Fitr, or the end of Islam's holiest month Ramadan approaches, Muslims are encouraged to exemplify the virtues of Islamic faith. "As you celebrate the Breaking of the Fast, may the clarity of thought and wisdom that you have attained from this undertaking inspire you to be the best living examples of what is best in the Islamic faith," said President Rodrigo Duterte in a statement. Eid'l Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, where Muslims fast every day from dusk 'til dawn for an entire month to cleanse themselves of sin. It is one of the most important days for the followers of Islam, with the entire Muslim community is celebrating it together. However, this year, Muslims are compelled to observe both events physically apart with quarantine restrictions in place because of the coronavirus. READ: Filipino Muslims to celebrate Eidl Fitr differently amid pandemic "Despite this, we see the many ways that Eidl Fitr and the past holy month of Ramadan strengthened the linkages among Muslim Filipinos," said Vice President Leni Robredo. Robredo said this is evident in friends reaching out to each other online during fasting, Muslim business owners showing their staff compassion, and leaders who advocate peace and place their constituents at the center of their agenda. All in all, Muslims "have shown greater compassion, understanding, and solidarity, while observing the obligations and traditions in accordance with the fatwa of the Grand Mufti and the Darul Ifta," observed presidential peace adviser and COVID-19 response chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. Meanwhile, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar hoped their "renewed spiritual attainment" will strengthen their "commitment to the exemplary Islamic virtues, especially at this time when we continue to face the challenges and uncertainty brought by the COVID-19 pandemic." Galvez also asked Muslims to continue helping those who are most in need and pray for the nation's recovery and health. To date, the Philippines has 13,777 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Some 863 have died from the viral disease, while 3,177 have gotten well. The US on Sunday announced that it will provide USD 6 million aid to Pakistan to support its effort in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. US ambassador to Pakistan, Paul Jones, in a video message said that the aid money will strengthen Pakistan's response by expanding training for healthcare workers who take care of patients in hospitals with severe cases of coronavirus; preventing the spread of coronavirus in healthcare facilities and providing a fourth mobile lab to test and treat Pakistanis living in virus hotspots. Jones in the message also expressed good wished for Pakistan on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. "I would like to congratulate all Pakistanis on the completion of Ramazan, said Jones. Jones also thanked Islamabad for its recent delivery of medical supplies as a gesture of friendship and partnership between the two countries. The embassy said that the US government has now committed a total of USD 21 million since it declared Pakistan a priority country for coronavirus response'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Goa Forward Party on Sunday said the standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the Pramod Sawant government for air passengers set to arrive in the state was "loose" and that it should be changed immediately. GFP chief Vijay Sardesai said the SOP allowed people to fly into the state freely, in the process risking a spike in COVID-19 cases, adding that his party would agitate if it was not changed by Monday. At least 15 flights are scheduled to arrive at the Goa International Airport in Dabolim in South Goa on Monday. Sardesai said the demand of state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane for mandatory COVID-19 negative certificate for air travelers arriving in the state should be looked at seriously. "The SOP is a recipe for (coronavirus) community transmission. We will agitate if it is not changed by Monday," the GFP MLA added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opening up alcohol sales under level 3 of the lockdown in South Africa may lead to chaos if the government implements its proposed limitations on the sale of liquor. South Africas national lockdown is expected to be eased to level 3 by the end of May, and reports have stated that this may be implemented on a per-metro basis. COVID-19 alert level 4 currently forbids the sale of alcohol, although this is expected to change when level 3 is implemented. Speaking to The Sunday Times, Liquor Traders Association of South Africa spokesperson Sean Robinson said that limiting alcohol sales to certain hours and days of the week as proposed in a draft level 3 document will cause chaos. The risk of the spread of the virus is not going to be mitigated if those hours are imposed. Its going to be multiplied, he said. He said there would likely be a crush of desperate customers during these periods, which could lead to violence and looting. President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to provide more information regarding the sale of alcohol and other items under level 3 in a national address at 19:00 this evening. This comes as South Africans continue to violate lockdown regulations, an activity which will earn them a criminal record if they sign an admission of guilt. Police Minister Bheki Cele recently announced that over 230,000 cases have been opened for violations of COVID-19 lockdown regulations as of 19 May 2020. This is more than double the number which had been opened at the end of April, when South Africa was still under lockdown alert level 5. Many types of contact and trio crimes have declined since the lockdown was implemented, but there has been a significant increase in the illegal sale of alcohol. We have also observed an increase in smuggling of contraband (liquor and tobacco) between South Africas land borders with Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, as well as the sale of these products in the black market, Cele stated. Criminals are opportunistic. Organised crime syndicates have taken advantage of the lockdown, especially on the ban of alcohol and cigarettes, and have expanded their illegal trade into the illegal market of illicit and counterfeit alcohol and cigarette sales, he said. Damaged economy The effects of COVID-19 and the strict national lockdown will be felt on the South African economy for at least the next three years. This is according to Nedbank economist Busisiwe Radebe, who recently spoke about the effect of the recent SA Reserve Bank rate cut. Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago said on Thursday they expect the countrys GDP to contract by 7% this year, following the previous forecast of 6.1%. Nedbanks economic models around the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown show it will take at least three years to reach pre-crisis peaks. When it comes to things like employment, we see that taking even longer to reach the pre-crisis peak, said Radebe. We will still be in this mess trying to undo it three years from now. Prince Harry and his former wingman Tom Skippy Inskip have finally put their differences aside and patched things up. Both men are now parents and fatherhood has given them some much-needed perspective, Im told. The pair plan to meet up after the lockdown ends in the United States, where they both live. Their once-close relationship deteriorated after Skippy reportedly dared to suggest to Harry that he should think twice about marrying Meghan Markle. Patching things up: Tom Inskip with Prince Harry at a wedding in 2013 (left) and the Duke of Sussex seen with Meghan Markle, both wearing face masks, in Los Angeles (right) Although Skippy and his wife Lara were invited to the wedding ceremony at St Georges Chapel, Windsor, in 2018, they were notably absent from the lavish evening reception at Frogmore House. Instead, they had to watch as the Royal couples new friends such as Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney made their way to the event. Now Im delighted to reveal that Skippy, who lives in Washington DC and works at US tech giant Afiniti, is making plans to take his companys private jet to Los Angeles with his newborn son Albert to meet Harry and his toddler Archie. A friend tells me: Harry and Tom fell out but things are back on track now. Theyre now fathers and they both realise they need to share these precious times together, given they have so much history together. Theyve been through thick and thin, and while they did fall out, they realised that life is too short to be estranged. They would like their children to grow up together. Mr Inskip (left) arrives for the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018 The pair have been close since they met at Eton. Skippy was one of those in Las Vegas in 2012 when Harry was infamously caught playing naked billiards with showgirls in a hotel suite. Harry had a key role at Skippys wedding in Jamaica in 2017, which was one of Meghans first public appearances as the Princes partner. James Middleton's marshmallow and greetings card company Boomf has been given a little more oomph. The Duchess of Cambridges brother has raised almost 1 million from investors to expand the quirky firm. After posting losses since its inception in 2013, Boomf finally broke into profit last year. James, 33, has spoken of the depression he suffered as the business struggled. Good to see it heading in the right direction at last. Mr Obnoxious: Petra's fiance Petra Ecclestone and Sam Palmer attend the VIP opening of Maddox Gallery Exhibition 'Best of British' at Maddox Gallery in October 18 in Los Angeles, California (file photo) Billionaire heiress Petra Ecclestone sure can pick em. Her partner, Sam Palmer, has threatened to visit the house of a person he accuses of being an internet troll, daring the man to say to my face comments hed made online. Sam, 36, has form for this sort of thing: last month he challenged Petras ex-husband, James Stunt, 38, to a no-holds-barred street fight. Now remember, Sam, you have to keep two metres apart One cough simulation study in 2014 suggested that a shield could reduce a users viral exposure by 96% when worn within 18 inches of someone who was coughing. But most people in the general public are much farther away from others they are interacting with, said William Lindsley, a bioengineer at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health who led the study. Large droplets that may contain virus will fall to the ground quickly, reducing the need for a face shield worn when standing farther away. Latest News First major rate move of 2022 as ANZ cuts variable Despite expectations that rates will rise, the first big move of the year is a cut 70% of Aussies pessimistic about their chances of getting on the property ladder Mortgage franchise giant releases data suggesting that Aussie Dream is out of reach for young people Despite a challenging landscape, the commercial lending armof our business has continued to thrive. Just like in the residential arena, brokers provide genuine choice and this is a vital and missing ingredient in commercial lending. Brokers introduce to clients a vast array of products, services and fintech lenders that borrowers may not be able to access by going to a bank. The tightening of lending criteria that occurred after the banking royal commission made it harder for commercial borrowers to access finance, but brokers worked hard to find solutions to suit their customers needs. When the dust began to settle, our country experienced the most devastating bushfires in living memory, but still, brokers pushed through. Now, as the COVID-19 situation unfolds, we as an industry can expect to face further challenges. However, by remaining agile and continuing with our free-thinking approach to finance, Liberty is well placed to support brokers to come out on top. For example, Liberty has been accepted into the Australian governments SME Guarantee Scheme and has launched an unsecured loan product to support affected businesses, providing loans of up to $250,000 for a maximum of three years. Our new Business Care product offers the option to defer repayments forthe first six months, until small businessowners are back on their feet. With a growing market, an increasing number of mortgage brokers are stepping into the commercial lending space and theyre being rewarded for doing so. Part of the reason were seeing more brokers moving into this area is because there are so many opportunities. From opening new shopfronts to purchasing o ce space, there are many reasons why a customer may seek commercial finance, and there is certainly no shortage of customers. Given the unprecedented nature of the virus, there is no telling just how serious the effects on our industry will be. As the COVID-19 situation has unfolded, we have maintained regular communications with our business partners. Although we cannot currently meet face-to-face, we still strive to achieve personalised contact through video chats and digital platforms. While it is certainly an unusual time, most brokers are in a fortunate position of being able to continue operating without the same level of disruption that many other industries will face. Although there are likely to be interruptions to some degree, technology allows brokers to work remotely, while still engaging with customers over the phone, via email or through video chat. We truly believe in the value of diversifi cation, and our BDMs are always available to support business partners in moving into other areas of lending. Broker market share of commercial lending is comparatively low and the market itself is far from crowded. This means there is ample opportunity for ambitious brokers to move in and make a diff erence Currently, the broker channel holds the highest market share of residential home loans on record, sitting at close to 60%. With the steady demand for specialised lending support, we can expect this uptick to continue. However, despite a steady increase in the number of brokers moving into commercial lending, broker market share of this type of lending is comparatively low and the market itself is far from crowded. This means there is ample opportunity for ambitious brokers to move in and make a diff erence. The fact is, residential is a super competitive market, and it can be di cult for brokers to compete with some of their more established competitors, especially if they are just starting out. With plenty of room to move, commercial lending can be an excellent way for brokers to boost their business and break into a relatively underserviced market. At Liberty, we promote the benefits of commercial lending with training events and workshops, like our Do More sessions. These sessions explain the fundamentals of commercial lending, and support brokers in taking the first steps towards moving into this area. If youre considering breaking into commercial lending, theres never been a better time to take the plunge. Those who get in early are likely to see the greatest gains. At Liberty, we know there can be anxieties around moving into new areas of lending, which is why our BDM team offers extensive support to brokers through the transition period and beyond. Like learning any new skill, its important to receive the best training and support. We have more BDMs than any other non-bank lender, so were equipped to take a hands-on approach and offer the personalised support brokers need to succeed. John Mohnacheff Group sales manager, Liberty One of the 12 sugar factory workers, who were hospitalised on Saturday after they complained of suffocation while cleaning a vacuum pan in a Baramati-based sugar factory, died on Sunday, police said. On Saturday morning, when workers were cleaning the pan, a gas got released from it. Some workers who had entered the pan felt suffocated and nauseating, a company official earlier said. One of the workers, identified as Shivaji Bhosale, who was admitted to the ICU of a private hospital here, died on Sunday morning, a police official said. "Five to six workers were involved in the cleaning activity inside a vacuum pan at the factory when a gasemanated and they felt suffocated," Vijay Wable, managing director of Malegaon Sugar Factory, which is located in Baramati, said on Saturday. The workers then called their colleagues for help. The condition of one more worker was critical, while the 10 others were stable, Wable earlier said. A vacuum pan is a tank with a vacuum pump for rapid evaporation and condensation (as of sugar syrup) by boiling at a low temperature. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By PTI NEW DELHI: State-owned HIL Ltd will supply 25 tonnes of pesticides to Iran to control locust, the government said on Sunday. "HIL is now in the process of production and supply of 25 tonnes Malathion Technical for supply to locust control programme to Iran under Government to Government arrangement," an official statement said. The External Affairs ministry has approached HIL for manufacturing and supply of this commodity to Iran. Despite logistics and other challenges posed by COVID-19 lockdown, HIL (india) Ltd, a PSU under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertlizers, ensured timely production and supply of pesticides for farming community. The company has exported 10 tonnes of fungicide Mancozeb to Latin American country Peru and another 12 tonnes will be exported in the next one week. HIL has also signed an agreement with the agriculture ministry for the supply of Malathion Technical to Rajasthan and Gujarat for locust control programme. HIL had manufactured and supplied 67 tonnes of Malathion Technical till last week. HIL supplied malathion technical to municipal corporations for dengue and chikungunya control programme. During the lockdown period till May 15, 2020, HIL produced 120 tonnes of Malathion Technical, 120. 40 tonnes of DDT Technical, 288 tonnes of DDT 50 per cent, 21 tonnes of HILGOLD (water soluble fertiliser), 12 tonnes of Mancozeb Fungicide for exports and 35 tonnes of different agrochemical formulations. These are used in the agriculture and health sectors. Family members of a Mississippi man shot to death inside an abandoned Bessemer house retraced his last steps Sunday, grief-stricken as they imagined his final moments. Michael Jones wife, Bethie, and nearly a dozen of her relatives drove to Bessemer from Mississippi to place a floral cross and balloons at the place where Jones was killed. The bottom line, this was entrapment, said Martha Salone, Jones brother-in-law. This was Michael trusting. Its like a wounded animal. He was all alone. Jones, 45, vanished Wednesday after leaving work in Mississippi. His body was discovered Friday night inside a vacant home in the 1800 block of Fairfax Avenue. Jones was seen about 6:15 a.m. Wednesday when he left work at Steel Dynamics/Severstal on Airport Road in Columbus. Family said he was supposed to return to work at 6 p.m. Wednesday but did not show up or call. His supervisor told them that is not typical for Jones. His large, close-knit family immediately began to search for him. They were able to track his phone to Tuscaloosa, and then Bessemer. Ultimately, they learned, he had arranged via the Letgo trading app, to meet someone to buy an iPhone 11. On Thursday, his wifes family fanned out to look for Jones. We were looking for a car running off the road, not this, Salone said. That last pingall roads led to Bessemer. During the search, they passed the house at 1815 Fairfax Avenue where his body would eventually be found. We drove right by this, said brother-in-law Joshua Tatum. By Friday morning, Bessemer police were involved in the search. Jones Ford Ranger 4x4 pick-up truck was found Friday afternoon in the 1700 block of Clarendon Avenue. A continued search led to the discovery of his body several hours later. Police said Jones had been shot to death. My prayer was let us find Michael to bring him back home, Tatum said. I wanted him alive, but we wanted to find his body. Now hes headed back to Mississippi. Family said it was a hobby of Jones to find good deals on trading sites. Everybody was like, Why did he do that? He could have just bought a phone in a store and made payments, Salone said. That wasnt Michael. When he found a deal, he was telling us about the deal he found, thinking it was the best deal ever. Trading has been going on for decades, she said. This was his enjoyment. He loved it, and he found some good stuff. Tatum said theyve learned that Jones first went to Tuscaloosa, and then was told to go to Bessemer instead. The sellers lowered the price to entice him to make the longer drive. They lured him in, Tatum said. They went down on the price, made him come here and they did what they wanted to do. If I had been with Michael, it wouldnt have went down, he said. I would have told him to turn around. Jones leaves behind a 21-year-old daughter and an 18-year-old son. Both children, as well as his wife, are taking his death hard. Michael he was so kind and so good and so hardworking. Hed get off work and hed still by trying to help somebody like fix your car or do your yard or whatever, Salone said. Hard work didnt mean anything to Michael. He was a good husband to our sister. He was a friendly guy Hed always help you out if you needed something. You called him and hed say hed be there as soon as he got off work, Tatum said. He did not deserve this. This was wrong. This was a family man. He didnt do dope. He didnt drink or hang out at clubs or go to casinos, Tatum said. He was a churchgoing man. An usher at church. He was a giver. To take his life was uncalled for. We all are hurting. He was a godly person, Tatum said. He was an usher at his church. Whoever did this to him, Michael trusted them, Salone said. He was a very trusting person. He was a god-fearing person, Tataum said The family said they will make sure those responsible for Jones death will face the consequences. We want whoever did this to Michael to know, youre going to get it, Salone said. Justice shall be served. Michael was love, she said. You took someone, and left people greatly hurt. Tatum agreed. He was a soldier for the Lord, he said, and God will bring vengeance to the one who did this. Jones is Bessemers 11th homicide in 2020. In all of Jefferson County there have been 70 homicides, including the 11 in Bessemer. Investigators from Bessemer and Mississippi are working together to determine who is responsible, and why. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Bessemer police at 205-425-2411, the Tip Line at 205-428-3541, Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777, the Lowndes County Sheriffs Office at 662-328-6788 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 1-800-530-7151. Photograph: Marco Garcia/Reuters Thanks to its geographic isolation, a stay-at-home order and a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arrivals, Hawaii has had some of the lowest rates of Covid-19 in the US. But the quarantine essentially halted tourism in Hawaii, which accounts for a quarter of the economy. As a result, nearly one-third of the states working population has applied for unemployment. Related: 'It's beyond frustrating': tensions peak as Hawaii locals urge tourists to stay out This week, Hawaiis governor, David Ige, announced a phased approach to opening the non-tourism economy, or kamaaina (local) economy. The plan reopened auto dealerships, car washes and pet grooming services in May, while waiting until June to consider reopening higher-risk businesses, such as gyms, museums and theaters. The governor also confirmed that the mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arrivals would stay in place through June. The finer details of how the tourism economy bars, hotels, convention centers will be reopened have yet to be released but one idea being discussed is waiving the quarantine for visitors if they take a Covid-19 test before traveling to Hawaii. The state needs to bring back tourism in some way. We need money, said Colin Moore, the University of Hawaii public policy director. But the only way to make that work is to find a way to do it as safely as we can. Hawaiis governor, David Ige, at the state capitol in January. Photograph: Audrey McAvoy/AP Nearly 240,000 people have signed up for unemployment since the beginning of March, according to Hawaiis department of labor and industrial relations. The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which opened in May for gig workers and self-employed individuals, has received 28,000 applications. The states outdated unemployment system created a huge backlog in applications, forcing the recently jobless to wait weeks or, for some, more than a month for their first payments. The governor has extended the quarantine until the end of June, which has helped bring the number of arrivals to Hawaii from the usual 30,000 to less than 1,000 most days. The mandatory 14-day quarantine requires that everyone arriving in the state or traveling between islands must go directly from the airport to their home or hotel. During the quarantine period, all food must be delivered. Those who break quarantine face a maximum fine of $5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year. Story continues Local lawmakers have budgeted $36m for airport temperature cameras, which the governor said at a press conference on Monday would be part of the future screening process for arrivals to Hawaiis airports. It does allow us to identify those who are most sick in a way that can be less intrusive than other screening methods, Ige said. The White House has advocated for their use, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that thermal screening airport passengers is not a particularly effective detection strategy. Its a lot of money to set up a system that makes people feel better but actually doesnt catch many of the active cases that are coming in, said Sumner La Croix, a research fellow at the University of Hawaiis Economic Research Organization. A man walks along a closed pier on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu in late March. Photograph: Caleb Jones/AP Instead, he said, people should take a test before flying to Hawaii, and individuals who share their negative results with the state could then have the 14-day quarantine waived. This system wont be flawless, since test results are not always accurate and not everyone will do it. He also acknowledged that people flying to Hawaii might still be exposed to the virus while traveling. But it would stop the vast majority of asymptomatic people who would have flown into the state with Covid-19, making it relatively easy to keep the number of new cases low. Hawaiis lieutenant governor, Josh Green; the US congressman Ed Case; and local lawmakers have expressed support for a screening strategy that includes pre-testing for the coronavirus, while the Federal Aviation Administration and the US Department of Transportation have said that would be possible. Related: I cant get any help: Disney World staff go weeks without unemployment benefits Were going to have to deal with outbreaks, but that shouldnt be our main policy, said La Croix. Our main policy should be trying to prevent people who have active coronavirus infections from getting on planes. Maintaining low rates of Covid-19 will probably encourage visitors to come to the state, as they will think of Hawaii as a safe place. It will also make residents who are weary of visitors a handful were caught breaking quarantine after posting pictures of themselves on the beach more confident about allowing tourism to return. Testing, contact tracing, and isolation methods also needed to be bolstered before the state allowed tourists to come back, said La Croix. In early May, the states department of health said it was increasing the number of trained contact tracers, who will help track the people an infected person may have come in contact with in order to slow or stop the spread of the virus. Even after the quarantine is lifted, it could be years until the tourism economy returns to its previous figures. In 2019, Hawaii received a record-breaking 10 million tourists. If the recovery of Hawaiis tourism economy continues to drag, the double-digit unemployment rates could remain for years, too. The international airport in Honolulu, seen in April. Coronavirus has essentially halted tourism in Hawaii. Photograph: Caleb Jones/AP The existing idea that Hawaii is overly reliant on tourism and the need to diversify the economy has picked up steam since the pandemic began. We can retrain people to start attracting a more diverse set of industries, said Moore. He said the governor should create retraining opportunities for people in the hospitality sector who have lost their jobs, state-sponsored jobs that would focus on public works projects, and programs for young people. People need a sense of purpose. Being unemployed for a long time, your skills start to rot. It can lead to depression, he said. Along with long-lasting high unemployment numbers, many Hawaii residents will be forced to move to the US mainland for opportunities and affordable housing. It will probably take Hawaii longer to recover than states on the mainland with more diversified economies, said Moore. Hawaii has already seen a loss of population for the past three years and the pandemic is likely to accelerate that trend. Youre going to lose the people you really dont want to lose, said Moore about residents moving away from Hawaii. Well-trained, younger people with families, who could be the future of the state, leaving. Were going to lose some of the most valuable people this way. If ever in question, simply follow the money. Last week, we saw weakness in the U.S. financial sector, and with some of the top U.S. banks grossly underperforming the market. So some have asked why I choose the financials as the canary in the coal mine, so to speak. Since the coronavirus hit, within weeks, it pushed world economies into a global recession, more severe than the global meltdown in 2008. Currently, we are in an inflection point, with many economies trying to recover and get back to work. The depth and length of the current downturn will depend on many factors: The virus itself and possible mutations, government and public health responses, results of the previous and future economic interventions, and just as important, the action and behavior of the general public. Per date, close to $10 trillion has been thrown at the problem with more coming. We will know soon if it has helped or simply slowed a global recession or even worse a possible depression. My hope is the trillions helped tremendously and we will see remarkable recovery in the third and fourth quarters and the forecasted second wave is nonexistent. Per the amount one trillion, it is so large, many have trouble understanding just how large it is. To better understand how large $10 trillion is, lets jump to time and seconds. If we clock a million seconds, thats close to 11 days. A billion seconds is nearly 32 years. A trillion seconds is close to 32,000 years, depending on the calendar used. Do the math: You can see the size of the $10 trillion thrown at the world economies and why, when studying the financial sector, that banks are so important. Today, we look globally and examine the relative strength of the Chinese and European banks for strength and weakness clues to see if we could be going into a global rally or recession. Lets begin with China. Why? It is the second-largest (country) economy, ranked by gross domestic product, behind the United States. Here are the largest China banks that are chartable and publicly traded on an American exchange, ranked by market cap, and dividend yield: Chinese Construction Bank, 1.93 Trillion-4.72%; Industrial and Commerce Bank of China, 569 Billion-4.62%; Bank of China, 31.5 Billion-5.93%; Chinese Merchants Bank, 21.74 Billion-4.72%; and Agriculture Bank of China, 12.49 Billion, 5.16% yield. Next, lets view the relative strength performance of these top Chinese banks, during the current rally starting on March 24 to date, and compared to the strength of the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index, symbol $SSEC (red area). The Chinese banks ranked by relative strength are as follows: Chinese Merchants Bank (14.46% purple line), Agriculture Bank of China (10.43% blue line), Bank of China (4.69% red line), Chinese Construction Bank (4.30% pink line), and Industrial and Commerce Bank of China (1.43% brown line). The relative strength performance of the $SSEC (red area) is 8.40%. For comparison sake, the SPX is outperforming all with a 32.82% return. While all banks in this group currently have a positive return during this recent rally, only two banks are outperforming and three are underperforming the Chinese index $SSEC. At this point, I do not see any major structural weakness with this group. If any of these banks would drop below their previous lows, then they qualify to consider as short or put candidates. If they rally above their previous highs, they would qualify as potential long candidates. Now let's identify the largest European banks (by location) that are chartable and publically traded on an American exchange, ranked by market cap, and dividend yield and location: HSBC Holdings-England, 101 Billion-.50%; BNP Paribas-France, 38 Billion-9.03%; Banco Santander-Spain, 32 Billion-.11%; ING Groep-Holland, 21 Billion-27%; and Deutsche Bank-Germany, 58 Billion-1.64%. The European banks ranked by relative strength, performance of top European banks, compared to the strength of the SPDR EORO Stoxx ETF (FEZ purple area), during the same timeframe: Deutsche Bank (28.60% brown line), BNP Paribas (15.16% red line), ING Groep (12.43% orange line), Banco Santander (-10.62% green line), and HSBC Holdings (-10.66% blue line). The FEZ return during this timeframe is 22.07% while the SPX had a 33.18% performance. Only one bank in this group is outperforming the main European Index FEZ. Four banks are underperforming the main European index FEZ. If any drop below the current March 2020 lows, they would qualify to consider as short or put candidates. If any should break out above their previous highs, they would be considered as long candidates and would show strength for the region. Here are the action points. Are you monitoring these overseas banks to signal the next upturn or downturn? If not, it would be wise to set an alert if any of these large Chinese or European banks rally or take a nosedive. I am very concerned about some of the banks in the European group. Why? Since the European Central Banks (ECB) policy rate went negative in 2014, the tools to help stimulate their economies are greatly reduced, compared to the tools we have with the Federal Reserve. For those planning to short any of these banks or any securities if you short a security that pays a dividend, it is still paid by the person short the security: You. To get a head start on next week's column, take the time to research the top Latin and South American banks for additional clues to see if we could be heading into a global rally or a recession. It will be time well spent. If you have market questions, email them to my address below. Plan your work, work your plan, and share your harvest! DAVID O. ENGLAND is an investor/trader, financial analyst/educator/lecturer and Associate Professor Emeritus of Finance. This column is for educational purposes only and not intended as financial advice. Past performance does not dictate future returns. Questions? Send to thetraderseye@gmail.com. Full Disclosure: The author does not own any securities in this column. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 (ILO News) Two guidance documents for creating safe and effective return-to-work conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic have been issued by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The Guidance Note says that return to work policies need to be informed by a human-centred approach that puts peoples rights at the heart of economic, social and environmental policies. Social dialogue bringing together governments, workers and employers organizations will be critical in creating the effective policies and trust needed for a safe return to work. The note draws on specialist ILO guidance documents and International Labour Standards, which provide a normative framework for creating a safe return to work. The document stresses that policy guidance should be embedded into national Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) systems, as these create the basis for safe workplace environments. The guidance can therefore contribute to a culture of continuous, country-level improvement, in administration, institutions, laws and regulations, labour inspections, information gathering, and other areas. Workers must feel safe at their workplaces, both from risks directly related to COVID-19, and indirect risks, including psychosocial issues and ergonomic risks related to working in awkward positions or with poor facilities when working from home, the guidelines say. They should have the right to remove themselves from any situation which they have reasonable justification to believe presents an imminent and serious danger to their life or health, and shall be protected from any undue consequences. The document proposes that each specific work setting, job or group of jobs should be assessed before returning to work and that preventive measures should be implemented to ensure the safety and health of all workers according to a hierarchy of controls. For workers staying at home, the risk of infection in a work context can be eliminated; for all workers returning to workplaces, priority should be given to options that substitute hazardous situations for less hazardous ones, such as organizing virtual instead of physical meetings. When this is not possible a mix of engineering and organizational control measures will usually be required to prevent contagion, The specific measures to implement are specific to each workplace, but may consist of installing physical barriers such as clear plastic sneeze guards, improving ventilation, or adopting flexible working hours, in addition to cleaning and hygiene practices. The guidelines also recall that the use of appropriate personal protective equipment may be required to complement other measures, in particular for the most hazardous occupations, and that this equipment should be provided without cost to workers. The needs of workers at higher risk of severe illness should be taken into account; including older workers, pregnant workers, those with pre-existing medical conditions, refugees, migrants and those in the informal sector. Special attention will be needed to ensure that return to work policies do not create discrimination related to gender, health status, or other factors. Unsafe work practices anywhere are a threat to both health and sustainable business, everywhere. So, before returning to work, workers must be confident that they will not be exposed to undue risks, said Deborah Greenfield, ILOs Deputy Director-General for Policy. And, to help enterprises and economies get going as soon as possible, workers will need to cooperate with these new measures. This means that social dialogue will be particularly important because it is the most effective way to feed information and views into policies and actions, so creating the best chance for a swift and balanced recovery. The Guidance Note, A safe and healthy return to work during the COVID-19 pandemic , is accompanied by a 10-point, Practical Guidance action checklist for employers, workers and their representatives. This tool is intended to compliment and not replace national occupational safety and health regulations and guidance, to help establish the practical details of a safe return to work. As the coronavirus spread across the United States, sweeping through low-income, densely populated communities, Black and Hispanic patients died at higher rates than white patients. Crowded living conditions, poorer overall health and limited access to care have been blamed, among other factors. But a new study suggests that the disparity was particularly acute for Black patients. Among those seeking medical care for COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, Black patients were hospitalized at nearly three times the rate of white and Hispanic patients, according to an analysis of patient records from a large health-care system in northern California. The disparity remained even after researchers took into account differences in age, sex, income and the prevalence of chronic health problems that exacerbate COVID-19, like hypertension and Type 2 diabetes. The finding suggests that Black patients may have had limited access to medical care or that they postponed seeking help until later in the course of their illness, when the disease was more advanced. Black patients were also far less likely than white, Hispanic or Asian patients to have been tested for the virus before going to the emergency room for care. Black patients are coming to us later and sicker, and theyre accessing our care through the emergency department and acute-care environment, said Dr. Stephen Lockhart, the chief medical officer at Sutter Health in Sacramento and one of the authors of the new study. The study, which was peer-reviewed, was published in Health Affairs. Delayed care may give the virus more time to spread through households and neighbourhoods, Lockhart and his colleagues concluded. The delays also suggest that minority patients continue to face barriers despite Californias broad expansion of health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. How soon you access care, even supportive care, affects how you experience illness and how much pain and suffering you have, said Kristen Azar, a research scientist at Sutter Health and the studys lead author. While we dont necessarily have treatments at this point, there are therapies being developed, and identifying people early on as these treatments become available will be important in order to prevent poor outcomes, like death and being put on ventilators, she added. Dr. Clyde Yancy, chief of cardiology at Northwestern Universitys Feinberg School of Medicine, said the granular study of patient records bolstered cruder public health reports of higher COVID-19 death rates among Black Americans. The data confirm that socioeconomic factors play an outsize role in influencing health status and vulnerability to infection, he added. Where and how we live contributes greatly to our health, said Yancy, who has written about health disparities and the pandemic. The new study analyzed the electronic health records of 1,052 confirmed COVID-19 patients who sought care between Jan. 1 and April 8 at Sutter Health, a health system serving three and a half million patients in northern California. More than half of the 61 Black patients who tested positive for the coronavirus were admitted to hospitals, compared with about one-quarter or fewer of the Hispanic, white and Asian patients who tested positive. Black patients were also more likely than the others to be so sick that they required treatment in an intensive-care unit. Even after the investigators factored out a number of differences between patient groups, Black patients were still 2.7 times more likely than others to require hospitalization when they sought care. The important thing we found in this study is that even when we were accounting for all those things, race mattered, Lockhart said. Thats a message thats incredibly important as we think about going forward. The study was too small to detect differences in death rates among the patient groups, the authors said. In California as a whole, however, Black residents are bearing a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 deaths. Black residents make up six per cent of the states population and roughly the same percentage of the states COVID-19 cases. But Black patients represented 10.3 per cent of COVID-19-related deaths as of May 13, according to the California Department of Public Health. One limitation of the study was that researchers did not make adjustments for obesity. Rates of obesity are somewhat higher among Black people, and obesity has emerged as a risk factor in patients with more severe complications from COVID-19. An Ohio teen who went missing hours before her graduation and prompted a desperate six-day search was found safe with a person of interest in the case and said she'd left to 'start a new life'. Madison Bell, 18, phoned police to say she is safe after disappearing last Sunday, May 17, the Highland County Sheriff's office said Saturday. The teen's mother reported her missing after she left home to visit a tanning salon a few hours before her high school graduation ceremony and never returned. Her car was later found abandoned in a church parking lot, unlocked with her cell phone and keys still inside, sparking immediate suspicion of foul play. Highland County authorities now say that Madison has been in contact to confirm that she is safe and left of her own free will, but does not want her location disclosed. Sheriff Donnie Barrera said that when Madison was found she told authorities she wanted 'to start a new life'. She was reportedly in the company of an unidentified 'person of interest'. Police say no arrests will be made in the case, despite how costly the extensive search effort was. Madison Bell, 18, was found safe six days after she disappeared in Highland County, Ohio. Police said she had left of her own volition and wanted to 'start a new life' Madison was reported missing on May 17 after she left home to visit a tanning salon a few hours before her high school graduation ceremony and never returned Madison's disappearance generated tremendous community concern, and a $15,000 reward had been posted for information leading to her return. Her family released a statement saying: 'We ask that the public and media respect our privacy during this difficult time while we are emotionally raw.' 'We are just relieved to know Maddie is alive and not in physical danger.' The family thanked all of the agencies that joined in the massive search for the teen, as well as the community for rallying around them during the trying ordeal. 'Every single effort to find Maddie has touched us and we appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts,' the statement added. Police released a photo of this man who was spotted near the area where Madison's car was found. It's unclear whether he has any connection with the case The mysterious case quickly attracted national attention, with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine pleading for the teen's safe return, and the FBI joining the investigation. The teen disappeared just two days after tanning businesses had reopened in Ohio following coronavirus lockdowns. When Madison, known to her family and friends as 'Maddie,' did not return home from the tanning salon after about an hour, her mother started texting and calling her, but received no response. Mother Melissa Bell had insisted her daughter would never leave her family and friends, especially during graduation week. 'She would always contact me even if she was going to be five minutes late,' the distraught mother said after she disappeared. Concerned that Madison may have gotten into a car accident, her mother and longtime boyfriend drove together to the Good Shepherd Church parking lot near the Corner Market tanning salon, where they found her car. 'The windows are up, we open the door, her phone is laying in it, her keys in the ignition, the change is in the container she had. The car was left unlocked,' the mother recounted to WHIO. 'She would never leave her car unlocked, she would never leave her phone in there.' Madison's family was certain that she would not leave on her own just hours before graduation, but it now appears that she left willingly and did not want her family to find her Madison's mother, Melissa Bell (left), and the teen's long-term boyfriend, Cody Mann (right), made emotional pleas for her safe return during the week she was missing Madison's car was found abandoned with the keys still in the ignition in the parking lot of the Good Shepherd Church in Highland County (pictured) Bell said she tried to unlock Madison's phone but was unable to and handed it over to law enforcement. Cody Mann, Madison's boyfriend of five years, broke down in tears pleading for her safe return during an interview with WXIX-TV on Tuesday. 'She's the most loving girl I've ever seen in my life. I mean, I can't even explain it... I just want her to come home,' he said through sobs. 'I'll see you when you get back is the last thing I got to say', he added. Madison (pictured left with her live-in boyfriend) was set to graduate from high school on the day she was reported missing. Her mother said she would not have missed it More than 300 volunteers came out to search for Madison on Sunday and Monday, spending thousands of man-hours scouring trails and woods, and distributing flyers. On Thursday, police released images of a man and a car with California plates sought in connection with the case, saying the man was spotted in the parking lot where Madison's car was found. A church worker told police the white four-door vehicle they saw in the lot stood out as there were no services due to COVID-19. They said a white male stood near the vehicle, which they believed to have California license plates. An image released by police was taken at a nearby business. After Madison was confirmed safe, it was not clear whether the man had any connection with her decision to leave her family without informing them. Boris Johnson is reconsidering his controversial decision to give Huawei access to Britains 5G network after fresh security warnings by spy chiefs. Intelligence agencies are reviewing advice given to No 10 amid concerns new US sanctions on the Chinese company could scupper the goal of bringing in the superfast broadband technology nationwide. In January, the cyber wing of GCHQ said the risk associated with letting Huawei into the broadband could be mitigated but a change of advice could force Mr Johnson to pull plans to use the firms kit in 35 per cent of the network. Boris Johnson is reconsidering his controversial decision to give Huawei access to Britains 5G network after fresh security warnings by spy chiefs The fresh US sanctions, announced earlier this month, outlaw any American intellectual property from being used in the production of Huawei equipment. This presents a problem for the UK because mobile chips manufactured for use in Huawei products use US technology. But British spies have warned Downing Street that the Chinese alternatives currently being discussed cannot be trusted. Whitehall sources said the consequences were being worked out and a decision had not yet been made. In January, the cyber wing of GCHQ said the risk associated with letting Huawei into the broadband could be mitigated A Government spokesman said: The security and resilience of our networks is of paramount importance. Following the US announcement of additional sanctions against Huawei, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is looking carefully at any impact they could have on the networks. Victor Zhang, vice president of Huawei, said: As a private company, 100 per cent owned by employees, which has operated in the UK for 20 years, our priority has been to help mobile and broadband companies keep Britain connected, which in this current health crisis has been more vital than ever. Mr Johnson had approved a limited role for Huawei in building the countrys 5G network, angering Donald Trump. A 5G mast was set on fire in Chaddesden, Derby, just two days after it was erected But Chinas response during the virus crisis has increased pressure on the Government to reverse the decision, while some senior Tories believe the Government will fail to get the legislation through the Commons this summer. One Conservative MP said No 10 would struggle to explain to MPs why it is appropriate for China to be given more influence after the crisis. The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Huawei of spying for Beijing, which the firm strenuously denies. The rethink comes ahead of a possible G7 summit in the US next month and after Mr Johnson held a meeting of his National Security Council last week the first since February to discuss the reliance of UK supply chains on foreign states. The fresh fears come as an investigation was launched into the torching of a 5G mobile phone mast in Derby just days after it was erected. Police said they believe the blaze, attended at 2am yesterday, was started deliberately. It follows more than 50 incidents nationwide believed to be linked to false claims the network is spreading coronavirus fake news that has prompted crackdowns from social media giants. In May 1987, when a curfew was imposed in Delhi after tension flared in some neighbourhoods following communal rioting in Uttar Pradeshs Meerut, Eid prayers were not offered at the iconic Jama Masjid. Thirty-three years later, Delhis largest mosque will again remain shut to devotees when Eid is celebrated on Monday. Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, cited the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic as the reason for the mosque remaining shut. Similarly, all other mosques in the city will remain shut to devotees on Eid as a lockdown continues to be enforced to contain the spread of the virus. Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated to mark the end of the holy month of Ramzan during which Muslims observe a fast from dawn to dusk. On the day of Eid, dressed in new clothes, devotees offer prayers at mosques and then hug and greet relatives and friends. After the prayers, people visit each others homes with sheer khurma (a traditional dessert) as a customary ritual of the festival. This year, the community will observe the festival at homes with no public prayers, hugs, and dawats (get-togethers). Its going to be hard for people to celebrate Eid like this but we need to do this to protect each other from the coronavirus infection. People have an immense attachment to the Jama Masjid. But this time everyone has to pray at home. We have already announced that no one will be allowed inside the mosque on Monday. Only the mosque staff living inside will offer the prayer on the premises, Bukhari said. Mufti Mukarram Ahmed, the Shahi Imam of Masjid Fatehpuri, recalled the last time Eid prayers were not held in the mosque. In 1993, when the curfew was imposed post-Babri Masjid demolition, we did not hold Eid prayers in the Fatehpuri mosque and encouraged people to offer prayers in their local mosques (Babri Masjid was demolished in December 1992). But this year its unprecedented. The mosque is closed since March due to the pandemic. We are requesting people to not only pray at their home but also avoid roaming on the streets and gatherings, he said. Haji Miyan Faiyazuddin, 82, of the iconic Haji Hotel in the Jama Masjid area, said that he has never experienced an Eid without Namaz being offered in mosques, hugs being exchanged, and celebrations on the streets. I had gone for my first Eid namaz in Jama Masjid when I was six. Even during instances of communal tension, namaz was not prohibited in the local mosques as it has been now. After the namaz, we would visit each others house. Children would buy toys and sweets on the way home. We would also share sweets and other delicacies with our Hindu brothers and they also visit our homes. But, this time, it will be a silent Eid, he said. Faiyazuddin, whose family claims a lineage of five centuries, said people should follow all the norms specified for the prevention of Covid-19. We can celebrate Eid again next year but we cannot afford to put everyones life in danger. Also, people should help those who have lost their livelihood and loved ones due to this pandemic, he said. Shopkeepers selling clothes, shoes and jewellery, and tailors, who would otherwise remain busy throughout Ramzan, said this would be a black Eid. Farookh Ahmed, who runs a readymade garment showroom in the Shaheen Bagh neighbourhood, said, We have opened our shops two days back after a gap of five months. The market was first shut due to the anti-CAA protest and then the Covid-19 lockdown. We did not even get a window of a week to sell some clothes before Eid. People are also not shopping like before this year. For us, its black Eid, he said. The reference was to the long-running protest staged in Shaheen Bagh against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). On Saturday, very few people were spotted in the markets for Eid Shopping in the walled city, Batla House, Shaheen Bagh, and other Muslim-dominated areas. The hashtags of #EidatHome and #EidiforMigrants were also trending on Twitter, requesting people to stay at home and help those in need. Refrain from buying new clothes and rather use the money for the marginal sections of the society, said Ashhar Uddin, in a tweet. Rana Safvi, an author, said that she will have a low-key celebration at home. I wont be able to meet my daughter as she lives in Delhi while I am in Noida. We will do a video call and greet each other, she said. This time, we should celebrate an Eid of compassion. We should give more to those in need. I will also do that, she added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Fareeha Iftikhar Fareeha Iftikhar is a principal correspondent with the national political bureau of the Hindustan Times. She tracks the education ministry, and covers the beat at the national level for the newspaper. She also writes on issues related to gender, human rights and different policy matters. ...view detail Prince William has urged people to speak out about depression in a video filmed for the Church of England to mark the end of Mental Health Awareness Week. The Duke of Cambridge, 37, admitted mental health is a topic he and Kate Middleton, 38, care 'passionately' about, and highlighted the importance of recognising the symptoms of anxiety amid the lockdown surrounding coronavirus. William, who is isolating with Kate, Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1, at Amner Hall in Norfolk, stressed that it's 'okay not to feel okay' in the clip today. Speaking in the video led by the Reverend Professor Gina Radford, a vicar in Devon and former deputy chief medical officer for England, William revealed he and Kate had taken 'great comfort in the acts of kindness they had witnessed'. Prince William has urged people to speak out about depression in a video filmed for the Church of England to mark the end of Mental Health Awareness Week today Speaking from his home office, William looked smart in a crisp white shirt and black blazer, revealing: 'Mental health is an issue Catherine and I care passionately about, and we are determined to do all we can to remove the stigma attached to it. 'The impact of the coronavirus has been far-reaching, and we shouldnt underestimate its effects on us, and on those in our families and communities. 'Whether people have lost or are worrying about loved ones, struggling with isolating at home, feeling anxious about job security or working on the front line - now more than ever it is important that we talk to one another about issues were struggling with. And it is OK to not feel OK. 'Catherine and I have both found great comfort in the wonderful acts of kindness we have seen happening right across the nation.' William, who is isolating with Kate, Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1, at Amner Hall in Norfolk, seen, stressed that it's 'okay not to feel okay' in the clip The speech today comes just days after Prince William warned of the impact that lockdown and being kept away from school could be having on children's mental health. In a video call to care providers, he said he was particularly concerned about the issue, despite families attempting to 'muddle' their way through. He also expressed fears about their anxiety levels as a result of the pandemic generally, as well as the loss of family members to the virus, and highlighted the long-term implications of the economic outlook for school leavers. The prince was talking to five professionals from the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust in a Zoom video call. William said: 'I'm particularly worried as to how the young people are going to cope long term because we're all muddling through this period. 'But the long-term implications of school being missed, anxiety levels, family members sadly dying and the sort of general economic outlook do you think that will play heavily on your services and what they'll need?' The Duke of Cambridge, 37, admitted mental health is a topic he and Kate Middleton, 38, care 'passionately' about, and highlighted the importance of recognising the symptoms of anxiety amid the lockdown surrounding coronavirus On Thursday night Prince William warned of the impact that lockdown and being kept away from school could be having on children's mental health In a video call to care providers, he said he was particularly concerned about the issue, despite families attempting to 'muddle' their way through. The prince was talking to five professionals from the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust in a Zoom video call (pictured) Consultant psychiatrist Frances Doherty, who runs an inpatient mental health unit for teenagers, replied: 'Interestingly, some of our referral rates have gone down but I would imagine that as we're starting to come out of lockdown and people are starting to get back into the world again, [we're] starting to realise just what we've been through and we'll start to see our referral rate increase and the impact on our services. 'What I think has been really helpful is a lot of work has been done to think about how young people can care for themselves, how parents can care for them, to help them to survive and to thrive even through the pandemic. 'But I think it's the other side of it that we'll have all the challenges that you mentioned.' by Paul Wang Due to the pandemic emergency, any rally with more than 8 people is considered illegal. One protester: "It is better to be arrested than to keep silent." Policemen armed with rifles, pepper spray, armored trucks and water chydrants. Hong Kong (AsiaNew) - Hundreds of people, many of them young, demonstrated in the early afternoon in Causeway Bay, in the center of the island of Hong Kong, to express their opposition to the security law, announced by Beijing three days ago. At least 100 policemen, in riot gear, attempted to disperse the crowd with signs and calling out on megaphones, warning against the illegal rally; then they resorted to firing in them with tear gas and pepper spray. According to some present, the police did not give any warning before the attack. Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, demonstrations and rallies with more than eight people are prohibited in the area. Already yesterday, law enforcement agencies had warned that any rally would be considered illegal. Some protesters told the media that "the security law is a very serious fact and it is better to be arrested than to keep silent". For the majority of the population of Hong Kong, the security law - which will be imposed by China on the territory - would be the end of the "one country, two systems" experience, which so far has allowed Hong Kong to have a liberal lifestyle, different from the dictatorial style of the motherland. From the early morning, the police with armored trucks and hydrants had lined up around the Liaison Office for relations between China and Hong Kong. Mixed among them were plainclothes policemen - possibly from popular China - who wore no identification. In the early afternoon the policemen, with weapons, hydrants and trucks, moved to Causeway Bay. Photo: Guardians of Hong Kong Advertisement An award-winning home designer has transformed her husband's 1860s farmhouse into a luxury coastal-inspired mansion on a 1,000sqm property surrounded by wheat fields. 'The Farm Estate' has been in Mark Bowen's family for five generations, with his wife Natalee Bowen seeing the potential for the rural landscape of Toodyay, Western Australia, to become the perfect backdrop for her glamorous 'Hamptons' vision. An hour's drive from Perth, Toodyay is a small town in the Wheatbelt region of the state and is part of the stunning Avon Valley which has a population of just 4,439 people stretched over 1,683 kilometres. 'Mark's fifth generation grandfather Michael built this rundown farmhouse with his own two hands many years ago,' Natalee said on Channel Nine series Ready Set Reno. They created two huge wings that extended out of the original farmhouse, which they kept in tact for sentimental reasons, and finished it at a record-pace of 11 months. 'The Australian Hamptons look is uniquely our own, standing apart from the American original,' Natalee said. An award-winning home designer has transformed her 1860s farmhouse into a luxury coastal-inspired mansion on a 1,000sqm property surrounded by wheat fields 'The Australian Hamptons look is uniquely our own, standing apart from the American original,' Natalee, the designer, said HOW TO GET THE HAMPTONS LOOK ACCORDING TO NATALEE BOWEN * Start with a weatherboard exterior - you want to create long, lean lines and deep shadows. * Capture the colours of the coast such as whites, blues, greens and creams because these are essential to Hamptons style. * Hamptons homes are synonymous with airy, light-filled spaces, so positioning the doors and windows to maximise light is key. This means considering sliding French doors, oversized bi-folds and floor-to-ceiling glass window panes. * An alfresco kitchen, pool, deck, or just large sliding doors that open up your home to the backyard are ideal for creating the perfect outdoor entertaining space. * When it comes to furnishings, nautical-inspired pieces are a signature element of the Hamptons style. Source: Scyon Walls Advertisement 'It combines the original tenants of timeless style that evoke the surrounds and a love of entertaining, with Australian hues and classic weatherboard. 'We wanted to embody those ideas in The Farm Estate by continuing the legacy of the traditional home, while exploring that of the Hamptons style.' The Hamptons is synonymous with celebrity and extravagance but this is a recent incarnation of the look that appeared in the last 20-30 years, when Manhattan's high society developed the coastline by emulating farm houses seen further inland. Upon first look at the new mansion it's easy to see the grandeur of the Hamptons style thanks to the addition of two wings and a refined roofline accented with gables (a triangular portion of the wall). At the same time an extensive veranda, corrugated iron roof and a full Linea Weatherboard exterior created with James Hardie products ties the home to the classic Queenslander style. At the same time an extensive veranda, corrugated iron roof and a full Linea Weatherboard exterior created with James Hardie products ties the home to the classic Queenslander style (the deck pictured) 'Nothing typifies traditional Aussie home design quite like weatherboard. This offers an element of texture with simple shadow lines and an air of craftsmanship,' Natalee said (the deck pictured) It's the living area that offers the most spectacular scene: A view outside onto the surrounding property to remind you just how far the sea is from there (pictured) The soft blue of the kitchen (pictured) is meant to be an ode to the blue sky permeating outside 'Nothing typifies traditional Aussie home design quite like weatherboard. This offers an element of texture with simple shadow lines and an air of craftsmanship,' Natalee said. In America they use shingles (individually overlapping roof coverings) which are staggered to create a more complex pattern and over time, fade to light grey in the sun giving a home a sense of timeless charm. Traditionally this would require timber which is relatively high maintenance in the long run. Thankfully, there are modern alternatives like weatherboard, which is made from thick boards of premium fibre cement that create deep, defined shadow lines. They are also resistant to warping, flaking and damage from moisture and fire, so they hold the look longer in our harsher Australian elements. In most cases, the palette of a Hamptons home is defined by the coast, but in rural WA, a new approach had to be taken 'Hamptons is built on sun, sea and sand, so we turned to our surrounds. We tested different white and grey paints for two weeks before settling on Dulux's Milton Moon and Lexicon quarter strength,' Natalee said In most cases, the palette of a Hamptons home is defined by the coast, but in rural WA, a new approach had to be taken. 'Hamptons is built on sun, sea and sand, so we turned to our surrounds. We tested different white and grey paints for two weeks before settling on Dulux's Milton Moon and Lexicon quarter strength,' Natalee said. 'Greys in particular can be very reflective so we went with a tone that would contrast against the white, without overpowering the facade. Grey with white details is a very traditional Hampton look that won't outdate. When choosing colourways think long term, as it is a big investment that you'll have to live with or make costly changes.' While the exterior certainly sets the scene it's the inside that contains the real essence of the home, with multiple entertaining areas a prime focus for the designer. While the exterior certainly sets the scene it's the inside that contains the real essence of the home, with multiple entertaining areas a prime focus for the designer (a bathroom pictured) The bathrooms are crisp in their design and have a lot of room to get ready for the day (pictured right is the shower) A little taste of luxury has been added to the bedrooms, which feature plush linen (pictured) and softer hues to balance out the dusty orange Earth outside Additions such as blue and white ginger jars and numerous seating options pay homage to generations of Bowens. Even though they wanted to keep tradition alive in the home, it has become 'smarter' in the process with every light fixture and switch able to be turned on through Amazon Alexa, and interconnected with the family's smart phones. In the kitchen, cabinets have been given a twist with a navy finish, part of a unique colour palette that also reflects the surrounds. Smeg appliances were installed and a 'pot filler' juts out from the wall, making it easy to fill a large pot with water without juggling it over the sink. The kitchen is quaint and easy to navigate but it's the living area that offers the most spectacular scene: A view outside onto the surrounding property to remind you just how far away the sea is. There is a hanging chair outside if you're looking for a comfortable place to read your next book It's one of Natalee's favourite parts of the new build, as is the wraparound deck she can relax on with her family. 'We've injected the home with an Aussie feel through colour,' Natalee said. 'Downstairs we've used richer caramels and softer blues to mirror the wheat fields and sky outside. Upstairs, muted greens emulate the beautiful native treetops. It's the best way to honour both looks.' A little taste of luxury has been added to the bedrooms, which feature plush linen and softer hues to balance out the dusty orange Earth outside, and the ensuite bathrooms with large bathtubs and showers. A pool sits just outside surrounded by outdoor chairs, perfect for the children to splash around in during summer, and a cabana offers shade for the adults to relax in. The house was meant to be a 'weekender' but will now become the full-time home for the Bowen family, although they have dreams of converting it into a space for weddings and large events in the future. By the end of April, employees at a Walmart in Quincy, Massachusetts, were panicking: Sick colleagues kept showing up at work. Other employees disappeared without explanation. The store's longtime greeter was in the hospital and on a ventilator, dying from covid-19. Local health officials grew alarmed as employees and their relatives reported sick co-workers. Shoppers called to complain about crowded conditions. "We have had consistent problems with Walmart," wrote Ruth Jones, Quincy's health commissioner, in an April 28 email to the Massachusetts attorney general's office. "They have a cluster of Covid cases among employees and have not been cooperative in giving us contact information or in following proper quarantine and isolation guidelines." The next day, at another Walmart in Worcester, Massachusetts, a local public health director ordered a shutdown after obtaining an internal company list showing nearly two dozen employees had tested positive. Health officials in the two cities pressed the nation's largest grocer to test all of its employees at the two stores for coronavirus. The screenings, which began within days in the store parking lots, helped confirm a wider problem: 119 of the workers were infected, according to health officials. Despite the pandemic, grocery stores generally are not required to publicly disclose cases of coronavirus involving employees or report them to the local health departments. As states now move to reopen, many grocers are being criticized by health officials, lawmakers and store employees for not being more open with the public and their own workers about outbreaks within their stores. The Washington Post interviewed about 40 current and former employees at more than 30 supermarkets who alleged that the companies had not disclosed cases of infected or dead workers, retaliated against employees who raised safety concerns and used faulty equipment to implement coronavirus mitigation measures. The $800 billion grocery industry - dominated by a handful of major players, including Walmart, Kroger and Albertsons - employs more than three million people in what are typically low-paying positions with little job security. Amid the pandemic, the country's nearly 40,000 grocery stores have been classified by officials as essential businesses that must remain open, putting the stores at the front lines of the crisis. Grocery stores, one place most consumers cannot avoid during the pandemic, have reported double-digit growth in sales in recent months. At least 100 grocery workers nationwide have died from the virus since late March, and at least 5,500 others have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a Post review of data from the nation's largest grocery workers union, other workers' rights coalitions and media reports. Many local health officials told The Post they have been left in the dark as clusters of cases have emerged in supermarkets coast to coast. "We really need to have better communication. There's got to be something moving forward ... that changes the current process," said Karyn Clark, Worcester's public health director. Clark said a nurse had to call the local Walmart several times before the company shared its internal list of infected employees. In interviews, supermarket chains defended their efforts to protect workers and the public, saying they have required masks for employees, encouraged social distancing and rewarded workers with hazard pay and bonuses. Some grocers said they have collaborated with health departments across the country to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. "Our associates are playing a critical role in helping people have access to fresh food, medicine and critical supplies during this crisis, and their safety is our highest priority," said Lorenzo Lopez, a Walmart spokesman. "In areas experiencing community-wide outbreaks like Quincy and Worcester, our associates also felt the impact as members of those communities. We work closely with public health and medical experts and follow their guidance in implementing safety and health measures for our associates and customers." Supermarket chains said they are being transparent about outbreaks while protecting the privacy of affected workers, which is governed by a patchwork of laws and regulatory measures. All of the grocers contacted by The Post - Walmart, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market, Target, Kroger, BJ's Wholesale Club and Lidl - declined to provide the number of workers who tested positive for the coronavirus or died from it. Combined, those employers account for roughly 11,300 stores and 2.4 million employees nationwide. United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents 900,000 workers at major chains, including Kroger, Safeway and Giant, has called on the companies to be more forthcoming to protect workers and customers in an industry that has remained a lifeline for households after states shut down most nonessential businesses for the pandemic. Over the past five weeks, the union said the number of its grocery workers who have been infected or exposed to the virus jumped from 1,557 to 10,453. "While some companies are doing the right thing and keeping shoppers and employees informed, there are still some keeping consumers in the dark and trying to sweep this information under the rug," union president Marc Perrone said. Many grocery workers told The Post that despite social distancing measures, they often share break rooms, bathrooms and devices for clocking in and out of their shifts. One sick employee, public health experts said, can potentially expose hundreds of colleagues and shoppers each day. Local government health officials, whose job is to track and notify the public of disease outbreaks, said they have been hamstrung by many supermarkets responding slowly to their pleas for information about employees who are infected with the coronavirus or may have been exposed to it. In Quincy, the health department first contacted the local Walmart on April 11 to inform the store of an employee it learned had tested positive for the coronavirus. Jones, the health director, said they asked the company repeatedly for the names and contact information for employees who worked closely with the infected employee so they could identify and inform other workers who may have been exposed. In the meantime, the health department kept learning of new cases among store employees and the number of potentially exposed employees mushroomed. After receiving no information for nearly two weeks, Jones escalated her request to the Walmart corporate office. Finally, on April 28, Walmart provided contact information for employees at the Quincy store who had been exposed to the virus, Jones said. Five days later, 69-year-old Yok Yen Lee, the greeter at the store, died from covid-19, her family said. Under pressure from the health department, Walmart then closed the store for a week, cleaned it and offered testing to every worker. In all, 34 employees at that location tested positive. In Worcester, more than 80 employees were infected, health officials said. Troubled by Walmart's response in Quincy and Worcester, lawmakers sent a letter on May 7 to Doug McMillon, the company's president and chief executive. "Across the country, more than 20 Walmart employees have died from COVID-19, and employees have had to take the critical work of contact tracing into their own hands to try and remain safe," the delegation, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote in the letter. In a May 19 response to lawmakers, Bruce C. Harris, a Walmart vice president of federal government affairs, wrote that managers are required to meet with associates to let them know about each positive case, and that they are monitoring the number of employees taking leave. "We are managing thousands of different, and sometimes conflicting, emergency orders and directives," Harris wrote. In Los Angeles, a Ralph's supermarket employee, Jackie Mayoral, said managers instructed workers not to talk about sick colleagues around customers and that managers also refused to disclose how many employees were infected. It was only through the union that Mayoral learned more than 20 of her colleagues at the supermarket, owned by Kroger, had tested positive for the virus. "Me and my co-workers are a family, and we should be able to talk about the things that are going to be able to affect us and possibly kill us," said Mayoral, who was diagnosed with covid-19 in April and believes she contracted the virus at the supermarket, the only place she regularly visits outside of her home. She has since recovered. Asked about the directives to avoid speaking about cases, Kristal Howard, a Kroger spokeswoman, said the company's guidance "is always to communicate with integrity - openly and transparently - while protecting the privacy of any affected associate." Employment attorneys said companies must balance protecting employee privacy with keeping workplaces safe. "We're dealing with overlapping laws, gaps in laws and differing guidance from different levels of government," said Kirk Nahra, an attorney at the law firm WilmerHale who specializes in privacy, data and health-care issues. "Companies are not supposed to disclose your name, but can they tell other employees in the meat department that someone who worked there Tuesday tested positive? Sure." Industry experts said the pandemic has left some supermarket chains struggling with what information should be shared with regulators or the public about sick and exposed employees. Grocery companies are facing unprecedented challenges when an employee falls ill or dies, according to Hilary Thesmar, chief food and product safety officer for the Food Marketing Institute, a trade group for grocery stores and wholesalers. "Companies are having to weigh a lot of factors: When did the employee test positive? When were they last at work?" she said. But Oscar Alleyne, chief of programs and services at the National Association of County and City Health Officials, said that retailers need to be more transparent with public health officials in order to protect these high-risk essential workers and the public. "You're only as good as the data you have," Alleyne said. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which oversees workplace safety, issued guidance in April that coronavirus cases were reportable to the agency under certain circumstances. But the agency said it generally wouldn't enforce the rules except for employers in the health-care industry, emergency response organizations and correctional institutions. New workplace safety guidance from OSHA that goes into effect Tuesday asks most industries to report coronavirus cases that meet certain criteria. But employment experts say it's murky and allows employers to decide whether the cases are work-related. In the absence of data, UFCW has compiled daily reports on infected employees from its local chapters. Employees at chains, including Walmart and Whole Foods, have started their own grassroots efforts to tally illnesses and deaths at their stores, using social media and published reports to confirm tips. (Jeff Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon, which owns Whole Foods, owns The Washington Post.) During the outbreak, Whole Foods, which has about 500 stores in the United States, began sending voice mail and text messages to employees to notify them of coronavirus cases in their stores. But some officials are pushing for more disclosure. On May 11, attorneys general from 12 states and the District of Columbia wrote to Whole Foods and Amazon, admonishing the companies for failing to alert health officials and the public about infections and deaths of their workers. The attorneys general said they learned from media reports of multiple infections among workers at a Whole Foods in the District and of two employee deaths in Portland, Oregon, and Swampscott, Massachusetts. By not sharing a breakdown of coronavirus cases, the retailers may be breaching consumer protection laws, which "require businesses to provide truthful information and disclose material information to consumers," the letter said. Whole Foods has not responded to the letter, but a company spokeswoman said the chain is balancing the essential services it provides with ensuring the "health, safety and privacy" of their workers. Grocery chains have publicly touted face masks, social distancing requirements, rigorous cleaning and temperature checks as proof that they are keeping workers and customers as safe as possible. Two grocery chains have used faulty or ineffective equipment, according to documents and interviews. The Kroger-owned Quality Food Centers chain uses infrared sensors to count the number of shoppers in its stores as a way to limit customers and facilitate social distancing. But the technology routinely provided false tallies, according to internal company documents obtained by The Post. "Once a person is inside for 30 minutes, the system assumes that individual is an associate and stops counting that person," QFC President Chris Albi said in a Q&A with employees of the chain, which has 62 stores in Washington and Oregon. A Kroger spokeswoman declined to answer specific questions about any problems with the system but said management regularly verifies the capacity limits within the store. At BJ's Wholesale Club in Baltimore, a manager said the thermometers were not calibrated properly and the temperature readings of employees consistently reported 96 or 97 degrees. The manager said a supervisor also brushed off concerns about the lack of social distancing by employees who examined customers' receipts as they left the warehouse. "It is appalling conduct and a policy that is putting us all in danger," said the manager, who spoke anonymously for fear of retaliation. "I would quit in protest, but I worry that without me, it's one more person in a leadership role who is not taking this seriously." A BJ's spokeswoman said since the coronavirus outbreak, the company has "taken aggressive actions and implemented extensive safety and sanitation measures across all our facilities; and we always encourage our team members to provide feedback and voice concerns." Even when employees have reported feeling sick, some said that their managers have insisted that they continue to work because of staffing shortages. Gladys Cortes, who worked at the Best Market supermarket in Islip, New York, told her manager in late March that she wasn't feeling well and had a bad cough, but her boss wouldn't allow her to leave early and said she needed to be back the next day, according to Noemi Salavarria, a former colleague who said she talked with Cortes when she was hospitalized days later with covid-19. Two other workers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation, said they had heard Cortes talking in the store about how she felt sick and needed a break. Cortes, a single mother of a young child, died on April 9 of complications from covid-19. "If they would have let her go home, she could still be alive," Salavarria said. "She didn't deserve this." After Cortes died, management sent out a letter to employees that noted "the passing of one of our colleagues." It made no mention of her name or how she had died. LatinoJustice, a nonprofit legal defense fund, documented concerns about Cortes and employees at other supermarkets in an April 30 letter to the chief executive of Lidl US, a chain that owns Best Market and has about 100 stores in the U.S. After receiving no response, LatinoJustice said it filed a complaint on May 12 with the New York state attorney general. William Harwood, a Lidl spokesman, said the company had "no reports indicating that she was sick while working. Our policy is clear that employees who are sick should stay home." Marian Meszaros, a 63-year-old employee at the Best Market supermarket in Long Island's Franklin Square in New York, said she believes a manager waited more than a week to inform her in late April that her co-worker in the cramped meat department had tested positive for the coronavirus. She said the human resources manager offered her five days of paid leave, saying that it was sufficient time off because she had been exposed over a week ago and wasn't showing symptoms. Meszaros said she believes the manager delayed informing her because the store had been so short-staffed, and she worried she could still get sick and infect her co-workers. "I have nightmares about this," Meszaros said. "No one in the store feels safe." The supermarket chain in March had announced a new pandemic-related policy that provides 14 days of paid leave to workers who test positive for the coronavirus, as well as paid leave for colleagues who came into close contact with them. Harwood said the Islip store immediately contacted Meszaros when it learned of the infected employee, and she was given five days off because it had been nine days since they had been in contact at the supermarket. The human resources team called Meszaros to ensure she had no symptoms prior to returning to work, Harwood said. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "We are taking significant steps to protect the health and safety of our team members during this public health emergency," Harwood said. As infections have spread within supermarkets, employees at two national chains said that stores retaliated against them for speaking up about safety or discussing sick colleagues. When a Target manager informed Michael Branss in late April that a co-worker in Palatine, Illinois, had tested positive for the coronavirus, Branss said the manager also told him not to talk about the case. A longtime employee, Branss worked in the back of the store where employees were in close proximity as they unloaded incoming merchandise. Frustrated by the lack of information about the department where the infected employee had worked, Branss said he called several colleagues and advised them to bring their own masks because the store didn't always have enough. After noticing a missing co-worker, he and fellow employees discussed whether they had been exposed. A few hours later, Branss said he was called into the human resources office and reprimanded for talking about the sick employee. He was told the store was concerned about following federal privacy laws. Fearing retaliation, he said he denied talking about the case. About 2 1/2 weeks later, Branss said Target fired him for refusing to answer questions for the store's investigation of potential privacy violations. "I didn't do anything wrong. These are my friends, and I want them to be safe and healthy," he said. "They punished me for trying to gather information to make a personal safety plan for myself." A Target spokeswoman, Danielle Schumann, said Branss was terminated "for conduct reasons unrelated to these claims" but provided no details. In a Target store in Riverdale, New Jersey, employee Mary Jo Kalchthaler said workers are informed of their colleagues' illnesses and deaths but are told not to discuss the cases publicly. "Every store that I know of has had cases of covid-19, but they don't want to spook people," said Kalchthaler, who took a leave of absence in early May because she felt unsafe at work. "There are still people who think Target, Walmart and other food stores are magical kingdoms where everything is sterile and nobody has ever gotten sick, and that's what they want people to keep thinking." Target did not respond to questions about allegations that employees were told not to discuss coronavirus cases. But Schumann said, "while being transparent, we're also careful to keep team member privacy from being compromised." Some workers alleged they have been disciplined simply for raising safety concerns. In early March, Kris King took two weeks off from his job at a Trader Joe's in Louisville after coming down with a cough, fever and sore throat. King said he created a private Facebook group for his colleagues to discuss frustrations with the store's handling of the pandemic and to come up with recommendations to keep them safe. After he returned to work, a manager on March 21 confronted King about the Facebook messages and repeatedly encouraged him to quit, according to a lawsuit King has since filed against Trader Joe's. "He said, 'If you don't feel safe here, we can end this right now,' " King recalled in an interview. A week later, King was terminated. Trader Joe's cited multiple reasons, including the creation of the Facebook group, according to King. "The safety of the people I work with is the most important thing and that workers in this situation are able to be heard and have a voice," said King, a 37-year-old with four children. "And that's really just not happening." Trader Joe's, which has 505 outlets nationwide and employs 50,000 people, has denied in court his claims, including that the supermarket "was not following appropriate safety measures" at the store. "We have made it clear that Mr. King's employment at Trader Joe's did not end because of desire to set up a social media page or because he expressed concerns," said Kenya Friend-Daniel, a Trader Joe's spokeswoman. "I have been clear that ... for privacy reasons I am not at liberty to say more." Jon Tenholder, a Trader Joe's employee at the same Louisville store, received a written disciplinary warning on May 10, roughly two weeks after Tenholder spoke with customers about the Kentucky governor's order that only one person per household at a time be permitted inside a grocery store. Management accused Tenholder of making customers uncomfortable by saying they shouldn't be shopping together. Tenholder refused to sign the incident report and described it in a written rebuttal as "retaliation" for asserting that employees "deserve to be the central voice of our safety." Friend-Daniel disputed Tenholder's account but declined to comment further citing privacy laws. "We don't retaliate against people for sharing concerns or for trivial reasons," Friend-Daniel said. Walmart, the nation's largest private employer, has touted its response to the pandemic from the start, including a policy that allowed its 1.5 million U.S. employees to take up to two weeks off if they were exposed to the coronavirus, and waived attendance policies for workers who felt uncomfortable or unable to work. Shortly after the policy was announced on March 10, Kyle Quiros and his wife, Rebekkah, took jobs as temporary workers at a Walmart in Medina, Ohio. By mid-April, Kyle, who was born with one kidney and has other health problems, had a fever and was vomiting frequently. He said he tested negative for the coronavirus, but a physician recommended he stay home for two weeks. Rebekkah also fell ill. When she returned to work, she said a supervisor informed her that she was being let go because she had called in sick too many times. A few days later, Kyle came back to work but was sent home because he had a temperature of about 100 degrees. He soon received a call saying his employment was over, despite several weeks left on his contract. "It was unfair. I was fired because I was sick, even though they have a policy saying you wouldn't get fired," he said. Lopez, the Walmart spokesman, said Rebekkah Quiros was terminated "for performance reasons unrelated to any request for time off due to the pandemic." He said he "had not been provided with enough information to substantiate" allegations made by Kyle Quiros. Other Walmart employees also told The Post that workers fear calling in sick because they did not want to jeopardize their jobs. "These claims are not consistent with the experiences of the more than 235,000 people recently employed by Walmart or the countless other associates that have been able to utilize our emergency leave policy to stay home and keep their jobs protected," Lopez said. But in Quincy, days before Lee, the Walmart greeter, was rushed to the hospital on April 20, she told family and friends that she was worried she could lose her job because she was sick and needed time off, said her daughter, Elaine Eklund. After Lee died, Walmart officials put out a statement saying the company was "mourning alongside their family." Since then, messages have streamed in from colleagues and longtime shoppers remembering the grandmother of two. "I worried about her the last time I saw her in the store," one stranger said in a handwritten letter. - - - The Washington Post's Julie Tate and Nate Jones contributed to this report. The political slugfest over Shramik Special trains refuses to die down with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal engaging in a war of words over the issue on Sunday, with the Shiv Sena chief accusing the Railways of not providing enough trains to the state despite demand. In an address to the state on Sunday, Thackeray said that while he had demanded 80 migrant special trains per day for the state to ferry migrants home, it was getting only 40. Goyal took a dig at the MaharashtraCM through a tweet, saying the Railways was ready to send as many trains as required to states, provided they do not "return empty". I hope that these trains will not have to leave empty after arriving at the station like it has happened earlier. I would like to assure you that the trains you need will be available," tweeted Goyal, referring to earlier occasions when migrants did not board special trains. Thackeray in his address also said that the state had paid Rs 85 crore so far towards these trains. Goyal tweeted, We are ready to provide 125 Shramik Special trains to Maharashtra. Since you have said that you have a list ready that is why I am requesting you to please provide all information like from where the train will run, the list of passengers according to the trains, their medical certificate and where the train is to go, to the General Manager of Central Railway within the next hour, so that we can plan the time of trains,. The union minister followed this up with another tweet, "Sadly, it has been 1.5 hours but Maharashtra Govt. has been unable to give required information about tomorrow's planned 125 trains to GM of Central Railway. Planning takes time & we do not want train to stand empty at the stations, so it's impossible to plan without full details." "I hope that the Government of Maharashtra will fully cooperate in the efforts made for the benefit of migrant labourers," he said. Earlier, Shramik Special trains became a bone of contention between the Centre and states like West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan with the minister pointing out that these governments were allowing fewer migrant trains to arrive. The state CMs too came out all guns blazing and denied the allegations on Twitter. So far, 513 trains have terminated in Maharashtra, according to data provided by Railways. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Washington, May 24 : The Yokosuka-based aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan officially began its Indo-Pacific deployment this week, the US Navy has said in a statement. More than 1,000 tonnes of ordnance, 5,000 crew and more than 60 aircraft were moved aboard the carrier for the deployment, the Navy said. Its crew completed phased sequestrations before embarking the ship to mitigate the chance of bringing coronavirus-positive sailors on board. "The (restriction-of-movement) period allowed the fleet leadership the ability to monitor the health of the force in a controlled facility and build a safe environment for sailors to accomplish assigned missions at sea," the statement said. Like the Blue Ridge, the USS Ronald Reagan is unlikely to make port visits so soon after the virus sidelined aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt for nearly two months this spring, according to an April 22 report. An outbreak among a few Roosevelt sailors in March led to more than 1,150 of their shipmates testing positive for coronavirus. Police in three states were on the hunt as of 10 p.m. Sunday for a Connecticut man authorities say is connected to a Friday homicide in Willington and a death discovered Sunday in Derby. Connecticut State Police said the suspect 23-year-old Peter Manfredonia had been last seen in East Stroudsburg, Pa. Earlier in the day, police swarmed Osbornedale State Park in Derby, looking for Manfredonia. And in Derby, police found the body of 23-year-old Nicholas J. Eisele, a resident of that city and an acquaintance of Manfredonia, according to state police. Police said the sighting of Manfredonia in Pennsylvania came after the Volkswagen Jetta he allegedly stole from Eiseles Roosevelt Drive home in Derby was found in New Jersey, near the Pennsylvania border. Also found safe in New Jersey, according to police, was a female victim who Manfredonia allegedly abducted from the Derby home. On Sunday afternoon, police had asked the public to be on the lookout for a 2016 black Jetta with a Connecticut license plate and a bumper sticker that paid tribute to the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook massacre. While Eiseles death was not immediately ruled a homicide, Manfredonia, a Newtown High School graduate and University of Connecticut student, was already sought by police in connection with an assault in Willington that left one man dead and another injured Friday morning. The Connecticut State Police is working aggressively to bring this individual to justice, the agency said in a statement Sunday night. Manfredonia was described as a white male, 6-foot 3 and weighing 240 pounds, with black disheveled hair, and was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt and gray sweatpants. Connecticut State Police said Pennsylvania and New Jersey law enforcement agencies were actively looking for the suspect, who authorities have repeatedly referred to as armed and dangerous. We are investigating various leads that we do have, Connecticut State Police Trooper First Class Christine Jeltema said during an afternoon press conference, adding that the agency has notified surrounding police departments and neighboring states to be on the lookout. We have various leads that were looking into, Jeltema said. Asked whether investigators had searched Newtown or had concerns Manfredonia might be in that area, Jeltema said, This is an ongoing and active investigation. We are gathering information. Were not at the liberty to disclose at this time. Newtown police said they had stepped up patrols and increased manpower out of an abundance of caution. Residents should be aware and on the lookout, that while no immediate danger exist(s) the potential is here and we have addressed it by bringing in extra manpower to patrol and protect our residents, Newtown police said. The suspect has very strong ties to Newtown and with the recent sightings of Peter in Derby in the Route 34 area, we want our residents and those around to be aware of this very dangerous individual. Police began looking for Manfredonia after a deadly assault on Mirtl Road in Willington around 9 a.m. Friday. There troopers found two victims suffering from injuries after an assault with an edged weapon, state police said. One of the victims, 62-year-old Willington resident Theodore DeMers, later died from his injuries. The search for Manfredonia continued throughout Friday and Saturday, with state police releasing his name, age and photo. Also on Saturday, Newtown police confirmed Manfredonia had ties to their town. Sundays events began after state police were called to a home on Turnpike Drive in Willington, where the homeowner was held against his will Sunday morning, Jeltema said. She said the suspect took supplies from the house, including food and firearms, and the victims truck. The victim was uninjured and refused medical treatment. State police said Manfredonia took the homeowners vehicle and headed to Derby, where local police responded to a report of a one-vehicle crash on Hawthorne Avenue, near Osbornedale State Park, and found a vehicle abandoned around 6:45 a.m. Jeltema said the vehicle was the one taken from Willington Sunday morning. State police searched the area but were unable to find Manfredonia. Investigators found out Manfredonia had an acquaintance on Roosevelt Drive, where they found Eisele dead. Authorities said an autopsy would determine Eiseles cause and manner of death. Manfredonia, a 2015 graduate of Newtown High School, is a University of Connecticut student majoring in finance and mechanical engineering. In a statement Sunday, UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said records from the university show Manfredonia is a student in the joint school of engineering/school of business program. She said he first enrolled at UConn in the fall of 2015, and is a senior. He is not attending summer courses, and had not been living on the UConn campus either at the time of the incident in Willington or during recent semesters, Reitz said in the statement. Reitz said the university is in contact with state police to provide any help and information that might help with the investigation. The university expresses its deepest, most heartfelt sympathies to the victims and their families in this horrible, incomprehensible tragedy, Reitz said. They are all in our thoughts. She said the university couldnt discuss specific individuals and cases, but did say that UConn strives to do everything possible to identify and engage with students of concern and to provide them with all the assistance and resources we can both for their own well-being and that of the wider community. Indian Army dismisses reports of detention of Indian soldiers by China India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, May 24: The Indian Army on Sunday denied reports that India soldiers were detained by Chinese troops. "There has been no detention of Indian soldiers at the borders. We categorically deny this. It only hurts national interests when media outlets publish unsubstantiated news", an official statement from the army said. The build up started after the PLA personnel attacked the Indian Army soldiers with sticks and stones on May 5. India has maintained that its forces are well within its territory. The Chinese Army, in fact, had started building a bunker in order to restrict access to an area where Indian soldiers regularly patrol. India maintains that a distance is being maintained to avoid a situation which erupted on May 5. As tensions rise, India says change in status quo by China at LAC is not acceptable Covid-19: Maha says no to passenger flights, may extend lockdown: Oneindia News While maintaining that the situation is unprecedented, India believes that there ought to be a solution soon. The change in the status quo by China is not acceptable, India also maintains. India has also pointed out that there has been a marked increase in the number of Chinese transgressions along the LAC. Arrests for the sale of heroin and fentanyl in San Francisco have taken a major dive since the mid-March coronavirus shutdown, in large part because the Police Department suspended the operations of the narcotics unit. Nowhere was the narcotics units absence more evident than in the constantly troubled Tenderloin, where open drug dealing has reached new heights. Ive never seen it so bad, especially in the evenings or at night, said Supervisor Matt Haney, who lives in the neighborhood. Just look at the arrest numbers before and after Mayor London Breed announced the shelter-in-place order on March 16. According to the latest police records, there were 53 arrests citywide for the sale of heroin in February, the month before the pandemic hit. In March, arrests for selling heroin dropped to 19. In April, there were 10 arrests across the city. In February, records show 18 arrests for the sale of fentanyl. In March, arrests for fentanyl sales dropped to seven. In April, six. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Fire Department responded to 239 drug overdose calls in February, 243 overdose calls in March and 223 in April. Those numbers are almost double the overdose calls during the same time period in 2019. That is just the Fire Department. The numbers do not include private ambulance services, said Fire Department spokesman Jonathan Baxter. Just today I was walking along McAllister Street, and there were about 40 people congregating along Hyde Street, blocking sidewalks and with many individuals actively dealing and using, Rhiannon Bailard, executive director of operations at UC Hastings College of the Law, said Thursday. Its like they just have free rein out there. One key reason for the rise in the free-for-all drug market was the decision to shut down the police narcotics unit and with it the buy bust operations that targeted the dealers who have long operated on the corners and in the alleyways of the Tenderloin. One of our biggest concerns with buy bust operations is that dealers often carry the drugs in their mouths. And doing a buy meant taking a high risk of exposure to the virus, said Assistant Chief Michael Redmond. One or two exposures and you could have put an entire station at risk, Redmond said. There was another factor at play as well, one that wound up trading off drug arrests for the overall safety of the city. Early on in the pandemic, headquarters decided to put every available cop on patrol. Virtually every officer in the department was ordered back into uniform and onto the streets, sometimes patrolling in squad cars, sometime patrolling on foot, sometimes just taking up positions on high-visibility street corners. Seeing police helped keep everyone calm, Redmond said. At the same time, hundreds of homeless with no place to go began descending on the Tenderloin. Within weeks of the shutdown order, there were more than 400 tents lining the neighborhoods sidewalks and alleyways giving the dealers newfound cover. And giving Tenderloin residents newfound fear. We have families living here who are afraid to go out at night, Haney said. That wouldnt be allowed to happen in other neighborhoods. The rise in rampant drug dealing was one reason UC Hastings and a collection of residents and businesses filed suit in federal court recently demanding the city clean up the area. I appreciate that there are a lot of challenges and health challenges right now, but something needs to be done, Haney said. Word must have gotten back to headquarters or City Hall because Tuesday, the narcotics unit was back on the streets. No one was happy about the situation, especially the Tenderloin officers who had been working so hard for so long to make a difference, Redmond 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. On Wednesday, seven suspected dealers were arrested. On Thursday, four suspected dealers were arrested in an operation in U.N. Plaza, with police confiscating $4,554 along with heroin, cocaine and fentanyl. NONE of these dealers live in the TL. With exception of one, all suspects reside in Oakland, the Tenderloin cops tweeted Friday morning. Any long-term impacts of the narcotic unit shutdown on the Tenderloin remain to be seen, but everyone agrees hitting the pause button on narcotics enforcement had pushed the effort to clean up the neighborhood back to the forefront. And in the process, made the Tenderloin another victim of the pandemic. Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press Gov. to go: Gov. Gavin Newsom didnt pick just any restaurant to announce that the state was preparing to allow dine-in restaurants and offices to reopen in some counties he picked Mustards Grill in Napa Valley. The restaurant is the creation of longtime Newsom friend Cindy Pawlcyn and aptly advertises itself the place to go for a heaping plate of honest American fare with worldly sophistication, washed down with a glass of the valleys finest. Before the pandemic, it was not uncommon to wait three months for a reservation. But Newsom must have thought the setting was worth the 60-plus-mile drive from Sacramento. Or maybe it was the food. The gubernatorial gang left with a stack of salads; grilled chicken breast with spicy mustard; bacon, avocado and cheddar cheese sandwiches; and smoked, barbecued pork. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phil Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KGO-TV morning and evening news and can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier By Trend With the right support, including public and private investment and the transfer of know-how, Georgian and Azerbaijani tea industries could see a revival, tea expert John Snell said, Trend reports referring to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. In recent years, both countries boasting ideal tea growing conditions and natural tea stock have taken steps to revitalize their tea sectors, tea expert said. Those were among the findings shared by the FAO Investment Centre during todays online event celebrating International Tea Day. The tea bush survives for a century or more, and with care can be brought back into production, which is happening in both Georgia and Azerbaijan, Snell added. The tea expert added that new tea plantations have been established in both countries and some incredible leaf teas have been produced, taking us back to the age of Lao Jin Jao, whose Georgian tea won the gold medal at the Paris Expo in 1900. FAO partnered with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on tea sector studies for Georgia and Azerbaijan to inform potential investors of opportunities and risks. The studies give a comprehensive sector overview, including consumption, production, and trade trends. They also identify potentially profitable opportunities in tea growing and making, and examine sector policies and environmental sustainability, taking into consideration climate change. The seed-grown tea stock in both countries is robust and able to produce quality tea, Snell added. The six-month dormancy delivers the right stress and strength in the tea bush, enabling the production of exceptional first and second flushes akin to Indias famous Darjeeling area. The tea stocks long dormancy combined with the countries low humidity also help prevent pests, allowing tea growers to produce organic teas more easily and worry less about pesticide residues, tea expert said. Azerbaijan is a nation of tea drinkers, with tea consumption rising by 50 percent since 2008, Snell said. Educating the public on what is special about quality Azerbaijani teas could help satisfy the huge domestic demand. FAO Investment Centre Director, Mohamed Manssouri explained that the studies aim to promote responsible agricultural investment for sustainable and inclusive growth. Raising tea quality while also reducing production costs could make Georgian and Azerbaijani teas more competitive at home and abroad. And it could create interesting opportunities for small-scale tea growers and enterprises to access new, more lucrative markets, Manssouri said. Natalya Zhukova, Director, Head of Agribusiness from the EBRD noted the advantage both countries have in their proximity to large and discerning tea markets, like the European Union and former Soviet Union countries. The international tea market continues to evolve, with trends showing a thirst for different quality tea products, like oolong or white tea leaf, Zhukova added. By improving quality and efficiency along the entire supply chain and diversifying, Georgia and Azerbaijan have a lot to offer the tea world and we stand ready to support industry growth. MANDATORY CREDIT REQIURED Handout photo courtesy of Joel Neill of a fire at the Bombardier Aerospace plant in Belfast. Airport Road in the east of the city was sealed off at two ends by police as firefighters tackled the blaze. Firefighters are scaling back their operation at a Bombardier Aerospace plant in Belfast. The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) said the blaze appears to have started in machinery however the cause is under investigation. Airport Road was cordoned off earlier on Sunday evening as firefighters rushed to the scene. NORTHERN IRELAND FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE 24th May 2020 NIFRS Statement: Social Media Update - Bombardier... Posted by Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service on Sunday, May 24, 2020 The NIFRS said the incident involved a factory unit and they received the first call about the incident at 8.45pm. At one stage there were six pumping appliances, one aerial appliance, a high volume pump with a total of 50 firefighters and supervisory officers engaged in firefighting operations to contain the fire. The NIFRS provided an update at around 11pm to say the incident was under control. Expand Close Members of the NIFRS Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service attend at fire this evening at Bombardier Aerospace in Belfasts Harbour estate. (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Members of the NIFRS Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service attend at fire this evening at Bombardier Aerospace in Belfasts Harbour estate. (Liam McBurney/PA) Operations are being scaled back with a small number of resources remaining at the scene to damp down, a spokesman said. The fire appears to have started in machinery and the cause of the incident is under investigation. At this stage the cause is believed to be accidental. There were no injuries at the incident. Worrying news coming from Bombardier, Airport Road of a large scale fire in the factory. Praying that there have been no injuries. Emergency services appear to have it under control. The following hours will tell us of the scale of damage on site. pic.twitter.com/o628NsKuSi Gavin Robinson (@GRobinsonDUP) May 24, 2020 East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson described the blaze as worrying. Worrying news coming from Bombardier, Airport Road of a large scale fire in the factory, he said. Expand Close Firefighters are attending a blaze on Airport Road in east Belfast (Rebecca Black/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Firefighters are attending a blaze on Airport Road in east Belfast (Rebecca Black/PA) Praying that there have been no injuries. Emergency services appear to have it under control. The following hours will tell us of the scale of damage on site. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took to Twitter and extended wishes to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on his 76th birthday. PM Modi wished for Vijayans good health and long life. Birthday wishes to Kerala CM Shri @vijayanpinarayi Ji on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and a long life. the prime minister tweeted out. CM Vijayan thanked PM Modi for his good wishes. Also read: Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal wish Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on his birthday Birthday wishes to Kerala CM Shri @vijayanpinarayi Ji on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and a long life. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 24, 2020 Several eminent personalities and political leaders wished Vijayan on his 76th birthday on Sunday. Vijayan was born on May 24, 1944, in Pinarayi, Malabar district of Madras Presidency under British India. He served as the longest-serving secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) from the year 1998 to 2015 and took charge as the 12th chief minister of Kerala in the year 2016. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also wished good health to Vijayan on his big day. Wish Kerala CM Shri Pinarayi Vijayan ji a happy birthday. May he be blessed with a long and healthy life, Kejriwal tweeted. Wish Kerala CM Shri Pinarayi Vijayan ji a happy birthday. May he be blessed with a long and healthy life. @vijayanpinarayi Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 24, 2020 He has made his state the object of adulation in the country, actor and politician Kamal Haasan lauded Vijayan in a Twitter post and extended birthday greetings. Then, he created a storm by talking with a bloodstained shirt. Now, he has made his state the object of adulation in the country. The CM of Kerala emphasised our bond, calling us brothers, keeping the borders open. Our Heartfelt birthday wishes to our comrade @vijayanpinarayi Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) May 24, 2020 Then, he created a storm by talking with a bloodstained shirt. Now, he has made his state the object of adulation in the country. The CM of Kerala emphasised our bond, calling us brothers, keeping the borders open. Our Heartfelt birthday wishes to our comrade @vijayanpinarayi, Haasan tweeted out. Malayalam cinema superstar Mohanlal also extended his wishes on Vijayans birthday Birthday wishes to our Honourable Chief Minister, Shri @vijayanpinarayi sir, Mohanlal tweeted on Sunday. Vijayan was born on May 24, 1944, in Pinarayi, Malabar district of Madras Presidency under British India. He served as the longest-serving secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) from the year 1998 to 2015 and took charge as the 12th chief minister of Kerala in the year 2016. A man trapped by large wood beams on a freight train was rescued by a crew from Clackamas Fire District #1 Saturday morning. The man was weak and had to be lifted away from the train, which was near Camp Withycombe, around Lawnfield Road and Minuteman Way. The Clackamas Fire Technical Rescue Team secured a rope to the man and used the tip of an aerial ladder to extricate him. He was then taken to an area hospital. The train track was shut down during the rescue, which started around 7:50 a.m. and lasted more than an hour. A train worker performing a routine inspection reported the accident after he heard yelling and found the man, who said he boarded the train about 100 miles away in Eugene, fell between the large stacks of lumber and was trapped overnight. The Technical Rescue Team is made up of Clackamas firefighters who are highly trained to perform complex rescues, using ropes and other equipment in confined spaces. Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072 jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories The Covid-19 crisis could knock tens of thousands or more off Irish house prices and make the coming months the cheapest time in years to buy property - if you can afford to. The Economic and Social Research Institute warned last week that property prices could fall by 12pc by the end of next year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Belgian bank KBC said recently that it expected Irish house prices to fall by 12pc this year - followed by a rise of 8pc next year. In its worst-case scenario, the bank said prices could fall by 20pc this year. As almost 600,000 people have lost their jobs since the coronavirus crisis hit, many are not in a position to buy a home. Banks are expecting a big collapse in the demand for mortgages as a result. However, for those whose jobs and pay have not been affected by the current emergency, the coming months could be the ideal time to buy. So if you're in a position to buy and want to take advantage of falling prices, what should you know? You need to time it right For a house-hunter eager to buy when house prices are cheapest, getting the timing right - and striking a deal before any recovery sets in - will be key. In the last recession - which ran from 2008 to late 2013 - the cheapest time to buy property was late 2012 and early 2013. The ESRI said last week that Irish house prices could fall over the next year-and-a-half as a result of the Covid-19 downturn. House prices are likely to recover swiftly when the economy starts to get back on its feet again after the Covid-19 crisis, according to Kieran McQuinn, head of research with the ESRI. "You can see the housing marketbeing impacted by the Covid-19 crisis right through this crisis - until recovery sets in. Once the economy gets back, I'd be quite confident the housing market will recover and grow quite strongly - that would lead to a fairly quick pick-up in house prices." Some believe that house prices could fall for the next year or two as a result of the Covid-19 crisis; some fear that Ireland is heading into a more prolonged recession, with the slump in the housing market set to last a few years too. It all depends on the severity of the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the Irish economy and if Ireland sees a second surge of the virus. The danger of buying at the start of a downward trend in house prices is that you could end up in negative equity - where you owe more on your mortgage than you would get by selling your home. It may therefore be wiser to wait until this autumn before making a decision on whether or not to buy - as we should have a better idea then of the likely impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the economy. How long you intend to make the property your home should come into play too: if you plan to live in the property for 10 years or more, hopefully it will have recovered from any price drops by the time you move on. Housing crisis may curb price falls It has been widely estimated that the Covid-19 crisis could trigger house price falls of between 5pc and 10pc. "The major determinant of housing demand is what people can afford," said McQuinn. "The drop in incomes [as a result of the Covid-19 crisis] will have an impact on what people can afford - that will hit demand and put downward pressure on house prices. There's also considerable uncertainty in the market and that too will have a downward impact on house prices - as will the slowdown in activity in the market." House prices may not be affected by the Covid-19 crisis as much as people think, according to Michael Dowling, managing director of Dowling Financial. "There will be less property on the market for buyers to compete for," said Dowling. "I don't think you'll see house price falls of 20pc [as a result of the Covid-19 emergency] - because of the limited housing stock." Indeed, the Covid-19 crisis has probably compounded Ireland's chronic housing shortage. "Already it is evident that the lockdown will see fewer houses built in 2020 [than planned]," said McQuinn. Being mortgage-ready should pay off House-hunters unscathed by the emergency should get their mortgage application in soon and get it approved, advised Dowling. "Banks will treat your application in the normal fashion -and operate normal due diligence - if you're not impacted by the Covid-19 crisis," said Dowling. "If you get loan approval, it should be valid for between six and 12 months. The key thing is to get yourself ready to buy for when a house comes up." The people best placed to get a mortgage today are those who are still in a job - and who haven't seen any dip in their pay since the Covid-19 crisis hit. When applying for a mortgage, you need to prove that your income and job have not been affected by the current emergency. Those who are still in their jobs - but on reduced incomes and expected to get their full incomes restored after the crisis - could still be in the running for a mortgage, according to Dowling. "Banks are taking applications based on pre-Covid 19 income - but on the basis that it's restored to pre-Covid income by the time the mortgage is drawn down," said Dowling. Expect lenders to be tight-fisted Even if you can get a mortgage, you may not be able to borrow as much as would have been the case before the Covid-19 crisis. You may struggle to get an exemption to the Central Bank's lending rules today. As these exemptions allow you to borrow more than the lending rules stipulate, failure to get one could price you out of certain areas. Banks expect to tighten their lending criteria under the current emergency even more than they did at the height of the financial crisis of more than a decade ago, according to a recent Central Bank report. Expect to run into practical hitches It's important to visit and physically view a property before deciding whether or not to buy it - yet it could be June 8 (the second phase of the lockdown exit) before this can happen and even this date is uncertain. "We feel it's likely that physical house viewings for second-hand homes will fall into the second phase on June 8 - provided it is deemed safe to do so with very strict protocols in place," said Jill O'Neill, communications director with Sherry FitzGerald. Many estate agents - including Sherry FitzGerald, Douglas Newman Good and Savills - offer virtual viewings of a range of their properties. While such viewings can give a feel for a property, they are no substitute for physically viewing and inspecting a property. Hiring a surveyor to check a house for structural defects before you buy is also a must. (A snagging survey - an inspection which checks for problems in newly built homes - may be sufficient for a new build.) Under current Covid-19 restrictions, surveys cannot be carried out. So house-hunters will have to wait until the restrictions around viewings and surveys are lifted before seriously pursuing a property. You can't be shy about renegotiating "Everyone has been renegotiating prices since the lockdown - and most vendors are willing to come down in price to get the sale over the line," said Dowling. "We've seen cases where between 5,000 and 10,000 - and even 25,000 - has been knocked off the sale price. Since lockdown, any perspective buyer who is not looking for a price reduction is not doing themselves justice. As long as you have not yet signed the contract for a house purchase, you can seek a reduction." You need a good solicitor Under Central Bank rules, lenders must ensure that borrowers can afford the loans they take out. So your bank may withdraw its mortgage offer even when contracts have been signed and deposits paid - if you lose your job or get a big pay cut just before the sale is due to close. In these cases, the seller may not have to return the deposit - leaving you seriously out of pocket. "How a deposit is dealt with in a property transaction is a matter for the solicitors involved," according to a statement from the Banking Payment Federation of Ireland. "Since June 2009, the Law Society recommends that a contract includes a special condition that the loan approval of the lender is in place at the date of completion of the contract and for an amount that will allow a purchaser to complete the purchase. If a contract includes this special condition, the buyer can rely on it to ensure that he or she can proceed to complete the purchase. If the loan approval changes, a buyer is entitled to a refund of the deposit, if this special condition had been included in the contract." As always, buyer beware. Mortgage practicalities during pandemic Are banks open? Although many bank branches have been temporarily closed throughout the crisis, many are still open though opening hours may be reduced. All banks are working remotely too. Banks say they are open for new mortgage applications. Banks are still lending money and approving loan applications, said Michael Dowling of Dowling Financial. Can I apply for a mortgage online? Most banks allow you to apply for a mortgage online. Customers can now apply for a mortgage over the phone or through our website and submit documents by email, said a spokeswoman for KBC. For those who wish to apply for a mortgage online with Bank of Ireland, the bank accepts electronic versions of salary certs. We also accept initial submission of ID documents and application declarations in a digital format, with originals required subsequently, said a spokesman for Bank of Ireland. Self-employed applicants can also provide us with their financial information electronically. We use docusign [a secure way of signing documents online which avoids the need to get the original signature on certain documents] where a customer signature is required on documents such as rate option change requests and mortgage offer letters. AIB recently launched a digital mortgage which allows customers to complete and submit a mortgage application online. Customers sign their mortgage documentation with their solicitor, as is industry practice, said a spokesman for AIB. It is possible to complete a mortgage application online with Ulster Bank through a secure portal in which customers can complete everything required to apply for their mortgage, including the ability to e-sign all necessary documents, said a spokesman for Ulster Bank. Permanent TSB doesnt yet accept mortgage applications online, though it has plans to do so. Can I meet a mortgage broker? Many mortgage brokers and solicitors have temporarily closed their offices to the public and are engaging with customers by phone, email and Zoom. Some mortgage brokers are available for face-to-face appointments in their office however, the current 5km travel restriction could prevent you from travelling to a brokers office. This may become easier from June 8 when the travel restriction increases to 20km. What about my bad financial habits? Tidy up your finances now so that you have a clean slate by the time you apply for your mortgage. Even if your income and job have not taken a hit during the Covid-19 crisis, any bad habits such as lavish credit card spending or an inability to pay bills will be frowned on by your bank. India saw its biggest spike of Covid-19 cases on Sunday with 6,767 new infections reported in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 1,31,868. The number of Covid-19 cases saw a spike in Uttar Pradesh too, with the states tally reaching 6,017. But an analysis of Uttar Pradeshs dats shows that the disease is spreading faster in eastern part of the state, said the states health officials. This is mainly due to the large number of the migrant workers who have arrived in this region during the past 10 days, they said. State health minister Jai Pratap Singh said on Saturday that 1,423 migrant workers, who returned to Uttar Pradesh in recent days, have tested positive for coronavirus disease. This constitutes 40 per cent of the total cases in the eastern region of Uttar Pradesh, he said. The Sultanpur district, which had only five cases of Covid-19 till recently, now has 41 cases, 15 of which were reported on Saturday, the states health officials said. In Jaunpur district, 43 migrant workers have tested positive for Covid-19 while in Barabanki that reported 95 cases in a day on May 21, 49 were migrant workers. In Jaunpur, 43 migrant workers who had returned last week, were tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Friday, taking the districts total to 91. Most of them had come back from Maharashtra. All 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh are now affected by the Sars-CoV-2 virus. Most of the migrants who were infected have returned from states like Maharashtra and Gujarat. We have increased our daily testing capacity to over 7,000 samples, said health minister Jai Pratap Singh. He said that according to estimates, around 17 lakh migrant workers have returned to Uttar Pradesh via trains and buses. He said that samples of over 50,000 have been tested so far. A royal expert claims that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are "more exposed than very before" after their big move to Los Angeles. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently living rent-free in movie producer Tyler Perry's $18-million Hollywood mansion. Despite thinking that the US was the one place they could live peacefully, as Prince Harry once said the "powerful force" of the press was the reason they stepped down, royal editor Katie Nicholl said that it would be no better. Nicholl said that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are actually "more exposed than ever before" after moving to the other side of the pond. Speaking to Channel 5's "Harry and Meghan: Two Troubled Years," she said, "I think that now that they have moved thousands of miles away from home, that that Palace PR machine does not support them, they're more vulnerable." Nicholl continued, "They're more at risk, and they're more exposed now more than ever." Royal author Tom Quinn also suggested that Prince Harry would be "like a lost soul" and would find it challenging to be in the US. "It will be far worse for Harry in America than Meghan Markle in England because he's not as tough as she is." The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have already erected 10-foot high fences to avoid prying eyes while they borrow Tyler's mansion. This news comes after a photographer suggested that the Sussexes should drive a "beaten-up mini-van" to fool photographers. Veteran photographer Mark Karloff, who has been taking pictures of celebrities for more than ten years, said that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry should change and downgrade their car to get rid of the snappers. Speaking to the Daily Star Online, "A beaten-up mini-van is the way to go because no one looks at that. An undercover kind of decoy car, you know?" According to Karloff, that's how several A-list stars do to avoid paparazzi. Talking about Leonardo DiCaprio, the expert said, "He'll get his security out in his car, so you can't see who's in the car, so then when photographers go after that he comes out in a lower-end car." "If I were in that position, I'd do the same thing. [DiCaprio] been elusive. He gets photographed probably once every month or so, but he's hard to find." Since moving to Los Angeles, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have only been spotted a couple of times in Los Angeles. Some reports recently surfaced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were eyeing the Malibu area or Pacific Palisades for their permanent US home. Karloff laughed off their reported desire to move because the expert says they are just some of the most photographed areas in the city. He was in disbelief, speaking to the Daily Star, "If you don't want to be seen and you don't want to be photographed, you are going to move to the biggest neighborhood where people get photographed?" He continued that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry moving to that neighborhood is "ridiculous" if the couple wanted to live a private life, as it's not gated at all. "There are 20 photographers right now in that neighborhood just circling doing laps, and they are shooting every celebrity that comes out of their home every day." READ MORE: Prince Harry Suffered from PTSD After Moving to the US? THE TRUTH Mumbai: Hours after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in a statement claimed that the Indian Railways had not provided him with the required number of trains, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal issued a counter statement dismissing the claims and blamed the state for canceling several trains citing lack of adequate safety measures. The war of words between the leaders stems from the fact that the Maharashtra government claims to have given a list of 200 trains to the Indian Railways which the latter is vehemently denying. While holding a video conference, Thackeray had mentioned that he had put in a request for 80 Shramik trains but the Centre only allowed 30-40 trains. He even claimed that he had prepared a list of migrants workers in his state who want to go back to their respective native states. In a press release on Sunday, the Central Railways said: "On demands given on daily basis by nodal officers of the Government of Maharashtra, Railways have run 520 Shramik special trains carrying 7,32,166 migrant workers till 23.05.2020. The demands for Shramik special trains are given by State Government with list of travellers, their destinations and other details after consulting receiving states." The statement said that the Central Railways had fully complied with the demands of the Maharashtra government and will continue to do so. It pointed out that on Sunday the railways authorities had been waiting for more than two hours for the list of passengers with details of their destination to plan for the trains running in Maharashtra on Monday. "Sadly, it has been 2.5 hours but Maharashtra Govt has been unable to give required information about tomorrow`s planned 125 trains to the GM of Central Railway. Planning takes time & we do not want trains to stand empty at the stations, so it`s impossible to plan without full details," Goyal wrote on microblogging site Twitter. More than 2.5 hours have passed but still passenger details for 125 planned trains in Maharashtra not received by GM Central Railway from Government of Maharashtra. pic.twitter.com/A4CXFpxKCZ Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) May 24, 2020 Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut too jumped into the melee by claiming that the government had provided with the list of number of trains required. He took potshots at the Union Minister via tweet saying, "Maharashtra government has given the list of required trains to the Railway Ministry. The only request from Piyush Ji is that the train should reach the station at which it should arrive. The train leaving for Gorakhpur should not reach Orissa." Maharashtra saw its COVID-19 tally crossing the 50K mark with the highest single-day infections of 3,041 patients taking the number of psoitive cases to 50,231, with 58 deaths. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Dear Professor Bell, Thanks so much for taking the time to read my May 17 article in Haaretz and for responding to me directly in your article of May 19. Allow me to respond to you. In the first line of your article, you referenced GOD TVs Hebrew speaking channel in Israel, Shelanu, claiming that it employs [my] services. That is incorrect. I am not employed by GOD TV or Shelanu. While a minor point, truth is important. You wrote, I rather doubt that you are interested in real dialogue. To the contrary, for the last 48 years, as a Jewish believer in Jesus and a serious student of the Scriptures, I have engaged in continuous dialogue, discussion, and debate with the Jewish community. This includes thousands of hours of private discussions and many public debates and dialogues, including more than 20 with my dear friend Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. I welcome healthy interaction in the spirit of the Talmudic phrase, shakla vetarya, and I love for my views to be challenged in the court of public opinion as well as in private. My door is wide open to you. Shall we continue? You wrote, Many Jews, in Israel and elsewhere in the world, are offended by God TVs missionary activity, which is also in direct violation of its broadcasting license. Yes, as someone who has devoted many years of my life to exposing the sins of the Church against the Jewish people, Im quite aware that many Jews are offended by any mention of Jesus-Yeshua. In my home, growing up in NY, the name Jesus Christ could be used as profanity. Thats why Ward Simpsons initial public announcement caused such a stir, and thats why he, as CEO of GOD TV, immediately pulled it. But he did not pull the video to be deceptive. Rather, he did it to avoid undue offense. As for Shelanu itself, contrary to your statement, it is operating 100 percent in harmony with its broadcasting license. This is according to information released by the Israeli board members of Shelanu and confirmed by their attorney. Unfortunately, later in your article, you claim that Shelanu wants to defraud Israeli regulatory authorities and that it violates our laws. Once again, sir, you are misinformed. More importantly, since when is it illegal for Israeli Jews who believe that Yeshua is the Messiah, as taught in the New Testament, to share their views in public? What law are they breaking? And where is it written that they cannot share their personal stories and their music and song with Israeli viewers? With all respect, sir, may I ask how many hours of programming on Shelanu you watched before penning your editorial? You wrote, This is not because we are attempting to silence the voice of American Christian missionaries (or, in your patently dishonest description, Israeli Jews who believe in Yeshua.). To the contrary, many of the key contributors to Shelanu are exactly what I said they are: Israeli Jews who believe in Yeshua. Im speaking of sabra Messianic Jews like Avi Mizrachi and Eitan Bar. Should their content be banned from Israeli TV? I appreciate your kind words about the positive impact that Christianity has had on the world, and I appreciate your affirmation of a Christians right to interpret the Bible as he or she understands it. But you also wrote, We are not telling you how to interpret your New Testament, and you should stop telling us Jews how we are to interpret our Torah. . . . We respect your choice to abandon the religion of your people. Now respect our choice to stick with the religion of ours. In reality, you are free to do whatever you wish with your religious choices. At the same time, according to the New Testament, Yeshua is the promised Messiah of Israel. He is the one of whom the Torah spoke and of whom the Prophets bear witness. And we, his followers, are commanded by the risen Messiah to share the good news of his death and resurrection with both Jew and Gentile. So, in effect, you are telling us not to be true to our faith, and you are telling us our understanding of Torah is wrong. And that is your prerogative. But why resist the open, non-coercive exchange of ideas? What is so dangerous about that? And what of the roughly 300,000 Jews worldwide who do believe in Yeshua, including as many as 30,000 in Israel right now? Many come from secular backgrounds while others come from religious backgrounds. Do they, as fellow Jews, get to decide for themselves? Or do you claim the right to stop them from hearing a message? A 2017 survey, referenced by the Jerusalem Post, found that one-fifth of Jewish millennials believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Should they not be allowed to investigate things for themselves? You wrote, When you and your fellow preachers at God TV claim that Christianity is the true Judaism you are making a claim that is disrespectful, anti-Semitic and toxic. Actually, we simply proclaim Jesus as the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world. Is that disrespectful, anti-Semitic and toxic? Ironically, the very New Testament that you disparage says this about Gods promises to the nation of Israel: the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). Thats why, as I argued in my previous article, a true Christian faith, is deeply philo-Semitic. And thats why evangelical Christians have no history of persecuting Jews. You even acknowledge that most evangelical Christians are wonderfully philo-Semitic before saying unlike you and your ilk at God TV. In reality, Prof. Bell, the evangelical Christians associated with GOD TV, along with the Messianic Jews living in Israel working with Shelanu, are among the most philo-Semitic people on the planet. Why do you so grossly mischaracterize people of whom you apparently know little or nothing? You wrote, If you want your brand of Christianity to be supersessionist, specifically aimed at destroying Jewish faith and traditions, we cant stop you. Then why are you trying to stop Jewish believers in Jesus, living in Israel and honoring many of our common traditions, from sharing their faith with fellow Jews? There is nothing that even hints of supersessionism here. Why oppose this so vigorously? You close your article by saying, Friendship begins with respect. What kind of friendship are you preaching? Sir, Im preaching the same friendship I have preached for decades. One based on mutual respect in the midst of our differences. One based on non-coercion and unconditional love. One based on truth. I offer that friendship, with respect, to you. Will you reciprocate and offer the same back to me? In any direction he went, Jackie could find heroin. He rents a room on East Tioga Street, half a block from the Kensington Pub. On the concrete steps, stained with rust from the railing, Jackie sat one morning last week and watched the users and the dealers; theyre on every corner, the handshakes and highs that used to be his life. He adjusted the cloth mask covering his gray beard, and let it go by. When social distancing began in the middle of March, Jackie had been sober for one month. A patient with Pathways to Recovery, a treatment program in Port Richmond, he had spent those first weeks in intensive counseling, attending group sessions like Living in Balance and Adjusting to Change. He said he was learning to communicate better, to speak his feelings. But as COVID-19 shut down Pennsylvania, so went the face-to-face programs that kept Jackie and so many others from using opioids, crack cocaine, and alcohol. Twenty of the 50 participants who were with Pathways two months ago have fallen off, its therapists said, and are presumed to have relapsed. Theres too much down here, its all in your face," said Jackie, who is 47 and has shared the room with his wife since November. Its kind of hard to stay clean when you see people using everywhere. Its like, now, I remember that. The coronavirus has created new and staggering barriers for people recovering from addiction. Most experts say that isolation is the single-worst risk factor for relapse, but its the cornerstone of social distancing. Job loss and homelessness, always triggers for drug use, have come on suddenly. And many recovering users, like Jackie, are sheltering in place on blocks haunted by their former habits. Jackie had been clean for 13 months once, but then he started gambling, then drinking, then using heroin and crack again. He wanted it to work this time, he said. It only works if you want it," he said. "People are not going to stop getting high until theyre ready. He had liked going to groups at Pathways, getting out of the house for a bit. The therapy sessions were now available over Zoom, but Jackies phone had been shut off. He couldnt pay his bill. But Jackie has not started using again. Late Monday morning, there was a knock on the door of his building. When he came to the window, he saw Troy Mouzon standing on the sidewalk in blue latex gloves, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a black mask covering his nose and mouth. Pathways and other treatment programs have realized they need to go beyond the screen if they are going to keep the most vulnerable people in recovery. What has followed is an all-out effort to find people where they are. Mouzon, a peer recovery specialist with Pathways, and three years clean, knew what people in recovery were up against, the fear and the cravings that existed long before the pandemic. So the 50-year-old would spend all day Monday driving around the city, tracking down people who were trying to stay sober, trying to remind them they were not alone. He asked Jackie about his search for a new apartment away from the neighborhood. (The Inquirer agreed to identify Pathways participants only by the first names they provided.) He was eyeing a place on 49th Street. Is that where you want to be, in West Philly? Mouzon asked. He had a lead on a place at 54th and Walnut and promised to make some calls. Every source I have, you have, Mouzon said. He told Jackie he would be back soon with updates, then climbed back in his van, a white Chevy Express. There were a lot more people he needed to check on, to try to keep from relapse, even if for one more day. A high level of care Philadelphia, with the highest fatal overdose rate among large cities, has the worst urban opioid crisis in America. Its getting worse. Data released by the city last week show that overdose deaths rose 3% in 2019, claiming 1,150 lives. Nearly half of these deaths were due to a combination of opioids with stimulants, such as cocaine and methamphetamine. Overdose deaths are rising fastest among black and Hispanic users. Jennifer Smith, secretary of the states Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, said she has received data from some counties showing that overdose rates have climbed even higher during the pandemic, but did not have numbers for Philadelphia. Some of the overdoses are occurring in people in recovery, but early in recovery," Smith said. "Its important for support systems to be actively reaching out to individuals who are new in that journey. READ MORE: Inside Phillys coronavirus quarantine hotel for those with nowhere else to go In-patient programs have largely remained intact, while outpatient treatment "pretty much had to switch to telemedicine on a dime, said Patrick Vulgamore, a project manager for Temple Health. Medical appointments became virtual, and fewer patients were no-shows, with transportation to the appointment a nonissue. Its extremely easy to pick up a phone and have a doctors appointment, Vulgamore said. Long-standing groups like Alcohol Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous moved to Zoom meetings, already chartered territory for some chapters. Philadelphia-based groups welcomed members from Maryland to London, calling in from kitchens and bedrooms, toddlers bobbing in the backgrounds. In a group called Mid-Day Miracles, people unmuted themselves to clap in staccato for a man celebrating 30 years sober. But Pathways to Recovery occupies a more complicated space on the treatment spectrum. Before the pandemic, its 50 participants spent their days at the center off East Allegheny Avenue before returning to their homes or shelters in the evening. Founded three years ago, Pathways serves participants who also have mental health issues, and tend to be less stable in their recovery than those receiving outpatient care. Many people are using or are very newly clean, sober, said Denise Botcheos, the program director. Its definitely a population that needs a high level of care. While the programs physical center did not close, its staff has strongly encouraged patients to stay home. In a bulletin last month, Pathways leaders outlined how they would all get through this: group meetings with dial-in codes; daily calls for individual check-ins; video calls with doctors to discuss medication; a 24-hour line that someone would answer, always. Yet Pathways clients dont all have computers, phones, or reliable access to them. And not everyone wants to Zoom their way out of isolation. READ MORE: Phillys overdose deaths rose again in 2019, especially in black and Latino communities And so Mouzon steered his Chevy Express away from the curb, intent on seeing five more people before the day was out. He is one of two peer counselors for Pathways; the other one, a woman named Temple, was just released from the hospital after two weeks fighting the coronavirus. He parked the van four blocks away, checking on a man with medical issues. He worried about him, knowing the man was in pain and prone to self-medicating. He had knocked on his door the previous week, only to see him sleeping through the window. The man would sometimes have 10 days clean, 11 days, and then have a moment. But talking with him on his porch Monday, Mouzon saw that he was in good spirits. The mans grandchildren had visited recently. He was three weeks clean. I have to do what it takes After another short drive, Mouzon found Tyrone, who was happy for the excuse to get out of his house. Who wants to sit on the phone all day? he asked, shaking his head at Mouzon. Tyrone lived with his wife, his wifes son, and the sons girlfriend and their baby daughter in a house on Unity Street. Before the coronavirus, he had worked eight-hour days. Now he found yards to mow and picked up odd jobs, but work was never guaranteed. Inside the house all day, his family complained, Tyrone said. He needed to be outside, getting things done, and said he tried to explain that to his wife. She said: Oh, its about you? I thought we were in this together. But how are we in this together when youre always on my back? The stress, the 55-year-old said, was getting to him. The answer used to be cocaine and marijuana, with a chaser of beer. Keep doing what youre doing," Mouzon told him. Your recovery is whats most important. A lot of times its easy to focus on other people. But weve got to focus on what we can do. He knew Tyrone needed work, and he had a good lead for him. But there would be a drug test. That sounds fair," Tyrone said, because if I really want to work, if I want the job, I have to do what it takes. He said he was smiling, even though Mouzon couldnt see it behind his paper mask. The men kicked shoes and bumped elbows, then Mouzon was back in his van, steering west through the city. So much of recovery, he knew, was helping people to find something to fill the void left behind by drugs. It was harder now, but it wasnt impossible. He liked to ask, What did you like doing when you were young? Or, What did you love before you started getting high? For Mouzon, it was learning. When he stopped using three years ago, he enrolled at Chestnut Hill College, where he felt good from Day One. He just completed his bachelors degree in human services, with a minor in psychology. He likes how it helps him to understand people, why they are the way they are. If you have enough information, you can make it make sense, he said. Its not a 100% science, but its like, Oh, OK. I get it." He drove through Nicetown, the neighborhood where he came up. As a little boy he liked to ride the 75 bus across town to Frankford Playground. But as a teenager and young man, in the 80s and 90s, it was pills, the dust, the coke. No one thing made him stop using, he said. He tried a few times before it stuck. Family and friends backed away, he said, because they didnt know what to do. Theres not a playbook for it," Mouzon said, but he thought about how alone he felt in his recovery. Addiction always tricks people into feeling they are alone, he said. So he went to check in on a woman named Charlie who had graduated from Pathways two months ago. My list doesnt go away, he said. It gets longer and longer. The want and the need He goes looking through abandoned houses, jails, hospitals, morgues. He walks through neighborhoods where some outreach organizations wont go. People can hide in Kensington, said Reagan Copeland, a Pathways therapist. It means something to people, he said, when he shows up at their door and they realize they were worth looking for. That look on their faces, Mouzon said. Thats my high now. Relapse happens. It is part of recovery, he says, and he has gone through it himself. People drop off. One Pathways participant, who had connected well with the program and went regularly to group sessions, "was having difficulty feeling so isolated, and he just started drinking, said Botcheos, the director. Its heartbreaking," she said, because you feel like theyve got a handle on things, theyre moving in the right direction, and the pandemic has really decimated peoples support systems, and their ability to feel safe. Charlie was exactly where he expected her to be, on the front steps of her recovery house, four months clean. The one thing is wanting it," she said of her sobriety. "You cant only need it. Mouzon pulled down his mask to show her his smile. Im so proud of you. I cant stop singing your praises, he told her. She beamed back. In the van, Mouzon took a bottle of Purell from his cupholder and rubbed his gloved hands together, then started driving the 20 minutes to Cheltenham. He wanted to check in on a young woman who had relapsed a few times, but was now going six months strong. Mahogney, 31, sat on the porch of her parents home, a block from a cemetery. When she took walks around the neighborhood, she could see the burials, sometimes two at a time. The coronavirus situation is scaring people, she said. Im sitting across from the graveyard, Im seeing the reality of it. But social distancing was actually helping her, Mahogney said. Her father was over 70, and mixing with her old crowd would mean exposing her family to the virus. She also liked avoiding going to the Pathways facility near Kensington, known for its open drug markets. One time I walked through Kensington to get to the bus stop, she said, and Im not that strong yet, Im sorry. Knowledge of self is one of the most powerful things on the planet," Mouzon told her. Last time she relapsed, she said she realized shes more easily influenced than she thought. She learned to say no. Youve got to be strong, she said. And youve got to want it. Youre always going to need it. Its when the want and the need match up." Mouzon smiled behind his mask. He told her he had chills: She was the third person that day to say the same thing. Mahogney told him shed be on his 9 a.m. Zoom the next day, and so he left to make just one more stop. In her bag It was just after 3 p.m. when Mouzon parked the van in Strawberry Mansion for his last check-in. He went to knock on the door of the young womans apartment. It was open. He thought, This isnt good. Mouzon had been thinking about this woman, who started the program the same week that social distancing dismantled it. He knew she had wanted the in-person meetings, the face to face. She was just like Jackie, he said, in that her biggest challenge was her location. She did not just live down the street from a corner; she lived on a corner. But she had a good attitude. Mouzon had enjoyed making his visits to her, keeping her engaged with the program. He had brought her extra masks and gloves. She had mentioned feeling under the weather, so Mouzon had packed soup and juice, too. When he asked her why the door was open, the woman said she had been smoking a cigarette. She looked in the bag Mouzon had brought. She said, Thank you. But she barely said another word. Whats going on? Mouzon asked her. This isnt us. And so it came out that she was using. He could tell anyway. She was repeating herself, checking her pockets too often, stammering when she spoke. "Im in my bag, she said. Back in the van, Mouzon let out a deep breath. Its not like television, he said, where the person apologizes for their addiction, or makes excuses, or promises to never do it again. When theyre at that point, he said, they dont feel like they owe you an explanation. She had stood by the door, as if she wanted him to leave. He thought what might have happened had the coronavirus not kept her in that apartment. For the stage of recovery shes at, its hard for her to its too much time and space in that little room. He hated that she hadnt been upfront with him, when he walked in the door. I need her to fight a little harder," he said. But I come to the realization I cant make my ready be her ready. So Ill wait for it. Ill wait for her to be ready. Until she was, he knew, he would keep coming back. He left the apartment, knowing she knew that, too. China has met 38 targets set in last years government work report, the State Council said on May 19. The State Council, Chinas cabinet, released a table on the implementation of quantitative targets listed in last years government work report, prior to the annual sessions of the top legislature and political advisory body. The 2019 government work report set a target of 6 to 6.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) growth from the previous year. Last year, Chinas GDP reached nearly 99.09 trillion yuan (about $13.98 trillion), up 6.1 percent from 2018, in line with the annual target. In terms of cuts in taxes and fees, the report proposed axing businesses burden in taxes and social security payment by nearly 2 trillion yuan in 2019, and the actual figure last year exceeded 2.3 trillion yuan. The tight budget of the government has released dividends that stimulated market vitality and ensured strong power for economic growth. According to the table, the country has also met the targets of a reduction of more than 5 percent in the general expenditure of the central government and a cut of about 3 percent in spending on official overseas visits, official vehicles, and official hospitality. As a people-centric government, the Chinese government takes peoples livelihood as a priority in its work. The 2019 report aimed to create more than 11 million urban jobs in 2019, and about 13.52 million urban jobs were created last year. Stable employment leads to stable income of the people, which further drives consumption and expands domestic demand. This is a premise ensuring benign social and economic cycle, and an effective guarantee for constantly improving the livelihood of the people. The 2019 report aimed to lift more than 10 million rural people out of poverty, and poverty was indeed eradicated for a total of 11.09 million people in the countryside. Behind the achievements are targeted poverty alleviation measures, the efforts made by governments at all levels and Party officials, as well as the tangible benefits enjoyed by the 11.09 million people. This year, China faces heavier and more complicated tasks. No relaxation is allowed in regular epidemic prevention and control as the country has achieved major success in controlling the COVID-19 epidemic. The GDP growth, employment, as well as economic and social development still remains major criteria. The year 2020 is the critical year for securing a decisive victory in the fight to eradicate absolute poverty and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, so the country must work hard to complete its tasks in the remaining 7 months of this year. Arduous efforts are called for especially at critical moments. Numerous historical experiences proved that as long as the Chinese people from all ethnic groups unite together and work as one, they will be able to conquer all challenges, and thus finish the annual targets this year. Connoisseurs of litchi may enjoy the choicest variety of the luscious fruit this season without having to step out of their homes and exposing themselves to the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The 'Shahi Litchi', a speciality of the north Bihar district of Muzaffarpur which earned the GI tag a couple of years ago, stands apart from other varieties by virtue of its unique fragrance and extra-juicy pulp which gives way to a smaller than usual seed. It is now all set to be delivered to people's doorsteps thanks to a joint move by the Bihar government and the postal department. "From May 25 onwards, people can place orders on state horticulture department website horticulture.bihar.gov.in," district horticulture officer Arun Kumar said. The facility will initially be available to consumers in Patna, Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur and may be extended to "all districts of Bihar" if the response is favourable, he said. "The postal department will ensure free delivery within 24 hours. But only orders of two kg and above will be accepted," Muzaffarpur postmaster general Ashok Kumar said. The measure has been hailed by litchi cultivators who had been in a state of despondency since the fruit has a very short shelf life and transportation has become a challenge in view of the nationwide lockdown. "Litchis have started ripening but a lower than normal demand had been a problem. The cultivators hope that the online delivery facility will help them bring back their 'ache din' (good days)," remarked Jayapraksh, the CEO of Muraul Farmers Producers Company, with which 750 cultivators of the fruit, 50 of them dealing in 'Shahi Litchi', are associated. "Farmers can now look forward to earning some decent profit by this new market that may spring up as a result of the online facility. "Because of the lockdown, litchi cultivators have been finding it difficult to carry their produce to the markets. Moreover, the markets too are shorn of the usual hustle and bustle because of people staying indoors, resulting in lesser demand," he said. The district collector had issued a communication earlier this week ordering that places identified as loading points for litchis or having processing units be allowed to carry out their operations beyond 6 pm the deadline for most economic activities across the state. The communication noted that the 'Shahi Litchi' is supplied to far-off places like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Chennai and Agra and unless supplied within a certain period of time the quality starts deteriorating causing the prices to fall. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As colleges across the country grapple with rampant uncertainty about how to conduct classes this fall, UC San Diego officials are taking a more proactive approach. Theyre diving into coronavirus testing with uncommon vigor. Now. UCSD launched its Return to Learn program May 11, an effort to broadly test students, faculty and staff on the picturesque campus along the Pacific Ocean. School officials started with 100 tests per day the first week, doubled that total last week and hope to conduct 400 tests daily this week. If the project works as planned, they would expand to 1,500 daily tests in the fall, potentially allowing the campus to reopen for in-person classes and activities. Natasha Martin project lead, associate professor of medicine, infection disease modeler and Stanford alum acknowledged the volume of testing is ambitious and brings logistical challenges. She remains hopeful because UCSD has an on-campus laboratory to process the tests, and because the goal is clear. This is not a research study, Martin said. Its a public health intervention. UCSD is believed to be one of the first colleges in the country to attempt a program on this scale. Martin and her colleagues, Dr. Robert Schooley (who oversees the testing element) and Dr. Cheryl Anderson (contact tracing), already have fielded calls from several schools interested in adopting some of UCSDs methods. The project leaped to life, in part, because of Schooleys distinctive job description. He has been involved in infectious disease research most of his career, and now divides his time developing viral drugs in a laboratory and running a research and education program in Mozambique. Three years ago, he also was asked to coordinate the schools international collaborations. That landed him an office about 50 feet from the office of UCSD Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla, and a quick connection to the boss. Erik Jepsen / UC San Diego Publications The current structure of my job gave us a head start, Schooley said. Khosla asked Schooley and Martin to develop a plan for UCSD. They already knew the urgency of identifying infections early, after what Schooley called the nations failed experiment to find the virus after people began getting sick. He found more evidence in a Chronicle graphic showing the strikingly divergent caseload curves of California and New York. The two states were close through about March 15 and then New Yorks suddenly soared, while California (and especially the Bay Area) stayed relatively flat after early shelter-in-place orders. Martin put together models and discovered UCSD needed to test 75% of the campus population to catch an outbreak before there were 10 cases. We know the campus is not an island, she said. Well likely get viral introduction from the community, so we want to be able to detect outbreaks early enough that we can isolate and do contact tracing before they spread to the campus community. The program requires participants to pick up a clean nasal swab in a specimen collection container; scan the bar code onto a smartphone app, linking their cell phone number to the specimen; swab the inside of their own nose; and then drop the swab in the container and leave it in a collection box. Schooley said students proved quite capable of self-testing during the projects first two weeks. (Nearly 5,000 students, many of them graduate and/or international students, stayed on campus after classes moved online in mid-March, according to a UCSD spokeswoman.) Schooley also said the project will move toward salivary testing in the fall, which would be faster and more comfortable. Also worth noting: None of the first 1,000 students to participate tested positive. Erik Jepsen / UC San Diego Publications UCSD officials were determined to make the tests efficient the opposite of visiting a doctors office, in Schooleys words. No search for parking, no long forms to complete, no prolonged wait for results (the goal is within 24 hours). COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California. We want this to be easier than brushing your teeth, he said. Or, as Martin put it, If were really going to test this many people, it has to be a simple process thats self-administered. We cant have clinicians out there in personal protective equipment. It helps to have the Center for Advanced Laboratory Medicine, a state-of-the-art, 90,000-square-foot facility that opened more than eight years ago. The lab has the capacity to run 2,000 to 2,500 tests per day, Schooley said. The standard cost per test at a national lab is about $100-$120, Schooley said, but UCSD is paying well below half price. The school estimated its spring testing will cost about $500,000 in all; if the program operates at full volume in the fall, the cost would be about $2 million per month. The project begins with lofty ambitions, including testing for signs of the coronavirus in residential wastewater. Khosla, the chancellor, called the program audacious and predicted, if successful, it could become a model for other colleges and potentially municipalities. Bay Area schools such as Stanford and UC Berkeley are exploring testing programs to help reopen their campuses this fall, without providing specifics. UC schools are expected to offer a mix of in-person and online instruction, while Cal State campuses such as San Francisco State and San Jose State will stay nearly all online. Stanford is still contemplating various scenarios. As for UCSDs testing program, Martin and Schooley will see how the spring trial run unfolds before trying to expand in September. Weve had a lot of really good reception from students, Martin said. Were optimistic things will go well. Ron Kroichick is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkroichick@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ronkroichick Preeja Prasad By Express News Service BENGALURU: Bengaluru-based scooter rental startup Bounce, which is now looking at investing in electric vehicles and revamping its inventory is selling around 1,500 of its bicycles in Bengaluru and Hyderabad at Rs 800. The company is shifting its focus to scooter-sharing business. There was excess an inventory and we are entering the electric vehicle (EV) industry. We realised that bicycles are good for short trips only. So we are shutting that option, though it is still active on the app, a Bounce spokesperson said. This apart, around 500 fuel-run scooters are also being sold. Bounce co-founder Vivekananda Hallekere took to Twitter, saying: I think you can make anything go viral on WhatsApp by posting it in family groups. We started selling a few used scooters and now the message has reached its own interpretation as to if we are shutting down. Again, when it comes to PR there is nothing called as bad news (sic). With the pandemic creating fear among customers on the cleanliness of rental bikes, the company has taken measures by applying a disinfectant coating on its vehicles. The coating will last for over three months. There is a health card pasted on the scooter which shows the last time the vehicle was sanitised, the spokesperson said.The company recently collaborated with the Bengaluru City Police in disinfecting the personnel vehicles with an anti-microbial solution. Weve become familiar with words such as lockdown, social distancing, self-isolation and quarantine in these days of Covid-19. But plagues (and viruses) are nothing new in human history. How we respond to them may have changed, largely due to modern medicine and a better understanding, but the notion of quarantine and isolation is not new. But nothing done today can match the response of a small English village, several hundred years ago, when people responded to the spread of the plague in their midst. We visited this little village with our son, during his gap year, after we had been alerted to the story by an English friend in New Zealand. On the surface the village was just like many other small English villages; quiet and quaint, with stone cottages, a large church, a pub and store, and with a village green in its midst. It didnt take long to find out more. It all began with one person In 1665 a tailor in the small village of Eyam in Derbyshire ordered a bolt of cloth from London. There the plague was spreading like wildfire, but it hadnt gone much beyond the city. Some fleas carrying disease came with the tailors order, and soon villagers started to fall sick and die. William Mompesson, the local vicar, discussed the matter with his predecessor, also living in the village. Rather than having villagers flee to surrounding areas, taking the plague with them, they decided the village should isolate itself to contain the plague. The villagers were reluctantly persuaded to take up the challenge to self-quarantine, and arrangements were made for food to be brought to the village outskirts in exchange for money. The coins were left in vinegar, the only way they knew to disinfect them. The cost was heavy. Over a period of 14 months numbers of people became ill and died. The vicars wife, Catherine Mompesson, who had refused to leave the village in order to care for the sick and to support her husband, was one of the victims. One villager, Elizabeth Hancock, lost all her five children and her husband in the space of eight days. She dragged each body to a nearby field, dug their graves and buried each one herself. Those watching her from a nearby village were too scared to help her. In all, 260 people from 76 families died. But the quarantine cordon worked. It is estimated that thousands of people in nearby centres such as Sheffield and Manchester were spared. The village has now become known as the one that sacrificed itself for a greater good. Eyam today We walked the stone streets, and read the names of the inhabitants who died, listed on the walls of the Plague Cottages. There are descendants of the survivors of that terrible time who still live in the village, and their research can be found in a museum that helps visitors understand and honour those who suffered so much. The museum was closed, but we visited the church, and its graveyard with many plague graves. (During the plague, worshippers met in a nearby field and practiced social distancing during services, gathering as families, but separate from each other.) The church has continued its worship during the 350 years since the plague struck, and though it recognises and remembers its plague history, it doesnt live in the past, but continues to uphold the same faith that inspired William Mompesson. As he encouraged his parishioners to be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, a faith that includes Jesuss words: Greater love has no one than this, that he/she lays down their lives for their friends, so we too have been challenged in these days of Covid-19 to self-isolate for the sake of others, as well as ourselves, and to the extent that we have done so as a community, have fulfilled the words of Jesus. Remembering Eyam, reminds us too of the cost of Christian service then and also now. During 2020 the suffering world-wide has been very great. Not only have hundreds of thousands of lives been lost, but sometimes health workers too have died just as Catherine Mompesson did, because she committed herself to the care of those who were suffering. Pray for those putting their lives on the line as they care for others. opinion When my daughter was six weeks old, she was exposed to measles. I was in the UK at the time, where coverage rates for routine childhood vaccinations like measles and polio are high. Still, not everyone follows Public Health England advice to get their child immunised against these debilitating and sometimes fatal diseases. Too young for her first vaccination, my child was exposed to measles through another child whose parents had decided not to get their child immunised. My fear was compounded by the memory of a school friend. She caught measles aged one - not in the UK, I should add. That eventually led to encephalitis at the age of 14: the swelling of the brain, a terrible potential complication of this disease. As teenagers, my friends and I watched this amazing young woman slowly deteriorate in front of us. She died at the age of 19. I will never forget what she and her family went through. Thankfully my daughter did not contract measles: doctors gave her immunoglobulin. Immunoglobulin can provide short-term, immediate protection against measles. It's a substance made from the blood plasma of humans who've already produced antibodies to the disease. But immunoglobulin is only a last resort since it has its own risks and isn't routinely available in many countries for measles prophylaxis. That means that parents rightly have to rely on mass immunisation programmes to protect their children, and other people's children, against measles and other diseases like polio and typhoid. I've visited mass immunisation programmes in several countries during my career: one of the last I saw was in Senegal on a trip with World Bank board members. As a mother, I too winced at the momentary pain of the children vaccinated. But I was doubly in awe of the commitment I saw in the health workers doing the vaccinating. They knew how much this matters. No parent anywhere in the world should have to worry about their child contracting an entirely avoidable disease. But history and recent experience tells us that during natural disasters, conflict or public health crises, mass immunisation programmes can be threatened and vaccination coverage go down. Just last year, measles broke out in the Democratic Republic of Congo as that country battled Ebola. That's why the UK is committed to ensuring that mass immunisation programmes can continue at this time, protecting vulnerable children from diseases like measles and polio. By helping stop further disease outbreaks, we can protect public health systems so they can cope with rising Covid-19 cases. In Zimbabwe, we are working through Unicef to strengthen the delivery of immunisation programmes -- providing strategic planning, strengthening surveillance systems so that the country can get ahead of potential outbreaks and making sure vaccines and vital health messages reach communities. (This is, I should say, just one part of a wider package of Covid-19 support already being delivered through UN partners to the people of Zimbabwe -- providing humanitarian food and cash assistance, supporting water and sanitation provision, helping detect Covid-19 cases, boosting local health systems and protecting communities) Back to vaccines. As the largest supporter of the Global Vaccines Alliance (Gavi), the UK last month announced a funding pledge equivalent to $403,6 million per year for five years to help fund immunisation of 75 million children globally. The UK is hosting virtually the Gavi Global Vaccines Summit on June 4, aiming to raise a further $8 billion for Gavi's important work. We're also leading global efforts to find a vaccine for Covid-19 -- a vaccine that will be for global distribution. Last week UK ministers pledged additional funding for two vaccine development projects in the UK, one at Oxford University, which I'm particularly proud to see, as my undergraduate university, another at Imperial College London. Just-announced government funding is helping speed up the construction of a not-for-profit vaccine research lab in Oxfordshire. Crucially, we're upping our support to Africa to save lives. This week International Development secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan announced that the UK is investing $23,4 million in the African Union to help it tackle coronavirus. This makes the UK the biggest donor to the African Union's Coronavirus Response Fund. Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Children Governance Zimbabwe By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. We're proud to be standing side by side with international partners like the AU in the fight to save lives. In that fight, it's important not to miss the individual stories of frontline workers tackling coronavirus with energy, courage and resilience. In Zimbabwe, I've been inspired by the story of John Masimba, a truck driver with HALO Trust, the disarmament charity that operates here with UK funding. When Covid-19 hit, HALO had to transition fast. In recent weeks, its staff have been providing logistical support to the Ministry of Health as part of the Covid-19 National Taskforce Response. Masimba and his team have driven 10 000km, delivering supplies and ferrying healthworkers between hospitals, villages and clinics. He told us: "I had to offer my support to save lives." He is a true hero. l Melanie Robinson is the UK's ambassador to Zimbabwe A Chinese worker carrying materials for the first rail line linking China to Laos, a key part of Beijing's 'Belt and Road' project across the Mekong, in Luang Prabang, on Feb. 8, 2020. (AIDAN JONES/AFP via Getty Images) More Countries May Fall Into Chinas Debt Trap With COVID-19 WASHINGTONThrough its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has poured billions of dollars in loans into low-income countries to help build their massive infrastructure projects. And now with the COVID-19 pandemic, concern about a looming debt crisis has increased in developing nations, as most of them are already bent under massive Chinese debt. Launched in 2013, Chinas BRI, also referred to as One Belt, One Road or the New Silk Road, is one of the worlds most ambitious and controversial development programs. In recent years, the initiative has been perceived as a debt trap, due to Beijings predatory lending practices. The BRI has contributed to the substantial external debt buildup in many low-income countries, according to a recent report by the Institute of International Finance (IIF). Over the past two decades, China has become a major global lender, with outstanding debt exceeding $5.5 trillion in 2019more than 6 percent of global gross domestic product, the IIF report stated. The BRI has played an important role in driving Chinas lending activity in recent years, making Beijing the worlds largest creditor to low-income countries. Since its launch, the initiative directed more than $730 billion to overseas investment and construction projects in over 112 countries, according to the report. Among the BRI countries, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Laos, the Maldives, and Tajikistan are rated at high risk of debt distress by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), meaning they are likely to default or face problems servicing their massive debt. In addition, a recent academic study published by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy suggests that the Chinese overseas loans may be higher than reported. The study says that up to 50 percent of Chinese loans are hidden, as theyre not reported to the IMF or World Bank. Chinas nontransparent lending practices amplify debt vulnerabilities in poor countries. Amid a looming financial crisis, Sri Lanka is currently piling on more Chinese debt. Although the debt-ridden country must make $4.8 billion in loan repayments this year, it has reached an agreement with China for at least $1 billion in additional lending, according to Nikkei Asian Review. Sri Lanka is often cited as a clear example of becoming trapped in Chinese debt and being forced to hand over strategic assets to China. A Chinese state-owned firm took control of Sri Lankas southern port of Hambantota in 2017 on a 99-year lease after the country defaulted on its loans. Ports have dual use in almost every countryfor civilian use as well as for military use, Bonnie Glick, deputy administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, told The Epoch Times American Thought Leaders program. And the way China has mapped out the globe, it has been very strategically looking at the most valuable ports first and approaching those countries accordingly. The same thing happened in the East African country of Djibouti, she noted, where China built a concessionary port. The country is located at the entrance to the Red Sea, where the United States has strong defense interests. Nearly 10 percent of the worlds oil exports and 20 percent of all commercial goods navigate through the Suez Canal, passing close to Djibouti. Djibouti defaulted on its loan, and China ultimately controls operations in the port in Djibouti, Glick said, calling the BRI One belt, one road, one-way trip to insoluble debt. Debt Relief Both the World Bank Group and the IMF have urged the G-20 economies including China to provide debt relief to the worlds 76 poorest countries and allow them to redirect funds toward fighting the pandemic. China is a signatory to the debt service suspension initiative agreed to by the G-20 nations, which provides a freeze of debt repayments for the poorest nations upon request. The suspension will run from May 1 through the end of 2020. According to Glick, the initial Chinese response to debt forgiveness was positive. But later, they started putting all kinds of conditions on what type of debt would be considered for debt forgiveness, carefully trying to thread the needle to keep bilateral debt owed to China off the table, she said. BRIs massive construction projects are financed mainly through a wide range of Chinese local government and state-controlled institutions. The Trump administration has voiced a hard line against Chinas ambitions to grow its footprint in emerging markets, and the pandemic has amplified these concerns. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the whole world is waking up to the challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party. Chinas been ruled by a brutal, authoritarian regime, a communist regime, since 1949. For several decades, we thought the regime would become more like us through trade, scientific exchanges, diplomatic outreach, letting them in the WTO as a developing nation, he told reporters on May 20. That didnt happen. We greatly underestimated the degree to which Beijing is ideologically and politically hostile to free nations. In September 2006, Nouriel Roubini told the International Monetary Fund what it didn't want to hear. Standing before an audience of economists at the organization's headquarters, the New York University professor warned that the U.S. housing market would soon collapse - and, quite possibly, bring the global financial system down with it. MIAL (Representative Image) Hours after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, in an address to the state said that he has spoken to Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri regarding the re-starting of domestic airlines, the state government said that it will allow 25 takeoffs and 25 landings every day from Mumbai. "Maharashtra govt has agreed to allow 25 takeoffs and 25 landings every day for domestic flights from Mumbai. This number will be increased gradually. State govt will issue details and guidelines in this regard soon," Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik said, according to news agency ANI. "We had a discussion with the Civil Aviation Minister (Hardeep Singh Puri) today and are still deciding on what precautions and preparations we have to undertake and what the Centre is doing. We are contemplating and we will decide soon," Thackeray said during his address to the state. The Centre has permitted domestic air travel to resume from May 25 in a calibrated manner, albeit extra safety measures. Earlier, an India Today report had said that the state government would not be allowing flight activity in Maharashtra at least until May 31, when the fourth phase of the lockdown ends. 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 report further states that Uddhav Thackeray, CM of Maharashtra, has termed the Centre's decision to reopen domestic flights as 'arbitrary' and it was done without any consultation with the state. In an order issued on May 21, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA) has said that operation of domestic flights can resume from May 25 onwards. The ministry has issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) that airlines need to follow. Tourism Ireland has said the market here can expect an 80% drop in business this year. But its boss, Niall Gibbons, said the 4bn to 5bn the Irish public would have spent overseas presents an "opportunity" to the sector here. He said there is no clear return to free movement across Europe at a time when the high season would normally begin. Mr Gibbons said: "Sixteen states in Germany are all moving at different speeds in relation to lifting quarantines. Austria, for example will open their borders with certain countries, not others. "So, the European project has become a little bit frayed, so to speak, airline are still trying to get back into the sky, but the UK which has a very big tourism market where they would have about 70 million trips abroad in a typical year, the airlines are struggling to get going for the summer season." Mr Gibbons told Newstalk Breakfast with Susan Keogh that, globally, the livelihoods of over 300 million people are "on the line." Some 1.4 billion people took trips around the globe last year, which he said is now down to "a trickle". He predicts that Ireland's tourism numbers will be down "about 80%" for 2020. The industry now has a roadmap for the future, which is good because that gives a sense of hope and confidence and some capacity to plan. "But it has to be said - not just Ireland, but when you look across the globe and across Europe - different jurisdictions are working at different speeds with regard to this, and when planes can get back in the sky. "I think people are doing their best, the industry has pulled together very well. "The Government and ministers have listened very carefully to what's going on, but there is a realisation that the tourism industry was the hardest to be hit and will probably be the longest one to recover." He said several businesses associated with the tourism industry have collapsed in recent days. "In the last 48 hours alone we've seen the likes of Hertz car hire in the United States file for bankruptcy after 100 years in business. "And a big company that wouldn't be a household name here: Sherrings Travel and Wallance Arnold - who put a lot of business into Ireland - has collapsed on Friday evening with the loss of thousands of jobs in the UK after 100 years in business. The implications here are profound, there is a major health issue here that we have to deal with. "I think the roadmap that we have is a very solid one, but there are a lot of moving parts at the moment in relation to this". He said he is hopeful of a recovery, but in the longer-term. "If you go back to the global financial crisis 10 years ago, we were trying to recover 30% of our business then - it took five years to do that. "So you can get a sense of there's no v-shaped coming on this one". But he said the domestic market could see an uptake as less people travel abroad - "and hopefully then as we head towards the latter part of this year into next year, we can start to see the recovery in relation to the international side". Garment companies have been told to find new alternative markets as the US and EU are busy fighting against Covid-19. Thanh Dat Garment specializes in making garment products for export to the US and EU. Le Nhung, general director of the company, said as the epidemic has been escalating in the two economies, partners have suspended imports. Thanh Dat also exports products to Japan, but the exports account for a small proportion. In order to get jobs, Thanh Dat has shifted to make cloth face masks for export, a seasonal job that, according to Nhung, can retain 70 percent of workers and offer modest income. Nhung said the epidemic has affected nearly all countries in the globe, so it is not easy to find new markets. Thanh Dat hopes that American and European partners will return and import products from Vietnam. Its expected that they will resume imports in May. The US and EU are the two largest export markets for Vietnams textiles and garments. The other positions belong to Japan, South Korea and China. All five markets have suffered heavily from Covid-19. The US and EU are the two largest export markets for Vietnams textiles and garments. The other positions belong to Japan, South Korea and China. All five markets have suffered heavily from Covid-19. The Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas) also said that there is no alternative market for Vietnam, because the epidemic affects the entire world. Even the US and EU have been hit hard by the epidemic, let alone other markets, he said, predicting that Vietnam would see sharp decline in export turnover this year. While Nhung hopes foreign partners will resume imports in May, other producers are not sure about when they will come back. It is highly possible that the partners would continue delaying the delivery time. In other countries, people just buy food to store, while they dont have demand for other products. Some Vietnamese garment companies are making cloth face masks. However, since the product price is low, the job just helps to retain workers, and does not bring profits. A series of textile and garment companies have reported loss for Q1 2020. Nha Be Corporation reported a net loss of VND2 billion, while it made a profit of VND8.7 billion in Q1 2019. Most garment companies have set very modest business targets for 2020. Viet Tien Garment has set targets of VND6.3 trillion in revenue and VND150 billion in pre-tax profit, just 70 percent and 39 percent, respectively, of 2019. Vietnam exported $8.9 billion worth of garments in the first four months of 2020. Linh Ha Is the $42 billion garment export target out of reach? The input material supply from China ha resumed, but some American and European buyers have asked to delay deliveries for the orders they had previously placed. A firefighter sprays water on the wreckage of a Pakistan International Airlines aircraft, with nearly 100 people on board, that crashed in a residential area in Karachi, Friday, also killing several people on the ground. AFP A total of 80 bodies have been recovered after a Pakistani plane with nearly 100 people on board crashed in the southern city of Karachi, Friday, provincial health officials said in a statement, with more feared dead. The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane had made multiple approaches to land at the city's airport when it came down among houses, devastating buildings and killing several people on the ground. The official statement confirmed two survivors and said that 17 of the bodies had been "identified so far." Earlier the airline's chief executive, Arshad Mahmood Malik, said in a press conference that only one survivor had been confirmed from the wreckage Bank of Punjab President Zafar Masud. He added that the full clean-up operation could last two to three days. Efforts on the ground will be ongoing "until we get all the bodies recovered," a provincial official who asked not to be named told AFP. "So far 80 bodies have been recovered from the debris." Plumes of smoke were sent into the air as rescue workers and residents searched the debris for people and as firefighters tried to extinguish the flames. An AFP reporter witnessed charred bodies being loaded into ambulances. Sarfraz Ahmed, a firefighter at the crash site, told AFP the nose of the Airbus A320 and the fuselage had been heavily damaged by the impact, adding that rescuers had pulled bodies from the aircraft who were still wearing seatbelts. The disaster comes as Pakistanis prepare to celebrate the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, with many travelling back to their homes in cities and villages. - Technical fault - PIA confirmed there were 91 passengers and seven crew on board the flight, which lost contact with air traffic control just after 2:30 pm (local time) while travelling from Lahore to Karachi. "It was an A320 which is one of the safest planes. Technically, operationally everything was in place," Malik said, adding the plane was bought by the airline in 2014. The pilot, Sajjad Gull, who according to an official release was the most senior A320 pilot with extensive flight experience, complained of a problem after making his second approach to the runway, before air traffic control lost contact with him. PIA promised a full independent investigation. Airbus later said in a statement that the plane had first entered service in 2004 and was acquired by PIA a decade later and had logged around 47,100 flight hours. The plane developed a technical fault, according to Interior Minister Ijaz Ahmad Shah who said the pilot issued a mayday call after the craft "lost" an engine. Residents near the scene said their walls shook before a big explosion erupted as the aircraft slammed into their neighbourhood. "I was coming from the mosque when I saw the plane tilting on one side. The engines' sounds were quite weird. It was so low that the walls of my house were trembling," said 14-year-old witness Hassan. Karachi resident Mudassar Ali said he "heard a big bang and woke up to people calling for the fire brigade". - 'Prayers & condolences' - Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was "shocked and saddened" by the crash, tweeting that he was in touch with the state airline's chief executive. "Prayers & condolences go to families of the deceased," he wrote on Twitter. The Pakistan military said security forces were deployed to the neighbourhood and helicopters were used to survey the damage, while offering condolences over the "loss of precious lives." US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that his "prayers go out to those killed and injured, and their families," and added that the United States "stands with Pakistan during this difficult time." Commercial flights resumed only days ago, after planes were grounded during a lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic. Pakistan has a chequered military and civilian aviation safety record, with frequent plane and helicopter crashes over the years. In 2016, a PIA plane burst into flames after one of its two turboprop engines failed while flying from the remote north to Islamabad, killing more than 40 people. The deadliest air disaster on Pakistani soil was in 2010, when an Airbus A321 operated by private airline Airblue and flying from Karachi crashed into the hills outside Islamabad as it came in to land, killing all 152 people on board. An official report blamed the accident on a confused captain and a hostile cockpit atmosphere. PIA, one of the world's leading airlines until the 1970s, now suffers from a sinking reputation due to frequent cancellations, delays and financial troubles. It has been involved in numerous controversies over the years, including the jailing of a drunk pilot in Britain in 2013. (AFP) After weeks of closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said last week that retailers and churches in the state may open at partial capacity, but that gyms and salons must stay closed, and that residents must wear face masks in public. But the 65,000 residents of Chaves County have little to fear should they violate these orders. My department will not be out citing anyone for not wearing a mask, Mike Herrington, the county sheriff, told The Marshall Project. I will not be enforcing any of those orders. Herrington has already allowed at least one gym, among other businesses, to reopen in recent weeks. Chaves Countywhich has reported 30 positive diagnoses of COVID-19, and two related deathsencompasses Roswell, the town famous for its association with a debunked-but-widely-believed UFO sighting in the 1940s. Its also one of many rural communities hit hard by the recent economic shutdown; the cancellation of the annual UFO Festival this month potentially deprived local businesses of a million dollars in revenue, according to television station KRQE. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, right, with Riverside City Police Chief Sergio G. Diaz, center, and a California Highway Patrol officer gather information after a shootout near a freeway killed a CHP officer and wounded two others before the gunman was fatally shot, Monday, Aug. 12, 2019, in Riverside, Calif. (Terry Pierson/The Orange County Register via AP) Herrington is one of at least 70 sheriffs nationwide, spread across more than a dozen states, who are publicly opposing restrictions issued by governors, according to a Marshall Project analysis of news reports and official statements. There are likely many more quietly declining to enforce them. All law enforcement officers have a great deal of discretion, but the power of sheriffs in particular stretches deep into American history, to the end of the Civil War and the settling of the frontier. This history can help us make sense of their increasingly central role in partisan battles about public health and economic recovery, as they clash with governors through viral Facebook posts and media appearances. A history of defiance While police chiefs are appointed and thus insulated from politics, sheriffs are elected and many have built their reputations by defying state and federal laws in areas ranging from immigration to gun control. The best known sheriffs in America in recent years, Joe Arpaio of Arizona and David Clarke of Wisconsin, used racially charged criticism of President Obama to become high-profile allies of President Trump. Story continues Mike Herrington was elected sheriff of Chaves County, New Mexico, in 2018, after two decades as a deputy in his hometown of Roswell. He tries to balance the need to enforce COVID-19 lockdown rules with the constitutional concerns of his constituents. The stay-at-home orders are just the latest opportunity for sheriffs to get noticed, particularly in states with Democratic governors. (Seventy percent of the sheriffs in the Marshall Project count were in such states.) Very rarely are they able to do things that voters know about, said Zoe Neverever, a political science graduate student who studies sheriffs. Everybody knows about COVID. But to truly understand the role that sheriffs are currently playing in the political conversation, its necessary to go back much furtherall the way to Reconstruction. After the Civil War, sheriffs assumed the power vacuum left behind by slave owners, according to Douglas Blackmon, author of the 2009 Pultizer-winning history Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II. They were empowered by the Black Codes to make arrests for congregating in public and being unemployed, and they oversaw the leasing of black prisoners as laborers in an economic system that in effect continued slavery. Arrests surged and fell, not as acts of crime increased or receded, but in tandem to the varying needs of the buyers of labor, Blackmon wrote. Racial disparities have defined the U.S. justice system ever since, and are now appearing in the enforcement of laws meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus; the New York Times reported earlier this month that all but one of the first forty people arrested for social-distancing violations in Brooklyn were black and Hispanic. More: Coronavirus lockdowns have caused a whopping 17% drop in global carbon emissions More: Is international travel allowed yet? See when Spain, Mexico, Iceland plan to reopen borders More: Coronavirus spread: In which states is COVID-19 growing fastest? Gilbert King, author of two books featuring Willis V. McCall, a violent, racist sheriff in 1950s Florida, found that throughout the civil rights era sheriffs were known members of the Ku Klux Klan. In the 1960s, Sheriff Jim Clark of Dallas County, Alabama, famously oversaw the beating of black voting rights demonstrators in Selma, Alabama. Giving power to sheriffs was in the interest of pro-segregation Southern leaders because it would be much harder for the federal government to track the actions of hundreds of individual counties. The idea that a sheriff could stand as a bulwark of local control against state and federal laws shifted in the 1970s, from opposition to civil rights to the more arcane intellectual sphere of the Christian Identity movement. Minister William Potter Gale preached that the Constitution was a divinely inspired document intended to elevate whites above Jews and racial minorities, journalist Ashley Powers wrote in The New Yorker. This thinking underpinned the Posse Comitatus movement of the 1980s, which violently clashed with federal law enforcement while promoting the idea of sheriff supremacy, and which, Powers wrote, cross-pollinated with other kinds of right-wing thought. The open talk of white supremacy receded while the idea of the sheriffs power remained. Challenging authority Although sheriffs generally enforce state laws, in 1994, a group of sheriffs in Arizona and Montana sued the federal government, challenging a law that required them to perform background checks on people who wanted to buy handguns. The Supreme Court ruled in the sheriffs favor. One of the sheriffs, Richard Mack of Arizona, went on to found the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, which advocates that sheriffs not enforce all laws they believe to be unconstitutional. In 2016, Mack was a prominent supporter of the Bundy family during their standoff with FBI agents over their right to let cattle graze on public lands. The organization claims roughly 5,000 members. Political scientist Mirya Holman says the number of sheriffs who actively consider themselves members may be fewer than a hundred. But even when they do not take loud political stands, their personal views shape the local justice system. Holman and a colleague surveyed hundreds of sheriffs and found that those who believed myths about domestic violence, including the idea that it is easy for women to leave abusive partners, are less likely to arrest domestic violence suspects. Protesters demonstrate against stay-at-home orders that were put in place due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Friday, April 17, 2020, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) ORG XMIT: CAMT117 Still, sheriffs do not always fall on the conservative side of partisan divides, especially when the federal government itself is led by a conservative president. In the Trump era, sheriffs from Charlotte to Cincinnati have been elected after promising to not cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Holman points out that sometimes sheriffs are simply requesting that the federal government work with them before sending federal agents into high risk situations in their counties. As COVID-19 began hitting urban centers in March and governors began issuing lockdown orders, sheriffs began quelling rumors of checkpoints and mass arrests. This is not Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia where you are asked for your papers! wrote Sheriff Scott Nichols of Franklin County, Maine. Although Nichols noted that his deputies would still arrest people, his post was celebrated in conservative media as a rebellion against Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat. (Nichols did not respond to a request for comment.) Other sheriffs simply said they didnt have the resources to enforce these orders, having already been stretched thin by having to respond to everything from mental health episodes to drug overdoses. While Arpaio and Clarke built their reputations over many years, the route to political stardom has quickened in the COVID age, especially when a Democratic governor can serve as a foil. Washington, Oregon, and Wisconsin are all examples where you have a liberal governor thats been largely elected by the urban centers of the state, and a more conservative, rural area that feels like theyre being ignored and their interests are not being heard in the political process, said Holman. The sheriff becomes the representation of that conflict. Sheriff Adam Fortney, in Snohomish County, Washington, has been publicly feuding with the state leaders, and is now facing a potential recall election, while his supporters are raising money on GoFundMe. On May 5, Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, California, told county commissioners, I refuse to make criminals out of business owners, single moms, and otherwise healthy individuals who are exercising their constitutional rights. A video of his comments went viral, and on May 8 he appeared on Fox & Friends, a show that had already hosted a Michigan sheriff critical of Gov. Gretchen Whitmers orders. Herrington was elected sheriff of Chaves County, New Mexico, in 2018, after two decades as a deputy in his hometown of Roswell. He speaks less to the deep historical legacy of his role than to the daily struggles of his constituents. Hes sympathetic to the constitutional sheriff movement, but also cordial to his governor and eager to stress the non-partisan nature of his job, although he ran for office as a Republican. A group with C.O.V.I.D., Citizens Outraged Voters in Danger, protest wearing masks outside the State Capitol during a special session regarding the spring election in Madison, Wis., Saturday, April 4, 2020. In April, after Gov. Lujan Grisham extended the stay-at-home order until mid-May, Herrington said he was approached by small business owners, some of them literally in tears. They complained that Walmart and Target, allowed to stay open because they sold food, were also selling televisions and other big items to residents looking to spend their stimulus checks. These owners told Herrington that by opening, they could reduce crowding at the big box stores. The head of the New Mexico Sheriffs Association wrote a letter last week to Attorney General William Barr, asking him to consider whether the governors orders violated the civil rights of New Mexicans, and he similarly focused on how big-box stores have reaped the economic benefits of the closures. These are my friends and family, Herrington said. To look at the fear in their eyes, the fear of losing everything they have, tells me I have no choice but to stand and take on this fight. Striking a balance In his public statements, Herrington has told the governor he doesnt want to be defiant, and invited her to negotiate on how to let businesses reopen sooner while still protecting public health. Since before the birth of America the duty of the Sheriff has been to secure the Rights of the People, he wrote on Facebook. Every business in Chaves County is essential when the people are dependent upon that income to provide for themselves and their families. Gov. Lujan Grisham has responded with a press statement asking New Mexicans to stay the course and follow her guidelines. There is little she can do to punish the sheriff. Herrington did say no to drag races and little league games, and hes encouraging people to stay home if they are sick, immuno-compromised, or simply dont want to put themselves at risk. He has also encouraged residents to stop threatening state police officers who were trying to enforce the governors orders. He is worried about crime going up as residents grow economically desperate. For childrens birthdays, Herrington organizes small paradesmore than one per day, he saidin which police and firefighters drive by their houses with lights and sirens. We are delivering groceries, medicine, everything, to anybody, not just the elderly, he said. You call me with your receipt number, well deliver it to your front porch. We are saying: If you want to come out, you have that God-given right under the First Amendment, Herrington explained, but if youre scared, if youre being cautious, I will help you. This article was originally published by The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletter, or follow The Marshall Project on Facebook or Twitter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Anti-lockdown sheriffs defying governors' orders COLUMBIA SC Public Radio has announced plans to offer Spoleto Festival programming as part of a new Spoleto at Home initiative. The network will utilize its Sonatas & Soundscapes program, as well as its Spoleto Backstage podcast to bring past festival performances and behind-the-scenes insights to listeners across the state and beyond. On March 24, Spoleto Festival USA made the difficult decision to cancel this years festival a first in the events 44-year history. Throughout that storied history, the twice-daily chamber music concerts at Dock Street Theatre have been beloved cornerstones of each season, famous for their assemblage of leading musicians and eclectic programming. As such, the festival is partnering with SCPR to produce one of the most robust elements of Spoleto at Home: weekday radio broadcasts of 11 past Bank of America Chamber Music programs. Through June 5, Sonatas & Soundscapes, which airs Monday Thursday from 11 a.m. 1 p.m. and Fridays from 11 a.m. noon, will feature 11 Chamber Music from Spoleto Festival USA performances from the past decade. All 11 performances are being selected by the artistic director of the festivals Bank of America Chamber Music series, Geoff Nuttall, who will also provide commentary regarding each selection. Additionally, Sonatas & Soundscapes will feature a series of interviews conducted by SCPRs Bradley Fuller. Among the subjects of those interviews will be veteran performers of chamber music, such as Todd Palmer, composer-in-residence Jessica Meyer and Charleston area native and pianist Micah McLaurin, as well as the festivals general manager, Nigel Redden, who will address future plans for the event. The program will have additional areas of focus, including: The celebration of the 350th anniversary of the founding of Charleston, featuring music that may have been composed and performed during that period; emphasis on the 250th anniversary of Beethovens birth; and The Prokofiev and Shostakovich recording from 2019, along with a previously recorded interview with the conductor of this work. For those seeking to consume festival-related programming online, a live stream of Sonatas and Soundscapes will be available at www.southcarolinapublicradio.org and through the SCETV app, which is available for download on all Android and Apple devices. Additionally, the Spoleto Backstage podcast will return. With new episodes released each Friday, the podcast will be co-hosted by Bradley Fuller and Geoff Nuttall and will feature public domain works from Chamber Music from Spoleto Festival USA, as well as interviews and lively commentary. For more information on Spoleto Festival USA, visit www.spoletousa.org. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Casablanca Group Limited (HKG:2223) is about to go ex-dividend in just 3 days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 28th of May will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 17th of June. Casablanca Group's next dividend payment will be HK$0.03 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of HK$0.06 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Casablanca Group has a trailing yield of 9.8% on the current stock price of HK$0.61. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing. Check out our latest analysis for Casablanca Group If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Casablanca Group paid out more than half (70%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. Luckily it paid out just 24% of its free cash flow last year. It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously. Click here to see how much of its profit Casablanca Group paid out over the last 12 months. SEHK:2223 Historical Dividend Yield May 24th 2020 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at Casablanca Group, with earnings per share up 2.4% on average over the last five years. Earnings growth has been slim and the company is paying out more than half of its earnings. While there is some room to both increase the payout ratio and reinvest in the business, generally the higher a payout ratio goes, the lower a company's prospects for future growth. Story continues Given that Casablanca Group has only been paying a dividend for a year, there's not much of a past history to draw insight from. The Bottom Line Is Casablanca Group an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? While earnings per share growth has been modest, Casablanca Group's dividend payouts are around an average level; without a sharp change in earnings we feel that the dividend is likely somewhat sustainable. Pleasingly the company paid out a conservatively low percentage of its free cash flow. It might be worth researching if the company is reinvesting in growth projects that could grow earnings and dividends in the future, but for now we're not all that optimistic on its dividend prospects. With that in mind, a critical part of thorough stock research is being aware of any risks that stock currently faces. In terms of investment risks, we've identified 2 warning signs with Casablanca Group and understanding them should be part of your investment process. If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. Love or hate this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email 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. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. Work from home meetings in a lockdown. (Getty) Since the coronavirus lockdown was introduced in March, the way we are working has transformed. While medics, supermarket staff and other key workers are more stretched than ever, many of us are continuing to work from home to help stop COVID-19 from spreading. Offices are now empty, meetings are taking place online and were having to create our own schedules at home. For most of us, we have been fortunate enough to not have had to live in a warzone or even undergo any widespread virus like conditions prior to this current pandemic, says Karen Kwong, an organisational psychologist and director of Renoc Consulting. As such, I can safely say that most of us will have never experienced an upheaval like this. So for every one of us, our lives personally and at work will likely change quite a lot. Many people are waiting for things to go back to normal as soon as it is safe. But some things have likely changed for good particularly when it comes to the way we work. More remote working This is the first time many people have had to work from home and the first time a lot of companies have had to embrace flexible working. While some firms will want employees to head back to the office as soon as they can, others are most likely going to encourage flexible working arrangements. READ MORE: What might social distancing look like in the workplace? Flexible working where traditional hours of 9-5 or 8-6 will be less prevalent and vary according to the needs of the business and the requirements of workers, Kwong says. There might also be an increase of flexible and part-time workers. Many office buildings may become a little more obsolete, she adds. Perhaps instead of the whole building, they might have two floors for those who have face-to-face meetings or for those who want to work in offices. The co-working space model will be the preferred option for many businesses to keep overheads low, whilst many others will opt to work from home. Story continues More use of technology Things arent just changing for employees, too. Leaders and businesses will have to support their staff in different ways to accommodate changes such as flexible working. After all these changes present a new set of challenges where on the one hand, staff members will prefer this autonomy, but on the other hand, collaboration and team innovation and creativity may change as a result of less face-to-face interactions, Kwong says. Most likely, there will be an increased dependence on technology be it for online interactions between clients and service providers, all the way to providers of that technology to enable those conversations to occur. READ MORE: How to set yourself a routine when working from home We will also need to get used to video conferencing and communication apps like Slack, but ensure workers dont lose out on the benefits of face-to-face contact with colleagues. More focus on transferable skills Millions of people around the world have been made redundant, been furloughed or lost income as a result of the current crisis. Whole industries have ceased operating, including the travel and restaurant sectors. Recovery will take many years and because of this, there may be more of a focus on transferable skills because of this, as people try different avenues for employment. Those who have a skillset that has been underused, for example, tech skills or project management skills, now is the time to share those skills with others, Kwong says. This is relevant on a business level too. Look at how the F1 engineers turned their skills and expertise into making ventilators. More focus on work-life balance Perhaps most significantly, the coronavirus pandemic will likely change our priorities and values when it comes to work and our personal lives. As the lockdown begins to lift, many people will see family and friends for the first time in months and want to spend more time with them. The lockdown has taught us so much about balance. Im reading more, exercising more and spending more time with my kids, says Simon Paine, the co-founder and CEO of the PopUp Business School. Yes of course we all want a sense of normality, freedom and connection but going back to how things were is not an option. Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Letter to Readers Mainstream, 23 May 2020 - Lockdown Edition (...) Super-cyclone Amphan of 21 May 2020 has caused serious damage to land and life in Eastern India and Bangladesh. Why the massive devastation in Bengal and Bangladesh after the cyclone has found practically no coverage on national television is quite disturbing. The disaster to the ecologically sensitive zone of the Sundarbans is an international calamity and the state of West Bengal has rightly demanded that given the scale of damage (estimated to be over 10 billion dollars) it should be declared a National Disaster. The death-toll in cyclone Amphan, especially in South Bengal, was revised to 86 once agencies were able to reach areas inaccessible for two days. On his first trip outside Delhi since the nationwide lockdown began last march, Prime Minister Narendra Modi frankly admitted yesterday that the loss of lives, homesteads, infrastructure and standing crops were a double whammy for West Bengal which was severely hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, he openly disclosed that the state under Mamataji has tried to fight strongly, striking a note seldom witnessed in the recent past. In an eight-minute video message from Basirhat (West Bengal) the PM further explained: staying home and social distancing are the safeguards against corona, whereas moving out from homes and reaching safer places are advisable in case of a cyclone. Bengal has to fight the two challenges together. While expressing solidarity with the West Bengal State Government, he declared The Centre was in constant touch with the State Govt. and the two jointly worked hard. Announcing ex-gratia of Rs Two lakhs to the families of the deceased and Rs Fifty thousand to the injured from the PMs relief fund. Modi spoke of Rs 1000 crores to West Bengal and Rs 500 crores to neighbouring Odissa after an Ariel survey of the devastation wrought by Amphan. Meanwhile, the opposition parties meeting in the capital yesterday warned the Modi govt. that post-covid economic crisis would be catastrophic; they described the stimulus package of Rs 20 lakh crores as a cruel joke on the country and demanded that the Center come out with a revised stimulus package which would stimulate demand the 22 opposition parties meeting under the convener ship of the Congress charged the Center with unabashedly usurping the power of the states in the name of fighting the pandemic. The 22 parties also decided to form a committee to chalk out a future protest plan. o o The autonomy and freedom of media is crucial in a democracy, the media must report the real stories and not play to a pre-crafted agenda. Top officials must not try re-shaping the media attention on Indias COVID-19 lockdown led humanitarian crisis seeking to downplay the migrant exodus. In a programme on Door Darshan the state-run TV telecast on 19 May, Shashi Shekhar Vempati, CEO of Prasar Bharati, reproached the media for being too focussed on the pain and misery of migrants and thereby emphasizing a negative picture. This is uncalled for advice. Hundreds of thousands of jobless migrant workers trying to return to their original homes and are stranded in the country. Last week we witnessed a very ugly situation where the countrys main opposition party tried to help the stranded workers by organizing for buses to take them to their destination in the state of Uttar Pradesh; But we saw the UP state administration create all manner of hurdles to obstruct the transport of workers because the buses had been organized by the main opposition party and also seemingly migrant workers dont matter for now since there is no election around the corner. About a thousand buses had been arranged by the Congress party for migrant workers to travel to UP but they were disallowed by the UP administration from entering the borders. The state unit chiefs for the Congress party in Delhi and in UP were also arrested in the process. (see here news report in the Times of India). Readers would do well to recall that the ruling BJP is said to have arranged some 6,000 buses and 30 trains for a 2019 election campaign rally in Patna for Prime Minister Modi. So remember if its election time people can get transport and goodies but not during a humanitarian crisis. We offer our condolences for all who have lost lives in the Amphan Cyclone in Bengal and in the plane crash in Karachi. The Editor, May 23, 2020 Delivery workers in Vietnams thriving e-commerce industry increasingly expect their customers to transfer their goods and shipping fees online instead of paying them in cash, for fear of transmission amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. A sudden downpour wetted the streets of Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday. Nguyen Van Hai, a deliveryman at Giaohangnhanh, a Vietnamese logistics service provider, was trying to wear his raincoat so that the goods on his old scooter would not become drenched. The rain is so heavy that I will deliver your goods around one hour late. I am sorry for any convenience caused! Hai spoke to a lady on the phone. After hanging up the phone, he told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the job requires him to deliver goods as soon as possible. Once he has closed a deal with his customers, he will deliver it whether it is sunny or rainy. He said as a deliveryman for around one year, he has learned many unforgettable lessons, such as loss of goods, intentional non-delivery, and his customers unable to pay their fees. For each successful delivery in less than 10 kilometers, he will receive around VND30,000-50,000 (US$1.28-2.14). If he manages to ship more than a dozen orders, his monthly income could amount to VND10-15 million ($430-644). It seems to him everyone thinks that delivery workers hit the mother lode because of an upsurge in delivery demand on account of COVID-19. Little do they know that there are many unseen worries. His work demands that he meet face-to-face dozens of customers on a daily basis, which increases the risk of COVID-19 infection for himself and his own family. Counting money is another issue when contacting customers. I dreaded every time I had to count money or give change to the customers. Even with a hand wash right after, I still worried loads, he said. Hai said he has to put down a deposits worth of goods for store owners in case customers cancel their orders. As usual, delivery workers pick up orders at the declared business locations, but many businesses would be based at a coffee shop, a curbside location or even a fake address. As the deliverymen come to the addresses, the customers would sometimes refuse to pick up the phone, or the addresses might not even exist. Once Hai looked at the delivery items, he found them to be knock-offs. When I finally knew that I got duped, collecting the deposit was then like getting a camel through the eye of a needle. Most of the time, the delivery workers have to bear the brunt because they cannot find any information on the goods senders, he said. Every time the phone goes ding, Bui Pham Thien Long, a delivery rider for on-demand meal delivery service GrabFood, jumps for joy, but more often than not that joy may be replaced by concerns over his customers choosing to pay in cash for food orders. For around three years having worked for all kinds of Grabs services, namely GrabBike, GrabExpress, and GrabFood, Long has still dreaded the thought of customers failing to keep in contact with him. He explained a new order would have him running errands in the blazing heat for the customers, but sometimes they just would not come out of their houses or pick up the phone. Some folks would keep me waiting for nearly an hour under the scorching summer heat, but later refuse to take their orders, he said. In those cases, I have no other choice but to return the items. Some days you just got unlucky and had a chain of order aborts. I would just cry on those days. A lady receives food from a deliveryman. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre Relief from card payment Customers are increasingly choosing electronic wallets as an alternative payment method in order to minimize physical contact, according to several workers of other delivery services, such as Now, Foody and Baemin. With these pre-paid orders, delivery workers can be assured that the deliveries are 100 percent confirmed without any fear of order aborts. With card payment, at least the names of the customers are known, so delivery riders seem to be more at peace with their deliveries. On a similar note, ride-sharing drivers for Be, Grab, and VATO said that they prefer card customers to cash ones. After each card trip, money is instantly transferred into their electronic wallets sometimes with tips ranging from VND5,000 (US$0.21) to VND20,000 ($0.86). Sometimes an order only runs up to VND120,000 [$5.16], but a customer gives me a VND500,000 [$21.5] bill. So I have to waste time converting that bill into smaller notes. Now, with online transactions, we dont have to bother with counting cash anymore, he said. A recent study of consumer habits during the COVID-19 pandemic by ride-hailing firm Grab reveals that online shopping has grown considerably in popularity, which helps promote cashless transactions. The number of customers who use cashless payment on Grab for the first time in March surged by 22.5 percent, compared with the previous month, according to Nguyen Thai Hai Van, managing director of Grab Vietnam. She said cashless payments accounted for a staggering 43 percent of the total transactions on the Grab platform during the COVID-19 outbreak. At one point the percentage rose by as much as 10 percent, much greater than the average rate, according to the Saigon Union of Trading Cooperatives (Saigon Co.op), the owner of the Co.opmart supermarket chain. However, the figure is only recorded during the promotional season when many cash-back and incentive programs for cashless payment are available. Once these programs end, the method of payment will fall back to its usual place. Cashless payment is a necessity Grab Vietnam has encouraged its customers to use either electronic wallet Moca or their own credit cards to pay for its delivery services in order to enhance public health and curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, managing director Van said. The encouragement is in line with instructions from the State Bank of Vietnam in an attempt to promote a cashless economy in the Southeast Asian nation. We have quickly put forward many new initiatives while developing all services in order to meet the essential needs of our customers in their daily lives, she said, adding that this the quickest way to fuel the growth of the cashless economy. Everyone has a card now, but... While raising the awareness about the convenience of cashless payment, Do Quoc Huy, marketing director at Saigon Co.op, urged local firms to work with each other to introduce more attractive promotion programs. They should run such programs in the long run so their consumers can have a chance to get first-hand experience and thus change their behaviors on a gradual basis, according to the director. During the pandemic, people avoided paying in cash. Once social distancing measures were lifted, the old habit of cash payment came back anyway. We should be determined in our sustained efforts to encourage cashless payment, Huy said. Despite credit and ATM cards being almost universal, cash remains the king of all transactions in Vietnam. It is essential to develop infrastructure which makes it convenient for customers to pay with different methods, he said, adding that this will reduce reliance on cash. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The coronavirus pandemic followed by a nationwide lockdown has inflicted a deeper wound on the differently-abled, making them singularly reliant on the help provided by others. To ease their woes, some organisations have been working round the clock. But, this battle isnt easy as volunteers say that lack of inclusivity is making it difficult for those with special needs to survive the lockdown that seems to be never-ending. Some of the Delhi-based volunteers have been inundated with calls from across the country. On an average, we receive around 15-20 calls, and the same number of messages, mostly from the hearing impaired community. We do help provide access to essentials like food and medicines, but they also need some emotional support at this time, which is difficult to provide virtually, says Aditya Sen, part of an 11-member team at Delhi Project, a volunteer-run initiative, which has helped more than 80 families during the lockdown, across Delhi-NCR. I get heartbreaking calls everyday; people wonder about their next meal, milk for their children and how they will survive once their meagre savings are exhausted, says Delhi-based Arman Ali, executive director, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People. He says that the organisation has been receiving non-stop calls from people who are differently-abled, for doorstep delivery of essentials, and also with the required access needed by caregivers. Most of the differently-abled who work in the unorganised sector have been the worst hit by the lockdown... We have been providing daily passes to the families and caregivers of the differently-abled, so that they can provide the necessary help. The government has schemes, in place, like the National Social Assistance Programme... Yet, the problem remains that people do not know how to apply for such schemes. Arman Ali, executive director, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People Ali adds that at this point in time, locals can pitch in by providing medicines to the differently-abled in their vicinity since their needs dont end at ration. Talking about the significance to spread awareness on help available from the government, Ali informs, The government has schemes, in place, like the National Social Assistance Programme that provides a pension of 300 per month to the differently-abled, upto the age of 79 and 500 for those above 80. The government also has announced an ex- gratia of 1,000 rupees to be distributed in two instalments in three months. Yet, the problem remains that people do not know how to apply for the scheme. Kapil Aggarwal, general secretary of Viklang Sahara Samiti Delhi, says that his organisation has been helping those differently-able procure online ration cards, who are incapacitated to apply for the same themselves. Aggarwal adds, People have been reaching out to us via word of mouth and WhatsApp groups. We ask them about their needs and then communicate the same to the designated government authority in their location. Many, who have had to return with a cancelled pass or ration card due to incorrect or missing information, needed our assistance. But, beyond what we are doing, the neighbours [of the differently-abled] can also come forward to provide the government with the information of people who need essential services, such as batteries for essential medical equipment or wheelchairs. For individuals with hearing and sight impairment, there could also be one person stationed at the government centres, who can describe the facilities available. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more - Jeff Koinange got a job offer to join CNN while he was still working for Reuters in South Africa - At first, the journalist declined the offer because he was not willing to move from South Africa to Nigeria - But, a shoe shiner named Doc who lived in the US convinced him otherwise and even played a huge role during his interview process Sometimes opportunity comes from the most unexpected places thus everyone should learn how to respect even the lowly in society because they too can change our lives. Television giant Jeff Koinange owes part of his huge success to a shoe shiner who saw potential in him and helped him join CNN. READ ALSO: Bedroom matters: Lady says husband refused to touch her on wedding night READ ALSO: Kericho: Watu 5 waangamia kwenye ajali ya barabarani In 2001, Jeffs career had started taking off and he was a force to reckon with back in South Africa. In a video narration on Facebook, the Citizen TV news anchor said he worked for Reuters at the time and thought he was at the peak of his career. How wrong! One day while attending a function at CNN, Vice President Chris from the media company spotted him and offered the oh my journalist a spot at the station. READ ALSO: Ramadhan with a twist: Diamond Platnumz blasted for posting shirtless photos during holy month READ ALSO: Trans Nzoia: Msichana wa miaka 15 ahofiwa kuwaambukiza watu kadhaa COVID-19 The catch was, the opening was in Nigeria and Jeff lived in the golden city of Johannesburg. As he was not ready to make that move, the father of one turned down the offer. They were opening a new branch in Nigeria and wanted me to work there but I could not risk leaving the comfort of Johannesburg to go to Nigeria, the news presenter said. Jeff was then asked to accompany the head to US and have a look at how things operated at the company before making a permanent decision. READ ALSO: Akothee heartbroken after 24 women show up to beg for food at her gate I flew to the US and was amazed by how they produced news, the process it took and how the place operated for a solid 24 hours. I met with Ethan, one of the bosses and we had a deep chat before going out for a walk, the TV host narrated. Once he was done chatting up with one of the bosses, Jeff and Ethan walked down and met a cobbler named Doc. They struck a conversation and Doc said the articulate journalist was cut out for a position at CNN. Ethan agreed and was happy that the cobbler had given the go-ahead for the illustrious scribe to join them. He said, Do not worry man, you are alright. You can do alright here at CNN.' He turned to Ethan and winked at him, and Ethan gave him a high-five, and then he looked at me and said 'I like you, young man, I think you are going to finely fit in, Jeff remembered. 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. Our locally made PPEs are of better quality than the imported ones - CS Mutahi Kagwe | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke A woman who loved getting expensive Keratin hair treatments at a professional salon has made $521,000 in 30 days by selling her own natural, smoothing hair product that keeps your mane frizz-free for three months. Georgiana Grudinschi, 27, created O'wow in August 2019 with $1,000 in the bank after growing tired of paying a premium price for chemical-laden haircare that took hours in the chair to apply - and it ships for free to Australia. 'The aim was to develop a product that would deliver a shiny, after-hairdresser look in an accessible at-home format and with long-lasting results,' the Estonia-based blonde beauty told FEMAIL. 'Similar treatments at salons can cost up to $750, whereas O'wow's at-home kit is available for just $86.90.' Georgiana Grudinschi (pictured) created O'wow in August 2019 with $1,000 in the bank after growing tired of paying a premium price for chemical-laden hair care 'The aim was to develop a product that would deliver a shiny, after-hairdresser look in an accessible at-home format,' the Estonia-based blonde told FEMAIL (a transformation pictured) What does a keratin treatment involve? A keratin is a smoothing treatment that seals the hair cuticle with a coating of protein that eliminates frizz, and adds softness and shine. The process can take anywhere between one and three hours depending on hair type, length, and fullness. It also involves blow drying and flat ironing the hair after the treatment is finished, to lock in the effects. Source: The Ouai Advertisement Georgiana admitted to getting 'addicted' to the divinely shiny, straight locks keratin creates, with the chemical able to penetrate into the hair cuticle and work to repair damage caused by heating implements and colouring. However she was disappointed to hear that most salons use keratin treatments that contain formaldehyde, which has been linked to chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, and nose and throat irritation. It has also been linked to cancer and the development of asthma. 'These findings made me even more motivated to find not only a more convenient and affordable option but also an option which would not compromise my health,' Georgiana said. The all-inclusive smoothing kit contains a sulphate and paraben-free shampoo, conditioner and treatment serum which delivers the same results as a traditional Brazilian Blowout One application of the serum onto clean hair is all that's required for three months of smooth strands 'Sales keep constantly increasing. In the past 30 days we have sold 6,000 units which is $521,000 in revenue,' she said (a transformation pictured) The all-inclusive smoothing kit contains a sulphate and paraben-free shampoo, conditioner and treatment serum which delivers the same results as a traditional Brazilian Blowout. One application of the serum onto clean hair is all that's required for three months of smooth strands. And with the coronavirus pandemic forcing people to stay indoors and avoid their hairdresser as much as possible, sales have dramatically increased by 1600 per cent since February 2020. 'Sales keep constantly increasing. In the past 30 days we have sold 6,000 units which is $521,000 in revenue,' she said. 'With the current sales volume we are on track to make $5million in revenue for the first year of operation which feels surreal.' And the results speak for themselves, with clients sharing snaps of their sleek mane just hours after finishing the treatment (pictured) And the results speak for themselves, with clients sharing snaps of their sleek mane just hours after finishing the treatment. 'I have spent four decades trying different hair treatments in search of straight, shiny and non-frizzy hair and I feel like I have finally found the holy grail for my hair. Please don't discontinue this product. I'm a subscriber for life,' one woman said. 'O'wow is absolutely phenomenal. I was blown away by how manageable my hair became. I will honestly tell the creator of this treatment to give herself a massive pat on the back for creating a product that is accessible to all women,' said another. Georgiana and her team are in the process of preparing another product which will launch within a month A third added: 'Really love this product - easier to apply than I expected and instant results. I have frizzy hair and this definitely made a difference. Hair continues to feel and look sleek, it's lovely to have that "just been to the hairdresser" feeling every day'. Georgiana and her team are in the process of preparing another product which will launch within a month. She said it's 'innovative but simple' and will solve a hair problem every woman has struggled with. Australians can ship the products to their doorstep for free from the website here. North Carolina has failed to change its election laws to ensure that voters can safely cast ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic, voting rights advocates claim in a federal lawsuit. The nonprofit Democracy North Carolina and the League of Women Voters of North Carolina sued Friday on behalf of several elderly or disabled residents whose medical conditions make them more vulnerable to coronavirus. The lawsuit alleges that several aspects of North Carolina's absentee vote-by-mail requirements are unconstitutional because voters will have to risk exposure to COVID-19 to successfully vote. For example, mail-in absentee voters are required to complete the ballot in the presence of two witnesses or a notary. State law also requires voters to submit their registration applications at least 25 days before the election or else register in-person at an early voting site, the suit notes. The lawsuit says that will result in millions of state residents either losing their right to vote or being forced to compromise their health in order to cast a ballot. The state Board of Elections and other state officials are named as defendants. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 'China's opaque defence allocation processes are shrouded in mystery and have triggered security dilemmas among its neighbours and others,' notes China expert Srikanth Kondapalli. IMAGE: A scene from Shanghai on the opening day of the National People's Congress, May 22, 2020. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters At the current parliamentary session in Beijing, China's Premier Li Keqiang announced a rise in defence allocations to about $179 billion -- an increase of 6.6 percent from the previous figures of about $177 billion. This makes it the second largest defence allocations in the world after that of the United States allocations of about $730 billion, and three times over the Indian defence budget. Till 1989, Indian and Chinese defence budgets matched each other at around $16 billion. Since the 1990s there was a marginal increase in China's defence budgets over Indian defence budgets, partly as a result of the nearly 10 percent increase a year in defence allocations by China. However, since the 2000s, a wide gap began between the two Asian giants began to emerge. In 2005, China's defence allocations doubled that of Indian outlays, while in 2010 it tripled. The Stockholm-based Peace Research Istitute, on the other hand, estimated that China's actual defence spending is more than $230 billion while other estimates suggest to as much as $300 billion. Of course, Zhang Yesui, spokesperson for the parliament, stated that there is no 'hidden military spending' and that China has been sharing such data with United Nations registers. However, the UN register has not been updated for the past seven years! Besides, China once walked away from the UN register protesting US arms transfers to Taiwan in the early 1990s. A similar situation exist even today with the US decision recently to transfer torpedoes to Taiwan. Despite denials, China's opaque defence allocation processes are shrouded in mystery and as such has triggered security dilemmas among its neighbours and others. Wide discrepancies exist about China's 'peaceful' intentions and the coercive diplomatic postures that Beijing has been exhibiting in recent times with the backing of its huge defence outlays. IMAGE: People's Liberation Army soldiers at a military parade in Beijing. Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters Firstly, the philosophy of China's defence budget. Two phrases were outlined as 'guiding principles' -- the defence budget should be either coordinated or subordinated to the civilian economy. That is if the civilian economy is doing well, then the defence allocations can be increased or vice versa. Since the 1990s, China's civilian economy grew at about 10 percent and hence defence allocations also matched a similar percentage for the past three decades. However, while the civilian economy grew more than 10 percent in the early 1990s, defence allocations were 'subordinated' to the civilian economy. Today, the civilian economy is declining in China from 10 percent in 2010 to an estimated 6 percent last year, but expected to be about 1 percent in this year of the COVID-19 disaster. Yet, in the early 2010s, China's defence budgets still retained double digit increases, suggesting neither that it is 'subordinated' or 'coordinated' methods but in fact overshadowing the civilian economy's growth and to a praetorian prospect. Higher defence allocations is one way of placating the military constituents who form 10 percent of the representation in the Chinese parliament, unlike in India. IMAGE: People's Liberation Army soldiers. Photograph: CHINA OUT/Reuters Secondly, China's official defence finance includes only work unit budgets, itemised budgets and earmarked expenditures. Unlike Zhang's assertion on no 'hidden' spending and unlike the established practices in India or Japan or the US, China's defence finance does not include 'extra budgetary funds' (military self-generated income through commercial operations, military-run production profits, business development income) or earmarked construction funds for the paramilitary and research and development or even inter-agency funding (foreign aid, conscripts, local military training, air defence works, mobilisation preparedness, military procurement from abroad etc). Many of the above are massive financial outlays. For instance, China since the 1990s has been a major arms importer from Russia and Israel including Sovremenny-class of destroyers, Kilo-class submarines, S400 air defence systems, Su-27, Su-30, J-10 Lavi fighter aircraft, drones and other capital-intensive platforms, not to mention of sophisticated systems imported. China's defence budget does not include Osama bin Laden's transfer to China of unexploded Tomahawk missiles from Afghanistan at $10 million apiece either. Thirdly, China's military assertiveness in the South China Sea against Vietnam and the Philippines, on the Senkaku islands, Taiwan and India-China border areas -- all have witnessed capital and technology intensive platforms deployment given the country's military strategy shift to fight and win integrated joint operations beyond China's borders. China's defence allocations to its power projection forces like rapid response forces, naval and air forces and missile forces increased substantially. All this cost money although none has been outlined. IMAGE: A People's Liberation Army soldier fires an anti-tank rocket during a military exercise in Wuzhong. Photograph: CHINA OUT/Reuters Fourthly, unlike in India or other democracies which have strict auditing procedures, China's financial and auditing of accounts do not include logistics services finances, equipment finances and production and management finances. No unified management framework or centralised administrative framework exists resulting in not only corruption at all levels, but loss of revenue to the state. The seizure of 17 truck loads of gold biscuits and other expensive items from General Gu Jinkun, the PLA's former deputy chief of logistics, is only the tip of the iceberg in China. Fifthly, China displayed very expensive and technologically intensive military platforms and systems like DF-41, DF-31, DF-21D, DF-16 missile systems, J-20 stealth bombers, Z-20 helicopters, tanks, armoured personnel carriers and drones at the Beijing military parades in 2015 and 2019. Many of these are products of indigenous R&D efforts the budget of which is not shown in the one-line figure announced in China's parliament. Sixthly, many civilian projects like space, cyber, counter-terrorism are not factored in China's defence finance system. With the recent military-civil fusion, this trend of civilians subsidising military finances will increase further, militarising civilian sectors in the longer run. That is a danger for not only the Chinese, but also to the outside world. Srikanth Kondapalli is Professor in Chinese Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Production: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Writer-director Raaj Shaandilyaa says he is looking forward to reuniting with actor Ayushmann Khurrana for a massy entertainer after "Dream Girl". Raaj, who has worked with comedian Kapil Sharma on his show "Comedy Nights with Kapil" and has written dialogues for movies such as "Jabariya Jodi", "Freaky Ali", made his directorial debut last year with "Dream Girl". "I am writing a script and it will be with Ayushmann. It is not a sequel of 'Dream Girl'. The writing is almost done. I have told Ayushmann I am writing something for him and he said, 'Let me know'. "This will be an entertaining massy commercial film with a social message," Raaj told PTI. The director is also collaborating with actor Varun Dhawan for a comedy. Raaj said he was supposed to give a final narration to Varun for their upcoming film, but the discussions have been put on hold due to the lockdown. "The script is ready. The final narration was to happen with Varun in March, but then lockdown happened. "Work is on hold due to the current situation, now dates will be shuffled. He had Sriram's film among others. We had not finalised the dates, but we don't know what will happen now. Everything is on hold." The director said the film will be produced by Ekta Kapoor. Varun has completed shooting for "Coolie No 1", which was locked for a May 1 release. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the film has been pushed ahead. The actor's other films include the Arun Khetarpal biopic with director Sriram Raghavan and "Mr Lele" with Shashank Khaitan. Follow @News18Movies for more Goa will reopen its airport on Monday but has decided to keep the flight operations at the minimum level, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Sunday. He said 13 flights are scheduled to land on the first day of the partial resumption of the operations amidst the coronavirus-induced lockdown. "About 4,000 people, including 1,000 air travellers, are expected to come to the state on Monday itself," said Sawant. Meanwhile, as per the amended guidelines issued by the state government, only those people, including air travellers, carrying the COVID-19 negative certificate from authorised laboratories would be allowed to enter Goa without testing. "Those travellers who are carrying COVID-19 negative certificate from ICMR-approved labs would be exempted from checking at the state border. "Others will have to get themselves tested for COVID- 19 by paying Rs 2,000. Those who don't want to be tested will have to stay in home quarantine for the next 14 days," the CM told reporters. He said this Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be applicable to all those people who are coming to Goa by flights, roads, water or in trains. He also said that operations of flights and trains have been kept at the minimum level in the state. Claiming that Goa tops the list of states that have managed COVID-19 successfully, Sawant said that all the 47 patients who have tested positive and admitted in ESI hospital will recover in the next eight days. The chief minister also said that the state is well equipped to handle fresh cases, if any. "Goa is the only state in the country which has tested all the people who entered the borders for COVID-19 infection," the CM said. The number of COVID-19 cases in Goa went up by 11 to 66 earlier in the day. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CLEVELAND, Ohio Former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, who is serving his decades-long sentence at a federal prison in Ohio where nine inmates have died from the coronavirus, has tested positive for the virus, his attorney said Sunday. Dimora, 64, informed his lawyer David Mills late Friday of the test result. Mills and co-counsel Philip Kushner have urged the warden at Federal Correctional Institution Elkton several times in recent weeks to release Dimora on home confinement because of his medical ailments, including a weakened immune system. The warden wrote back and said Dimora is not eligible for release, according to correspondence Mills provided. The lawyers priorities shifted after Dimora tested positive, from trying to secure his release to making sure he receives proper medical care, Mills said in an interview. We, along with his family and friends, are concerned, Mills wrote in a Saturday letter to Warden Mark Williams that expressed disappointment with the positive test result. We want to ensure he receives proper medical care. We ask that you keep us informed of his condition, including any progression of his symptoms. In addition, if you are contemplating any change in his location, including to a hospital, please let us know immediately. Mills said he has exchanged emails with the former commissioner and county Democratic Party chairman every day for the past two months but has not heard from him since Friday, when he disclosed the positive test result. Dimoras current condition wasnt immediately clear, though Mills said Dimora wrote in an email that he did not feel ill as of early last week. The Federal Bureau of Prisons media office did not immediately respond to an email. Dimora is serving a 28-year prison sentence for racketeering and dozens of other federal convictions. Prosecutors at his 2012 trial portrayed him as the embodiment of the pay-to-play system that was rampant in the county for decades, saying he took bribes and received lavish treatment in exchange for influence. He has served more than eight years of his sentence and is not slated for release until 2036. Mills in April argued to a federal appeals court in Cincinnati that the former commissioner should receive a new trial and said the instructions the jury received before deliberating at his trial were faulty. He was one of the most powerful people to be convicted as part of a years-long federal probe into county corruption. Dozens of elected officials, contractors and government employees were sentenced as part of the sprawling investigation, and Dimora received the longest sentence of any of them. His former friend, former county Auditor Frank Russo, was released from a medical prison in North Carolina to home confinement earlier this month because of the virus. Elkton a low-security compound located in Columbiana County, about 100 miles southeast of Cleveland has become a national example for how quickly the coronavirus can spread in prisons, where inmates often have no choice but to live in close quarters and may lack access to adequate medical care. The main facility and a satellite prison house more than 2,300 male inmates. In addition to the nine deaths, 163 inmates were positive for the virus as of Sunday, along with eight staff members, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Seventy-two inmates have recovered, as have 45 staff members. The virus and officials response to it prompted the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio to sue the prisons bureau to force it to take more drastic steps. U.S. District Judge James Gwin in Cleveland ordered the prisons bureau in April to either release or transfer inmates particularly susceptible to illness associated with the virus. Dimora is on a list of more than 800 inmates that officials deemed at risk. Gwin wrote Tuesday that the prisons bureaus response to his April order was lacking, ordering it to speed up efforts and relax requirements for inmates who qualify for home confinement. Mills argued that Dimora fits the criteria for home confinement that Attorney General William Barr outlined in an effort to reduce the incarcerated federal inmate population, including that he is a nonviolent offender and had no incident reports in the past year. Despite that, officials have refused to release the former commissioner. Williams wrote in a May 12 letter that prison officials determined that Dimora is not eligible for home confinement. Its frustrating because we feel like this just didnt need to happen, Mills said of Dimoras testing positive. Read more: Judge: BOP hasnt complied with order to address coronavirus at Ohio federal prison Corrupt former Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo released from federal prison amid coronavirus pandemic Ninth inmate dies of coronavirus at Elkton federal prison in Ohio Jimmy Dimora among 837 Elkton inmates eligible for release, transfer due to coronavirus per federal judges order Federal judge orders Elkton prison officials to clear out vulnerable inmates because of coronavirus Appeals court entertains arguments on whether Jimmy Dimora should receive new trial Groups seek release of hundreds of inmates from Ohio federal prison where 3 inmates died from coronavirus U.S. attorney general says officials must prioritize releasing inmates at federal prison in Ohio due to coronavirus outbreak Jimmy Dimora sentenced to 28 years in prison, defense attorney calls it a death sentence Well-spaced faithful have gathered in St. Peter's Square for the first time in months for the traditional Sunday papal blessing. They cast their gaze at the window where the pope normally addresses the faithful. Pope Francis has been delivering the blessing from inside the Apostolic library during the epidemic. Francis recalled his scheduled visit on Sunday to the Naples area to draw attention to environmental damage caused by toxic-waste dumping by the mob. The visit - canceled during the pandemic - was timed to mark the fifth anniversary of his ecological manifesto, and the pope announced a year of reflection on his 2015 environmental encyclical, ''Praised Be.'' Francis came to the window and waved to the people in the piazza at the end of the blessing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking off from Mojave Air and Space Port, the plane headed west over the Pacific Ocean and turned south. At an altitude a bit below 35,000 feet, or about 6.5 miles up, Cosmic Girl flew upward at an angle and dropped LauncherOne. A few seconds later, the booster stage of the rocket was to be ignited, allowing the rocket to arc upward into the sky. (The jets 6.5-mile head start off the ground is not that much of a help, because it not does not have much upward velocity. The rocket still needs to accelerate to a speed of 18,000 miles per hour to achieve a stable orbit around Earth.) Will Pomerantz, vice president of special projects at Virgin Orbit, noted on Saturday that about half of maiden flights do not succeed. Although unsuccessful, the company said the data gathered would be useful for future launches. The ignition of the rocket engine, for instance the first time it will have been done in flight and not on a test stand on the ground is the key moment in this flight, Mr. Pomerantz said on Saturday. Why launch a rocket from an airplane? An airplane is essentially a mobile launchpad, enabling rocket launches from many more locations. If there is a thunderstorm, the jet can fly around or over it. And flying over the ocean immediately reduces the risk to people below if the rocket explodes. Boris Johnson talks at the final hustings of the Conservative leadership campaign at ExCeL London on July 17, 2019 in London, England. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) UK Plans to Phase Out Huawei From 5G Network, Reports Say Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Britain will develop plans to phase out telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co.s involvement in Britains 5G network in the wake of the CCP virus crisis, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported. Johnson has asked officials to make plans to reduce the Chinese companys involvement in British infrastructure to zero by 2023, the newspaper reported late on May 22. Downing Street declined to comment on the reports. This is potentially very good news indeed and shows that there is a significant re-evaluation of our relationship with China, Tory MP Bob Seely, a member of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, told local media. More generally, the evidence is now overwhelming that we need a root and branch reform of our attitude toward China. Huawei now needs to stop trying to dig its way into the UK network as it has been doing. British telecoms firms now need clear guidance so we can build an advanced comms future without high risk, hi-tech from authoritarian states. Huawei is part and parcel of the Chinese state. It is a high risk vendor in the UKs infrastructure. There should be no place for it. Huawei in our 5G network is bad for data privacy, bad for our security, bad for human rights: glad the government may now be thinking, no way Huawei. Tory MP Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, also commented on the governments plans, saying that Huawei is actually owned by the Chinese Communist Party. According to the Telegraph, Johnson is expected to boost trade talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in the aftermath of Britains departure from the European Union as Johnson moves to make the UK less reliant on foreign countries such as China for goods. Earlier on May 22, The Times reported that Johnson has instructed civil servants to make plans to end Britains reliance on China for vital medical supplies and other strategic imports. The policy has been dubbed Project Defend. Beijing is being criticized for its handling of the outbreak of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, which began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Beijing rejects claims from world governments that it wasnt transparent about the outbreak. The announcement is a U-turn for Britain, which in late April confirmed it would allow Huawei to have a role in building its 5G phone network, according to the deal struck by former Prime Minister Theresa May. Before the CCP virus pandemic, 36 Tory MPs had attempted to pressure the government against the deal, voicing concerns about security warnings from the United States and Australia about Huaweis lack of independence from the CCP and the PRC military. Britain decided in January to allow Huawei to participate in the network, on the condition that it was excluded from security-critical network functions and its involvement was capped at 35 percent. The United States has raised security concerns about Huawei equipment, and warned that allies that use it in their networks risk being cut off from valuable intelligence sharing feeds. The Epoch Times contributed to this report. Samsung Electronics NAND semiconductor plant in Xian, China. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics Conglomerates resume overseas plant operations By Kim Hyun-bin Major Korean conglomerates such as Samsung and LG Electronics are speeding up their moves to resume overseas plant operations in a bid to prepare for a pick-up in demand and put themselves on better footing in the post COVID-19 era. Industry watchers believe there could be large M&A deals to strengthen their market presence and a major expansion of plant production capacity to meet an expected rise in future demand. Korean firms have also been alerted over renewed tension between the U.S. and China, which could lead to a second trade war that could impact Korean firms operating in both markets. Samsung and LG Electronics have resumed operations at their India plants. On May 7, Samsung resumed its smartphone plant in Noida and its home appliance factory in Chennai on May 14. "The India plants are partially in operation, but with the recent resumption most of our overseas plants are in operation, except the Mexico plant which is currently under negotiation with the Mexican government," a Samsung Electronics official said. LG Electronics quickly followed suit, restarting its home appliance factories in Pune and Noida, India, on May 17 and 21, respectively. India imposed one of the strictest lockdowns due to the coronavirus but through negotiations eased the restrictions in the past few weeks, creating leeway for Korean conglomerates to normalize plant operations there. Deployment of key personnel to China has increased as the Chinese government also agreed to ease visa entry procedures for local conglomerates starting May 1. The Chinese government exempted Korean employees from a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine after they test negative for COVID-19 after entering the country. Major semiconductor, display and battery plants have been operating in China and most are under construction to increase production capacity. Since the easing of regulations, around 1,000 personnel in total from Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, LG Chem, LG Display and SK Innovation have been dispatched to their plants in China. Major battery giants have dispatched their personnel to extend production capacity at their factories to better meet the rising global demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries in which the market is expected surge in the coming years. LG Chem, Samsung SDI, and SK Innovation have dispatched technicians to swiftly construct new plants or to expand their factories in China. LG Chem, the world's leading battery firm, deployed 120 engineers to Nanjing on May 3 and is reviewing whether to send a second group later this month. Last year, the company announced a plan to spend 1.2 trillion won to build the Nanjing battery plant within this year. SK Innovation also deployed 120 engineers to Yancheng to complete the construction of two battery factories within in this year. The company has partnered with China's EVE Energy to construct a 20 gigawatt-hour (GWh) to 25 gigawatt-hour battery plant. Since April, Samsung Electronics has dispatched a total of 500 employees to its semiconductor plants in China. Samsung has been expanding its V-NAND flash production and has a second plant under construction in Xian. The first plant covers over 20 percent of the company's global NAND production. The citizens of Kapan gathered in front of the local police station demand that Governor of Syunik Province come and clarify the information that is at their disposal. Based on our information, this is political persecution. Let the regional governor come and explain why the boys were detained, exposed to violence and why police want to transport them to Yerevan when there is a place for detainees in Syunik Province and the investigation can be conducted by the regional investigative committee, one of the citizens said. Many citizens say Deputy Governor of Syunik Province Narek Babayan, who is a member of the ruling Civil Contract Party, has something to do with all this. Narek Babayan needs to resign, one of the citizens said. The citizens of Kajaran, who have been standing in front of the police station for several hours now, are certain that the police used violence against the apprehended citizens in an attempt to obtain testimonies from them against head of Kajaran town Manvel Paramazyan. As reported earlier, the situation in Kapan is tense. Several residents of Kajaran town have gathered in front of the police building with the demand to release their fellow citizens who were apprehended and later detained and not to transport them to Yerevan. According to the information of the relatives gathered in front of the building, the apprehended were beaten at the police station, but the police refute news about use of violence. There are three detainees, and another person by the name of Nver Khachatryan was apprehended by mistake and released. There are bruises on his body. The gathered demand that the arrestees arent transported to Yerevan and that the investigation is conducted in Syunik Province since they fear that the arrestees will be beaten more brutally in Yerevan. They threaten to close down roads. Head of Kajaran town Manvel Paramazyan has declared that this is political repression against him, adding that a few days ago police officers conducted searches in his apartment and his close ones apartments, after which residents of Kajaran were detained for no reason and through the use of violence. The Jammu and Kashmir administration has so far brought back 89,773 residents, who were stranded outside the Union territory, in 28 special trains, four flights and various buses. As per the official figures, the administration evacuated 66,024 residents through the Lakhanpur border in buses, bringing home 23,097 stranded people via special trains that arrived at Jammu and Udhampur railway stations. Besides this, 652 passengers, including students, were brought in special flights under the Vande Bharat mission. Around 650 stranded passengers entered through Lakhanpur from May 23 to May 24 morning, while 767 came in the 11th special train which arrived at the Jammu railway station on Sunday. About 408 passengers reached Udhampur railway station from Thane on Sunday. So far, 11 trains have ferried a total of 9,634 stranded persons to Jammu, while 13,463 passengers have reached Udhampur in 17 special trains so far. The official communique added that of the 66,024 returnees that entered through Lakhanpur till May 24, 15,491 came from Punjab, 20,344 from Himachal Pardesh, 21 from Andhra Pardesh, 6,479 from Delhi, 1,348 from Gujrat, 2,688 from Rajasthan, 3,784 from Haryana, 149 from Chattisgarh, 3,351 from Uttarakhand, 1007 from Maharashtra, 4,269 from Uttar Pradesh, 63 from Odisha, 252 from Assam and 982 from Madhya Pradesh. As many as 88 had come from Dehradun, 1,104 from Chandigarh, 682 from Telengana, 106 from Karnataka, 13 from Tamil Nadu, 52 from Chennai, 296 from Bihar, 155 from West Bengal, 26 from Jharkhand, 3 from Nepal and 3,271 from other states and UTs. Karachi: Pakistan charged MQM chief Altaf Hussain with treason for his inflammatory speech that incited party workers to attack media outlets here. Hussain, leader of Mutthaida-E-Qaumi Movement - the single largest party in Karachi, was accused of raising anti-Pakistan slogans at a protest rally that turned violent. Several journalists of various media organisation were attacked by the activists of the MQM. The protesters pelted stones and resorted to heavy aerial firing that killed one person and wounded others. Two cases have been filed against Hussain: one for treason for his anti-Pakistan speech to participants in the hunger strike organised by MQM and the other for inciting party workers to violent protests, Inspector General of Sindh AD Khawaja was quoted as saying by the Geo News. The case pertains to the attack on ARY News office, vandalising of property, arson and pelting of stones at police.MQM party workers took to streets yesterday after Hussain, in an address from London, incited them to storm media outlets and chant anti-Pakistan slogans during the hunger strike. The hunger strike was launched to protest the disappearance and arrest of their workers by the paramilitary rangers. Responding to the protests, paramilitary rangers launched a major offensive here and sealed offices of the party.The senior membership of MQM confirmed that they are no longer under the directive of Hussain. Senior MQM leader Farooq Sattar and other leaders said that in future the party would operate from Pakistan alone and that all decisions would be taken by the leadership in Pakistan and not from London from where Hussain has controlled the MQM for years now. The MQM should operate from Pakistan alone, Sattar said. We totally disassociate ourselves from the violence that took place in Karachi yesterday. It is totally against our policy to use violence to achieve our ends, he added. Altaf Hussain and the entire party are being ridiculed due to these statements, Sattar added.Enough is enough we cannot side with anti-Pakistan statements or ideology, said another MQM leader Aamir Liaquat Hussain. The MQM remains the single largest party in Karachi for decades now and have dominated the political landscape for years sweeping provincial and national elections but since the clean-up operation began on the orders of the centre, the party has come under intense pressure. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Memorial Day Weekend is usually a time in which banner planes buzz up and down the Jersey Shore advertising drink specials, pizza deals or local businesses to the sun-seekers below. On Sunday in the Wildwoods, a few went political, apparently over the reopening of most Jersey Shore beaches from months-long coronavirus restrictions. One aimed at Gov. Phil Murphy said: Murphys mom voted for Guadagno. (Murphy ran against Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno in 2017. His mother, Dorothy, died nine years before that election.) And another said, "Tom Wolf likes to color - an apparent reference to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfs color-coded reopening plan. Wolf was at odds with fellow Democrat Murphy last week, saying Pennsylvania residents should stay away from the Jersey Shore and Maryland beaches. I am not sure why the governors of Maryland and New Jersey have opened their beaches, but they have...I wouldnt go to the beach," Wolf said. A second plane flew past the North Wildwood beach Sunday, pulling a sign saying "Wolf likes to color" An employee at Paramount Air Service, an aerial advertising company, confirmed to NJ Advance Media a client had paid for the two signs to fly along the coast, but would not disclose more information. Further north, in Sea Isle City, beachgoers saw planes that displayed, "Resist Murphy, and Wolf is the Nerd King. Political advertisements on Jersey Shore banner planes are common, particularly closer to Labor Day as election season heats up. A few businesses have garnered media attention for opening before New Jersey restrictions allow, and on Monday, a rally in Point Pleasant Beach will call for businesses deemed nonessential top reopen. Apparently the banner planes in Sea Isle arent happy with the Governor of Pennsylvania ... this sign was preceded by a Resist Murphy banner plane ... weird times indeed pic.twitter.com/Grc0TKxYVy SteveB (@SJB414) May 23, 2020 Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. New York state reported its lowest number of daily coronavirus deaths in weeks in what Gov. Andrew Cuomo described Saturday as a critical benchmark. The daily death tally was 84 after a peak of 799 on April 8. Reducing the state's daily death count to fewer than 100 seemed almost impossible several weeks ago, the Democratic governor said. That figure has remained stubbornly high even amid other signs of encouragement. In my head, I was always looking to get under 100, Cuomo said. For me, it's a sign that we're making real progress. The number of hospitalized patients in the state that has been the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. continued to fall, dropping to over 4,600. Cuomo also announced that the region along the Hudson River north of New York City and south of Albany is set to begin reopening Tuesday, and that Long Island could follow suit Wednesday. UAE-based software engineer Fariyal Shaikh shows me a picture of her six-year-old Ayeshas henna, She asked for Corona 2020 and Ana (from Disneys Frozen) for henna this time, so I bought a stencil. The reason for little Ayeshas request, Her 9-year-old cousin in Bombay put a similar design on her hand because she is so upset that Corona has ruined her Eid, so Ayesha is showing solidarity, albeit the Ana is her own addition. When asked what a typical Eid is usually like in her home, the mother of two reminisces, I remember growing up, all of my siblings and I would go with Abba in the last two weeks of Ramadan to buy our Eid clothes, wed all each get two outfits, a pair of shoes, accessories, watches, you name it, we would buy to our hearts content since Amma said that Allah does not take into account what you buy for Eid, so get all your new things now. I dont know if that is true, but it sure felt great to have untethered access to my fathers wallet for that day. My father would then arrange for somebody to come and apply henna to the ladies of the house, sometimes if we didnt get anyone we would do it ourselves, staying up all night, bubbling with excitement about the next day. My siblings and I would arrange their clothes and shoes in the study, living room and the dining area the night before, the excitement of Eid is indescribable, it used to be at least. When youre just a kid, you wake up to your mother cooking Biryani, Nihari and Sheer Korma (Sweet vermicelli), the smells take over the entire house. But the rule always was that you get cleaned first, dress up, pray Eid ki namaz (Eid prayers) and then you get to feast to your hearts content. It was so funny, we would all be so uncomfortable eating food the first day after Ramadan was over. It felt very haram. We would host a party at home every year, all our friends and relatives would come over, on the first day its usually some of your relatives and all your non-Muslim friends, as all Muslims prefer to host their own Eid gatherings. The best part as a kid was always the Eidi (token money you get on Eid from your elders), be it gifts or money, but we did prefer those relatives that handed cash. I feel sad that my children wont be able to experience it this year, I hope it gets better next time. Ramadan is the holiest month for Muslims all around the world, during this month Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, practice self resolution, offer Salaat (prayers), give Zakaat (charity), improve the quality of their Imaan (faith), read the Quran, pray special prayers called Taraweeh, among other things, for a period of 29-30 days. This year most Gulf countries including the UAE and others (Malaysia, Europe, etc) are celebrating Eid, while in India it will be celebrated on May 25, i.e. tomorrow. Other than the spiritual aspect of Ramadan, there is also the social aspect, people often gather for prayers, meals, shopping and more. However this year amid the lockdowns on account of the coronavirus pandemic, Ramadan spirits have been dull. Ramadan ends with a grand feast and celebration, Eid ul Fitr, where Muslims go for prayers, get together to eat lavish delicacies during the daytime after a month of fasting, share gifts and visit their loved ones, but that seems unlikely this year. With Eid right around the corner, Muslims (especially children) around the world arent feeling too festive knowing that they wont be able to meet their loved ones or engage in any of the festivities of Eid like they usually do. Zoha Khan, the nine-year-old who inspired little Ayesha to draw the henna, speaks of her Eid plans (translated), I just drew Corona on my hand because everyone is always talking about it. It has made things very different, in a bad but also good way. Good because this Ramadan we got to help mom more in the kitchen. We didnt feel too bad about this situation during Ramadan since my sister Samara and I play at home. But for Eid we go to meet my grandparents, buy new clothes, get dressed up and get Eidi money from all our relatives and eat yummy things. But I wont be able to go anywhere this time. Mom says its okay because we are helping a lot of people by not celebrating, and I will give some Zakaat from my savings to mom to buy something for Jyoti Didi (their house help). 11-year-old Malaysian national Zahaan Azam, an aspiring doctor has some noble plans this Eid, I cant do anything this year, we usually go to Dadas house for Eid dressed in Baju Melayu (traditional Malay attire), meet our relatives and friends there, eat and get lots of gifts and money. But theres a lot of people who havent been able to go home at all, like the security guards where I stay. So mom and I have decided to spread some Eid cheer by sharing our Biryani and Sheer Korma with them, from a safe distance of course. We will distribute food and some money among all the staff that have been working here. Zahaan Azam at last years Eid celebrations with his grandfather and younger brother. Delhi girl and content creator Farzeen Ali who is away from her family in Mumbai currently plans on recreating all the delicacies that are made back at home so she doesnt miss her family too much. The 26-year-old says, I have been cooking for a while now but even for Iftaar I made sure that I cooked things my folks would have. Ill definitely miss being with my family on Eid, I will miss getting Eidi and wearing new clothes. I think Ill just have a big virtual Eid wishing call with my family but I will definitely be eating Eid food like them. I know Eid isnt the time to try something for the first time ever, but I will, and make Biryani using my moms recipe. I am a little stressed about that. Farzeen Ali during previous Eid celebrations. (Farzeen Ali) She adds, Because of the lockdown, things arent as easily available so Ive been stocking up since weeks to ensure I have all my ingredients in place. Ill make the whole spread, Biryani, Kebabs, Sevaiyan, Sheer Korma, all of it. I really want it to be perfect, and even thought of making practice batches but didnt want to waste food. I dont know why I want it to be perfect its not like theres anyone else who will eat it, but Eid needs to feel like Eid. So at least if the food is perfect, it will feel that way. Mumbai based make-up artist Midhat Contractor has been donating to local mosques to help migrant Muslims who are stranded on account of the pandemic and is most upset by the cancellation of Eid prayers, she says, Im sad that there will be no Eid ki Namaz this year, I think that has to be what I will miss the most. There is no excitement for Eid like there usually is as we wont be able to meet relatives, buy new clothes or get henna drawn, but the situation of all those who are stranded away from their homes is so much worse, that our problems seem like nothing. Jewellery designer and mother of two Shahida Parekh is sad about missing Eid prayers, she says, The spirit of Ramadan always remains high in all of us but this time the environment has been quite grim. The festivities may have reduced but the praying definitely increased. We dont mind staying home and praying honestly, but Eid will be hard. This year, Eid will be more virtual than ever as I will be meeting my relatives and friends on video calls, something I have only done excessively since the lockdown. Eid will be much simpler this year. We wont be going outside the house, nor will the iconic Eid ki Namaz take place so we will pray at home. And of course, for children who do not completely understand the gravity of the situation, it will be very tough too. They are devastated about missing all their Eidi. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Amid concerns over changes in labour laws in various states, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Sunday said reforms do not mean complete abolition of labour laws and that the central government is committed to protecting the interests of workers. In recent weeks, various state governments, including Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, have either made amendments or proposed changes to existing labour laws as part of larger efforts to help businesses that have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. "I have just noticed that the Union Ministry of Labour is firming up its stance to tell the states that they cannot abolish labour laws because India is a signatory to the International Labour Organization (ILO)," Kumar told PTI in an interview. "Therefore, it is clear that the Union government does not believe that the reform of labour laws implies complete lack of labour laws... The government is committed to protecting the interest of workers," he said. He was replying to a query on whether labour reforms by states like Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat can be done without creating some kind of social safety net for wokers. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government approved an ordinance to exempt various industries from certain labour laws for three years to revive the state's economic activities. Madhya Pradesh has also tweaked some labour laws amid the nationwide lockdown to spur economic activities. Some other states are also likely to follow suit. About the country's macroeconomic situation, Kumar said that just like the rest of the world, India is also suffering from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has resulted in serious loss of economic activities in the first two months of the first quarter of fiscal 2020-21, he said. Referring to RBI saying that the country's growth is likely to remain in the negative territory in the current fiscal, Kumar said, "the extent of that (negative growth) cannot be forecast at this point of time because there are too many unknowns, both in the domestic scene and in the global scene". On Friday, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said the impact of COVID-19 is more severe than anticipated and the GDP growth during 2020-21 is likely to remain in the negative territory. According to Kumar, the objective of the Rs 20 lakh crore-economic stimulus package announced by the government was to revive aggregate demand and not just consumer demand. "Huge amount of liquidity has been infused by the RBI and the Finance Minister's encouragement to all the banks to improve their credit flows means that it will help revive aggregate demand in the economy. "So, the key therefore is that the financial sector and especially banking sector now becomes less risk averse and improves the credit flow to the MSMEs as well other segments of economy. If that happens, then the demand will revive and we will see the revival of economic activities in the country," Kumar emphasised. On whether there should be monetisation of deficit by RBI, the Niti Aayog Vice Chairman said the government is looking at all possible options to finance the stimulus package. When asked about the possibility of companies shifting their operations from China to India, Kumar said, "if we get our act together and we get the right policies to target companies which are making plans to move out of China, I think there is no reason to believe that they will not shift to India". To curb spreading of coronavirus infections, India and many other countries have imposed lockdowns, which have also impacted economic activities. Kumar said coronavirus induced-lockdowns have impacted different sectors of the economy as well as the entire global economic and trade situation. The lockdown in India was imposed on March 25 and it has been extended thrice. The lockdown is to end on May 31. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Surinames president looked straight at the judge as she read his sentence for crimes committed during the 1982 political purge that cemented his grip on the small South American nation. You have been sentenced to 20 years in prison for committing murder, she said that day this past January, according to witnesses. The spectacle, virtually unheard-of for a sitting president, stunned the audience. For the president, Desi Bouterse, his conviction before a military court in Suriname was just the latest chapter in a four-decade battle to maintain power. Appealing the ruling and avoiding prison through presidential immunity, he is instead running for re-election. Mondays vote will be one of the biggest tests of his career. Amid an economic crisis and a pandemic, Surinamese will decide whether Mr. Bouterse, 74, will spend his twilight years ruling the country or serving time. New Delhi: Members of a local Ganesh Mandal in Pune, made the workers at a bakery to do sit-ups allegedly after they refused to pay donation for an upcoming festival, police said on Tuesday. A purported video of the incident, which occurred at a bakery in Bhosari area on August 15, has gone viral, while the three accused have been arrested, police said. According to an official of Bhosari police station, the accused went to the bakery and demanded 'vargani' (donation) of Rs. 151 from the workers for the Ganesh festival. The workers, who are non-Maharashtrians, said the owner of the shop was not there and hence they did not give the donation, the official said. Following the denial for donation, the accused, identified as Prakash Landage (30), Ganesh Landage (30) and Mahesh Mare (31), abused the workers and later made them to do sit-ups, the official said. A complaint was filed by one of the workers, Irshad Mommammed Ayub Khan, and a case under IPC sections 294 (obscene act or words in public), 341 (wrongful confinement), 385 (extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation) was registered, the official said, adding investigations are underway. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. TORONTO, May 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kinross Gold Corporation (TSX:K; NYSE:KGC) announced today that the strike by unionized employees at its Tasiast mine has been suspended at the request of the Government of Mauritania. The recent shutdown, which began on May 5th and ended today, is not expected to materially affect 2020 production or the development of the 24k expansion. The Company has adhered to the three-year collective labour agreement finalized in Q4 2019, all applicable labour codes, and rigorously complied with all government mandates related to COVID-19 prior to the strike and will continue to do so going forward. While the Company disagrees with the basis for the strike, it remains open to discussions with the staff delegates. About Kinross Gold Corporation Kinross is a Canadian-based senior gold mining company with mines and projects in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Ghana, Mauritania, and Russia. Kinross maintains listings on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbol:K) and the New York Stock Exchange (symbol:KGC). Media Contact Louie Diaz Senior Director, Corporate Communications phone: 416-369-6469 louie.diaz@kinross.com Investor Relations Contact Tom Elliott Senior Vice-President, Investor Relations and Corporate Development phone: 416-365-3390 tom.elliott@kinross.com Cautionary statement on forward-looking information All statements, other than statements of historical fact in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of certain securities laws, including the provisions of the Securities Act (Ontario) and the provisions for "safe harbor" under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this news release. The words continue, "development", and "expect" or variations of or similar such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results will affect, or will occur or result, and similar such expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Kinross as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. These uncertainties and contingencies can affect, and could cause, Kinross' actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward looking statements made by, or on behalf of, Kinross. There can be no assurance that forward looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. All of the forward looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those made in our filings with the securities regulators of Canada and the U.S, including but not limited to those made in the "Risk Analysis" section of our full year 2019 management's discussion and analysis, the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Information Form dated March 30, 2020 and the Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information in our news release dated May 5, 2020. These factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect Kinross. Kinross disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. Other information Where we say "we", "us", "our", the "Company", or "Kinross" in this news release, we mean Kinross Gold Corporation and/or its applicable subsidiary(ies). Source: Kinross Gold Corporation iStock / Getty Images Plus While I am grateful for all the heroes who have been, and still are, working in hospitals and food stores, Im equally thankful for the reporters and editors of our daily and weekly newspapers and of WAMC. In addition to gathering and reporting on what is going on in our hometowns and across the state, the members of the press investigate statements given out by government and business, protecting us from those who would enrich themselves and hurt our communities. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 19:20:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on May 24, 2020 shows an empty amusement park during the Eid al-Fitr festival due to the impact of COVID-19 in Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait. The Kuwaiti government has imposed a full curfew in the country to curb the rapid rise in coronavirus cases. (Photo by Asad/Xinhua) KUWAIT CITY, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait on Sunday reported 838 new cases of COVID-19 and eight more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 21,302 and the death toll to 156, the health ministry said in a statement. Currently, 15,029 patients are receiving treatment, including 177 in ICU, according to the statement. The ministry also announced the recovery of 370 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 6,117. The Kuwaiti government has imposed a full curfew in the country to curb the rapid rise of coronavirus cases. On March 13, Kuwait suspended all commercial flights. The government also closed stores, malls and barbershops in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. Enditem Employees are under health tests before resuming work in Wuhan. [Xinhua/Zhang Chang] Video PlayerClose BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) Before resuming operation, Huang Jing's company in Wuhan, a city once hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, arranged two rounds of nucleic acid tests and one blood antibody test for all employees. "Last Sunday, I did another throat swab and antibody tests in the community," said the 29-year-old woman who returned to work in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, in mid-April from her hometown in Henan Province. The company and the community are still very strict in epidemic prevention and control, requiring all employees and residents to show their health code and take their body temperature every day, she said. Through arduous efforts, China has achieved decisive results in the fight against COVID-19 to protect hard-hit Hubei and its capital city Wuhan. The nation has also made major strategic strides in curbing the spread of the virus with positive results in coordinating the epidemic control and economic and social development. With hard-earned achievements, Chinese authorities demand regular prevention and control measures while speeding up production resumption. "Anti-epidemic work has yielded favorable results," said Wang Xueli, Party secretary of Wuhan's Dongting community. The gate of the community has not been fully opened, with staff on duty 24 hours a day. Residents need to wear a mask and have their body temperature measured when entering or leaving the community, while outsiders are required to register at the gate. "Many volunteers have joined us in epidemic prevention and control, helping us to form a long-term anti-epidemic mechanism from the door of every household to the gate of our community," Wang said. Local authorities in Huimin County, east China's Shandong Province, have been battling against the epidemic through digital means, integrating "big data and grid-based" measures. Huimin has developed a service platform that can show information about 9,589 points set in the county. People have to scan QR codes when passing through these points to ensure travel records of COVID-19 cases can be traceable. "I think the epidemic prevention and control measures have been part of our life and work," said Ge Chang, a doctor at Liyuan Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. "But the alarm bell is still ringing. If I went out without a mask now, I'd feel scared." The doctor said compared with a month ago, when the hospital just resumed normal medical treatment, the number of patients in the ward has greatly increased, with CT, antibody and nucleic acid tests required for inpatients. China has released a circular requiring strengthened infection control in medical institutions and better implementation of the epidemic prevention and control work on a regular basis. Shanghai's fever clinics will gradually increase their capacity to conduct nucleic acid tests to ensure all patients that require the test are able to do so in time, according to the municipal health commission. With epidemic prevention measures, most major enterprises in China have resumed operations. Tourist sites have reopened and diners reappeared in restaurants. As of May 11, over 100 million students nationwide have resumed classes. Some primary, middle school and university students across the country have returned to campus. In Beijing, more students are expected to return to school in early June. Miao Wei, minister of industry and information technology, said 99.1 percent of Chinese industrial enterprises with an annual business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.82 million U.S. dollars) had resumed production as of Monday and about 95.4 percent of employees in such enterprises have returned to work. (Source: Xinhua) Kanpur : , May 24 (IANS) A migrant worker riding pillion on a two-wheeler from Gurugram in Haryana to his home in Bihar, died when he dozed off on the motorbike and fell off. His nephew Satish also lost balance and fell down. Both received serious head injuries and Ratiram, 36, died on the spot while Satish is in hospital with critical injuries. The incident took place on the Yashoda Nagar highway on Saturday. According to reports, Ratiram and his nephew Satish, residents of the Supaul district of Bihar, used to work in a factory in Gurugram. After the lockdown, they lost their jobs and finally decided to return to their home. They left on their motorcycle from Gurugram on Saturday after they failed to get another other means of transport. Naubasta inspector Ashish Shukla said that their families have been informed and are on their way to Kanpur. "The body has been shifted to the mortuary and the autopsy will be conducted only after his family members arrive from Bihar," the inspector said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text On Friday, more than 330,000 COVID-19 infections have been reported in Brazil, eventually surpassing Russia as the nation with the second-highest rate of COVID-19 infections around the world behind the U.S., as the Americas arose as the new pandemic epicentre. According to the health ministry, Brazil reported 1,001 daily fatalities from coronavirus on Friday, increasing the number of deaths to 21,048. The actual number of infections and fatalities, nevertheless, is likely to be higher as the top economy in Latin America has been slow to speed up coronavirus screening. The number of deaths in Brazil seems to be currently the sixth highest worldwide, just behind the United States, Britain, Italy, Spain, as well as France. However it is not anticipated that the outbreak will peak in Brazil until June. The alarming turning point on Friday emerged as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared South America as the "new epicenter" of the viral disease, with the director of emergencies at the World Health Organization, Mike Ryan, sharing his worry for Brazil. "In a sense, South America has become a new epicentre for the disease. We have seen many South American countries with increasing numbers of cases," Ryan stated in a virtual press conference. "Clearly there is a concern across many of those countries, but clearly the most affected is Brazil at this point." Check these out: The use of anti-malarial drugs The Brazilian Ministry of Health has approved the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine- an anti-malarial drug to combat even minor cases of COVID-19-treatments that President Jair Bolsonaro has campaigned for despite the lack of concrete evidence of their efficacy. On Friday, a research published in the medical journal The Lancet discovered that patients medicated with the drugs presented a higher chance of death compared to those who had not received these drugs. The two medications are one of the handful clinical trials coordinated by the WHO to seek successful treatments for the infection. In 320 facilities in 17 countries about 3,000 patients are taking part in the clinical trials. Moreover, Ryan emphasised that neither the chloroquine nor the hydroxychloroquine has shown to be successful in the prevention of COVID-19 or even in the disease prevention. "Our current clinical and systematic reviews carried out by the Pan American Health Organization, and the current clinical evidence, does not support the widespread use of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19 - not until the trials are completed and we have clear results," Ryan stated. The COVID-19 response of Bolsonaro In a prominent medical study, President Jair Bolsonaro has been identified as "perhaps the biggest threat" to the capability of Brazil to combat the coronavirus outbreak effectively, just as the nation recorded its highest daily death toll. Bolsonaro, who alluded to the outbreak as a "mere cold" and who met with his followers without wearing a mask, stated that the quarantine initiatives' economic effects will be more dangerous than the virus itself. In addition to this, he has also supported and encouraged citizens to disobey the social distancing directives that state governors have implemented, urging people to return to work and participate in public gatherings despite the increasing rate of infections and fatalities. Tamil Nadu has come up with additional guidelines for people who plan to fly down to the state from Monday onwards when flight services stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic will resume after two months. This comes after Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had written to aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri, requesting him to avoid domestic flights into the state till May 31. The ministry of civil aviation has also issued instructions to be followed by passengers and major stakeholders, including airport operators, for compliance. The states standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be in addition to the instructions of the civil aviation ministry and include a 14-day home quarantine for asymptomatic fliers and institutional isolation for those without facilities for home quarantine. All domestic air travellers coming into Tamil Nadu will also have to register themselves on the TNePass portal, the state government said, according to news agency ANI. Karnataka, Punjab, and Kerala have decided on a 14-day quarantine for domestic passengers, with variations. Karnatakas is restricted to travellers from areas with a high incidence such as Delhi; Punjab and Kerala have mandated a 14-day quarantine for anyone entering the state on any means of transport. Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana are also considering quarantines. Following are the guidelines issued for domestic air travellers coming to Tamil Nadu: 1. It is mandatory for all the domestic air travellers flying into Tamil Nadu to register their details online in TNePass Portal. After obtaining the flight tickets, the travellers shall register their details TNe-pass portal following the link https://tnepass.tnega.org duly selecting the airport of arrival in Tamil Nadu. [in TN epass portal select Flight Train registration, fill in their details and Submit) 2. The passenger while applying for TN epass shall give the declaration to the following effect, for getting TN epass: * I/We am/are not residing in any containment zone * I/We am/are not suffering from any fever cough any respiratory distress. * I/We am/are not under quarantine. * If I/We develop any of the above-mentioned symptoms we shall contact the concerned health authorities immediately. * I/We have not tested COVID-19 positive in last two months. * I/We am/are eligible to travel as per the extant norms. * I/We make my mobile number/contact details available to the TN epass. * I/We understand that if I/We undertake the air journey on false information, without meeting the eligibility criteria, I/We would be liable to penal action. * I/We undertake to adhere to the health protocol and quarantine norms prescribed by the Government of Tamil Nadu. 3. If more than one person travels in a group, the details of all persons shall be entered using the add family member option in the TNePass Portal. 4. Travel permit will be issued with a QR Code in the registered mobile number email. 5. The airline staff shall insist on the details of entry pass obtained from IN e pass before issuing the boarding pass. A separate request has been made to the airlines and operators Regarding this. 6. Travellers can use own vehicle or rented vehicle for travel from the airport to their home. The vehicle number must be indicated in the portal 7. Travellers on arrival in Tamil Nadu airport shall show the registration of TN e-Pass at the registration desk at the airport. Passengers who are without an entry in TN ePass will not be permitted to move out without making entry. District Collectors shall make available necessary infrastructure in the exit gates of airports to check and take followup action on this. 8. After undergoing medical screening for any symptoms of Covid-19, asymptomatic persons shall undergo home quarantine for 14 days. Travellers who register for institutional quarantine shall be sent for institutional quarantine (government or paid facility) 9. All persons entering the State shall remain under home quarantine for 14 days from the date of arrival. However, if the individual does not have facilities for home quarantine, he will be sent to institutional quarantine. He should indicate the same in the TNePass portal. 10. Pick up vehicles for arriving passengers will be permitted to enter Airport with one person (excluding driver of the vehicle) at a designated place subject to social distancing norms. If the persons who pick up the passenger comes into physical contact with the traveller, they shall also remain under Home Quarantine for 14 days. Infrastructure requirements at entry airports: a) Temperature checking must be carried out with Infrared thermometer b) There should be a proper queue system to reach the desks. e) All luggage should be disinfected by the airport authorities d) All the officials who directly deal with passengers shall use PPES, masks and protective gear e) All symptomatic passengers to be sent to Isolation facilities in a designated ambulance f) Staff must be exclusively posted for a period of two weeks for Airport surveillance and they must undergo two weeks home quarantine upon finishing duties g) Any COVID 19 related symptoms in health staff must be promptly reported to state and they must be tested with RT PCR h) All staff who are directly dealing with passengers shall use PPE/Masks i) Passengers must be made to walk to the health desks in a group of 20 maintaining proper social distancing j) Wheel Chair facility be made available for the needy. k) Public address systems to Airports may be used for informing the passengers of the details. l) Airport staff shall follow all the Covid-19 protocol Procedure for going out of Tamil Nadu: All domestic air travellers shall undergo medical screening as stipulated by Airport Authority and persons with symptoms will be sent to a health facility for testing and treatment. Only asymptomatic persons will be allowed to board the flight. Greek native Kevin Kourtis, 39, (pictured) died from multiple stab wounds after five people allegedly stormed his western Sydney home A manhunt has been launched for three members of a masked gang who allegedly stabbed a 39-year-old man to death when he opened the door to his home. Kevin Kourtis died from multiple stab wounds after five men allegedly stormed into his home in Riverstone in western Sydney at about 12.30am on Sunday. His female housemate, 34, was allegedly assaulted with the butt of a rifle and suffered minor injuries. Mr Kourtis' girlfriend, 43, was also at home during the violent home invasion but was uninjured. A 16-year-old and a 17-year-old who allegedly fled the scene by jumping over the property's back fence were arrested a few streets away from the Langton Street home about 1.10am. The pair were charged with murder on Sunday afternoon and refused bail. Police launched a widespread search in Riverstone following the fatal stabbing and arrested two male teens a short time later. They have both been charged with murder and refused bail They will face children's court on Monday. Police are still searching for three men who allegedly fled the scene in a car. Mr Kourtis is believed to have a minor criminal record, The Daily Telegraph reported. Detectives are meanwhile investigating whether the five men who allegedly stormed his home were known to him. Police conducted a search of the surrounding area with assistance from PolAir, the Dog Unit and the Public Order and Riot Squad. Two teens were later arrested in a nearby street Police were called to a home on Langton Street in Riverstone following reports of a home invasion Police have established four separate crime scenes which were being examined by specialist forensic officers on Sunday. Inquiries are continuing. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Kabul: A Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the terrorist organization Taliban have declared a three-day ceasefire on Saturday night, offering peace keeping in mind the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the festival of Eid. Soon after this announcement by the Taliban, President Ashraf Ghani announced via Twitter that the government of Afghanistan "offers peace". It is noteworthy that this step has been taken by both of them when US peace envoy Jalmi Khalilzad visited Kabul and Doha. During his visit, Khalilzad had urged both the Taliban and the Afghan government to reduce violence and move towards inter-Afghan dialogue, a key pillar of the US peace deal with the Taliban in February. The Taliban, while announcing the ceasefire, gave a message of Eid-ul-Fitr on behalf of their leader stating that the Taliban is committed to the peace deal and promised to protect the rights of women and men under the Islamic system. is. The Taliban, in its order, ordered the fighters to not only fight but also to treat the Afghan national security forces in a friendly manner. Also Read: People protests against lockdown in Spain US President Trump reaches golf club during national emergency Couple tied knot in Karnataka amid lockdown Italy extends lockdown as corona cases continue increasing Families in Ecuador desperately search for the remains of their loved ones, as hospitals and morgues become inundated with coronavirus victims. In Ecuador, families of coronavirus victims are desperately searching for their loved ones remains. Hundreds of bodies have never been identified, as hospitals, morgues and cemeteries become overwhelmed. In the city of Guayaquil, bodies have not been stored properly, and have started to decompose. Al Jazeeras Lucia Newman reports. WARNING: Some viewers may find some of the images distressing. Dear reader, After two months under the coronavirus shutdown, parts of central Pennsylvania are getting back to business this long holiday weekend. Its the prime time to add a new news page on PennLive this one devoted to Reopening PA. Our first priority will always be providing essential news and information to keep everyone healthy and safe during the pandemic. Were dedicating significant resources to that coverage. But we understand youre also eager to know how to navigate the new normal when traveling, shopping, returning to work or going out. The Reopening PA webpage is already loaded with updates on changing county restrictions, many local store hours, and available recreation options. Youll find info on state services from licensing centers to liquor stores. We look ahead with stories on subjects including safety protocols for casinos. And well provide broader examinations of the economic recovery across the region and the state as it progresses. PA Media Groups commitment to the community starts with this kind of quality journalism. Were also dedicated to helping small businesses through our #Rally4Local public service initiative. Check out the Rally website for easy to search listings from more than 450 area shops, restaurants and nonprofits. Youll find operating hours and contact info, takeout and delivery options, gift card offers and ways to make charitable donations. Or list your own small business on this virtual marketplace - its free! #Rally4Local is all about neighbor helping neighbor during these tough times. Even as Pennsylvania joins other parts of the country beginning to lift businesses restrictions, another 2.4 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week. The states jobless rate hit 15.1 percent in April, the highest in more than four decades. We also want to share the human stories that lie behind these devastating statistics. And were asking for your help. If you lost your job or were forced to permanently close your business or restaurant due to the economic meltdown and are open to sharing your experiences wed like to hear from you. We hope to follow a midstate family throughout the year as they work to recover from the financial blow caused by this pandemic. Interested persons should contact me at cbarron@pennlive.com. As always, thank you for reading and subscribing to The Patriot-New and PennLive. Wishing you a safe start to summer, Cate Barron President, PennLive & The Patriot-News The Mumbai police on Sunday issued an advisory warning netizens and social media-users of strict action if they disseminate fake news, rumours, misinformation in connection withe coronavirus outbreak. The advisory said such content can cause panic among people, and incite mistrust towards government functionaries trying to control the outbreak, an official said. "All persons designated as admin on messaging and social media platforms shall be held responsible for any such information being disseminated in a group administered by them," the official said. The diktat will come into force from Monday and violators will be booked under section 188 of IPC for disobedience to official order, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two Chinese nationals who were arraigned for allegedly offering bribe to an official of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have been granted bail by the Sokoto state high court. Abdullahi Lawal, head of EFCC zonal office in Sokoto state, had paraded the two foreigners, Meng Wei Kun and Xu Kuoi of China Zhounghao Nigeria Limited, a construction company, for offering N100m bribe to cover-up an investigation against their company. The Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI), Zaria branch, says research has shown that there is high rate of infant and maternal mortality owing to prolonged lockdown imposed on Kaduna state. The JNI disclosed this know during a press briefing by the Chairman and Secretary of the society, Abdullahi Yahaya and Mahmud A. Abdullahi, respectively. Senate president Ahmed Lawan has taken to his official Twitter handle to wish Muslims a happy Eid-el-Fitri as they end their Ramadan fasting on Saturday.Lawan in his message urged Muslims to continue to observe the health precautions and sustain the acts of purity as they did during the holy month. Advertisement Despite threats issued by the Kaduna State government, health workers in the state have commenced a 7-day warning strike over unresolved issues the State Government. This was made known in a communique issued at the end of the joint meeting of Kaduna State Healthcare Workers Unions and Associations. Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), has issued a procedure for the removal of heads of public agencies in the country. This was contained in the circular issued on Tuesday, May 19.This came after the Minister of Power Sale Mamman, announced the removal of Usman Mohammed as managing director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). A popular social media commentator, Reno Omokri has once again attacked President Muhammadu Buhari. The popular speaker in his criticism opined that Buharis administration only has poverty acceleration programs instead of poverty alleviation programs. President Muhammadu Buhari says Muslims must keep their spirits high despite the coronavirus pandemic. Buhari in his Sallah message to Muslims on the occasion of Eid-el-Fitr, said for the first time in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the peoples spiritual, social and economic lives. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has asked Nigerians to continue to abide by the guidelines issued by health authorities as COVID-19 is a test from God. Atiku made this known in his Sallah message to Nigerians, saying the guidelines are for the benefit of Nigerians and the world at large. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has maintained that churches will not open, despite increased pressure from leaders and members. This was contained in a statement signed by CAN President, Rev. Supo Ayokunle, on Friday. According to Ayokunle, the relaxation of lockdown had seen the country witnessed more coronavirus infection. An Islamic Scholar, Malam Bello Yabo has been arrested for allegedly making disparaging remarks against the Governor of Kaduna state, Malam Nasir El-rufai. The Islamic scholar based in Sokoto was reportedly arrested around 4pm on Friday and was transported to Kaduna where he would be charged, Daily Trust reports. Kabiru Rabiu Dansitta, reportedly the index COVID-19 case in Kano, says it is possible he contracted the disease in the state, and not that he brought the virus there. The states index case was reported to have tested positive on April 11. However, while speaking with Daily Trust, he said he had spent 12 days in the state before he went for a test. Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello has described the judgment of the Election Tribunal upholding his election as a re-affirmation of his landmark victory on the 16th of November, 2019.Speaking in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Onogwu Muhammad, Saturday, the governor said the judgment is a validation of the peoples mandate and an added impetus to his drive to do more for the good people of Kogi State. Lucknow, May 24 : The corona pandemic in Uttar Pradesh is now shifting patterns. Apart from cities like Lucknow, Kanpur in central Uttar Pradesh and Ghaziabad and Greater Noida in the western part of the state that continue to throw up new cases every day, it is now cities and semi-urban centres in eastern side of the state that are turning into corona hotspots. This is mainly due to the large number of the migrant workers who have arrived in this region during the past ten days. State health minister Jai Pratap Singh has said that 1,423 migrant workers who returned to Uttar Pradesh in recent days, have tested positive for corona. This constitutes 40 per cent of the total cases in the eastern region of Uttar Pradesh, he said. The Sultanpur district which had only five cases of corona, now has 41 cases, 15 of which were reported on Saturday. In Jaunpur district, 43 migrant workers have tested positive while in Barabanki that reported 95 corona positive cases in a day on May 21, 49 were migrant workers. In Jaunpur, 43 migrant workers who had returned last week, were tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Friday, taking the district's total to 91. Most of them had come back from Maharashtra. Siddhartha Nagar, which was corona free till last month, now has 77 cases after the migrant influx began. In Azamgarh, at least 10 out of 31 corona positive cases are migrant workers who have returned from Maharashtra. Districts like Sant Kabir Nagar, Varanasi, Ballia and Chandauli have also reported a spurt in corona cases after the return of migrant workers. All 75 districts in the state are now affected by corona. State minister for health, Jai Pratap Singh said, "Most of the migrants who were infected have returned from states like Maharashtra and Gujarat. We have increased our daily testing capacity to over 7,000 samples." He said that according to estimates, around 17 lakh migrant workers have returned to Uttar Pradesh via trains and buses. He said that samples of over 50,000 have been tested so far. A senior official in the health department, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the spurt in cases was mainly due to those migrant workers who had travelled on foot and had managed to escape medical screening. "Lakhs of migrants have come by trains and buses and an equal number -- if not more --have come on foot or by cycles, autos and trucks. They have evaded medical screenings and their entry into the state is not recorded. Majority of them have not quarantined themselves and this is causing the spread of the corona infection," he said. Talking about the new pattern of corona spread which is centered around eastern Uttar Pradesh, the official said that since this region was comparatively backward, a large population had migrated to other states in the past years. "Maximum number of private security guards and taxi drivers in Mumbai are from this region. Now that they are returning in large numbers, many of them are bringing the infection with them. Moreover, many of them are malnourished and have low immunity levels, which makes them increasingly susceptible to the infection," he said. SSC chairman B R Sharma, who had recently asked the government to relieve him from the post within a month of getting two-year extension, has been appointed as the chief of Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission, a Personnel Ministry statement said on Saturday. A 1984 batch IAS (retired) officer of Jammu and Kashmir cadre, Sharma served as the chief secretary in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir before proceeding on deputation to the central government. He was in October 2019 appointed as the chairman of the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and was re-employed by the Centre for two years after his superannuation on April 30, 2020. Recently, Sharma put in a request to the Department of Personnel & Training for being relieved from the post of chairman SSC, the Personnel Ministry statement said, without giving further details. On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu appointed him as the chairman of J-K PSC till he attains 62 years of age. Newly appointed chairman of Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission (PSC), B R Sharma called on Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Jitendra Singh here today, the statement said. While wishing good luck to Sharma, Singh expressed the need to promptly revive the recruitment process to various posts in the new Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. He said, as chairman PSC of the new Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, Sharma has crucial responsibility ahead, for which his long administrative experience and knowledge of Jammu & Kashmir will be of help. Sharma thanked the minister for his continued support and guidance. He also thanked the minister for advising him during his tenure as chairman SSC while handling some of the crucial decisions pertaining to the selection process and other related matters, it said. Sharma also gave Singh an update of the current status of the various selection processes under SSC which had got disturbed due to COVID-19 pandemic. He said, it had been an honour for him to serve in the highly important position of chairman SSC, particularly at a time when the Government of India is seeking to bring in maximum transparency and objectivity in selection to various governments posts, the statement added. Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-24 19:39:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANGKOK, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Old-fashioned massage and spa parlors might reopen shortly among other businesses in Thailand under strict anti-pandemic measures, said a senior government official on Sunday. The Disease Control Department's deputy director general Thanarak Phliphat said some categories of business, officially considered "fairly risky" to COVID-19 infection, might probably be allowed to reopen by the end of this month. The categories of business which might enjoy the gradual easing of anti-pandemic measures include old-fashioned massage, better known as "Nuad Thai", and spa parlors nationwide, Thanarak said. However, they will be legally obliged to strictly observe social distancing order among their clients otherwise they could possibly be ordered to close again at any time, he commented. While the categories of business, officially deemed as "fairly risky" to infection, might probably reopen, those officially deemed as "highly risky" will not be allowed to follow suit as yet, according to the the deputy department chief. The Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), headed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, is scheduled in the next few days to consider allowing the reopening of the "fairly risky" businesses, he said. The "fairly risky" and "highly risky" categories of business include movie theaters, stadiums, conference and exhibition centers, amusement parks, bars, karaoke lounges, water sport facilities, bowling lanes and skating rinks, among other public venues. The CCSA earlier allowed the reopening of the relatively "slightly risky" categories of business, including open-air marketplaces, department stores, discount stores, grocery stores, hair salons and barbershops as well as restaurants and food shops where one customer may be seated about two meters apart from another under social distancing rule. Enditem Have you ever wondered how forks ended up with four tines, where to store off-season clothes when you live in a small space, or why there's green felt on pool tables? These books have answers. "Home: A Short History of an Idea," by Witold Rybczynski Walk into any flea market and you'll find crafts stitched with aphorisms like "Home sweet home" and "Home is where the heart is." But what do we really mean when we talk about the place where we eat and sleep? What elevates a shelter to a refuge? In this extended essay, an architect reflects on such questions, considering not just a building's structure but what we ask it to hold: light, air, comfort, privacy and intimacy. From the manor halls of the Middle Ages to contemporary dwellings crammed with stuff, Rybczynski examines five centuries of homes, pausing at the intersection of form and function to pose yet another question: How do we want to live now? "The Making of Home: The 500-Year Story of How Our Houses Became Our Homes," by Judith Flanders Flanders' book "isn't just smart and diverting but also brave," our reviewer wrote. "It's good to be reminded that in the 1650s the grandest drawing rooms of London held very large beds, with no hint of impropriety; this was public furniture. ... Good, too, to remember the deep meaning of curtains and how a few hundred miles could change it entirely. In Germany, they were the mark of an orderly household with not too much light, but in the Netherlands Calvinists were apt to let their goods, the signs of God's favor, be seen from the street." Flanders leads a house tour that traverses continents, centuries and social classes. No detail is too small, no ceiling too high to escape her scrutiny. "Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House," by Cheryl Mendelson Mendelson's 72-chapter, information-crammed, yellow-spined bible of domestic life has been a presence on bookshelves since 1999. For years, it was a staple at bridal showers and the perfect gift for a niece who just signed a lease on her first apartment. The recipient would skim the table of contents, exclaiming over the chapters he or she (but, let's face it, usually she) couldn't wait to read "Stimulating Beverages," "Electrical Safety," "Beds and Bedding" and then onto the shelf the book would go. Now is the time to pull it down. Mendelson not only teaches you how to clean your refrigerator, launder your clothes and make sense of your vacuum cleaner attachments, she does so with a sense of humor and a "we're all in this together" vibe. Which is exactly what we need right now. "At Home: A Short History of Private Life," by Bill Bryson Bill Bryson is best known for his jaunt on the Appalachian Trail (chronicled in "A Walk in the Woods") and road trips ("The Lost Continent," "In a Sunburned Country"). In "At Home," he takes a spin through history without leaving his own property a former rectory built in 1851, nestled in an English village. Room by room, from the larder to the dining area all the way down to the cellar, he pauses to put everything from buttons to building materials into context. Our reviewer wrote, "If you have any interest in furniture, food, fashion, architecture, energy or world history, chances are you've stumbled across some (or all) of the information Bryson has on offer. ... But while Bryson may not have done much original research, it takes a very particular kind of thoughtfulness, as well as a bold temperament, to stuff all this research into a mattress that's supportive enough to loll about on while pondering the real subject of this book the development of the modern world." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing," by Marie Kondo If you haven't heard of Marie Kondo, you must be trapped under a pile of household cultch that doesn't, as she would say, spark joy. But before she had her own Netflix show and launched an online store selling handmade matcha bowls ($45) and weighted meditation support cushions ($149), Kondo published this wildly successful and incredibly practical guide to getting your house in order. She begins with simple advice: "Start by discarding. Then organize your place, thoroughly and completely, in one go." You might be skeptical of the promise of a changed life, but who can argue with the peace of mind resulting from a well-organized environment? With this book, getting there is easier than you might expect. "Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon Self-Control, and My Other Experiments in Everyday Life," by Gretchen Rubin One night, unloading the dishwasher while her husband and two daughters played in the next room, Rubin, the author of "The Happiness Project," realized that her ongoing quest for happiness was tied to the place where she lived. "I decided to start my happiness project with the theme of 'Possessions,' not because I thought possessions were the most important aspect of my home they weren't but because I knew that in many cases, my possessions blocked my view and weighed me down," she writes. "Before I wrestled with deeper challenges that struck closer to my heart in the months devoted to 'Marriage,' 'Parenthood' and 'Family' I wanted to feel more in control of stuff." Ah, don't we all. TORRINGTON City Council members have approved a request from the Board of Education to pursue funding for a new high school, and to establish a building committee to oversee the project. The Torrington High School project, which has been in the planning stages for more than three years, was first presented in April by Superintendent of Schools Susan Lubomski and her administration along with the Board of Education. At that time, a PowerPoint presentation by the school board showed areas of the aging Torrington High School building, illustrating how the school hasnt been upgraded for quite some time. Aging floors, out-of-date restrooms, deteriorating ceilings and other areas of infrastructure were discussed during the April presentation. The architectural firm Kaestle Boos, which was hired to study the circa-1960s building, determined what areas needed renovation or repair, and whether building a new high school was a better option. At that time, the firm presented several building options, including renovating the school or building a new one. Thursday nights presentation was focused on building a new school. If the school district wants to apply and be considered for funding in the fall, it must set up a building committee and hold a referendum by June 30. At Thursday nights meeting, attended by the City Council and school board, the presentation was focused on funding. According to the presentation, building a new high school would cost $156 million. With reimbursement from the state at 62.5 percent, the estimated cost to the taxpayers is $71.6 million. With interest over a 20-year period, the cost is $106 million, which would be repaid by property taxes. Estimates on the fiscal impact showed that the citys tax rate would increase, at the highest, about 5 mills during that 20-year repayment period. Mayor Elinor Carbone recently discussed the upcoming presentation with the City Council. Councilman Paul Cavagnero reiterated his objection to building a new high school without taking into account the coronavirus pandemics impact on how education is delivered. We should put together a long-term analysis of what education in Torrington in the future will look like, not the same-old, same-old, Cavagnero said. Its an opportunity for Torrington to take a leadership role to redefine educations future, and find substantial cost savings and improvements to education. If we get a curriculum thats forward-thinking, were not talking about just building a shell for education, that continues to be a seccond-rate educational facility, he said. We have to rethink this. The City Council read a number of letters into the record from residents and officials, speaking for and against the new high school proposal. Council member Sharon Waagner read from a prepared statement, expressing her opinion on the project. She said she had spoken to THS students who were proud of their teachers and programs, but were concerned about the condition of the building. I think referring to this project as a shiny, new building sends the misperception that we only want something to show off, Waagner said. This distorts an important message to the public. ... I have been in the school and the school gym on many occasions. Each year, as a volunteer with the Financial Reality Fair, I always hear comments about the sorry state of our gym and bathrooms by visitors, and students from other districts have said the same. Waagner also addressed Cavagneros comments on distance learning, saying that while many students can continue to learn easily using this method, our schools must provide for all students, and the pandemic has shown that not all students benefit from distance learning for a variety of reasons. ... I am in full support of the construction project and want to see the application filed. Waagner also pointed to the schools being an Alliance District. The lowest-performing school districts in the state are classified as such by the state and receive additional funding. Torrington was named such a district as part of the state budget in 2017. Each district is required to submit a plan to improve district achievement, developed with the aid of a state representative, and the plan is monitored on a yearly basis. We have been designated an Alliance District because we are not up to acceptable standards, she said. We have been recognized as a distressed community. We need investment of new home buyers and business but when the condition of our schools is noted, families are turned off. Other residents also weighed in on the proposal. Some asked the council to hold off on a decision while others expressed staunch support for the school system; still others expressed outrage over the idea of increasing taxes. At this time proceeding with the THS Building Project would be a too hasty and irresponsible action mainly because the response to the pandemic has thoroughly scrambled the parameters of what public education should look like, said resident Tom Kandefer. Even after a year or so of stringent COVID adjustments, we are unlikely to go back to the pre-COVID learning model in a predominately brick-and-mortar setting. Listen to the presentation and you will realize that delaying the start of this renovation will be more costly. Not creating a 7-12 campus will be more costly, said resident McClure Whiting. Not supporting the current renovation schedule and plan is to not be fiscally responsible. School board member Jessica Richardson spoke as a parent. As the parent of two student athletes, over the last few years I have had many opportunities to visit other high schools in our area and view their facilities while attending my childrens games. I can say with confidence that the Torrington High School lacks many of the amenities common to other schools in our conference and region, she said. Additionally, in attending events at THS, I have seen firsthand many of the needs of this aging facility. I would strongly urge the respective boards to take any proposal to renovate this school very seriously. THS should be our flagship school, and while the teachers, staff and students do a tremendous job of stoking Raider Pride, the building should be something that would induce pride in our city, as well. THS special education teacher Jason LaFreniere, who served on an ad-hoc committee to develop the high school project, also wrote in favor of the plan. The proposal before you is not simply a shell of a building. It is a system of preparing 21st century learners and incorporates innovative areas of curriculum, differentiated means of delivering education, and a focus on all children, he said. Resident Jonathan Draper was opposed. I do not support this project going forward because of our current events going on. Many people have lost their jobs due to the virus and no additional income coming in to support themselves and their families, he said. The possibility is there in that schools may not be opening in the fall. If they do, considerations must be given as to how to address the protocols to protect the children from the virus. As a taxpayer of Torrington, I cannot support the renovation with all this uncertainty going on. Another resident, Vincenza Carey, was worried about the citys tax rate. Trim the budget and do not allow the mill rate to increase, she said. Put any and all renovation projects on hold. Continuing on this path every year will continue to drive out residents and homes left unsold. I do not believe the city wants this to happen. This story has been corrected: Building a new high school, according to the Board of Educations May 21 presentation, would cost $156 million. With reimbursement from the state at 62.5 percent, the estimated cost to the taxpayers is $71.6 million. Over a 20-year period, including interest, the total cost would be $106 million, which would be repaid by property taxes. Estimates on the fiscal impact showed that the citys tax rate would increase, at the highest, about 5 mills during that 20-year repayment period Photo: Naramata Bench Wineries Moraine Winery vineyard As temperatures slowly rise in the Okanagan, it's still unclear what this year's tourist season will look like under COVID-19 conditions. But Dr. Bonnie Henry is hopeful she'll be encouraging British Columbians to travel around their own province come the summer. During her daily press conference Saturday, Dr. Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer, says her recommendations for the summer will depend largely on how the next few weeks look. If things continue to go well, and we take it carefully and we're mindful of the potential for outbreaks and we get to that point in the summer, then yes, I will be encouraging people to vacation at home in B.C., to experience what we have here and to support our local communities and businesses, she said Saturday. In the past, she's said she doesn't expect international travellers to be coming to B.C. any time soon. Canada's border with the United States will be closed to non-essential travel until at least June 21, but B.C.'s Health Minister Adrian Dix has said he expects it will need to stay closed for a significant time beyond that. Dr. Henry, who's held four to five press conferences every week since March, in addition to her daily work managing the COVID-19 crisis in B.C. behind the scenes, added that she's excited to one day take her own vacation within the province. I'm looking forward to maybe getting a break some day and there's a number of places that I would like to go and spend some time and make sure that we can support our tourist-reliant industries as much as we can, she said. With Phase 2 of B.C,'s reopening beginning this past week, many restaurants and pubs are beginning to reopen under new measures, along with local wineries. Dr. Henry said if wineries are able to abide by the new guidelines to minimize the transmission of the virus, they're welcome to open. As long as they have their plans posted and they have them in place to make sure that they're meeting the guidelines that we have around numbers of people and distancing and that sort of thing, I can see them being able to open, she said. There may be limitations, for example on tastings and things, so that would have to be worked to make sure that it meets the criteria. She said the first impact on COVID-19 cases, if any, from last week's partial reopening of businesses will start to become apparent next week. Georgian Downs is excited to announce that live harness racing will return to the Barrie area oval on Saturday, June 6. The racing season will remain unchanged from last season with first race post time on Tuesdays and Saturdays set for 7:15 p.m. Sunday will also remain unchanged and will go postward at 6:00 p.m. Training days will be Thursday and Friday from 8:00 a.m. 12:00 noon beginning Thursday, May 28 and continue through to the end of August. Qualifiers will once again be scheduled for Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. The only exception to the qualifying schedule will be on Saturday, May 30. Qualifiers will begin at 10:00 a.m. on this day. Important Notice: Although spectators will not be permitted to attend our live racing at Georgian Downs, fans are invited to take in all the excitement that Georgian Downs has to offer by watching its live streaming video at georgiandowns.com. Free programs are also available on its website. Georgian Downs will be available for wagering through hpibet.com as well as all of its simulcast partners locations worldwide. Return to Racing 2020 - Ontario Racing COVID-19 Georgian Downs Protocol Minimum Standards Georgian Downs encourages the horsepeople coming to Georgian Downs in 2020 to familiarize themselves with the following protocols that have been put in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of team members and racing participants: The Ontario Racing tracks are committed to keeping Ontarios racing participants safe and healthy. In order to conduct live racing in the province without spectators and minimize any potential concerns with respect to the health and welfare of participants in the sport, the following minimum standards will apply to all persons who require access to the backstretch and/or paddock of any Ontario racetrack. Access to the backstretch/paddock will be limited to essential personnel who are AGCO-licensed. No persons under the age of 16 will be permitted access to the backstretch/paddock, regardless of whether such persons hold an AGCO license. All participants must wear face masks at all times when in the backstretch/paddock. Persons requesting access are required to bring their own face masks and wear same at all times. No person without a face mask will be permitted entry. Any person found on track premises without wearing a face mask will be ejected from the track. Each person entering the track premises will be subject to a screening process prior to be granted entry. As part of the screening process, all participants must answer the following questions: Have you or someone you have come in contact with travelled or returned from any country outside of Canada? Are you experiencing, or have you experienced any of the following symptoms in the past 7 days: a. Fever b. Cough c. Muscle Aches and Tiredness d. Difficulty Breathing Have you been in contact with anyone who is or has experienced any of the following symptoms in the past 7 days: a. Fever b. Cough c. Muscle Aches and Tiredness d. Difficulty Breathing Have you or someone you have come in contact with travelled or returned from any United States Racetrack or Racing Association in the past 21 days? Are you aware that washing your hands multiple times per day and before eating and practicing proper social distancing guidelines are the most important ways to stop the spread of the Coronavirus? Please use our hand washing stations upon entering the cafeteria areas, dorms and at every opportunity through any of the washrooms located throughout the backstretch and maintain a safe distance from others at all times. Any person who answers yes to any of questions 1 3, or who is displaying visible signs of illness consistent with COVID-19 exposure, will be denied access to the track. Persons who answer no to all of questions 1 3 will be subject to a temperature check using a no-touch thermometer. Persons with a temperature of less than 100.5F will be permitted to enter; persons with a temperature of 100.5F or more will be denied access to the track. Each track will ensure that handwashing and/or sanitization stations and/or equipment are available to all persons attending the track. Each track will implement enhanced cleaning procedures. Each track will ensure that physical distancing guidelines are in place. Personnel will be required to maintain a physical distance between them of not less than 2 metres. Only 1 person shall be permitted in the paddock per horse, and horses should be placed in every other stall in the paddock where possible/required. Horses/handlers should vacate the paddock within hour of race completion. Access to the retention area will be controlled and horse people will be required to comply with CPMA requirements. Each track will ensure that these requirements are communicated to its personnel and participants. If tracks cannot provide change facilities that include the opportunity for adequate social distancing, the drivers and warm up personnel will be required to change outside backstretch/paddock areas. All persons within the backstretch/paddock areas are required to follow all directional arrows outlining proper flow for best social distancing practices. Georgian Downs is forward to a safe return of horse racing in Ontario. (Georgian) In the wake of the economic slowdown owing to the Covid-19 pandemic in China, paramount leader Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are facing one of the biggest crises since the party came to power in 1949. The challenges before the party and the leader are being deliberated since May 22 at the National Peoples Congress and a parallel Chinese Peoples Consultative Conference, the most powerful political advisory body in the country. The move is already on to pre-emptively counter any dissatisfaction in handling the pandemic and the consequent surge in economic distress. While there is no political challenge to President Xi, who is also the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, it is the economic collapse that Beijing fears coupled with growing resentment against China, fuelling nationalism and the kindling of old Chinese fears against foreign threats. While the NPC was called to deliberate on the next five-year development plan, the session will also provide a platform to President Xi to respond both domestically and internationally to the pandemic. The expected message will be conciliatory to the domestic audience, while the international assertion can be expected to be robust and defiant. It is in this context that the current stand-off between India and China at multiple points along the 3,488 kilometre Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh and Sikkim should be seen. The Chinese move is multi-pronged as it not only diverts attention from the domestic economic crisis, Hong Kong and Taiwan, but is also engineered to paint India as a villain constantly at odds with Pakistan and more recently, Nepal. With China believing that India is catalyzing resentment against Beijing over poor handling of the pandemic that originated in Wuhan, the Peoples Liberation Armys tactical play along the LAC is also seen by its people as teaching a lesson to the Gweilo Club and its perceived proxies. The use of party tabloid Global Times to paint India as an aggressor in Sikkim and Ladakh also is designed to force India to reassess its strategy of perceived alignment with the US against China. Even though the PLA is using a 1960 map released by then Premier Chou En Lai to present the cartographic expansion in Ladakh, there is little resemblance of the ground situation to either 1962 skirmishes or 1999 incursions in Kargil sector. The only coincidence is that President Xi may use the Ladakh military option to divert attention of his domestic audience, just as the then Chinese leader Mao Zedong used the 1962 skirmish to cover the massive Chinese famine due to failure of the Great Leap Forward revolution. Another Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping used the 1979 border war with Vietnam to divert internal dissatisfaction before embarking on economic recovery of the middle kingdom. While Ladakh may tactically serve the political objectives of Beijing, India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is no pushover. It is the third largest market after the US and ASEAN, and could even be the key to economic revival of China. Militarily, it serves neither the interest of China nor India to raise the red flag as there will be huge economic and political costs to such a move. Pakistan and Nepal dont add up to cost-benefit analysis. And the Doklam stand-off message did not exactly work with Bhutan in 2017. The fact is after the construction of strategic Darbuk-Shyok-DBO road in eastern Ladakh and rapid construction of strategic roads in both the middle and eastern sector, it is China that is concerned about Indias military objectives. At present, both sides are matching on the ground, whether it is Galwan valley or Pangong Tso lake and are constantly talking to each other through institutionalised diplomatic and military channels. With the LAC being undefined by nature at least in the western and eastern sector, the option of emphasizing its own cartographic interpretation is also available to the Indian Army. Even though China is playing to its long-term plan to use the LAC to destabilise India, Delhi does need to get its act together when it comes to Beijing as any conciliatory move with the best of intentions will be viewed as a sign of weakness. Rather than leave it to its military or diplomatic commanders, the two leaders need to have a candid conversation on the lines of the Wuhan or Mahabalipuram dialogue to carry out course corrections and take the bilateral relationship beyond third party suspicions. This may sound simple but is terribly complex as another challenge is looming on the horizon with Tibetan leader in exile Dalai Lama, now 84 years old, and still without a designated reincarnation. The Dalai Lamas nomination of Panchen Lama, the second most important priest after Dalai, is now 31 and still under the Chinese Communist Partys tutelage since he went missing on May 17, 1995. Given the scale of problems involved and its impact on sovereignty of both the countries, the only option left is for PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping to keep communication channels open 24 X 7. Because the NPC may get over on 28 May but Chinas bilateral troubles with India wont. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Washington D.C. is filled with politicians, bureaucrats and pundits who are outraged by corruption and vow to get to the bottom of each scandal, but ultimately accomplish nothing. Judge Emmet G. Sullivan is a perfect example of such a Washington denizen, a Deep State operative who has up until now been able to conceal his membership in this sorry club until the mask came off in the General Michael Flynn case. George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley claims, Judge Sullivan is one of the most liked judges on the bench. He is smart and courteous and even-keeled. Perhaps it is time for Professor Turley to reevaluate his opinion of the judge. In April 2009, while presiding over the Sem. Ted Stevens case, Judge Sullivan scolded the prosecution team: In nearly 25 years on the bench Ive never seen anything approaching the mishandling and misconduct that Ive seen in this case. He ordered an inquiry into the prosecutors handling of the case. Stanley M. Brand, a partner at Brand Law Group, P.C. claimed, "This judges tolerance was pushed to the limit, and prosecutors are not going to just go on their merry way." When prosecutors failed to produce evidence Sullivan demanded he stated, It strikes me that this was probably intentional. I find it unbelievable that this was just an error. Later when the prosecution failed to produce the documents he stated, That was a court order. That wasnt a request. I didnt ask for them out of the kindness of your hearts.Isnt the Department of Justice taking court orders seriously these days? He even claimed prosecutors were providing false evidence: Its very troubling that the government would utilize records that the government knows were false. The government knowingly submitted false accounting records to bolster their case. Like the Flynn case, the Steven case was plagued by FBI corruption. The lead FBI agent in Stevens trial was Mary Beth Kepner. Kepner didn't document all of her interviews so she made them up following the judge's order. She backdated two of her 302s by more than two years, making it appear that they had been prepared the day after the interview. She denied under oath that she had done this. Later when it became impossible to maintain her lie she remarked, "You know, unfortunately, you know, I was disorganized with this, you know, I was overwhelmed and, you know, I lost materials that had, you know, I lost notes, I lost 302s." What was to outcome of all this malfeasance: obstruction of justice, utilizing records that the government knew were false, backdated 302s, and perjury? Two of the lower members of the prosecution team were suspended without pay: Joseph W. Bottini for 40 days and James A. Goeke for 15 days. Nicolas Marsh who believed he was going to be the scapegoat in the case committed suicide. The supervisors were exonerated. Kepner was still working for the FBI until at least 2014 when she was reportedly severely disciplined. Her partner, Chad Joy, who had informed on her was driven from the FBI. The conviction of Senator Stevens handed the Democrats a filibuster proof majority in the U.S. Senate which they used to pass Obamacare. According to Roll Call, relying on false records and fueled by testimony from a richly rewarded cooperating witness government prosecutors convinced jurors to find him (Stevens) guilty just eight days before the general election which he lost by less than 2 percent of the vote. In April 2009, Judge Sullivan dismissed Stevens conviction. Judge Sullivan faced some of the same behavior in the Flynn case. Obstruction of justice, perjury, and missing and altered documents. He does not appear to be disturbed about missing documents. He explained about the lost FD-302, "[T]hings happen and documents are lost. I mean, it just happens. However this 302 is crucial. It would have revealed that Flynn was not lying. Although the original 302 is reportedly lost there are likely numerous copies of it on the internet. It is simply a matter of locating them. Peter Strzok and Lisa Page spent over two weeks editing it on the internet. Strozk told Page I made your edits, and sent them to Joe (likely Joe Pientka the author). I also emailed you an updated 302 . . . hopefully it doesnt need much more editing." Flynn's attorney Sidney Powell wrote, "Page and Strzok massaged the 302 until McCabe approved it, and it was filed as final on February 15, 2017." Ordinarily an FBI agent is allowed a maximum of five days to prepare such a report. General Flynn was facing zealous team of prosecutors, a judge who at one point called him a traitor and even his own defense council. Prosecutor Brandon Van Grack made a deal with Flynn's original attorneys at Covington & Burling. If Flynn would plead guilty to making a false statement, the DOJ would not go after his son. Van Grack filed an official plea agreement with the court in which he swore that every deal reached between the prosecution and the defense was contained in writing within that document. Prosecutors are bound by law to disclose all deals and Van Grack lied to the court. Flynn's attorneys hid these documents from Flynn and the court repeatedly. This probably all could have been avoided if General Flynn had used the Kepner defense. He might have been let off with a slap on the wrist. Of course he would have had to modify it slightly: "You know, unfortunately, you know, I was disorganized with this, you know, I was overwhelmed and, you know, I lost materials that had, you know, I lost notes, I lost 302s." He would just have had to leave out the part of the 302s. Like, you know. That's just how professional FBI agents speak. John Dietrich is a freelance writer and the author of The Morgenthau Plan: Soviet Influence on American Postwar Policy (Algora Publishing). He has a Master of Arts Degree in International Relations from St. Marys University. He is retired from the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. He is featured on the BBC's program "Things We Forgot to Remember:" Morgenthau Plan and Post-War Germany. Railways minister Piyush Goyal, on Sunday sought details of migrants registered with the Maharashtra government within an hour so that the railways can run 125 special trains from Monday as planned. In a tweet where he tagged Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Goyal regretted that the Maharashtra government could not give the list even after an hours deadline. Sadly, it has been 1.5 hours but Maharashtra Govt. has been unable to give required information about tomorrows planned 125 trains to GM of Central Railway. Planning takes time & we do not want train to stand empty at the stations, so its impossible to plan without full details, Goyal tweeted late evening. Goyal informed that the Railways will operate 125 special Shramik trains. He had asked Thackeray to share the list of migrants with their relevant details like - originating and destination stations, the number of migrants travelling, medical certificates with the Centre within an hour The Centre has come under fire after the lockdown two-month lockdown triggered a mass migration of workers, many of them on foot and bicycles. Goyal in another tweet said he hoped for Maharashtras cooperation for the benefit of migrant labourers. I hope that the Government of Maharashtra will fully cooperate in the efforts made for the benefit of migrant labourers, Goyal said. Thackeray had earlier criticised the Centre for not providing enough trains for the migrants to return home despite several requests. He also said the state was yet to receive Centres share of the train ticket cost. WA has had another day of zero new cases of COVID-19 overnight as Premier Mark McGowan continues to vividly defend his decision to keep borders to the rest of Australia shut. The Department of Health said in a statement on Sunday the state was sitting stagnant at a total of 560 cases with two active cases remaining in the state, none of them in the regions. The Premier said other states were still seeing instances of community spread and clusters of cases and he would not expose to Western Australia. Credit:9 News Perth To date, 549 people have recovered from the virus in WA and there are no confirmed COVID-19 patients in Perth hospitals. There have been 76,644 COVID-19 tests performed in WA. Of those, 13,605 tests were carried out in regional WA. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un convened a key military meeting to discuss bolstering the country's nuclear arsenal and putting its armed forces on high alert, state media reported Sunday, in Kim's first known public appearance in about 20 days. Kim earlier this month quelled intense rumors about his health by attending a ceremony marking the completion of a fertilizer factory in what at the time was his first public appearance in 20 days. But he hadnt made another public appearance for around 20 more days until the North's official news agency said Sunday that he led a meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers Party. Set forth at the meeting were new policies for further increasing the nuclear war deterrence of the country and putting the strategic armed forces on a high alert operation, the Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, said, without mentioning when the meeting was held. Related Video: Trump Says Hes Willing to Meet With Kim Jong Un The meeting discussed increasing the capabilities for deterring the threatening foreign forces, the report said, an apparent reference to the U.S. and South Korean militaries. Kim, who heads the military commission, also used the meeting to promote the ranks of dozens of army generals and others in an apparent effort to boost military morale. Among them is military chief Pak Jong Chon, who was made a vice marshal, and Ri Pyong Chol, a senior party official in charge of weapons development, who became a deputy head of the military commission, according to KCNA. Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said that Kim's public appearances have more to do with domestic politics than international signaling, but it is interesting for him to reappear in state media about the time the world started noticing hed been gone for three weeks again. The meeting was held amid a prolonged deadlock in negotiations with the United States over the Norths nuclear program. The two countries diplomacy faltered when a second summit between Kim and President Donald Trump in February 2019 ended without any agreement due to disputes over U.S.-led sanctions on North Korea. Story continues Frustrated over the lack of progress, Kim later said he would unveil a new strategic weapon and would no longer be bound by a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests. Kim hasnt followed through with those threats, though he did conduct a slew of short-range missile tests. On Sunday, the Norths main Rodong Sinmun newspaper released photos showing Kim clad in his trademark dark Mao suit delivering a speech, writing on a document and pointing a stick at a board on the podium. Elderly military generals wearing olive green uniforms were seen taking notes as Kim, 36, spoke something thats typical in North Korean state media-distributed photos. Despite lingering rumors about Kims health, South Korean officials have said he didnt undergo surgery or any other medical procedure. South Koreas spy agency recently told lawmakers that it believes the coronavirus pandemic had led Kim to avoid public activities, saying he appeared in public 17 times this year, compared with an average of 50 appearances in the same time period each year since he took power in late 2011. By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 22 times, Trend reports on May 24 referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. OPINION: One letter writer (and possibly Swiftie) insists the press is "gonna hate, hate, hate" Donald Trump, regardless of what policy he might propose. That and more in this edition of Letters to the Editor. Schneider Electric, a leading player in digital transformation of energy management and automation, has announced that it has released a public API (application programming interface) for cloud-based software EcoStruxure IT Expert. The first public API for EcoStruxure IT Expert, it enables IT solution providers and end users to seamlessly integrate a power and critical infrastructure monitoring platform into any preferred management system, Schneider Electric said in a statement. With the introduction of EcoStruxure IT Expert API, Schneider Electric is helping to simplify management at the edge for IT solution providers and end users who are managing distributed IT infrastructure. EcoStruxure IT Expert API builds on the success of EcoStruxure IT Expert, the industrys first hosted monitoring platform, which is vendor-agnostic and powered by artificial intelligence. Now enhanced with new public API capabilities, the platform keeps increasing its flexibility. For example, users can maintain a local data store and build custom applications that react to changes. With this increased access to energy and infrastructure resource data, users can make changes to increase efficiency and sustainability. We are working with our partners and customers in new and different ways so they can gain the right visibility and insights on their IT infrastructure while we help to create a more open ecosystem, said Kevin Brown, Senior Vice President EcoStruxure, Energy Management Business, Schneider Electric. We have been talking about releasing a public API in the past year, and this announcement of its availability for EcoStruxure IT Expert demonstrates our on-going commitment to solving efficiency and sustainability challenges with edge computing while also opening up new business opportunities for partners. With the addition of the public API, IT solution providers can easily integrate the EcoStruxure IT platform into their preferred systems. By adding remote monitoring of power and critical infrastructure into their portfolio, solution providers drive differentiation and bring more value to their customers who are grappling with the complexities of edge network management. EcoStruxure IT Expert API brings additional power-based instrumentation to bear, supplementing our current platform with additional data to increase our related value proposition and enrich the overall customer experience, said Wayne St. Jacques, Vice President, Managed & Executive Services, ePlus. Other key benefits of EcoStruxure IT Expert API are: Third-party integration: Integrate the EcoStruxure IT platform into your existing systems to mitigate risk of downtime by monitoring power and critical infrastructures. Improved, instantaneous visibility: Access critical infrastructure data from your preferred system and retrieve a snapshot of its current state to determine any alarms. Smarter, data-driven decision making: Capture alarm, inventory, sensor and location data to make key decisions and, in the case of a partner, make proactive recommendations to customers. Improved reporting: Pull data from your power and critical devices into existing or new dashboards and gain the ability to add metrics with a granular level of detail. EcoStruxure IT Expert API is available globally in all markets, except China and is subscription based. With an open, vendor-agnostic platform, EcoStruxure IT software and services provide the power and flexibility for customers to seamlessly manage critical infrastructure devices on their own, with a partner, or to leverage Schneider Electrics expert service engineers to manage it on their behalf, the statement said.--TradeArabia News Service A 48-year-old Brick woman beat her wife to death with a wine chiller last weekend in the townhouse they shared and fled to Texas after her wife tried to end their relationship, according to authorities. Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus is charged with murder in the death of Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus, 32, and is awaiting extradition to New Jersey after being captured Wednesday in Houston. A friend of Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus told police that she had been talking about ending the relationship the night before she was found dead in the couples apartment, according to court documents obtained by NJ Advance Media through a records request. The friend and Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus worked together at a Toms River assisted living facility. She was taking her wedding ring off, and did not plan to wear it anymore," the friend told police, according to the affidavit filed by a Brick police detective. She wanted to date a man. A spokesman for Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said it was his offices understanding that the two women were married, though it was unclear when or where. They had joint bank accounts, family members told police. Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus, 48, of Brick TownshipOcean County Prosecutor's Office When Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus did not show up for work on May 17, that led to multiple calls between family members of both women and attempts to reach them. A relative of Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus and her boyfriend went to the couples townhouse apartment and found Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus dead under a sheet in a second-floor bedroom, authorities said. A cylindrical container, described by police as a wine chiller, was found in the bedroom and believed to be the weapon used the in killing, authorities said. Police found a fingerprint on the wine chiller that matched to Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus. On the evening of May 16, the night before the body was found, Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus withdrew $700 from an ATM in New York City, police said. She also tried to call a travel agent that night. The Ocean County Prosecutors Office has said they believe she took a bus to Texas. Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus was arrested in Houston on Wednesday by members of the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Houston Police Department. Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus had told her coworker that she had feared for her safety in the days before her death after telling her wife she no longer wanted to stay in the relationship, authorities said. The couple had recently been in Ecuador until February and had been living in the Brick townhouse about for a month, family members told police. The couple had verbal altercations while in Ecuador, authorities said. Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus told the coworker that Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus had offered her $3,000 to stay in the relationship, authorities said. In addition to the murder charge, Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus also faces weapons offenses. The complex in Brick where Rebecca and Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus shared an apartment before Rebecca, 32, was found bludgeoned to death and Mayra, 48, was charged with her murder.Google Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. NJ Advance Media staff writer Avalon Zoppo contributed to this article. Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. By and large, the coronavirus pandemic has taken a huge toll on Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). The COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus, declared as pandemic late January by the World Health Organization (WHO), allegedly originated (yet to be proved) from Wuhan city in China. However, the World Health Assembly on May 18-19 by a resolution agreed to launch an investigation into the origin of the disease, whose unyielding march across the globe since last year and has already left more than 320,000 dead. Statistics made available (Johns Hopkins University) as at May 20, showed that Brazil (310,087) in South America, Russia (317,554) in Eastern Europe or compared to, say in the former Soviet region, India (118,447) and China (84,507) both in Asian region, and South Africa (19,137) in Africa. It means South Africa, with a population 57 million, has one-fifth of the total confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa. Further, assessing BRICS countries population in relation to the number of infections, Russia seems the worst spot among BRICS, and has taken the second highest in the world and that was followed in the third position by Brazil. Under a "pessimistic scenario", the number of active cases could peak again when the expected "second wave of coronavirus" sets in and if strict precautions are not observed. The COVID-19 has shattered nearly all economies. But at the same time, just as the COVID-19 has offered opportunities, so it also presents significant challenges. In the world including BRICS countries, the outlook remains bleak. BRICS is interested in both, taking advantage of the emerging opportunities and dealing with the challenges. Experts have argued that BRICS members meet to discuss various global issues, and plan its joint collaborative projects on the global landscape. Comparatively, Russia, India and China, all these three still respond individually to varying opportunities and pursue different investment in the world. As experts noted, China and India lead in the pursuit of economic spheres of influence worldwide. Geography of investment largely explains why China and India seem to be leading, followed by Russia, among the five. With regard to coronavirus and the operations of WHO, Chinese President Xi Jinping, delivering a speech via video link at the opening of the World Health Assembly, pledges $2 billion to deal with COVID-19. According to an executive decree published in April on the official website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russia contributed $1 million to the World Health Organization (WHO) to fight the coronavirus. Figures unavailable for Brazil, India and South Africa. Still put them together, BRICS is an upcoming and developing force to reckon with. Thus on May 7, Russia's Health Ministry held a meeting of BRICS countries via videoconference focusing, particularly, on the issue of the novel coronavirus pandemic discussed joint efforts needed by BRICS countries. It was held within the framework of Russia's BRICS chair-ship. Participants from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa discussed at the meeting all aspects, including measures on liquidation of the novel coronavirus infection, and submitted report to BRICS Health Ministries. "It is planned that the online platform will provide partners with an opportunity to share BRICS countries' experience and develop joint steps towards reaching a better understanding of the ways to liquidate the COVID-19 outbreak," according to the report. The participating officials agreed that it is important to strengthen international cooperation, within the framework of which there has to be a transparent and timely exchange of information. During the discussions, the countries also agreed to continue providing mutual support in activities to prevent and treat the novel coronavirus infection COVID-19, as well as to create favorable conditions for the supply of deliveries of medications and diagnostic materials, immune-biological preparations and medical equipment. Under an "optimistic scenario", the BRICS meeting by Health Ministers of BRICS countries pledged to adopt further collaborative steps as their collective contributions toward the eradication of the global pandemic. It is worth to say that BRICS has to accelerate the implementation of some of its earlier initiatives. Over the years, the BRICS has wanted to expand cooperation in the fight against infections and the joint production and use of vaccines. Cooperation on countering infectious diseases has long been a priority for BRICS. For instance, the final declaration of the 2015 BRICS summit in Ufa, Russia, contains instructions by the leaders to work on managing the risk of disease outbreaks. That declaration stated: "we commend the efforts made by the BRICS countries to contribute to enhanced international cooperation to support the efforts of countries to achieve their health goals, including the implementation of universal and equitable access to health services, and ensure affordable, good-quality service delivery while taking into account different national circumstances, policies, priorities and capabilities." Last month for instance, BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs /International Relations held a video conference chaired by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Ernesto Araujo, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and South African Minister of International Relations Grace Naledi Pandor took part in the meeting. China and Russia have strong working relationship and both are members of BRICS. Russia objects to attempts by the United States to turn the World Health Organization (WHO) into a forum for settling political scores, Minister Lavrov said with colleagues during the video conference of BRICS Foreign Ministers held late April. Russia has been working closely together with China, and Russia has no reason to oppose China, according to Minister Lavrov. Key Highlights from that meeting included: The BRICS nations agreed to allocate $15 billion to the New Development Bank (NDB) so that it could set up a special loan instrument to support the revival of economies and help meet the emergency expenses incurred for responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The BRICS nations further held discussions on ways to step up cooperation within the bloc to contain coronavirus pandemic, as well as to revive the economies that have received a major blow due to the travel restrictions and lockdown imposed in most countries to curb the spread of coronavirus. The meeting underlined the need for reforms in the multilateral systems and stated that this was the way forward. The bloc reiterated its support towards the World Health Organization, stating that it is a very important and unique platform, which employs the best professionals from around the world, including from the United States. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on all the BRICS members to firmly stand by multilateralism, by the international system centered around the United Nations and by the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. Throughout 2020, - under the theme "BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth" - Russia holds the BRICS pro tempore presidency. The emphasis of the Russian presidency is on promoting science, technology and innovation and digital economy and health, and strengthening cooperation in the fight against transnational crimes. In addition to those, dozens of academic, sporting, cultural and artistic events planned for the year, culminates with the final BRICS Summit on July 2123 in St Petersburg, chosen as the venue in accordance with the Presidential Executive Order No. 380 of 15 August 2019. BRICS is the group composed by the five major emerging countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, - which together represent about 42% of the population, 23% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 30% of the territory and 18% of the global trade. *Kester Kenn Klomegah is an independent researcher on Russia, Africa and BRICS. He is the author of the Geopolitical Handbook titled Putins African Dream and The New Dawn: Challenges and Emerging Opportunities devoted to the first Russia-Africa Summit 2019. Two men, who were injured along with two other people when a wall of a house collapsed near an encounter site in Nawakadal area of Srinagar on Tuesday, died at a hospital here, police said on Sunday. Manzoor Ahmad, a resident of Hawal, succumbed to burn injuries at a hospital here this morning, a police official said. Hours later, another injured person, Fayaz Ahmad, a resident of Jamalatta area, also succumbed, the official said. This has taken the death toll in the house collapse incident to three. Basim Aijaz, a resident of Chota Bazar in Karan Nagar area of the city, succumbed at SMHS hospital late on Wednesday night. Four people, including Aijaz, were injured on Tuesday at the encounter site at Kanemazar in Nawakadal area of the city where two militants, including top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Junaid Sehrai, were killed. The wall had collapsed when people were clearing the debris of one of the houses destroyed in the encounter, leaving four people injured. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinas move to strip away another layer of Hong Kongs autonomy was not a rash impulse. It was a deliberate act, months in the making. It took into account the risks of international umbrage and reached the reasonable assumption that there would not be a significant geopolitical price to pay. As a provocative move, it is just the latest. With the world distracted by the pandemics devastating toll, China has taken a series of aggressive actions in recent weeks to flex its economic, diplomatic and military muscle across the region. Chinas Coast Guard rammed and sank a fishing boat in disputed waters off Vietnam, and its ships swarmed an offshore oil rig operated by Malaysia. Beijing denounced the second inauguration of Taiwans president, Tsai Ing-wen, and pointedly dropped the word peaceful from its annual call for unification with the island democracy. Chinese troops squared off again last week with Indias along their contentious border in the Himalayas. A trapeze artist trapped in a Spanish town because of the coronavirus crisis has died after falling and hitting her head during a practice session. Uruguayan Guadalupe Videla, 29, smashed her skull on the ground in a freak accident after plunging around five feet and missing a safety mat by inches. She was rushed to hospital but died hours later. The tragedy happened in the Basque town of Beasain, a half-hour drive south of the city of San Sebastian, where Guadalupe had been stranded since the middle of March with the circus she worked for. Uruguayan Guadalupe Videla, 29, smashed her skull on the ground in a freak accident after plunging around five feet and missing a safety mat by inches in Beasain, Spain She had only just joined Il Circo Italiano after arriving from Andorra. A routine police investigation is underway into her death. Circus bosses paid tribute to Guadalupe in an emotional social media post, saying: 'An angel left us. 'We know that she will continue showing off her beauty and talent and the fantastic smile she always gifted us from Heaven. 'We will always miss the way she made the impossible possible. Guadalupe had been stranded since the middle of March with the circus she worked for. She had only just joined Il Circo Italiano after arriving from Andorra. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with her family. Guadalupe will always be in our hearts.' Devastated friend Paola Tapia said: 'Beat your wings and fly so high where sadness never reaches you. 'Fly so fast you will triumph over your adversities. 'You lived your life as you wanted and you travelled the world as you wished. 'You were happy and you became an angel my friend. Follow your path with those wings you always dreamed of having. 'We are going to miss you so much. My heart is broken but you would tell me, "My friend don't cry".' As well as Spain and Argentina, Guadalupe's love of the circus had taken her to countries including Panama Edgardo Fonticelli said of the tragedy involving the trapeze artist, from the Uruguayan capital Montevideo: 'What a loss. Such a young artist.' As well as Spain and Argentina, Guadalupe's love of the circus had taken her to countries including Panama. A couple of months before her death she shared an old 2013 photo with friends of her with her first tattoo and joked: 'My first tattoo and this is how I started. Let's go for more.' Her devastated colleagues are hoping to start performing in Beasain at the start of June once an easing of lockdown restrictions enables the circus to re-open. The accident that led to her death occurred as she was practising for a new show with other acrobats. Circus director Pele Rossi, insisting she might only have been injured if she had not fallen from such a low height, said: 'If she had been higher up when she fell she would have had time to twist round.' Both of the Democrats running for governor this year say they want to finally get a statewide public pre-kindergarten program, while one of the Republicans, Attorney General Tim Fox, said he'd want to bolster existing private and religious options while exploring public models other GOP governors in the country have supported. U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, another Republican running for governor, said he didn't think there'd be space to pursue pre-kindergarten while also working to increase teacher pay, and state Sen. Al Olszewski said he wanted to focus on changing how schools are funded. In one of the biggest policy setbacks for Democrats in the 2019 legislative session, lawmakers failed to pass expanded public pre-kindergarten, which has long been a priority for Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, and lost funding for existing programs. The governor's office is open this year as Bullock is termed out from running again and is seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate. His lieutenant governor, Mike Cooney, is running in the Democratic primary to be the state's next governor, along with Missoula businesswoman Whitney Williams. Cooney said for him, a high-quality public program will be a top priority. I think where Montana is probably failing is the fact that we dont have a voluntary public, quality pre-K program in the state, Cooney said. Were one of the handful of states that doesnt offer that. All the science out there demonstrates why that is such a valuable program and how it better prepares our young people to be successful. Pre-k is very important, and we need to fight like heck to get that implemented in the state of Montana. Williams also said that she supported a public preschool program. It really is about implementing that statewide public preschool program for our littlest learners, and its time we get that done, Williams said. I believe that Montanas Constitution tells us rightly so that everyone is entitled to a free, high-quality public education. We should start with our 4-year-olds. Were one of only a handful of states that doesnt prioritize our littlest learners. The rolling back of existing programs has given Williams a line of attack on Cooney, because it happened during the administration hes a part of. Cooneys running mate, state Rep. Casey Schreiner, was minority leader in the House in 2019 when Bullocks original $22 million bill, which Schreiner carried, failed with Republican opposition. A Republican proposal that also didnt advance would have put money toward public and private programs, which drew the ire of the states largest union, the Montana Federation of Public Employees, which represents school employees among others. The union has endorsed Cooney and Schreiner this election. Williams was also critical in an interview of money from a 2017 budget item that sent funding to 10 school districts and seven private programs, and said she wouldnt back allowing taxpayer dollars to go toward private programs. Under a Fox administration, thered be an exploration of a mixed-delivery pre-kindergarten model, similar to the ones that over a dozen Republican governors across our nation have promoted and instituted in their states, Fox said. That would involve bolstering the private and religious pre-kindergarten programs while exploring the possibility of a public one. Still, Fox acknowledged the budget scenario the state will face in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic could slow plans. There will be some tough budget decisions to make, Fox said. I adamantly oppose raising taxes and there may be fewer options available to lawmakers in the coming legislative session depending on the impact to state revenues because of the pandemic. Given the priority he places on raising teacher pay, Gianforte said he didnt see a way to prioritize public pre-kindergarten. When our teachers cant put three meals a day on the table, we need to focus on getting their pay up first, Gianforte said. One of the biggest challenges Gianforte sees public schools facing is that not enough of the money allocated to them is reaching the classroom and that teacher pay is too low. Its not because the moneys not allocated, Gianforte said. He said that hes spoken with teachers in rural Montana who are unable to make ends meet on their salaries. Id like to work with our educators to figure out how to get more money to the classroom so we can attract the best and brightest to teach our kids, Gianforte said, adding he would work with the Office of Public Instruction to figure out solutions. In interviews, both Democrats running for governor focused almost as much on their priorities for public education as the dangers they said Gianforte posed to them, citing his past support of private schools. That is a repeat of attacks against Gianforte made by Bullock and the Montana Democratic Party in the 2016 governors race. Gianforte has chaired the board for the Petra Academy, a private Bozeman school that offers a classical Christian education and is a major financial backer of the Montana Family Foundation, which has led the push for so-called "school choice" in the state over the last decade or so. Hes also given $4.6 million to fund ACE scholarships to help families afford private school tuition. Earlier this year, Gianforte signed onto an amicus brief for the plaintiffs in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. The case is over a Montana law passed by the state Legislature in 2015 creating tax credits to help pay for private school. The revenue department wrote rules preventing the tax credits to go toward religiously affiliated schools; a group of families in the Flathead challenged that rule in court. In a recent interview, Gianforte said he still supports school choice, but that his focus as governor would first be finding ways to increase teacher pay. I think parents know whats best for their children, Gianforte. That being said, many of our communities in Montana economically cant support multiple schools. So where parental choice in education may make sense in some of our larger communities, its impossible to implement in our rural communities. We need strong public schools, and that would be my focus. In the Espinoza case, Fox declined to defend the Department of Revenues rule before the state Supreme Court. Had (the Department of Revenue) just stayed within the confines of the statute the Legislature passed, they would have been fine, Fox said. Fox added that he believes in school choice and that parents should have the ability to decide how their child is educated. Like Democrats, he cast concerns about Gianforte's support of private schools in the past and thinks his opponent would elevate private schools to the point of hurting public ones. While more than 90% of Montanans send their children to public schools for their K-12 education, Fox said that might be different if there were more options, though he still thinks most would go to public school. For Cooney, he said hed want to expand on several things the Bullock administration has championed, such as dual enrollment and prioritizing tuition freezes in the state budget. Cooney also said hed also want to explore career options outside college, especially given the jobs lost during the pandemic. We need to continue to look at ... other ways to give young people and people wanting to move into different jobs the ability to gain that necessary training or access to education to allow them to do that, Cooney said. Apprenticeship or certification programs are going to be key not only to educating our workforce but driving the economy. Williams also called for boosting options, including community colleges. She said meeting educational needs will be critical in pulling the state out of the economic slump from the pandemic. In a large state where smaller districts may struggle to recruit, Gianforte said the existing Montana Digital Academy is a good program that can be further developed and deployed. My fear is that the next Einstein or Beethoven is born in some rural Montana community and the question is are we going to have a world-class physics teacher or world-class music composition teacher in that community? Gianforte said. With digital delivery, we can have Einstein himself teaching that child in conjunction with local teachers. This is not to eliminate our local teachers, it is to augment them. Fox also raised concern about teacher salaries, saying that Montanas low ranking nationwide makes it difficult to recruit and retain teachers. He also wants to expand options outside the standard K-12 and college track. We want to really enhance the career and the technical education programs across the state and have private companies and organizations work more closely with the school system and parents, Fox said. We want to continue to promote professional and personalized learning. Olszewski said he would want to change the way the state pays for education by removing property taxes from the equation and shifting that portion of funding, which accounts for roughly a quarter of schools money, to natural revenue taxes. The first thing we do is we take and we disconnect public education, put it off of our property taxes, and we find another way to pay for it. Like Wyoming, I would like to pay for public education through our natural resources royalties, taxes and revenue. Once weve done that, we can see our property taxes drop, Olszewski said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 24 By Elnur Baghishov - Trend: As many as 2,180 people have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past 24 hours in Iran, said Kiyanush Jahanpur, spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Trend reports citing the ministry. According to Jahanpur, 58 more people have died from the coronavirus over the past day. Jahanpur added that the condition of 2,615 people is critical. Jahanpur said that no deaths were reported in 13 provinces of Iran, only 1 death was registered in 8 provinces each. So far, more than 800,000 tests have been conducted in Iran for the diagnosis of coronavirus. Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 135,700 people have tested positive for COVID-19, 7,417 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 105,800 have reportedly recovered from the disease. The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease. The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. The Government must revive a programme to disperse migrant children throughout the UK, the leader of Kent County Council warned last night. Conservative councillor Roger Gough said the local authority was now the 'sole carer' of unaccompanied youngsters smuggled into Britain on dinghies and rafts. Mr Gough has written to Home Secretary Priti Patel urging her to 'reactivate' the National Transfer Scheme (NTS), which previously rehoused children to the care of other councils. The Government must revive a programme to disperse migrant children throughout the UK, the leader of Kent County Council warned last night Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Mr Gough said the number of children arriving on Kent's shores had doubled over the past 12 months. So far this year, 178 unaccompanied children have landed at Dover and were placed in the care of the council. Mr Gough said: 'What we are seeing is arrivals on a scale which we in Kent certainly cannot cope with. 'We are in the process of having to double up, getting two people to share a room. In Covid-19 times, it is absolutely not what we want to be doing.' While adults and families arriving in Dover can automatically be dispersed to other parts of the country, unaccompanied children are usually cared for at their point of arrival. The Home Office launched the NTS in 2016 but Mr Gough says the scheme has 'dried up'. Last night, the Home Office insisted that NTS was still ongoing, but needed 'invigorating'. From Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan to Chiranjeevi and Prabhas, India's film biggies are stepping forward to do their bit for migrants, daily wage workers and those from their own industry facing joblessness and near starvation in an unprecedented pan-India lockdown. As COVID-19 spreads, the band of stars, filmmakers and musicians, among the most affluent in the country, are making contributions of money, food and medical supplies and, in some cases, offering their properties for use as quarantine centres. They are being innovative too, raising money through online concerts and throwing in a virtual date. The grand-daddy of stars, Amitabh Bachchan,has pledged monthly rations to support 1,00,000 households of daily wage workers, including spot boys and makeup artists, belonging to the All India Film Employees Confederation (AIFEC). The initiative is supported by Sony Pictures Networks India and Kalyan Jewellers. Bachchan, one of the most followed stars in India, also did his bit to spread awareness and was part of a short film on social distancing called Family. The film was made in collaboration with stars from Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam cinema. With shootings cancelled and no idea of when audiences will feel confident enough to return to theatres, lakhs of people dependent on the film industry are on the verge of penury. Superstar Salman Khan was one of the earliest celebrities to understand that lack of shootings will render many jobless. He pledged to directly help 25,000 daily wage artistes of FWICE every month through his Being Human Foundation. We have about five lakh workers out of which 25,000 are in dire need of financial help. Being Human Foundation said they will take care of these workers on their own they are ensuring the money reaches them directly, FWICE president B N Tiwari told PTI in an earlier interview. The actor has also asked fans to donate food to the needy and was seen loading ration packets in tractors and bullock carts to be sent to villages near his Panvel farmhouse, where he has been since the lockdown started on March 25. His superstar colleague Shah Rukh went a step further by announcing a series of initiatives with his wife Gauri Khan and his business partners besides donating in the PM-CARES fund through his and actor Juhi Chawla's IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. Their package' of relief includes contributing personal protective equipment' (PPE) for frontline health workers, daily food for 5,500 families in Mumbai, meal kits for 10,000 people per day, and essentials for 2,500 daily-wage workers as well as basic essentials and groceries to 2,500 workers in the national capital. Shah Rukh and Gauri have also offered their four-floor office in suburban Mumbai to local civic authorities to help expand quarantine facilities in the city. "This crisis is not going to pass in a hurry, it will take its time and its toll on all of us. It will also show us that there isn't really a choice between looking out for ourselves and looking out for one another. "There's nothing more obvious in the spread of this pandemic, than the fact that each one of us is inextricably connected to each other, without any distinction," the actor said in a statement last month while announcing his charity initiatives. With the nationwide lockdown in its fourth phase and India's count of COVID-19 cases crossing 1.3 lakh with more than 3,800 fatalities, other stars are digging deep into their pockets too. Akshay Kumar donated Rs 25 crore to the PM-CARES fund to help fight the virus in March apart from a Rs 2 crore contribution to Mumbai Police and other charity contributions. Other who have donated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's PM-CARES fund include Vicky Kaushal, Karan Johar, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Lata Mangeshkar. Ajay Devgn and filmmaker Rohit Shetty have donated Rs 51 lakh each for the daily wage workers in the film industry. Besides, Hrithik Roshan, Vidya Balan, Farhan Akhtar, Sonu Sood and Sonakshi are among the people who have given money for PPE kits and food for healthcare professionals and other healthcare workers. Like Shah Rukh, Sood has also offered his hotel in the city for healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses and the paramedical staff, to stay. He also has been delivering meals to the underprivileged in Mumbai. But that is not all. Troubled by images of lakhs of migrant labourers making their way to their homes on foot with little or no food, the actor decided to help them reach home. Sood facilitated several buses for hundreds of workers stranded in Mumbai so they could return to their homes in states such as Karnataka, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. He has also been helping those reaching out to him via social media. I will continue sending migrants home until the last migrant reunites with his family and loved ones. This is something really close to my heart and I will give it my all," the 46-year-old said in a statement. Bollywood stars also raised funds through the high profile charity concert I for India held earlier this month to raise funds for frontline workers. The digital concert, featuring 85 Indian and global stars such as Will Smith, Nick Jonas, Shah Rukh and Priyanka Chopra, raised Rs 52 crore. And actor Arjun Kapoor offered a virtual date to raise funds for charity besides personal donations. Down south, Baahubali actor Prabhas has given Rs 4 crore -- Rs 3 crore for the PM's National Relief Fund and Rs 50 lakh each to relief funds of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana chief ministers. Telugu superstar Pawan Kalyan donated Rs 1 crore to the PM's relief fund and Rs 50 lakh each to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana CM relief funds. Actor Ram Charan and his father Cheeranjeevi donated Rs 70 lakh and Rs 1 crore to the centre and state charities. Telugu star Allu Arjun made a donation of Rs 1.25 crore to relieffunds of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Keralaand an additional, Rs 20 lakh to Corona Crisis Charity set up by Cheerajivi to help daily wage workers in the south film industry. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amidst ongoing speculations over the resumption of domestic flight operations in Maharashtra, the state government has finally agreed to allow limited take-offs and landings from Mumbai airport on Monday, when flying resumes after two months. Initially, 25 flights will be allowed to land and 25 more to take off from the Mumbai international airport beginning today May 25. "Initially the state government will allow 25 take offs and 25 landings every day for domestic flights from Mumbai. This number will be increased gradually," news agency ANI quoted Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik as saying. "State government will issue details and guidelines in this regard soon," he added. Earlier on Sunday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that he has requested the Civil Aviation Ministry to give the state some more time to restart domestic flight services at the Mumbai airport. "I spoke to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today and told him that the Mumbai international airport needs more time to resume domestic flight operations," Uddhav Thackeray had said in an online news briefing. Also Read: No flights to and from Mumbai? Maharashtra govt opposes air operations starting May 25 Earlier on Saturday, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh tweeted that it was "extremely ill-advised to re-open airports in red zone". According to Deshmukh, mere thermal scanning of passengers was inadequate with or without swabs. Maharashtra is the worst-affected by the coronavirus pandemic in the country with 50,231 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state. Of this, Mumbai alone accounts for 30,542 cases and 988 deaths as of May 25, according to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data. Maharashtra has 14 red zones, including Mumbai and Pune. The Civil Aviation ministry recently took the decision to reinstate flight operations from May 25, but in a calibrated manner. Subsequently, thousands of passengers had booked flights. However, later murmurs were doing the rounds that a few state governments were not happy with the aviation ministry's decision. Also Read: Govt issues guidelines for domestic, international travel; check out the details here The suspense over the resumption of air operations in Maharashtra has clearly indicated poor coordination between the Centre and the states. Maharashtra government On Saturday communicated to the airport operator to fine-tune its operations and also discussed minimum flight operations like, "international transfer passengers from these cities, medical emergencies, students and cases on compassionate grounds only". An official from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (MIAL) had told India Today that they were prepared to restart flight operations in Mumbai and all the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) were in place. He also said that passengers will be taken care of inside the airport. A Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) official said he was sure that the operations would resume but on a limited basis. "Bookings have been made and even the airlines are ready. This cannot be rolled back now," he had said. By Chitranjan Kumar The Himachal Pradesh Congress has expressed surprise over Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur's statement of exploring ways to promote the hill state as a quarantine destination to boost tourism. In a press note issued here, state Congress president Kuldeep Singh Rathore asked the chief minister to take practical decisions after due consideration for reviving the state's economy. It is not only wrong to present Himachal as a quarantine destination but it may also prove dangerous for the state The Congress would not accept this decision to give an open invitation to the pandemic, Rathore said. It has already become difficult to control coronavirus in Himachal due to the recent spurt in cases but if the state is turned into a quarantine destination, the situation might get out of hand, Rathore said. Presenting Himachal as a quarantine destination for revival of tourism industry will prove to be anti-public, he said, adding that the state government should instead seek a financial relief package from the Centre. Thakur had recently told a private channel that the state government might promote Himachal Pradesh as a quarantine destination by converting its hotels into quarantine centres. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vietnam on Sunday morning confirmed one new patient of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a 34-year-old woman who returned to the country from Russia earlier this month. The patient, Vietnams 325th, hails from the northern province of Ninh Binh, the Ministry of Health stated, adding that she had come back on board flight VN0062 on May 13. She was previously infected with COVID-19 in Russia and had recovered from it prior to her repatriation, the ministry added. Following her arrival, she was brought to an isolation facility in the northern province of Hai Duong, Her first test result came back negative for the virus on May 13. However, she tested positive twice on May 21 and 23 and was sent to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hai Duong Province. A total of 32 people aboard flight VN0062, including two flight attendants, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus so far. Among them, 27 are being isolated and treated in northern Thai Binh Province, two in Hai Duong Province, two in Ho Chi Minh City, and one in northern Quang Ninh Province. All passengers and flight crew members were taken to quarantine camps following their arrival at Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh. The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has sickened over 5.39 million people and killed nearly 343,600 globally as of Sunday morning, according to Ministry of Health statistics. Vietnam has announced 325 COVID-19 patients so far, with 267 having recovered. No fatality in association with the disease has been reported in the country to date. No new infections in the community have been documented in the Southeast Asian country for nearly 40 days. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - Tunisian President Kais Saied on Saturday issued a stern warning to supporters of the counter-revolution and those who "are nostalgic for the past", saying they "are deluding themselves" I was on the front porch when you drove by and I waved, happy that spring has found us. We now have temps in the high 70s which I observed last week by enjoying an outdoor lunch on our backyard deck, dining on Louises chicken salad made with cranberries and bits of pecans, all excellent, followed by a fresh baked brownie for dessert. A raven landed on the railing and cocked his eye at my plate so I tossed him a cranberry and he caught it mid-air. A wonder. This never happened before COVID-19. Another wonder of the pandemic is how polished and squeaky clean everybody is since government demanded we hunker down and take hygiene tips from raccoons. Thus, stores are still low on hand sanitizers. Also running low is rubbing alcohol, antibacterial wipes, and almost any kind of cleaner, but when you do get close to people they smell clean, like lavender or a jug of bleach. I was recently approached by a homeless gentleman who told me gin is a proven sanitizer, which probably makes Washington, D.C., the cleanest place on earth. 1. 'Money Heist' To Reportedly Return For Seasons 5 And 6: Here's Everything We Know So Far wallpapersden.com According to Spanish site Marca, Netflix gave the 'go-ahead' to the fifth and sixth seasons. However, the streaming platform is yet to confirm the same. The website reports that the renewal agreement was made before the release of season 4, as per Express. 2. Kiran Kumar Reportedly Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Says He Is Asymptomatic & 'Doing Fine' asianetnews.com Veteran actor Kiran Kumar is the latest Bollywood star to have tested positive for COVID-19. Known for his roles in movies like Tezaab, Dhadkan, Mujhse Dosti Karoge and Khuda Gawah, Kumar found out about the diagnosis when he went for a minor check up to the hospital about 10 days ago. 3. Smriti Irani & Jayant Patil Praise Sonu Sood For Helping Migrants, Call Him A 'Hero' Not only has Sonu has won the hearts of the audiences, he is also being showered with praises from other actors, police officers and even politicians. The latest to join the bandwagon is Smriti Irani. 4. 15 Brilliant Performances From Recent Web Shows That Prove Bollywood Is The One Missing Out! Not only have these shows given us amazing stories, they have also given us star performers and actors who were otherwise overshadowed by the 'heroes' in Bollywood. 5. Chef Vikas Khanna To Distribute Food To Those Affected By Cyclone Amphan In West Bengal Now, according to a report on The Times Of India, Chef Khanna has reached out to the NGOs and he will soon start the distribution of food. A woman who raised questions about Florida's COVID-19 data after being ousted as the data's curator had been reprimanded several times for violating Health Department policy, including for posting political commentary about the information, state records show. Rebekah Jones' comments over the past week and a half in emails to researchers, interviews with a handful of media outlets, and blog posts have sought to sow doubt about the credibility of the data now that she is no longer in that role. State health officials strenuously deny any issue with the information's accuracy as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis seeks to make a data-driven case for a step-by-step reopening of the state's battered economy following safer-at-home orders. Jones has not alleged any tampering with data on deaths, hospital symptom surveillance, hospitalizations for COVID-19, numbers of new confirmed cases, or overall testing rates. She has, however, suggested Health Department managers wanted her to manipulate information to paint a rosier picture and that she pushed back. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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 | At-home tests | 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 "There are potentially 10,000 spaces available in the nation's enterprise centres and remote-working hubs," said Gary O'Meara, chairman of the National Association of Community Enterprise Centres (NACEC). Photo: David Conachy Enterprise centres could open their doors to remote workers from multinational firms to give them access to key facilities. The plan would allow the country's enterprise hubs replace SME tenants that are going out of business due to the impact of the pandemic. Business Minister Heather Humphreys has given her backing to the plan, which would bring new business to more than 200 State-backed enterprise hubs throughout the country. "There are potentially 10,000 spaces available in the nation's enterprise centres and remote-working hubs," said Gary O'Meara, chairman of the National Association of Community Enterprise Centres (NACEC), which is leading the plan. "Facilities available include everything from desk spaces, digital lab spaces, wet labs, kitchens, meeting rooms and wifi. Many people are now finding that working at home comes with big limitations so this could be a very welcome opportunity for many companies and their workers. It's a win-win for everyone." A business barometer survey at the centres by NACEC, which promotes, supports and develops the community and regional enterprise sector, found 33pc of them had tenants which had shut down permanently. NACEC has calculated the plan would require 5m investment in the sector to help enterprise centres and co-working hubs to adapt their facilities and services, particularly to social-distancing requirements. O'Meara said this investment would likely have to come from Government and that further discussions with the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation would take place next week. O'Meara said the plan had the potential to provide long-term solutions beyond the pandemic and could be a boost for local communities. John O'Dea, chief executive of Tech Ireland, which represents many large multinational employers, expressed support for the emerging plan. "Enabling people to work closer to where they live can have positive and long-term sustainable benefits for the environment, rural regeneration and the health and well-being of our employees, so utilising the national enterprise hub infrastructure to support the future of flexible working is an exciting project that we are delighted to be supporting," he said. Humphreys said that her department "has awarded considerable funding to support the development of a national network of enterprise, technology and co-working hubs throughout Ireland and I believe NACEC and the wider enterprise hub network is well placed to support our multinationals, large corporates and SMEs with their remote and flexible working requirements after the pandemic". Taking a swipe at the Centre over the plight of migrant labourers amidst the coronavirus-induced lockdown, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said the humanity shown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by washing the feet of conservatory workers seems to have vanished now. In his weekly column published in the Sena mouthpiece Saamana, Raut said, Prime Minister Modi had washed the feet of four conservatory workers in Varanasi and showed us the humanity. It seems this humanity has vanished in the last three months. The PM had washed washed the feet of safai karamcharis (sanitation workers) during Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj last February as a mark of respect for their work. Raut, who is the executive editor of the Saamana and chief whip of the Sena in Parliament, also sought to draw parallels between politicisation of displacement of Kashmiri Pandits and the plight of migrant labourers, who are bearing the brunt of the lockdown. The issue of Kashmiri Pandits being forced to leave their homes and living as refugees in their own country has been politicised frequently. Today, some six crore migrant workers are forced to live the similar way, he said. Those who get angry with Adolf Hitlers cruelty and treatment to Jews should tell us what have they done for these migrant workers. If the ruling government is not moved by the sufferings of migrant workers in all states then this Coronavirus has ended the humanity, he said. Raut also targeted BJP leaders from Maharashtra over their frequent meeting with state governor B S Koshyari instead of interacting with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena. The Opposition in Maharashtra is consistently claiming that the Thackeray-led government has failed. They should not forget that governments of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat are actually the biggest failures in containing COVID-19 cases. And since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah hail from Gujarat, they cannot escape this responsibility, he said. Raut said that everybody is sailing in the same boat as far as the current COVID crisis and its adverse impact on the economy are concerned. We have to work together to contain the outbreak, he added. Raut also slammed former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP who had criticised NCP chief Sharad Pawar for questionning the Atma Nirbhar package in the latters recent letter to the prime minister. Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis is getting agitated with letters of Sharad Pawar. Who has stopped him from writing letters to Prime Minister Modi? he asked. Rut said the only agenda of Fadnavis is to dissolve the Sena-led tripartite government with the help of the governor. If the Opposition keeps patients their lockdown will also end soon, Raut said cryptically. He also said that Opposition party (read BJP) is ridiculed the most on social media which is not a good sign. Raut also asked Fadnavis to meet the CM and Sharad Pawar once. A 19-year-old migrant worker who had returned from Mumbai, died of respiratory complications late Saturday night in Jharkhands Koderma district prompting officials to send his samples for Covid-19 test. The youth had come from Mumbai privately on a truck on May 16 and went straight to his village in Satgawa block. When it came to our knowledge, he was picked up and sent to the quarantine centre set up at the blocks Panchayat Bhawan, said Koderma deputy commissioner Ramesh Gholakh. He added, On Saturday, he developed some Covid-19 symptoms including respiratory trouble and dysentery and was brought to the districts Sadar hospital for treatment. His condition further deteriorated and he was shifted to the citys Jaiprakash Hospital for better treatment but he died late night. Since he had symptoms of coronavirus infection, his samples were taken for testing to confirm if the death was due to pandemic, the deputy commissioner said, adding, Test result is awaited. The body was reportedly cremated as per the health departments protocol for Covid-19 casualties. Koderma district had reported its first Covid-19 death on Saturday after another migrant worker, who too had returned from Mumbai, tested positive for SARS-COV-2 virus after his death on Thursday. The 39-year-old man had died of cardiac arrest on May 21. Since he came from Mumbai, a Covid-19 hotspot, his samples were taken and tested for Covid-19. The test report, which came on Saturday, showed positive. Jharkhand has so far reported 353 positive cases including 141 recoveries and four deaths. On Sunday, three more positive cases were reported from East Singhbhum district taking the states tally to 353. The sudden outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic forced the Supreme Court to resort to virtual court hearings to ensure the safety of lawyers, litigants and media personnel, Supreme Court judge justice DY Chandrachud said on Sunday. But virtual court hearings will not replace or be a substitute to physical courts, justice Chandrachud made it clear at a webinar organized by Nyaya Forum of National Academy of Legal Studies and Research, Hyderabad on the topic Future of Virtual Courts and Access to Justice in India. I want to dissuade people from the idea that virtual court hearings are some sort of a panacea. They will not be able to replace physical court hearings. We had to resort to virtual court hearings because Covid-19 descended without warning and we had no other choice. We had to protect those who come to court lawyers, litigants, media personnel, para-legal, interns, he said. The Supreme Court, which is under complete shutdown due to the Coronavirus threat, has been hearing only extremely urgent cases since March 23 via video conferencing without the personal presence of lawyers. The top court had issued a circular on March 23 suspending entry of lawyers and litigants to the court premises and directing that only extremely urgent cases will be taken up for hearing through video conferencing during the lockdown period. The video conferencing is conducted by the court through Vidyo app which can be downloaded on mobile phones and desktop. On the use of technology in courts, justice Chandrachud said that technology is an inseparable adjunct to rule of law and will have to be employed as a critical element in court design. But it should be inclusive and should replace court procedures into manageable chunks, he added. Our court procedures are tardy and unintelligible to common people, justice Chandrachud conceded. Justice Chandrachud, who is also the chairperson of the e-committee at the Supreme Court, said that the digitization of courts including e-filing must be standardized across the country. The filing of cases in Supreme Court is set to undergo a radical change with the introduction of the new e-filing module in the near future. The module will provide personalized information to every advocate-on-Record of cases which have been filed by them, their own causelist of cases, details of pleadings filed by them and pleadings filed by others in cases in which they are appear. The service will be available round the clock which would mean that a lawyer can file a case anytime of the day and any day irrespective of whether the registry is working or not. We as judges have a vital role to ensure that young members of the Bar are trained and we have to do the hand-holding ourselves, justice Chandrachud said. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Global Gingivostomatitis Market report titled Global Gingivostomatitis Market Research Report- Forecast To 2023 Based on treatment, the market has been segmented as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antiviral and antibacterial, debridement of the mouth and others. The Global Gingivostomatitis Market is expected to reach USD 15.5 billion by 2023, and the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~ 6.6 % during the forecast period 2017-2023. The Worldwide Gingivostomatitis Market report analyzes the market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. The Global Gingivostomatitis Market Trends report provide overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market. Gingiva means gums and stomata refer to mouth. Gingivostomatitis is a combination of gingivitis and stomatitis, which is the inflammation of the oral mucosa and gingiva. Gingivostomatitis is most commonly caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), coxsackievirus, bacteria such as Streptococcus, Actinomyces etc. Poor oral hygiene is an important risk factor for Gingivostomatitis. Get Sample Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4402 . Symptoms of gingivostomatitis may include tender sores on the gums or cheeks, bad breath, fever, swollen gums and lymph nodes, bleeding, difficulty in eating etc. Gingivostomatitis is a common infection of the mouth and gums and frequently occurs in children. If left untreated complications such as severe mouth ulcers can occur. Gingivostomatitis is caused in 90% of cases by herpes simplex virus type 1. Acyclovir and penciclovir are the drugs of choice for the treatment of herpes simplex virus type 1, but microbial resistance has been on a rise which has led to high degree of clinical failures. Thus there is an unmet need for a new drug with selectivity and lethal action against of herpes simplex virus. Development of any new drug for the treatment of herpes simplex virus will be met with great market enthusiasm with a minimum of marketing costs and efforts. The Americas accounted for a significant market share owing to extensive use of medications and high expenditure on the health care. Additionally, the fastest uptake of new products in the US drives the Gingivostomatitis market. Also, concentration of major healthcare companies in the developed countries of this region coupled with the larger market for oral hygiene products is adding fuel to the market growth. The large expenditure by the US on healthcare accounting to 16% of GDP also cruises the sale of Gingivostomatitis treatment. Europe is the second largest market in the world due to high income and healthcare penetration. Europe is led by countries such as Germany and France. UK is expected to be the fastest growing market. The large influence of media and the rise in awareness of oral hygiene coupled with the high per capita income of the population drives the European market for Gingivostomatitis. Asia Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly and China and India are likely to lead this market due to fast growing healthcare sector and large unmet needs during the forecast period. South East Asia countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia will also contribute highly to the market. Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are estimated to drive the Middle East & African market. Other Middle East nations to watch out for will be Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and Iran. The African region is expected to witness a moderate growth owing to poor economic and political conditions and poor healthcare development. However it has to be noted that Africa has the highest unmet needs in the world and cost effective products will be the key to dominate the African market. First comer advantage and established dominance in African market are advantages that will be difficult to overcome by any new player due to the smaller market size and market value of the African market for Gingivostomatitis. Some of the key players in this market are Pfizer Inc., Taj Pharmaceutical limited., Ciron pharma, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & CO., Inc. Novartis, F. Hoffman La Roche AG, Eli Lily and Company, AstraZeneca Plc., and others. get detailed report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/gingivostomatitis-market-4402 Major TOC of Gingivostomatitis Market: Research Methodology Market Dynamics Global Gingivostomatitis Market, Applications Global Gingivostomatitis Market, By Types Global Gingivostomatitis Market, By Competitive Landscape Global Gingivostomatitis Market, By Region Competitive Landscape Company Profiles .Continued About US: Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Deputy Communications Director of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mame Yaa Aboagye has urged Ghanaians not to entrust the countrys future into the hands of former President John Mahama and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). According to the NPP Deputy Communications Director, former President Mahama and the NDC have nothing good to offer Ghanaians. Former President John Dramani Mahama has outlined his vision for his next term in office which is to address the plight of Ghanaians. The former President is eyeing the Presidential seat and appealing to Ghanaians to give him another term. Mr. Mahama stated on his Facebook that, if elected President again, he will build a peaceful, secure and prosperous nation, and provide sustainable jobs through industrialization for rapid development. Reacting to Mr. Mahamas goals for his next administration, Mame Yaa reminded the citizenry of the poor governance by the former President saying he superintended a corrupt administration which saw his officials embezzling state funds while he also mismanaged the economy. Mr. Mahamas latest vision for Ghanaians are vague. What happened when he was the President? You had your time, chances and opportunityWhat did you do with it? In all your four years in office what did you achieved? Is it dumsor, bribery and corruption, SADA, GYEEDA, bus branding? she questioned and added that up to date, as a flag bearer of the largest opposition party, you have not even come clear with your ManifestoWhat is your message for Ghanaians, policies, your plans and programs as NDC flag bearer? indeed the alternative is totally empty and visionless. She also touted the achievements of President Nana Akufo-Addo and was optimistic Ghanaians will re-elect him to power. We are privileged to have a President who always thinks outside the box and has rolled out his programs, plans with good polices and one of such policies is to transform Ghana with Free SHS, 1V1D, 1D1F, NABco and the rapid mechanism put in place in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. This is what we call visionary President. 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 Chhattisgarh government has issued standard operating procedure (SOP) for medical screening and quarantining of people arriving in the state on domestic flights and trains amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown. A directive about the SOP was issued by the General Administration Department Secretary Dr Kamalpreet Singh on May 22, a public relations department official here said. The people interested to return to Chhattisgarh from other states must register themselves with the state portal, and district collectors would inform the nodal officers of the concerned gram panchayat or urban wards to ensure compliance of quarantine protocols after the arrival of the passengers, he said quoting the directive. With domestic air services resuming from May 25, the Raipur Municipal Corporation commissioner will coordinate with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and local police to set up facilitation centres for passengers at the Swami Vivekanand Airport here, he said. Health desks will be set up in these facilitation centres, and passengers will be subjected to a medical check- up, including thermal screening, and those showing coronavirus symptoms will be admitted in the airport's isolation kiosk, he added. Those showing no symptoms would be placed in 14-day quarantine at government centres, homes or paid facilities, the official said, adding that passengers will have to submit a written undertaking they will strictly follow isolation norms. "Baggage will be sanitised at the airport and only select vehicles whose details are with the transport department will be allowed to pick and drop passengers," he said. "Similarly, the district administration would work in co-ordination the railways to set up facilitation centres at stations. The SOP for medical screening and quarantining for train passengers will be the same as air travelers." he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Two Republicans Joseph Tiano and Susan Vescovo are vying in the June 2 primary election to face incumbent Democrat Liz Stefanics in the general election this fall to represent New Mexico State Senate District 39. The almost vertically shaped district runs from Ruidoso in southern New Mexico almost to Mora in the northern part of the state, bypassing Santa Fe. While it is primarily a rural district, it includes the tourist towns of Lamy and Madrid. Personally, I think its gerrymandering, said Susan Vescovo, one of the two GOP candidates in the primary. Vescovo and her husband ran a Toyota dealership in Las Cruces for 24 years before passing it down to their son and moving to Alto, near Ruidoso, in 2014. The retired educator said she was driven to run for political office for the first time because of the abortion issue. Vescovo said she was born after 6 months in the womb and is still alive 66 years later. I can support early-term abortion, especially in cases of rape. But what we allow in this state is criminal, she said, referring to late-term abortion. Vescovo notes her little sister was adopted and said there are many people in the state who would welcome the chance to adopt if the mother is not in a position to raise her child. A practicing Catholic, Vescovo said not enough is being done to educate people about the morning-after pill, which is available without a prescription and is eligible for Medicaid reimbursement. Vescovo said she is opposed to Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams plan to make college free for everyone. Id rather see that funding go toward tutoring in high school so we can get our juniors and seniors reading above a junior-high level, she said. Not everyone needs to go to college. The technicians at our sons dealership make a very good living. A past president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Vescovo said she doesnt want to see New Mexicans with behavioral health issues fall through the cracks. She noted her cousin, designer Kate Spade, committed suicide in 2018 and that her son is a schizophrenic who lives in a boarding house in Albuquerque, so mental health concerns are close to home for her. Vescovos opponent, Joseph Tiano, also has a hot-button issue: gun rights. A graduate of the New Mexico State Police Academy and a retired law enforcement officer, Tiano called the states red flag gun law, which took effect Wednesday, May 20, unconstitutional and predicted it will be struck down by the courts. Formally known as the Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order Act, the law allows temporary seizure of guns from individuals who are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. Sheriffs and police officers cannot enforce that law because it violates peoples constitutional rights, said Tiano, who is also running for office for the first time. Tiano, an independent consultant for Legal Shield who helps clients protect themselves against identity theft, said he decided to run in the primary because things are so bad in New Mexico. Were last in the nation in everything good and first in everything bad. Like Vescovo, Tiano is opposed to the states abortion law, which allows late-term abortion to be paid for by Medicaid. Weve got to get government out of the baby-killing business, he said. Describing himself as a real rule of law guy, Tiano said he is concerned about government funds subsidizing illegal aliens and also wants stricter oversight of voting. Alleging malfeasance in the county clerk offices of both Santa Fe and Dona Ana counties, Tiano said he wants to see one vote for one legal citizen. Santa Feans may recognize Tianos name because family members ran Tiano Sporting Goods on the site currently occupied by Seret & Sons downtown, as well Toms Sporting Goods Center, where Posas is now located on Rodeo Road. He said both retailers were driven out of business by big-box stores and said it is essential that more aid be funneled to New Mexico small businesses that were forced to shut down temporarily during the coronavirus crisis. Summing up his platform, Tiano said, Im a New Mexican for New Mexico. My great-grandparents came to the U.S. in 1895 from a socialist country, Italy. They didnt think they were bringing their family to another socialist country. President Donald Trump said former Vice President Joe Biden was never known as a 'smart person' as he struggled to name positive things about the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. In a brief clip for Sunday's 'Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson', Trump quickly lambasted Biden as being forgetful when asked what Biden's 'strongest feature' was as a competitor. 'Well I would have said experience but he doesn't really have experience because I don't think he remembers what he did yesterday,' the president said in the brief interview segment. Scroll down for video In a brief clip for Sunday's 'Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson', Trump quickly lambasted Biden as being forgetful when asked what Biden's 'strongest feature' 'So how is that experience. He has been there a long time. He was never known as a smart person.' When asked to name one good thing about Biden, Trump could not think of something off the top of his head. But when asked about negatives things, he claimed he could 'talk about weak points all day long.' 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. Earlier in the month, Biden bumbled his way through a 'virtual roundtable' he hosted, where he spoke about soaring unemployment levels. He wrongly claimed 85,000 jobs had been lost in the US as a result of COVID-19, and millions of Americans had died. Speaking to Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Biden stumbled his way through an April interview on CNN when talking about Trump's pandemic response. Earlier in the month, during a monologue about soaring unemployment levels, Biden wrongly claimed 85,000 jobs had been lost in the US as a result of COVID-19, and millions of people had died After a long-winded reply about a lack of testing, Biden said: 'You know, there's a uh, during World War II, uh, you know, where Roosevelt came up with a thing uh, that uh, you know, was totally different than a, than the, the, it's called, he called it the, you know, the World War II, he had the war the War Production Board. 'I don't know why we don't set up something like a pandemic production board.' President Trump's appearance on 'Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson' is scheduled to air on Sinclair sites at 9.30am EDT on Sunday. Almost 100,000 have died from the coronavirus in recent months and some 39million Americans have filed for unemployment as the pandemic wreaks havoc on the U.S. A recent poll from AP's NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has shown that just 41 per cent of American's approve of his job performance. But the president praises his administration's performance. 'Well I would have said experience but he doesn't really have experience because I don't think he remembers what he did yesterday,' the president said. The pair pictured with former President Obama on January 20, 2017 When asked to name one good thing about Biden, Trump could not think of something off the top of his head 'No country has ever done better than what we were doing just a number of months ago and we had to turn it off to save a lot of lives, which we've done,' Trump said. 'And now we're opening it up again and I think we're going to get our economy back fast.' Trump also blamed China for why the pandemic has caused so much damage to the American way of life. 'They could have stopped it. Either it was incompetent or they didn't want to both are not very acceptable,' he said. Hyderabad, May 24 : Four days after nine bodies were recovered from a well in Telangana's Warangal district, police have not reached to a conclusion whether it was a murder or mass suicide. Multiples teams formed by Warangal police were making hectic efforts to gather evidence in the sensational case, which is proving to be a challenge for the investigators. Bodies of all nine migrants, including six from one family, have been preserved after autopsy at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital (MGH) at Warangal. The hospital authorities said the bodies would be handed over to their families with the permission of police. So far, no kin of anyone of the dead hailing from West Bengal, Bihar and Tripura have come forward to claim the bodies. The district officials said if nobody comes forward to claim the bodies, they will arrange the last rites. The forensic teams on Sunday collected more samples as part of the investigations while police were questioning two men from Bihar, who were in close contact with Mohammed Maqsood Alam, who along with five members of his family, and three others were found dead. The investigators have not yet reached a conclusion about the cause of the death and were waiting for results of some of the tests being done at Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). The police also reported to have recovered two mobile phones of Alam's family. In the absence of any CCTV cameras in the area around the well, the investigators are banking on the call data to get clues. Police were trying to identify the people the victims last spoke to. The forensic teams also collected food samples from the houses of Alam and three other men found dead to find out if they were poisoned before the bodies were dumped into the well. The tests at FSL are expected to help them reach to conclusion if there was any poison in the liver or viscera. It may take 10 days or two weeks to get the test reports. The preliminary tests by forensic experts indicate that seven of the victims were alive when they fell into well while two others were already dead. They believe that seven of the victims died of drowning. "We found scratch marks on some of the bodies but we are still investigating how they occurred. We suspect that seven were alive when they fell into the well while two others were either sleeping or already dead when they were thrown into the well," said Dr Raza Malik who performed the autopsy, told reporters. They included bodies of six members of one family. They were identified as Alam (55), a native of West Bengal working in gunny bag manufacturing unit in Warangal for last 20 years, his wife Nisha (48), daughter Bushra Khatoon (22), sons Shabaaz Alam (20), Sohail Alam (18) and Bushra. The bodies of Sriram Kumar Shah (26) and Shyam Kumar Shah (21), both natives of Bihar, and Mohammed Shakeel (40) of Tripura were also recovered from the well. They were all workers in the same gunny bag manufacturing unit. Initially Shakeel was identified as a local resident but subsequent investigations revealed that he had migrated from Tripura over two decades ago and had settled down in Warangal. It is said that there was a birthday party at Alam's house on Wednesday and he had invited the three other men for the same. For the last one-and-half month, Alam was living in a warehouse of a gunny bag unit with the permission of its owner. The bodies were found in the well near it. Police sources said they were probing the case from all angles. They were trying to find out who else attended the party. Last week, the Maine Gambling Control Board gave the green light for residents in the state to legally wager on horse races online. As an article by WMTW.com explains, residents of Maine can now legally wager on horse races that are being conducted anywhere in the world, but they must do so via Penn National Gaming, which has received approval to be the only licensed advance deposit wagering entity in the state. We are excited to bring this form of gaming to Maine, Penn National Gaming Vice President of Racing Christopher McErlean was quoted as saying. This is a tried and tested use of technology for more people to get excited about the sport of horse racing, any time of day, any day of the year, and allows Mainers to enjoy races taking places across the world from the comfort of their own home. To read the article in its entirety, click here. (With files from WMTW.com) Protesters run away from tear gas during a march against Beijings plans to impose national security legislation in Hong Kong on May 24, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) Tear Gas Fired as Hong Kong Protesters Return to Streets Against Chinas National Security Law This article has been updated with the latest information. The air in Hong Kong filled again with tear gas on May 24 after months of relative quiet during the pandemic lockdowns. In a scene reminiscent of last years mass protests, thousands returned to the streets to voice their opposition to Beijings proposal for a national security law that was presented at the Chinese regimes rubber-stamp legislature this weekbypassing the Hong Kong legislative council. According to Hong Kong police, at least 180 protesters have been arrested as of Sunday 10 p.m. Beijings move was met with international criticism as critics argued that the law would undermine Hong Kongs autonomy and freedoms, which the Chinese regime promised to preserve after the citys sovereignty was handed over from Britain to China in 1997. Washington said on Sunday that Chinas proposal could lead to U.S. sanctions. It looks like, with this national security law, theyre going to basically take over Hong Kong and if they do Secretary [of State Mike] Pompeo will likely be unable to certify that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy and if that happens there will be sanctions that will be imposed on Hong Kong and China, National Security Adviser Robert OBrien told NBC television. Beijing announced the details of the law on Friday, which include the likely scenario that the regimes security agencies will be granted jurisdiction over matters in Hong Kong. The law drew immediate condemnation from the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Taiwan. Planned March Netizens on Hong Kongs social media quickly called for a march on Hong Kong Island from Causeway Bay to Wan Chai beginning at 1 p.m. local time on Sunday. Largest public Hong Kong protest gathering since the start of #COVID outbreak. #HKers defy 8-person-max group gathering rule to protest against Chinas recent #NationalSecurityLaw plan, which effectively erases one country, two systems. pic.twitter.com/oGxRCKf06H The Epoch Times Hong Kong (@EpochTimesHK) May 24, 2020 Protesters did not obtain police approval, given the citys social distancing rule, which prevents gatherings of more than eight people, is still in place until early June to prevent the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Before the march took off, a large number of police officers were seen gathering in Causeway Bay, including patrols at the local metro station, where they stopped people for inspection. Police fired the first shot of tear gas at around 1:30 p.m. local time outside the local shopping mall Hysan Place in Causeway Bay in an effort to disperse protesters. The first arrest was made about 20 minutes later. A protester dressed in black is handcuffed by the police at Hennessy Road in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, on May 24, 2020. (Hong Kong branch of The Epoch Times) Hong Kong police have arrested over 7,500 people since June last yearthe start of the current anti-CCP and pro-democracy movement that was sparked over the since-scrapped extradition bill. At 2:30 p.m. local time, the Hong Kong government issued a statement saying that rioters had thrown items at police officers and blocked roads with miscellaneous objects. It added that the police were using minimum necessary force, including tear gas to disperse rioters. Police have since fired multiple rounds of tear gas and pepper spray. Journalists covering the protests were also hit. The Hong Kong edition of The Epoch Times reported that reporters were pepper-sprayed by the police at the Canal Road Flyover, a bridge at Causeway Bay at around 2:45 p.m. local time. Meanwhile, police armored and water cannon vehicles were seen heading toward Causeway Bay. Police officers cordon off an area near the shopping center Windsor House in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, on May 24, 2020. (The Hong Kong branch of The Epoch Times) The local police were already gearing up for a possible confrontation with protesters earlier in the day, with a police water-cannon vehicle parked outside of the Hong Kong Liaison Office in the morning, the Hong Kong branch of The Epoch Times reported. At around 3:20 p.m. local time, a police water cannon fired at protesters and journalists near Canal Road Flyover. Morning Protests Members of several groups, including Hong Kongs pro-democracy parties the League of Social Democrats, Neo Democrats, Labour Party, and the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, staged protests outside the Hong Kong Liaison OfficeBeijings representative office in the cityon Sunday morning. The groups held banners and placards voicing their opposition to the CCPs national security law that they see as destroying the promises made between the British government and the Chinese regime under the Sino-British Joint Declaration. They repeated the longstanding five demands of prior demonstrations, including for universal suffrage and an independent inquiry into instances of police violence. Members of pro-democracy party Neo Democrats hold a protest outside of the Hong Kong Liaison Office in Hong Kong, on May 24, 2020. (Hong Kong Branch of The Epoch Times) Lee Cheuk-yan, the alliances chairman, told local media that Beijing was digging its own grave by proposing the national security law. Leung Kwok-hung, a former lawmaker and one of the founders of the League of Social Democrats, said the law will deprive Hongkongers freedom of speech. Recently, over 200 parliamentarians and policymakers from 23 countries issued a joint statement, saying that Chinas law is a flagrant breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Beijing Also Pushing National Anthem Law The Sunday protest was originally planned in opposition to the Hong Kong governments pushing ahead with a second reading of a controversial national anthem law, scheduled for May 27 in the citys legislative council (LegCo). If passed, the law stipulates that anyone in Hong Kong found guilty of actions such as singing the [Chinese] national anthem in a distorted or disrespectful way could face a fine up to HK$50,000 ($6,440) and three years in prison. The push for a national anthem law in Hong Kong was mandated by Beijing in late 2017, when the standing committee of Chinas rubber-stamp legislature, the National People Congress, adopted the decision to add the law to Annex III of Hong Kongs Basic Law. Once a Chinese national law is added to Annex III in Hong Kongs mini constitution, the Hong Kong government can pass it through local legislation, or the citys chief executive can bypass the legislature by issuing a legal notice in the Government Gazette, paving the way for the law to be applied verbatim. Opting to go through the legislature, LegCo passed the first reading of Chinas national anthem law in January 2019, according to Chinas state-run media. Then in early May this year, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced that local lawmakers should prioritize passing the anthem law, defending the move as proper legislation during a weekly briefing. The national anthem law has been criticized by rights groups. In March 2019, British NGO Hong Kong Watch issued a report, saying that such a law would be an appalling violation of freedom of expression. It said that the laws vague definition of insult was not in line with the basic principles of the rule of law. The Hong Kong edition of The Epoch Times and Reuters contributed to this report. Photos can help us remember loved ones who have died. But those images were usually captured when our nearest and dearest were still living. In the Victorian era, they did things a bit differently. Beginning in the mid-19th century, people began taking death portraits of family members after they had passed away. The strange practice inspired the new series Dead Still, currently streaming on Acorn TV. Dead Still is a murder mystery involving post-mortem photography Dead Still | Acorn TV In Dead Still, Michael Smiley plays Brock Blennerhasset, a former undertaker turned post-mortem photographer in 1880s Dublin. His job entails paying visits to the recently bereaved and capturing images of their deceased loved ones before they are laid to rest. Blennerhasset was a photographic pioneer who helped introduce the daguerreotype an early type of photography to Ireland. But technology has evolved and hes struggling to keep up with the times. With the arrival of cheaper cameras and photographic studios, theres less of a market for his death portraits. In the shows first episode, a mishap during a photo session further jeopardizes his business. To get out of the jam, Blennerhasset turns to Conall Molloy (Kerr Logan), a former gravedigger turned photographic assistant, along with his newly-arrived niece Nancy (Eileen OHiggins). Blennerhasset also crosses paths with Frederick Regan (Aidan OHare), a tenacious detective. Regan is investigating a series of murders that seem to have a connection to Blennerhasset. It appears theres a serial killer on the loose who is cashing in on an underground market for photos of people in their death throes. With the body count rising, Brock, Molloy and Nancy have to try to stop a murderer who might be out to get them next. Dead Still might have a dark premise, but it also has a dose of morbid, gallows humor, the shows writer John Morton told Willow & Thatch. But, he added, he was careful to balance the lighter moments with the more serious elements, keeping the focus on the central mystery. The show is inspired by a real Victorian practice Dead Still | Acorn TV RELATED: Victoria: Why Jenna Coleman Says She May Eventually Leave the Show (and Who She Wants as Her Replacement) The idea of posing for photographs with your dead relatives might seem creepy today. But it didnt seem so odd to people in Victorian times, who generally had a more intimate relationship with death than we do today. The invention of the daguerreotype in 1839 offered a reasonably affordable way for people to preserve images of a family member. Previously, that was an option only available to wealthy individuals who could pay for painted portraits. But in the 1840s and 1850s, photography was still novel. Many families wouldnt have thought to have a photo taken until a person died, noted the BBC. Death portraits were a last chance to capture an image of a person often a child before they were buried. It is not merely the likeness which is precious, but the association and the sense of nearness involved in the thing, the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote of a post-mortem portrait, according to The Atlantic. [T]he very shadow of the person lying there fixed forever! The first two episodes of Dead Still are currently streaming at Acorn TV. New episodes are available Mondays through June 15. Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook! 'I worry that the suffering of these people might be as invisible as the people themselves,' observes Geetanjali Krishna. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com Over the last few weeks, the lockdown has forced us to become more aware of the poverty around us. This week, I reflected on this with 33-year-old Navin Shukla who has been providing food and hygiene relief kits to those who need them. A part of the exemplary disaster relief organisation SEEDS, which has rolled out humanitarian response programmes across the country, Shukla sees this lockdown as a disaster unfolding before our eyes. "Initially when we conducted a pilot study in north east Delhi, the ground reality was heart-rending," he said. "Wherever we went, we found people from the unorganised sector left without any livelihood." While narrating his field experiences, he told me about some segments of the population who are so invisible, they often tend to fall through the holes of the social security net. "For example, in Burari, a low income settlement in central Delhi, I visited the home of seven sex workers," he narrated. "They are feeling extremely insecure of their future as it looks highly unlikely that their business will resume any time soon." To make matters worse, five of them are HIV positive. The stigma surrounding their profession, not to speak of the HIV, has made it hard for them to seek government relief. What's more, with five immune-compromised inmates, the remaining two risk all seven lives every time they step out. Another time, when Shukla was distributing ration kits in north-east Delhi, a woman approached him. "She asked me to come with her to meet some people who urgently needed help," he narrated. "We got onto a boat and rowed to a sandbank in the middle of the Yamuna where 15 families, who depended on fishing and melon farming, lived." Pre-COVID-19, they'd sell the fish and fruit on the bridge. The lockdown brought their enterprise to a halt. So every day since the lockdown, these people would row across the river to look for cooked food being served in different camps. This daily but unavoidable exposure put them at risk of contracting the infection. "But their self-respect was such that when we offered them relief kits, they accepted only five for the neediest among them," he narrated. Then our conversation came around to another, and perhaps the most tragic, invisible segment that presently needs support. "After almost two months of lockdown, we're noticing that it's not just daily wagers but also the lower middle class that is slowly falling into poverty," Shukla said. "The tragedy is that such people -- small shopkeepers, auto drivers, even call centre employees -- are ashamed to ask for help." Listening to him, I realised how little we know about where and how the poor live. Come to think of it, we don't even know who the poor really are! They aren't just the people below an arbitrary poverty line. Like the Burari sex workers, they are people who have few viable future work prospects. And they also include much of our so-called lower middle class -- people who are comfortable when the going is good, but don't have enough savings to offset the economic stress of this unending lockdown. NGOs like SEEDS are doing their bit, but I worry that the suffering of these people might be as invisible as the people themselves. Production: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com Brussels, May 24 : European Union (EU) prosecutors are increasing cumulating charges, including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, against returning foreign terrorists and members of the Islamic State (IS). Judicial cooperation agency Eurojust announced on Saturday that it will enable longer sentences against individual perpetrators, reports Efe news. Prosecutors in Germany, France, Hungary, Finland and the Netherlands have several open cases with cumulative charges against suspected returning foreign fighters. By imposing core international charges, European countries can prosecute their citizens for war crimes, regardless of where they were committed. Eurojust President Ladislav Hamran said in a statement: "We show the world that we care - not only about European citizens, but about humanity as a whole. "It is our joint responsibility to bring justice to the countless victims and people affected by armed conflicts." Many of the accused were able to return to European countries because they have links through nationality or residency, while others sought to enter the EU as refugees or asylum seekers. Matevz Pezdirc, head of the Secretariat to the European Genocide Network, said IS and Yabhat al Nusra, a branch of Al Qaeda in Syria, are terrorist organizations but must also be considered parties to armed conflict in Iraq and Syria. This allows its members to be charged with war crimes, in addition to crimes against humanity and genocide. These offences, which are classified as core international crimes, increase the possibility of higher sentences and of securing justice for victims. It also means individuals can be charged not only for terrorism but also other crimes such as slavery, use of child soldiers, murder and human rights violations. The conflict in IS-occupied territories in northern Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2018 has been well documented by terrorists themselves, offering additional possibilities for sentencing. This was seen in the so-called "selfie" cases: when photographs and videos published on social media of perpetrators carrying out their crimes was used by the judiciary. Dutch prosecutor Nicole Vogelenzang said in a video statement that there is already a precedent for after a Dutch citizen who had travelled to Syria in 2014 to join IS and returned to Turkey in 2016, where he was arrested and deported to Holland to stand trial. Investigators found a photograph of him on Facebook in which the 24-year-old was posing next to a dead body. Prosecutors were able to use the image to find out where in Syria the photograph had been taken and they were able to find the original execution video which had been carried out by IS. "Because we found the execution video we knew it was IS who executed the man - and more importantly we could establish that the suspect was not involved in the execution itself," Vogelenzang said. "By having his picture taken next to the dead body and by distributing the photo via Facebook, the suspect violated the personal dignity of the deceased man, which resulted in a war crime of degrading and inhuman treatment." The suspect, who has since launched an appeal, was sentenced to a total of nine years in prison, two and a half years for the war crime and six and a half years for a terror offence, she added. Eurojust said cumulative trials, which encompass a more comprehensive range of criminal charges against individual defendants, allow for longer penalties and fill the gap left by the absence of an international tribunal to prosecute atrocities committed by IS. London: Mars had a warm and wet climate about four billion years ago and provided a more favourable environment for life, say scientists who have discovered fossilised riverbeds on an ancient region of the red planet. The study identified over 17,000 km of former river channels on a northern plain called Arabia Terra, providing further evidence of water once flowing on Mars. "Climate models of early Mars predict rain in Arabia Terra and until now there was little geological evidence on the surface to support this theory," said Joel Davis from University College London. "This led some to believe that Mars was never warm and wet but was a largely frozen planet, covered in ice-sheets and glaciers," said Davis. "We've now found evidence of extensive river systems in the area which supports the idea that Mars was warm and wet, providing a more favourable environment for life than a cold, dry planet," he said. Since the 1970s, scientists have identified valleys and channels on Mars which they think were carved out and eroded by rain and surface runoff, just like on Earth. Similar structures had not been seen on Arabia Terra until the team analysed high resolution imagery from NASA's MarsReconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft. The new study examined images covering an area roughly the size of Brazil at a much higher resolution than was previously possible - 6 metres per pixel compared to 100 metres perpixel. While a few valleys were identified, the team found the existence of many systems of fossilised riverbeds which are visible as inverted channels spread across the Arabia Terraplain. The inverted channels are similar to those found elsewhere on Mars and Earth. They are made of sand and gravel deposited by a river and when the river becomes dry, the channels are left upstanding as the surrounding material erodes. On Earth, inverted channels often occur in dry, desert environments like Oman, Egypt, or Utah, where erosion rates are low - in most other environments, the channels are worn away before they can become inverted. "The networks of inverted channels in Arabia Terra are about 30m high and up to 1-2km wide, so we think they are probably the remains of giant rivers that flowed billions of years ago," said Davis. "Arabia Terra was essentially one massive flood plain bordering the highlands and lowlands of Mars," he said. "We think the rivers were active 3.9-3.7 billion years ago, but gradually dried up before being rapidly buried and protected for billions of years, potentially preserving any ancient biological material that might have been present," he added. "These ancient Martian flood plains would be great places to explore to search for evidence of past life," said Matthew Balme, from The Open University in UK. The research appears in the journal Geology. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The UK government will look into Huawei (Getty) After months of speculation, the UK government has confirmed it plans to review the role of Huawei in Britains 5G networks. A report from Reuters newswire said the government is looking carefully at the impact the United States new sanctions on the Chinese telecoms giant might have on British networks. A government spokesman said in a statement: Following the US announcement of additional sanctions against Huawei, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is looking carefully at any impact they could have to the UKs networks. A government spokesperson also told Times the "security & resilience of our networks is of paramount importance. Victor Zhang, vice-president Huawei said: Our priority remains to continue the rollout of a reliable and secure 5G networks across Britain. We are happy to discuss with NCSC any concerns they may have and hope to continue the close working relationship we have enjoyed for the last ten years. BREAKING: Security officials launch new review of Huawei's role in British 5G infrastructure, govt confirms Govt spox told Times the "security & resilience of our networks is of paramount importance". NCSC now "looking carefully" at impact of new US sanctions on Huawei pic.twitter.com/Dut1HkssmE Lucy Fisher (@LOS_Fisher) May 24, 2020 On Friday, reports emerged saying that Boris Johnson plans to reduce Huaweis involvement in UK 5G networks in the wake of the coronavirus. The prime minister is expected to reduce reliance on China in the coming years as a means to boost relations elsewhere. Trade talks with US president Donald Trump will be of paramount importance in the aftermath of the UKs departure from the European Union. READ MORE: UK plans cut in Huawei's 5G network involvement to zero by 2023 Plans are due to be drawn up to phase out Chinas input in British infrastructure to zero by 2023, according to the reports by The Daily Telegraph released on Friday. Story continues Conservative backbench MPs have previously rebelled against decisions to involve Huawei in UK infrastructure. Although Johnson has a majority of 80, the ranks of backbenchers willing to rebel on the issue is now estimated to enough to defeat the government. In January, the telecoms equipment maker was granted a seat at the table in 5G development of what the UK government called non-sensitive parts of the network. The government capped its involvement at 35%. READ MORE: Twitter to guide users to 5G facts in search results The US has previously raised security concerns about the use of Huawei equipment, warning allies that use of it in their networks means they face being cut off from intelligence feeds. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 24 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: The Iran and Turkey may soon open land and air borders in accordance with health protocols to resume trade between the two countries, Trend reports citing the website of Iranian presidents office. The remarks were made in a telephone conversation between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the occasion of Ramadan Holiday. During the telephone conversation, the Iranian and Turkish presidents expressed hope that in the near future, with the establishment of a joint commission on economic cooperation between the two countries and the end of the coronavirus crisis, economic relations between the two countries will revive. The presidents of Iran and Turkey noted the positive cooperation between the two countries at different times and stressed the exchange of information and experience in the fight against coronavirus, the report said. Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 135,700 people have tested positive for COVID-19, 7,417 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 105,800 have reportedly recovered from the disease. The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease. The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. Iran's exports to Turkey amounted to $72 million in the first month of current Iranian year (March 20-April 19, 2020). Turkey's share in Iran's exports was 4.4 percent, or 48.6 percent less compared to the same month of last Iranian year. Iran imported $246 million worth of products from Turkey. Turkey's share in Iran's imports was 12.8 percent, or 27.2 percent less compared to the same month of last Iranian year. Early Friday morning, May 22, Midland Center for the Arts facilities staff were able to enter the Doan History Center and Heritage Park to assess the flood damage caused by the catastrophic collapse of the Edenville Dam and the failure of the Sanford Lake Dam. Terri Trotter, president & CEO and Julie Johnson, director of museums, toured the facility to get a first-hand look at the damage. They reviewed plans for immediate clean-up and rescue of artifacts. The damage at the facility affects the work of the Midland County Historical Society, an organizational entity operating under the auspices of Midland Center for the Arts. Our initial review of the historic campus reveals some hope after a gloomy few days for Midland County, said Trotter. The flood waters have caused damage to the facilities, with mud and debris scattered throughout the Midland County history museums. But structurally, the buildings have withstood devastation and many of the archives remain dry. Our biggest concern is for the thousands of papers, artifacts and photographs that celebrate our rich history in Midland County, and most of those valued treasurers are safe. Water submerged the basement of the 1874 Victorian Bradley Home, emerging through the ground floor level by one inch. The Herbert H. Dow Museum appears virtually unscathed other than water in the basement and on the floors. The Carriage House, Brine Well and Blacksmith Shop damage have yet to be fully assessed. The facilities staff is pumping water out of the buildings and beginning efforts to dry, cool and fan these historical structures prior to restoration. More than 20 water pumps and 20 industrial-size fans are being utilized in buildings throughout the campus. Our mitigation efforts within the archives and Heritage Park, including the historic Bradley Home, Carriage House, Blacksmith Shop, and Herbert H. Dow Museum, were geared toward the 2017 flood level, if not higher, noted Jake Huss, historical programs & exhibitions manager. The 1874 Victorian Bradley Home was prepared for the 1986 flood level. However, this situation is unprecedented, and water filled the basement and even slightly damaged the ground floor of the Historic Bradley Home, which has never happened before. Despite being at a higher elevation, the Doan History Center, where most of the Midland County Historical Society archives are stored, took in an estimated 24 inches of water throughout the facility. The exhibits were not damaged, other than water and mud on the floors. A portion of the archives, however, have sustained significant damage. Records and files kept on the lowest shelves of the archive storage area were subjected to quite a bit of water, noted Crystal Laudeman, archivist. However, our colleagues at Saginaw Valley State Universitys Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum have provided immediate access to their freezer storage to help preserve wet artifacts, a process which prevents mold and other water damage. After freezing, we will coordinate with other agencies to freeze dry the paperwork, which intensifies the drying process and more successfully restores delicate items. The situation is concerning, but because the Doan Center is well above the river, the situation is manageable and we anticipate that we will be able to restore many of the soaked documents. It has been an emotional and trying week for many residents of Midland County and our staff at Midland Center for the Arts and the Midland County Historical Society, said Julie Johnson. We have received countless nationwide inquiries and offers to assist from volunteers, cultural organizations, community members and donors about our facilities and archives. The dedication and passion for preserving our rich history is strong and we will be able to navigate this devastating flood because of the many people who are committed to our success. Center staff are coordinating with Central Michigan Universitys Museum Studies program to assist with the preservation of 3-dimensional objects, focusing on the historic Bradley Home. As the Center moves from rescue to restoration, they will also be collaborating with experts from Michigan Museum Association and Michigan Archivists Society, and others from around the nation. The Center has also gratefully accepted assistance from Smithsonian-trained historic preservation and restoration specialist, Jared Yax, Collections Curator from the Tri-Cities Historical Museum. Folks have been concerned and worried, and have been asking for ways to assist, said Huss. Some of the work right now requires high levels of expertise and training. However, a lot of the work is simply labor carrying, lifting, labeling. If people are interested, they should be able to sign up through the Midland Historical Society Facebook page. In addition, we urge those who would like to help us to donate at the Centers website, at midlandcenter.org. Midland Center for the Arts is accepting donations to support the Historical Societys cleanup, assessment, rescue and restoration efforts. For more information or to make a gift, visit midlandcenter.org. People who have donated an artifact to the Midland Historical Society Archive and are concerned about its status, are asked not to contact the Society at this time. Once officials have the ability to assess the full extent of the issues, Crystal Laudeman will reach out to the donors of items that have been affected. Donors are asked to be patient during this time. Any developing updates will appear on an ongoing basis on the Center's website and on the Midland Historical Society Facebook page. Processed by Lori Qualls, lqualls@mdn.net Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday put his former ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in his line of fire for playing politics while the state government was battling the Covid-19 pandemic. Thackeray, in his address to the State, said that his government will not indulge in politics as it does not suit the culture of Maharashtra. The chief minister also said that the Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra, which now has 47,190 cases, are likely to rise further by May end. Maharashtra has been clocking over 2,000 fresh cases daily since last week, but the Centres projection that the state would have around 1.25-1.50 lakh cases has not come true I am still of the opinion that these are testing times, and that nobody should indulge in politics now. Even if you do, we will not because we have got the responsibility of Maharashtra and the people of Maharashtra have faith in us. And I will never let that faith (in us) go in vain, Thackeray said. As I have honestly said the Centre is helping us (State). We are still facing issue like GST refund, it is still to reach us. Should I make it an issue? Earlier PPE kits were not coming; there is still a deficiency in the supply of medicine. Should I yell over it? We are still to get the money for the trains. If we start doing this, then this is not humanity Just playing politics for the sake of it does not suit the culture of Maharashtra. I will preserve Maharashtra and its culture. It does not fit in my principle to play politics at times of difficulty and I will not do it, the CM said. The BJP, led by former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, had staged Maharashtra Bachao (Save Maharashtra) agitation on May 22 and demanded a financial package worth Rs 50,000 crore for farmers and daily wage earners. In a veiled jibe at the BJP, Thackeray said that the state government is not going to announce empty packages but do actual work. Some people are asking why have you not announced a package? We are giving everything. At the moment, the crisis in front of us is related to public health. Till now many packages worth lakhs and crores have been announced. It is packaged nicely when you open it is an empty box. Our Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government is not the one to announce empty packages, he said in his address on Sunday afternoon. Thackeray also outlined the state governments steps taken for the people and migrant labourers including widening the scope of Shiv Bhojan scheme, following up with the Centre to give foodgrains for people who do not have ration cards, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Aarogya Yojana, etc. He said that 5.5 to 6 lakh migrant workers have been provided food till now. These steps are beyond any package. getting food and medical treatment is important. All these schemes are for all classes because virus does not know any class or religion. The public insurance scheme gives 100% free treatment to all. This is a package. Should we announce it and advertise it or should we keep working, Thackeray asked. Speaking about the measures to tackle Covid-19 outbreak, Thackeray said that the state has prepared for a surge in numbers by the end of this month. There was a projection that Maharashtra could have 1.25-1.50 lakh coronavirus positive cases by May end. But, currently we have 33,786 [active] Covid-19 cases, around 13,404 have recovered. This is thanks to the lockdown and discipline maintained by you, he said. Cases will increase now, we are preparing and created hospital infrastructure for it. By the end of May, we will make 14,000 beds available, currently, we have already created around 7,000 beds including 3000 in our field hospitals. The CM also appealed to people to celebrate Eid inside their homes and not come on the streets. Several exemptions have been made but its important not to crowds shops when they open. We will still need to follow instructions, otherwise, we will have to close it again. We need to get our life back on track. Congregations, religious functions are still not allowed. Celebrate at home to emerge out of this situation in a better and effective way, he said. Chris Patten, Hong Kong's last British governor speaks at The Foreign Correspondents Club to promote his new book in Hong Kong, on Sept. 19, 2017. (Vincent Yu/AP Photo) Last British Governor Says Hong Kong Betrayed by China China's new Hong Kong laws a 'flagrant breach' of agreement, foreign officials say The last British governor of Hong Kong said China has betrayed the territory by tightening control over the city it had promised could keep freedoms not found on the mainland. What we are seeing is a new Chinese dictatorship, Chris Patten told an interview with The Times of London. I think the Hong Kong people have been betrayed by China, which has proved once again that you cant trust it further than you can throw it. He said the British government should make it clear that what we are seeing is a complete destruction of the Joint Declaration, a legal document under which the former British colony was returned to China in 1997 under a one country, two systems framework. It gives Hong Kong its own legal system and Western-style freedoms until 2047. But many fear those are being chipped away after authorities clamped down on massive pro-democracy protests that rocked the city last year. Last week, Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers sharply criticized the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)s move to enact national security legislation in the territory, which was submitted on the opening day of the regimes rubber-stamp legislature. It would forbid secessionist and subversive activity, as well as foreign interference and terrorism. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the move a death knell for the high degree of autonomy that Beijing had promised Hong Kong. Patten told the Times he believed that one country, two systems, the treaty logged at the United Nations, would be enough to protect Hong Kongs capitalist economy and its way of life. China cheats, it tries to screw things in its own favor, and if you ever point this out their wolf warrior diplomats try to bully and hector you into submission, he said. Its got to stop otherwise the world is going to be a much less safe place and liberal democracy around the world is going to be destabilized. He called on Britain to do more to stand up to the CCP and protect Hong Kong under its legal obligations. Britain has a moral, economic and legal duty to stand up for Hong Kong, he said. The real danger is that we are entirely limp on this. We have obligations because we signed the agreement If we dont have any responsibilities for the people of Hong Kong and their way of life, who do we have responsibility for? Flagrant Breach In a joint statement organized by Patten and former British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind, 186 law and policy leaders, including 17 members of the U.S. Congress, on Saturday decried Beijings proposed laws are a comprehensive assault on Hong Kongs autonomy, rule of law and fundamental freedoms and flagrant breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration that returned Hong Kong to China in 1997. If the international community cannot trust Beijing to keep its word when it comes to Hong Kong, people will be reluctant to take its word on other matters, they wrote. U.S. officials have said the Chinese legislation would be bad for the economies of both Hong Kong and China and could jeopardize the territorys special status in U.S. law. Some of U.S. President Donald Trumps fellow RepublicansSenator Marco Rubio, acting chairman of the Intelligence Committee, and Senator Ted Cruzsigned the statement. Democratic signatories included Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Representatives Eliot Engel, head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Adam Schiff, chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee. Forty-four members of Britains House of Commons and eight members of its House of Lords also signed the statement, alongside figures from across Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. Reuters contributed to this report A first-generation diamantaire Yoram Dvash, currently serving as the Acting President at World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the President of the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE), launched his diamond manufacturing and trading business, Yoram Dvash Diamonds Ltd., in 1991. Yoram Dvash has been a member of Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association (IsDMA) since the beginning of the century and an IsDMA board member since 2011. He also served a term on the board of the Israel Diamond Institute. In 2013 elections, Yoram was chosen as the IDE's honorary secretary, Chairman of the Industry Committee and Chairman of the Marketing and External Relations Committee. Yoram first joined the board of directors of the Israel Diamond Exchange in 2013. In the 2015 elections, Yoram was elected as President of the Israel Diamond Exchange. In 2016, five months after being elected as Israeli Diamond Exchange President, Yoram was elected as Vice President of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB). Here, in an interview with Rough & Polished, Yoram Dvash expresses his confidence in WFDBs Get Diamonds platform that has been designed to bring transparency; and also be ideal to connect traders across the globe. Some excerpts: Can you tell us more about the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) diamond trading platform Get Diamonds? The coronavirus pandemic has caused a huge crisis in the global economy, but the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, a body that incorporates 29 diamond exchanges, has decided to turn the crisis into an opportunity and to introduce significant changes into the way business has traditionally been done. The halt in trade, exhibitions and international flights has led to the realization that online commerce is a major force that is here to stay. Customers have cut back on store visits and have largely moved online. With this in mind, the WFDB decided to acquire online diamond trading platform "Get Diamonds". Huge efforts were invested in this platform to make it convenient and user-friendly, easily accessible and transparent. Moreover, it is not a privately-owned venture but a non-profit company owned by the WFDB. Get Diamonds is truly By the industry, For the industry. Traders across countries are interested to know more about Get Diamonds working procedure etc. Also, how it will counterpoise to RapNet or even any other trading platforms? Your comments, please? In a very short space of five weeks, Get Diamonds has captured the market and established itself as the world's largest diamond trading platform, with over 1.2 million diamonds listed, valued over $ 5.5 billion, with over 3,200 traders and more than 25,000 buyers worldwide. This proves to us how important full transparency is to the diamond trade. Currently, the platform is free to use and will be offered at very affordable prices. How do you think Get Diamonds will benefit the global diamond traders on the whole? I think that a major factor in its success is that it is so different from what was available before. This platform is not privately owned and influenced by various interests that are not-transparent. It is a platform created by and for the diamond industry, and its purpose is to provide the transparency it brings with it. It is an ideal platform for connecting buyers and sellers from around the world professionally and objectively. How is the Chinese version of the Get Diamonds site launched by WFDB recently faring now? Traders are eager to know about the Russian and Arabic versions as well. How soon will they be launched? After we launched the English, Hebrew and Chinese versions, the Russian and Hindi language versions are also available. The Arabic language will soon be added as well. Once there is a demand for language or interest from some countries, we will do everything to make the platform convenient and provide a user-friendly interface. We see the future generation as a very big hope for our industry, so we decided to invest resources and create a new website that will serve as a hub for young diamantaires around the world. It took quite a while to create this site that would suit the young members of the industry, and allow them to reach out to creative collaborations to improve their business operations. At the end of the day, they are the future of the industry, and we are pleased to see that over 300 young diamantaires around the world have joined the Young Diamantaire site. I invite anyone who has not yet joined to register for the site. Wrapping up, how do you think the global diamond industry would be impacted by COVID19 crisis? The negative effect is now being felt right from the Mines down to the retailers. Please give us an outlook for the post-COVID-19 period. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? We may be nearing the end of the coronavirus wave. Governments have already begun to open the economy, and companies and businesses are slowly starting to return to work. I predict that within a few months, the wheels of trade and industry will return at a brisk pace. We hope that we will restore the global diamond industry to growth and prosperity for the benefit of all diamantaires in the world. We also hope that we have been able to make a significant change by encouraging the transition to trade that is more digital and less physical. No wonder senior diamond industry executives such as Dr Gaetano Cavalieri, CIBJO President, Lawrence Ma, Hong Kong Diamond Federation President, and the President of the Antwerp World Diamond Center have urged the use of ' Get Diamonds'. The success of the platform is because its time has come - its time that the industry manages its trade on its own, for its benefit. Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished Gardai are appealing for witnesses to a serious crash in County Kildare four days ago. A woman has since died after she was knocked down near Athy. OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - The deadly pathogen SARS-COV-2, which causes COVID-19, continues to spread unabated in most parts of the world while in some regions it has been brought under control. At last count, the total number of confirmed cases of infection across the globe is 5.31 million and the death toll is 342,147. The U.S. tops the list with 1.62 million confirmed cases and 97,087 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University. As the companies race against time to develop antibiotics or vaccines against the novel coronavirus, here's what happened in the COVID-19 drug/vaccine development space in the week that went by. 1. Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate On Track For Phase II Study Moderna Inc.'s (MRNA) vaccine candidate against the novel coronavirus, mRNA-1273, has yielded positive results in a phase I study that was led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In the phase I study, all eight participants evaluated to date across the 25 g and 100 g dose cohorts of mRNA-1273 developed detectable antibodies in the blood against the novel coronavirus at or above levels seen in convalescent sera. In addition, the vaccine candidate elicited neutralizing antibody titer levels in all the participants across the 25 g and 100 g dose cohorts, reaching or exceeding neutralizing antibody titers generally seen in convalescent sera. Neutralizing antibodies interferes with a virus/pathogen's ability to infect a cell. The phase II study of mRNA-1273 vaccine will be conducted by Moderna. The Company was given FDA clearance to initiate a phase II study of the vaccine on May 6, and the study is expected to begin shortly. Moderna is finalizing the protocol for a phase III study, which is scheduled to begin in July 2020. MRNA closed Friday's trading at $69.00, up 2.91%. 2. IMV Selects COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate To Advance Into Phase I testing IMV Inc. (IMV), which has been evaluating a number of peptide epitopes in an animal model, has selected a vaccine candidate for COVID-19 to advance into human testing. The vaccine, dubbed DPX-COVID-19, is designed to utilize a multi-target approach, to optimize immune response against virus' weaknesses, enhance efficacy at preventing infection and reduce the potential for immune escape, according to the Company. A phase I clinical study of DPX-COVID-19 in Canada is scheduled to be launched during summer 2020. IMV closed Friday's trading at $3.53, down 2.75%. 3. NantKwest Gets Clearance To Move BM-Allo.MSC Into Clinical Study In COVID-19 Patients NantKwest Inc. (NK) has been given the go-ahead by the FDA to advance BM-Allo.MSC, an allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) product derived from human bone marrow, into human testing for the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by COVID-19. The clinical study of BM-Allo.MSC in severe COVID-19 disease patients receiving care in the critical care or ICU setting in Los Angeles area hospitals is expected to start this quarter (Q2). NK closed Friday's trading at $5.58, down 2.45%. 4. Aldeyra To Advance Potential COVID-19 Meds Into Clinical Study In Q3, 2020 Aldeyra Therapeutics Inc. (ALDX) has plans to test two of its compounds - ADX-1612 and ADX-629 - as a treatment for COVID-19. ADX-1612 is an inhibitor of chaperone protein HSP90, a target widely implicated in viral disease. In lab studies, ADX-1612 has demonstrated nanomolar potency similar to or greater than that of Gilead's Remdesivir. Complementary to the nucleic acid inhibition mechanism of action of Remdesivir and related antiviral compounds, ADX-1612 potentially leads to the inhibition of proteins associated with viral replication and infection and thereby may enhance the activity of other antiviral drugs for the treatment of COVID-19, according to the Company. The Company plans to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application, seeking clearance to initiate a clinical trial of ADX-1612, in the third quarter of 2020. The second potential COVID-19 drug candidate ADX-629 has been granted a BARDA CoronaWatch meeting. ADX-629 has completed pre-IND discussions with the Pulmonary Division of the FDA, and Aldeyra expects to submit an IND application, seeking clearance to initiate a human trial, in June 2020. ALDX closed Friday's trading at $4.27, up 0.71%. 5. Appili To Test Favipiravir As Preventative Measure against COVID-19 Outbreaks Appili Therapeutics Inc. (APLI.V) has received regulatory clearance from Health Canada to conduct a phase II study evaluating FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical's Favipiravir as a preventative measure against COVID-19 outbreaks. The study, which will enroll approximately 760 subjects, both residents and staff, at 16 long-term care homes (LTCHs) in Ontario, is expected to begin immediately. This is the first clinical study to examine the use of Favipiravir for COVID-19 outbreak control. Favipiravir, under the brand name Avigan, is approved in Japan as a treatment and stockpile countermeasure for the pandemic influenza outbreak. APLI.V closed Friday's trading at C$1.69, up 0.60%. 6. Octapharma To Initiate Phase III of Trial Of Octagam 10% In COVID-19 Patients Privately-held Octapharma USA has secured FDA clearance to initiate a phase III trial of Octagam 10% therapy in COVID-19 patients with severe disease progression. Octagam 10% is an immune globulin intravenous (human) liquid preparation indicated for the treatment of chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in adults. The trial to evaluate Octagam 10% therapy will enroll about 54 adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19 with a resting SpO2 of less than or equal to 93%, requiring oxygen supplementation. SpO2, also known as oxygen saturation, is a measure of the amount of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin in the blood relative to the amount of hemoglobin not carrying oxygen. Octapharma hopes to report results from the phase III Octagam 10% therapy study in COVID-19 patients by the third quarter of 2020. 7. Inovio Expects Phase I Covid-19 Vaccine Trial Results In June Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s (INO) vaccine candidate against the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, INO-4800, has demonstrated promising results in animal testing. Mice and guinea pigs vaccinated with INO-4800 generated robust binding and neutralizing antibody as well as T cell responses, which could provide protection from SARS-CoV-2. A phase I clinical trial evaluating the safety profile and immunogenicity of INO-4800 in humans is underway in the U.S. Preliminary safety and immune response data from the phase I trial are expected in June. If all goes well as planned, the Company plans to start a phase II/III efficacy trial of INO-4800 in July/August. INO closed Friday's trading at $14.08, down 1.12%. 8. Vaxart's COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate To Enter Phase I Study In Summer After evaluating multiple vaccine candidates in preclinical models, Vaxart Inc. (VXRT) has selected its lead COVID-19 vaccine candidate and has contracted with KindredBio to manufacture bulk vaccine to complement the manufacturing capacity of partner Emergent BioSolutions. Vaxart's vaccines are produced in tablet form and are not injectable vaccines. The Company is planning to start its first phase I study of COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the second half of this year, possibly as early as the summer. VXRT closed Friday's trading at $2.91, down 3.32%. 9. CanSino' Phase I Study Results of COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Published In Lancet CanSino Biologics Inc.'s recombinant novel coronavirus vaccine candidate Ad5-nCoV has demonstrated that it is tolerable and immunogenic at 28 days post-vaccination in a phase I study. The phase I study was conducted in Wuhan, China, and it involved healthy adults aged between 18 and 60 years. Ad5-nCoV as an intramuscular injection of vaccine was tested in three dose groups. Humoral response, i.e., the formation of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, peaked at day 28 post-vaccination in healthy adults, and rapid specific T-cell responses were noted from day 14 post-vaccination, according to the study findings published in the Lancet. A phase II trial of Ad5-nCoV, designed to enroll 500 healthy adults, is underway, with results expected to be available by January 2021. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de A California woman has become the latest person from mainland America to be arrested for violating Hawaii's strict 14-day quarantine order. Misty Beutler, 51, was detained by authorities Friday after witnesses reported her out and about in Honolulu just days after she arrived there. Visitors and residents returning to Hawaii are required to stay indoors and self-isolate for a fortnight in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19. According to a press release from Governor David Ige's office, Beutler touched down in Honolulu May 9 to stay with her son at his condominium complex. A resident at the complex claims they saw Buetler and her son unloading her luggage on that day. However, just two days later, they spotted her returning to the residence with beach equipment in hand. Misty Beutler (right) was detained by Hawaiian authorities Friday after witnesses reported her out and about in Honolulu just days after she arrived there. She was reportedly staying with her son (left) at his condominium complex On May 12, a witness reported that Beutler was out walking her son's dog Then, on May 12, the resident reported that Beutler was out again - this time walking her son's dog. Investigators went to the complex to interview the witness on Friday, May 22 and saw Beutler and her son coming out of an elevator ready to head outside. She was promptly arrested and taken into custody. Her bond is set at $2,000. Hawaii Attorney General Clare Connors stated: 'Law enforcement agencies across the State have cited hundreds of people for emergency rules violations and have made dozens of arrests for violating the travel quarantine. We appreciate everyones cooperation in these efforts.' On Wednesday, another woman from mainland America was arrested for breaking the self-quarantine orders after she posted photos on social media of herself at the beach. Investigators went to the complex to interview the witness on Friday, May 22 and saw Beutler and her son coming out of an elevator ready to head outside Alyza Alder, 18, allegedly flew to Honolulu from her home in Arizona on May 6 and started posting photos on Instagram just three days later. Photos from her social media accounts show her posing at beaches on May 9 and May 14. In one photo caption, Alder wrote that she had just moved to her dream location in Oahu and was 'loving every minute of it'. During the time she should have been quarantining, authorities say she had also been working at a restaurant in Laie. Alder was arrested at that restaurant on Wednesday afternoon. Her bail has also been set at $2,000. Alyza Alder, 18,allegedly flew to Honolulu from her home in Arizona on May 6 and started posting photos on Instagram just three days later In one photo caption, Alder wrote that she had just moved to her dream location in Oahu and was 'loving every minute of it' Last week, a young New York man was also arrested for allegedly violating the self-quarantine orders. Tarique Peters, 23, of the Bronx, arrived in Honolulu on May 11 and 'allegedly left his hotel room the day he arrived and traveled many places using public transportation'. Agents from the Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center say authorities 'became aware of his social media posts from citizens who saw posts of him - on the beach with a surfboard, sunbathing, and walking around Waikiki at night.' Agents from the state attorney general's office arrested him on May 15. Hotel staff told the agents they saw Peters leave his room and the hotel numerous times. Tarique Peters, 23, of the Bronx, arrived in Honolulu on May 11 and 'allegedly left his hotel room the day he arrived and traveled many places using public transportation' In view of the Coronavirus crisis, eleven municipal areas from seven states across the country have accounted for 70 percent of the COVID-19 case load, said the Union Health Ministry on Saturday. According to the Ministry, the states include Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh West Bengal, and Rajasthan. Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan held a high-level meeting through video conferencing with principal health secretaries and municipal commissioners along with other officials from the 11 municipal areas. During the meeting, she urged them to focus on prevention through active screening of high risk and vulnerable populations, as well as on effective clinical management of the people who have been admitted. She also briefed the states about the factors to be considered while mapping the containment and buffer zones. Further, the health secretary also highlighted the trend in case of trajectory with respect to total confirmed cases, case fatality rate, doubling time, tests per million, and confirmation percentage. As per the ministry, the recovery rate is up to 41.39 percent till now. Read: 'Approx. 40% COVID-19 patients have recovered; 2.94% on oxygen support': Health Ministry States to categorize zones Last week, the Health Ministry allowed the states to categorize their own COVID-19 districts into the red, orange, and green zones. Later, the Ministry also wrote to the states on the parameters while doing the same. In the letter, the Health Ministry highlighted that the states must consider total active cases, active cases per lakh, doubling rate, case fatality, testing ratio, and sample positivity while categorizing the zones. It also reiterated that states must ensure that containment zones must be delineated based on mapping of cases, geographical dispersion od cases, area perimeter, perimeter control enforceability. Read: Health Ministry writes to states on parameters while categorising COVID-19 zones India extends lockdown Last Sunday, the Centre announced the extension of India's lockdown till May 31 due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a Rs 20 lakh crore economic package - including the previous monetary package and the liquidity measures announced by RBI till date, to kickstart Indian economy's growth. According to the latest update from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the number of total coronavirus cases in the country has climbed to 1,318,868 including 73,560 active cases. While 3,867 deaths have been reported overall, around 54,440 people have been cured/discharged, and one person has been migrated. Read: Manipur CM makes quarantine mandatory for all returnees, says violators will be jailed Read: Health Ministry issues revised guidelines for home isolation of very mild Covid-19 cases (With PTI Inputs) Srinagar: Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations in Kashmir on Sunday were a low-key affair as most of the faithful marked the culmination of the fasting month of Ramzan by offering thanksgiving prayers at home in view of the coronavirus-induced lockdown. The festival is being celebrated across Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala on Sunday, while the rest of the country will celebrate Eid on Monday. No Eid prayers were offered for the second consecutive time in major mosques and shrines of Kashmir as police enforced restrictions in most parts of the valley including Srinagar city, officials said. People preferred to offer Eid prayers at home -- either individually or in small groups comprising family members, the officials said. However, there have been reports of congregation Eid prayers being offered in mosques located in the interior parts of cities and towns. Police personnel made announcements early in the morning on public address systems, appealing people not to congregate for Eid prayers as restrictions were still in place as part of the lockdown. Last year, Eid-ul-Azha prayers could not be offered in Kashmir as authorities had imposed strict curfew in the wake of abrogation of Article 370 and division of then Jammu and Kashmir State into two union territories. The role of the automobile has been reinvented in the coronavirus era. Once just a way of getting from one place to another, the car has been turned into a mini-shelter on wheels, safe from contamination, a cocoon that allows its occupants to be inside and outside at the same time. It took a pandemic to give the automobile its new role. When people pack up their families and friends, they can still adhere to social distancing rules. They remain under a roof, within closed doors, sealed off and separated from the rest of their fellow human beings. Mobile safe distancing has generated a new way of life a society on wheels. May 25 is probably going to be the most eventful and important day in the short history of the quickly growing Realme brand. The company aims to hold not one but two events on the same day at two different locations - China and India. On the next day, May 26, another event will follow, this time for Europe. So why is May 25 so important for Realme? Well, the OEM is about to unveil eight new devices on the same date. Smartphones Most of the devices, if not all, are already confirmed. We expect the Realme X50 Pro Player edition, Realme X3 and X3 SuperZoom to be the stars of the show. The first one is essentially a gaming-centric version of the company's most recent flagship, the X50 Pro 5G. The price will reportedly be lower by cutting some unnecessary features from a gamer's perspective. While still running on the Snapdragon 865 platform and boasting a high-refresh rate screen (6.44" 90Hz Super AMOLED), the phone will have a less impressive 48MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide unit, 2MP macro cam and a 2MP depth sensor. The battery capacity is expected to be 4,200mAh and the 65W SuperDart Flash Charge will top-up the phone fast even if you keep gaming while charing. The special thing about this phone, as per teasers, would be the cooling solution. Incorporating graphite sheets and vapor chambers, the system should be able to sustain maximum performance for longer, which we all know is pretty important for mobile gaming. Moving to the Realme X3 SuperZoom - it is said to ll be retaining that Snapdragon 855+ chipset from the X2 Pro while upgrading the telephoto camera to 5x optical zoom using a periscope lens. Teasers have confirmed the fingerprint scanner will be side-mounted so the panel will be of the LCD variety. But it will support 120Hz refresh rate for extra smooth gaming. The rumors suggest that the battery would get a slight bump to 4,200 mAh but the charging speed will cap at 30W instead of 50W. As for the Realme X3 5G, it's supposed to deliver 5G on the cheap using a Snapdragon 765G chip. Smart watch, earphones and a power bank Realme is supposed to release its first smartwatch called Realme Watch. It's going to run a custom platform with the biggest screen in India in the price segment - 1.4". The watch will also have a heart rate and SpO2 monitors. Deeper integration with your Realme smartphone like camera control, is expected as well. Following on the successful Realme Buds Air earphones, the company is about to unveil two more TWS products - Realme Buds Air Neo and Buds Q. The former will be a cheaper version of the original Buds Air with some of the features missing such as the wireless charging case and the so-called Environmental Noise Cancellation. The Buds Q, on the other hand, seem like the most premium option in the Realme earphone portfolio. Features haven't been disclosed but the they are reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy Buds and are designed by the French artist Jose Levy. Last but not least, the Buds Wireless are getting a Pro version. No one knows what makes them Pro but we know how the look and that they have USB-C connector. Sadly, information about the power bank is scarce but we do hope that it supports some of the SuperDart/VOOC/Warp speeds. Realme TV This is going to be the first for the company and as expected, the brand aims to disrupt the TV market with low prices, just like it did with its phones. The TV will allegedly come in two flavors - 32" and 43" running Android TV. Features like QLED panels, Chroma Boost engine, bezel-less design, 400 nits of brightness (20% more than the average TV in the price range), 24W quad-speakers and a quad-core MediaTek chipset are on the list. As far as the Indian event is concerned, Realme has confirmed only the TV and the Watch so we don't know which other devices from the list above will make an appearance. Some of the accessories are likely to be launched in India as per media invites. The European event will likely have the fewest devices of the three given that the company has teased just the X3 SuperZoom and vaguely confirmed that the X3 5G will be at that event as well. And by that point, we would know everything about the two handsets. In any case, make sure to watch all of the events as with so many new announcements, we are excused to have missed something from the rumor mill. And besides, there are still some features that remain a mystery. 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